Demonstrating JBL Professional’s ability to provide loudspeaker solutions for all environments, Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City recently renovated its pool area, coffee shop and food court. The renovated areas feature new sound reinforcement systems that include JBL VERTEC® line arrays, VRX portable line arrays and Control® Contractor ceiling speakers.
The pool at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City is housed under a 200-foot-round by 80-foot-high glass dome and hosts numerous events during evening hours as part of Harrah’s “The Pool After Dark” program. Since many of these events feature live DJs and performers, Harrah’s purchased a “performance” system that could be set up during events, as well as a permanent system for daily use.
The permanent system at the pool features 10 VRX932LAP powered, portable line arrays and two VRX918SP powered, portable subwoofers. Twelve cabanas line the pool, with VRX loudspeakers placed on top of the cabanas, evenly dispersed around the pool area. To control the system, dbx DriveRack 4800 loudspeaker management systems were installed.
Components of the performance system are set up in all four corners of the pool area. Each corner contains a line array comprised of four VERTEC VT4887ADP compact powered line array elements and two VT4881ADP compact powered subwoofers, with another two
VT4881ADP subwoofers flanking each array at the bottom. To provide concert-quality sound during events, the arrays are staged in the corners and rolled out nightly. dbx DriveRack 4800 loudspeaker management systems are in use as well.
According to Jim Esher, Entertainment Technology Manager for Harrah’s Entertainment, the decision to install powered loudspeakers was a matter of aesthetics and efficiency. “Going with self-powered speakers made the most sense because the pool area is an oasis environment, so from a cosmetic standpoint there wasn’t much desire to have amp racks in that space,” he said. “We were able to put three outlets in the flower beds and gardens and we can roll the VERTEC line arrays out as ‘caterpillars’ and have the entire system up and running in half an hour.”
The new coffee shop at Harrah’s, “Reflections,” opened on President’s Day weekend and contains six zones of audio with more than 50 JBL Control 26CT in-ceiling loudspeakers. In the food court, three zones of audio contain another 20 Control 26CT loudspeakers. Both systems are driven by Crown CTs amplifiers with BSS Soundweb London BLU-80 signal processors.
With much of the Harrah’s property built around an infrastructure comprised of Harman components, it made sense to stick with a winning formula. “I have to maintain a UL listing for all the audio systems I install and JBL was one of the first companies to recognize that their speakers need to be UL listed,” Esher said. “We have installed Control Contractor ceiling speakers throughout the Harrah’s and Caesar’s Palace casinos and the support from JBL has always been fantastic. This was also true with the VERTEC system, where JBL and our regional representative Sigmet Marketing spent an entire weekend training our staff on setting up the system. It’s been a great relationship from the beginning.”
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Harrah's Resort Atlantic City Wins Big With JBL VerTec, VRX And Control Contractor Loudspeakers
Audio Visual Professional Group And JBL VerTec Powered Line Arrays Perform For LeAnn Rimes In Concert
Demonstrating the versatility and convenience of JBL VERTEC® DP Series powered line arrays, Audio Video Professional Group (AVPG) of The Woodlands, Texas, recently provided the audio system for The E.C.H.O. Foundation’s “Under The Moonlight” Gala, featuring award-winning country songstress LeAnn Rimes. The system included VERTEC compact powered line array elements with JBL DrivePack® technology.
With more than 25 combined years in the industry, AVPG is a leading supplier of production services for the greater Houston area, providing a wide range of services to satisfy its customers' changing media and technology needs. In February 2007, AVPG Owner Mike Rape added VERTEC powered line array loudspeakers to his company’s inventory, purchasing 16 VT4887ADP compact powered line array elements and six VT4881ADP powered subwoofers.
“We purchased the powered VERTEC models because I needed a versatile PA system,” Rape said. “We do lots of outdoor festivals and lots of indoor corporate events. The combination of compact size and large sound gives us the flexibility to hang in an outdoor system for 2-3,000 people, yet is small enough to hang in a ballroom setting without being overpowering. We have used the VERTEC line arrays on many corporate events and the loudspeakers not only sound good, but they’re visually sleek and discreet as well.”
For LeAnn Rimes’ concert at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott, AVPG deployed eight VT4887ADP line array elements per side, supplemented with three VT4881ADP subwoofers per side. Additionally, AVPG used JBL VRX932LAP portable line array loudspeakers for front fill, powered by Crown I-Tech 4000 amplifiers. The system was remotely controlled and monitored via Harman HiQnet System Architect software, with a dbx DriveRack 4800 Loudspeaker Management System for overall system gain-control and signal processing.
