Harman Professional Brands Brew Perfect Sound For Oktoberfest 2008

In another example of the worldwide movement by audio professionals towards complete sound systems comprised exclusively of Harman Professional components, Oktoberfest 2008, which takes place in Munich later this month, features four major tents equipped with audio technologies from Crown Audio, Soundcraft, JBL Professional, AKG and BSS Audio. The systems for the Hacker, Weinzelt, Armbrustschützen and Löwenbräu tents are provided by Max Ihm and Andreas Wallisch of LUTV (www.lutv.de) of Forstinning on the outskirts of Munich.

At the Löwenbräu tent 12 JBL Professional VERTEC® VT4887 compact line array elements and eight JBL Professional P744 1x18" subwoofers will be powered by eight Crown I-Tech IT4000 Series amplifiers with mixing by a 48-channel Soundcraft Series 4 console and processing by BSS Soundweb 9088 networked signal processor. Four JBL Professional SRX712M monitor wedges will be joined onstage with a battery of AKG microphones.

At the neighboring Armbrustschützen tent, a similar loudspeaker lineup of 12 JBL Professional VT4887 compact line array elements, eight JBL P744 subwoofers and four JBL SRX712M monitor wedges are powered by eight Crown CTs3000 amplifiers equipped with eight Crown PIP USP3 cards. In this instance, longtime-Oktoberfest sound system suppliers, LUTV, elected to use a 40 channel Soundcraft GB8 mixing board and again reverted to the BSS Soundweb 9088 for processing. Here also, AKG microphones will be used for instrument and vocal use.

The system employed at the Hacker tent comprises 18 JBL Professional VERTEC VT4887 line array elements at its core with six JBL P744 subwoofers providing the low end. Ihm and Wallisch deployed 12 Crown MacroTech MA5002Vz outfitted with 12 Crown PIP USP3 cards communicating with a BSS Soundweb 9088 networked signal processor. AKG microphones will also be featured onstage for instruments and singers of the traditional Bavarian folk performers that, together with the beer and the crowds, have made Oktoberfest such a unique and fun event. The Weinzelt tent will also feature components from JBL Professional, Crown, BSS Audio and AKG, though details are being finalized.

Commenting on the application, Max Ihm noted, " LUTV GmbH is providing sound systems and technical equipment since more than 25 year for various tent at the Wiesn [Oktoberfest]. From the beginning JBL loudspeakers and other Harman sound equipment were our first choice.”

Andreas Wallisch agrees: "Our customers and we have high expectations regarding the performance of PA systems. JBL speakers like VERTEC meet and surpass our sophisticated quality standards."

Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com), designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. Harman International maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and employs more than 11,000 people worldwide. The Harman International family of brands includes AKG®, Audioaccess®, Becker®, BSS®, Crown®, dbx®, DigiTech®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®, Revel®, QNX®, Soundcraft® and Studer®. Harman International’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NYSE: HAR.”