Held in Reykjavík during a period of 24-hour sunlight in the Arctic Circle, the annual music festival features non-stop performances across four outdoor stages and an indoor club venue. Festival organizers hired HljóðX to provide sound and lighting systems for all five venues that could accommodate the festival‘s diverse lineup of high profile artists, including Slayer, Gucci Mane, Bonnie Tyler and Steve Aoki. HljóðX outfitted each stage with JBL VTX V-Series line array loudspeakers, Crown I-tech amplifiers, Soundcraft mixers and Martin lighting fixtures.

“The event environment is fast-paced, and being able to set up and connect the sound system in a very short time and get started quickly with great-sounding JBL presets is important for us,” said Ingolfur Arnarsson, CEO of HljóðX. “That gives us additional time to work on the audio and further tweak each system for the best sound for each act. That’s an important aspect that we really like in the JBL system.”

HljóðX equipped the outdoor stages with JBL VTX V25-II loudspeakers and S28 suspended subwoofers, Crown I-Tech 12000HD and 4x3500HD amplifiers, and BSS OMNIDRIVE HD signal processing. Soundcraft digital mixing consoles integrated seamlessly with the system, which made it easy for sound engineers to adapt to different sets throughout the day. The indoor club venue was all set up with VTX A12 for the opportunity to drive the music full force by demand.

“It is a true joy to work with the VTX 25 at a festival like this,” said Axel Flex Arnason, Sound Engineer at Secret Solstice. “At my stage I’m confronted with a very broad spectrum of music, from a live band playing soft soul music to aggressive hip hop, often with a lot going on in the lower frequencies. The VTX system gave me an even palette to work with, delivering beautiful, undistorted sound quality through the entire spectrum at loud volume.”

“We ran the system full range to have more even coverage on the low end,“ said Eyvindur Eggertsson, project manager at HljóðX sound division. “That supported the sound of all the different artists who performed with very nice results.“

Martin MAC Aura XB Wash fixtures provided bright illumination to compete with the midnight sun, and their compact design and low power consumption was ideal for running multiple stages efficiently. HljóðX used the Rush MH3 for narrow, long-throw beam lighting and spectacular mid-air effects. Atomic 3000 LED strobe lights amped up the energy.     

Mahajak Development deploys JBL Professional, Crown, Soundcraft, BSS, AMX and Martin solutions for interactive installations at Bank of Thailand’s Learning Center

BANGKOK, Thailand—Mahajak Development Co. recently deployed an end-to-end HARMAN Professional Solutions AV system at Bank of Thailand’s Learning Center library and museum.

Bank of Thailand is the central financial body overseeing all monetary policy in Thailand. Across the road from its Bangkhunprom Palace headquarters, the Bank recently established a Learning Center complex in its former mint facility. The five-story building contains the Prince Vivadhanajaya Library, dedicated presentation rooms and research areas, a banquet hall and the Bank of Thailand Museum, which offers guided tours and interactive exhibits about the history of Thai currency. The Learning Center required a flexible, integrated audiovisual solution that could be expanded and reconfigured as needed. To meet these goals, Bank of Thailand hired Mahajak Development to design a complete HARMAN Professional AV solution consisting of JBL loudspeakers, Crown amplifiers, Soundcraft mixers, BSS signal processors, AMX control systems and Martin lighting fixtures.

“The idea was to create an interactive environment in the Learning Center using high-tech scalable solutions to ensure our future needs are met as the Center grows and changes,” said the spokesperson for Bank of Thailand. “The interactive exhibitions required clear speech reproduction, eye-catching visuals and advanced control systems to run it all seamlessly. HARMAN’s best-in-class audio systems, video switchers and interfaces helped us create an inspiring, collaborative experience at the Learning Center.”

For large events in the banquet hall and library, JBL VT4888 and AC599 loudspeakers with SRX812P and ASB7128 subwoofers project powerful, high fidelity sound. In the library’s presentation rooms, JBL AC195 full-range speakers and Control 16C/T ceiling units provide even coverage for mid-size audiences. The museum’s smaller exhibits utilize JBL LSR305 studio monitors and E55BT wireless headphones for private listening and audio assistance. Control 28-1 loudspeakers and SB-150 wireless subwoofers provide wide coverage for background music in the entrance hall. The system is powered by Crown I-Tech HD and DCi Series amplifiers. Soundcraft Si Impact digital mixers allow staff to easily make adjustments. Audio is routed through a network of BSS BLU-100 signal processors with flexible digital architecture that can be reconfigured as needed.