According to Chris Krumins, Senior Production Manager for AVPG, the VERTEC system performed flawlessly. “We used JBL’s VERTEC Line Array Calculator software and were able to predict in advance the even dispersion we achieved throughout the room,” he said. “The VERTEC system is so easy to hang and the sound is always reliable.”
Despite the event being located below another simultaneous show featuring KC and the Sunshine Band, AVPG’s new system provided enough power to eliminate the effects of any acoustical leakage through the ceiling. “I was concerned about the subwoofers on the floor upstairs being a problem, but when our sound check started, even their room upstairs started shaking!” Rape said. “So needless to say we didn’t hear a peep from them.”
For more information on AVPG, please visit www.avprogroup.com
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Meeting Services, Inc. And JBL's New Powered Full Size VerTec Line Arrays Make General Sessions AT 2008 NAB Show Sound Better Than Ever
Demonstrating the power and performance of JBL Professional VERTEC® line arrays, San Diego-based Meeting Services, Inc. provided the audio system for the general sessions, including the Opening Keynote, at the 2008 NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The live sound system features the new VERTEC VT4889ADP full-size powered line array loudspeaker and VT4880ADP powered arrayable subwoofer.
Held at the Barron Room in the Las Vegas Hilton, this year’s Opening Keynote Session featured actor/director Tim Robbins and news anchor Charles Osgood, as well as NAB President/CEO David Rehr. The event drew an attendance of more than 2,000 people. Additionally, the audio system at the Barron Room was used for other general sessions throughout the duration of the show.
“This being the premier show for the broadcast industry, the eyes of the world are upon you,” said Ken Freeman of Meeting Services. “The entire show is broadcast live on the Internet at this point, so it’s a sound reinforcement application with a huge broadcast element. There’s no room for error.”
The front-of-house system at the Barron Room includes a left/right configuration of five VT4889ADP line array elements per side, with a ground-stacked left/right arrangement of two VT4880ADP arrayable subwoofers per side. Four VRX928 portable, compact line array loudspeakers provide outfill, while another pair of VRX928 loudspeakers were flown in the lighting rig for stage foldback. Additionally, a pair of VRX932LA portable line array loudspeakers were used as a center cluster.
Show producer Mark Layton of Layton Productions from Orem, Utah remarked, “This was the best sounding NAB show ever. Even Bob Barker [2008 NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee] noticed that he could go anywhere in the room and be clearly heard.”
According to Freeman, Meeting Services’ purchase of the new full-size powered VERTEC line array loudspeakers has already reaped benefits. “One of the challenges we face in all venues is an issue of size and space because everyone is asking for products with smaller footprints,” he said. “So having onboard power on these VERTEC loudspeakers saves a lot of space, and the Crown amplification is second to none.”
Meeting Services, Inc. can be reached at (858) 348-0100 and at http://www.msiprod.com/
Pleasant Revolution Bicycle Music Tour Picks Up Speed With JBL PRX Series Loudspeakers
In a unique example of the power and light weight of JBL Professional’s PRX powered portable loudspeakers, The Pleasant Revolution Bicycle Music Tour has covered more than 5,000 miles on bicycles through California and Mexico, promoting lower energy consumption to prevent future environmental catastrophes. A crucial component in delivering the message has been a pair of JBL PRX512M powered portable loudspeakers, featuring built-in, world-class amplification technology from Crown.
On Halloween 2007, the bands Ginger Ninjas and SHAKE YOUR PEACE! launched The Pleasant Revolution Bicycle Music Tour in North San Juan, California. From the Sierra Nevada mountains through southern California, into Baja and eventually Mexico City, the team has played shows, recorded music with local musicians, and advocated a leapfrog-style transition to sustainable transportation.
During shows, two guitars, two vocal microphones and the bass are amplified through the portable audio system, which includes two JBL PRX512M loudspeakers halfway between the drummer and the two singers up front. To power the system itself, four Xtracycle bikes (elongated bicycles for extra carrying capacity) are set up in the air on kickstands, allowing the wheels to spin freely and turn a generator (a small DC motor run in reverse). The generator in turn goes into a capacitor to control the voltage. An indicator on the handlebars tells the “riders” (always volunteers from the audience) whether to pedal harder, cruise, or stop. The four capacitors feed a high-quality inverter, into which an 8-channel mixer and the two PRX512M loudspeakers are plugged, creating a 1,000-watt, portable, human-powered sound system.
The entire system is packed onto the Xtracycles for transportation between shows, a task that requires an optimal combination of power and light weight from the audio components. “When you are a traveling bike band, you also want music on the road,” said Kipchoge Spencer, lead singer of the Ginger Ninjas, co-founder of Xtracycle and organizer of The Pleasant Revolution Bicycle Music Tour. “So I’m carrying one of the PRX512M speakers on the rear deck of my Xtracycle. With an iPod and a lightweight lithium phosphate battery [charged by a 26-watt folding Brunton solar panel], we have a 500-watt ‘soul cycle’ with amazing thump and brilliant attitude.”
Although Spencer did not anticipate audiences to be larger than 300 people, crowd sizes have often reached 500. “The tour has been amazing so far, so much so that we extended it for a few more months,” Spencer said. “We’ve been playing some really great shows, some planned but many just impromptu in the town plazas.”
According to Spencer, the power efficiency of the PRX512M loudspeakers has contributed significantly to the success of the tour. “The PRX loudspeakers are the only speakers in the world that I’m aware of that could make this system possible,” Spencer added. “Not only are they light, but the built-in amplification is efficient enough to make good use of our limited amount of human power. And they sound amazing. The hyper-efficient digital amplifier puts them in a class by themselves when it comes to ecological amplification. Whether or not you’re a self-propelled bicycle road show, you should be using these speakers if you care about saving energy.”
For more information on The Pleasant Revolution Bicycle Music Tour, please visit www.pleasantrevolution.net
For more information on Ginger Ninjas, please visit www.myspace.com/gingermyninja
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sound Designer Peter Zinda Deploys Eventide Anthology II On Major Hollywood Films
Eventide’s Anthology II TDM plug-in bundle has allowed prominent film sound designer, Peter Zinda, to transition from his trusted Eventide DSP4000 and other outboard processors to a plug-in bundle that provides him with a panoply of sounds unavailable anywhere else.
“My DSP4000 is one of the few outboard pieces I still reach for,” said Zinda. “But now, the Anthology II plug-in bundle gives me that great Eventide sound, along with programmability and the power to automate parameters on any track. Anthology II also allows me to use multiple instances of plug-ins in the same session which I couldn’t do with my outboard gear.”
Zinda has also found that, when the processing chain is saved inside the session, it becomes easier to go back to a project at a later date. It also enables him to collaborate with another sound editor – all useful tools when working on a major feature film release.
Such command of a broad array of sonic tools serves Zinda well in his many well-known projects. He has served as sound designer and sound effects editor on a vast number of major Hollywood releases such as The Express, Mission: Impossible III, Blade 2, and Chronicles of Riddick. His efforts in the studio have garnered him the Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and he has been nominated for awards on many other projects.
Anthology II contains:
E-Channel™ - configurable channel strip with gate, compressor/limiter with sidechain, and 5-band 48-bit double precision parametric equalization
EQ45 Parametric Equalizer - vintage 48-bit double precision 4-band equalization with high and low cut 12dB/octave filters
EQ65 Filter Set - vintage 48-bit double precision high and low cut 18dB/octave filters, plus 2-band reject or band pass filters
Eventide® Reverb - nine room types from the H8000 with 3-band parametric EQ (pre- and post-reverberator), a compressor (pre or post-reverberator) and stereo delays
H3000 Band Delays™ - eight voices of delay with modulating filters; includes the Function Generator with 19 waveshapes
H3000 Factory™ - patch together any combination of 18 effects; includes the Function Generator with 19 waveshapes
H910 - the original Harmonizer® pitch shifter with delay
H949 - deglitched pitch shifting with delay, reverse, flanging, and randomizer
Instant Phaser™ - recreation of the world’s first phaser
Instant Flanger™ - dedicated flanger with bounce
Omnipressor™ - dynamics processor with an attitude!
Octavox™ - eight-voice diatonic Harmonizer pitch shifter
Precision Time Align™ - track phase alignment tool
Quadravox™ - four-voice diatonic Harmonizer pitch shifter
Ultra-Channel™ - configurable channel strip with gate, compressor/limiter with sidechain, Omnipressor dynamics processor, 5-band 48-bit double precision parametric equalization, micropitch shifting and stereo delays
Anthology II is fully compliant with ICON, D-Control, D-Command, Venue, Pro Tools 7.4, and is Mac, Universal Binary, and PC compatible.
Hitachi Interactive Whiteboards Add Up For Batesville Math Classes
Batesville Magnet Schools in Batesville, Arkansas have accelerated learning in their math classes with Hitachi Interactive FX-series Whiteboards. Applied across grades four through eight, classroom use of these high-tech teaching tools highlights Batesville Schools’ commitment to providing the very best education for their students. And the successes they’ve seen with the boards illustrate the effectiveness of Hitachi Software products for educators.
“Having such a powerful visual aid makes the lessons go so much quicker, everything is right up there for the students to see,” said Angie Bone, an eighth grade math teacher for Batesville Junior High. “I can put my worksheets right on the board without taking the time to write everything out.”
Bone has also found that using the board makes it easier to juggle lessons for students in all class levels: Advanced Algebra I and all levels of 8th grade math. At the end of each lesson, all she needs to do is capture the period’s work and save it, then open up the previous day’s work to continue where the next class left off the day before.
She also enjoys using the “Screen Block” feature with her worksheets, putting problems on the board and covering the answers. After giving students a chance to work on the problems, she can reveal the answers with a quick move of her pen. The interactive capability makes for a more captivating experience for the students.
The board also allows her to work through complicated algebra step-by-step. “It’s really important for the students to see the whole process,” continued Ms. Bone. “I’ll work through the problem and when we’re finished, I can easily clear the annotations for the next class. It’s a real time saver!”
Ms. Bone has also found the included Mult-e-Maths features very helpful. Mult-e-Maths Toolbox LE is an interactive math tool package created by Cambridge-Hitachi exclusively for Hitachi Software, compatible with any current StarBoard interactive product. “The Mult-e-Maths features really help me illustrate my lessons on the board. For example, I often use the protractor tool to show angles,” added Ms. Bone. “If I didn’t have that, I guess I’d have to use a regular old protractor, which wouldn’t get as strong a response from the students. The students respond better to everything with the board!”
About Hitachi
Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc., Business Group, subsidiary of Hitachi America, Ltd., markets LCD projectors, interactive panels and whiteboards and security and observation system products through value added resellers, system integrators, distributors and OEM.
Hitachi Software Engineering America, Ltd. develops advanced interactive communications tools for education, training and boardroom applications including interactive whiteboards, plasma displays and tablets all powered by the company's category-leading StarBoard software. Go to www.hitachi-soft.com.
Hitachi has a unique position in the marketplace by manufacturing and developing its own core technologies to provide consumers and businesses with optimal product performance in each of Hitachi's product categories. For Business products go to www.hitachi.us/digitalmedia. For consumer products, please visit www.hitachi.us/tv.
Hitachi Starboard Offers Industry-Leading Interoperabilty For Educators
In a move to accelerate the interoperability and technology integration of its presentation technologies, Hitachi Software Engineering America, Ltd. showcased its ability to integrate seamlessly with off-the-shelf software packages from Microsoft and other manufacturers. This interoperability allows educators the flexibility to use their existing lesson plans on Hitachi interactive whiteboards, tablets and display panels, rather than limiting them only to lessons designed specifically for interactive technologies.
Hitachi StarBoard software is designed to help teachers execute their lesson plans with flair and imagination, keeping students engaged and making lessons come alive like never before. The software is designed with a number of features that allow for interoperability with educators’ existing tools.
“One of the biggest challenges teachers face when working with new educational tools is adapting the new technology to existing curricula,” said John Glad, Product Manager for Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc. Business Group. “We designed StarBoard software to easily integrate with the software teachers already use, ensuring that they can jump right in and teach with the lessons they already have—augmented and improved by our products.”
StarBoard software allows teachers to take lesson plans created in everyday software program packages like Microsoft Office and easily use them on Hitachi interactive whiteboards or panels. Lessons in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint can easily be dropped into presentation slides in the StarBoard software with the push of a button. Moreover, lessons and edits performed on a board or tablet may be resaved back into Microsoft PowerPoint®, Adobe PDF®, and other image formats allowing teachers to send and reuse lessons developed during class time in multiple ways.
In addition, Hitachi has developed a free open license application called the StarBoard Viewer. It offers the essential interactive whiteboard tools such as virtual whiteboard space, digital inks, the ability to manipulate objects, and a docking/floating toolbar. Additionally, it allows anyone to view, edit, modify, and save StarBoard Software files on any computer and present the material using any brand of interactive whiteboard.
“Our goal is to close the digital divide between students and teachers who want expanded access to StarBoard files, as well as providing a tool for those seeking simple interactive whiteboard software to use for free,” continued Mr. Glad. “While other competitive products offer whiteboard viewers, none offer the ability to save work away from the presentation product itself.” The release of the Hitachi StarBoard Viewer is slated for the end of April and will be available to download from their website (www.hitachistarboard.com).
Hitachi StarBoard software also offers a unique “Word Split” feature. Any time a teacher grabs copy from an outside source and pastes it into a lesson being presented on the board or panel, the software provides the options to either paste the copy as a single object, as individual lines, or break apart the individual words. Given these options, teachers have the ability to move and change the copy as they see fit and do not have to spend precious class time altering the copy to fit the lesson.
StarBoard Software is designed to work with a teacher’s existing lessons. A static Word® document can be made interactive by manipulating text, marking it up with ink tools, and using layers of objects for hide-and-reveal activities. Although Hitachi offers additional resources for use with StarBoard products through its partnership with Cambridge University Press, the software is designed to work with what teachers already have and feel comfortable presenting.
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