To enable seamless AV control, Mahajak outfitted the facility with a network of integrated AMX systems. DVX-2250HD presentation switchers and DGX digital media switchers form the core of the system, connected by DX-TX-DWP transmitters and DX-RX receivers. MSD-701 touch panels and the TPControl iPad app provide staff, presenters and guests with tactile interfaces for controlling various interactive features. Martin MAC Aura and Quantum Profile fixtures create an immersive lighting experience in the banquet hall and museum exhibits.

“A distinct venue like the Bank of Thailand Learning Center requires a world-class audio-visual system that provides end-to-end capabilities,” said Pongsakorn Kanchanachayphoom, Project Director at Mahajak Development. “HARMAN's diverse portfolio of products gave us the ability to build reliable, robust and future-proof AV systems for the venue. There were two overhead projectors installed to ensure complete real-time redundancy. During installation, we made adjustments to ensure the speakers were fitted at the right angles to deliver optimum audio experience.”

“Creating an interactive learning space for Bank of Thailand has been a unique, exciting challenge for HARMAN,” said Ramesh Jayaraman, VP & GM of HARMAN Professional Solutions, APAC. "The project required a sophisticated AV system that would deliver rich sound and stunning visuals for an immersive interactive experience. Leveraging our global experience with projects like this and Mahajak Development’s deep knowledge and capabilities, we were able to seamlessly execute the project.”

New agreement expands Fairlight’s distribution of HARMAN brands to support customer demand for audio and lighting touring solutions

LONDON—Harman Professional Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, today announced it is extending its partnership with Dutch distributor Fairlight to include tour audio solutions in the Benelux region.

This agreement is an expansion of Fairlight’s existing HARMAN distribution rights, which previously focused on Martin by HARMAN, renowned throughout the industry for its dynamic lighting solutions for the entertainment, architectural and commercial markets. The expanded agreement applies to the full range of tour audio products offered by HARMAN brands JBL, Crown, Soundcraft, dbx and BSS, providing a 360-degree solution to customers requiring both audio and lighting solutions in the touring market.

“We are delighted to extend Fairlight’s distribution rights to HARMAN audio brands,” said Scott Aslett, Regional Director, HARMAN Professional Solutions, Northwest Europe. “We already have a strong established partnership with Fairlight, and given their prominence in the touring industry, this expansion of our partnership will support the great demand for HARMAN solutions and yield improved service to our customers in the Benelux region. Our world-class audio solutions work seamlessly with our innovative lighting solutions, and Fairlight’s industry-leading experience positions them to provide complete HARMAN audio and lighting solutions as an expansion of their previously-existing distribution rights.”

“We are excited about this extension of our HARMAN distribution rights,” said Michael Arntz, General Manager, Fairlight. “The inclusion of renowned HARMAN audio brands means we are now able to offer a complete package, which is something our customers in the touring market have previously asked us to supply. We understand our customers’ needs and we’re happy to offer an all-in-one solution. We are completely aligned with HARMAN’s mission to provide innovative products and engaging customer support. We’ve experienced a great deal of success in distributing Martin by HARMAN lighting solutions, and we look forward to extending that passion to iconic brands like JBL, Crown, Soundcraft, dbx and BSS, satisfying the increasing demand for HARMAN lighting and audio solutions across Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands.”

Fairlight has over 30 years of experience providing lighting and audio solutions and is well-known for offering a broad scope of professional services within the industry. The distribution agreement comes into effect immediately. Please contact europeanmarketing@harman.com for any additional questions.

UNLV selects JBL Professional speakers and Crown amplifiers for its new state-of-the-art Hospitality Hall building

LAS VEGAS—University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) recently outfitted its brand new Hospitality Hall with complete sound reinforcement systems by HARMAN Professional Solutions.

Located less than two miles away from the famous Las Vegas strip, UNLV is a premier research-level university that provides higher learning to 30,000 students across 350 undergraduate and graduate degrees. The school’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality offers a world-renowned degree in hospitality management that annually ranks among the top hospitality programs in the nation. Its proximity to the Las Vegas strip has enabled the school to partner with leading hospitality brands to facilitate valuable internships and unique learning opportunities for students.

UNLV recently opened Hospitality Hall, a new $50 million building on campus, to provide hospitality students with a world-class learning facility. Hospitality Hall contains offices, meeting rooms, classrooms, an executive learning kitchen, an interactive learning studio, an auditorium and more. In order to ensure premium audio quality during lectures, learning activities and student presentations, the UNLV technical department outfitted 17 classrooms, meeting rooms and learning labs with state-of-the-art JBL Professional speakers and Crown amplification.

“We’ve been blown away by the amount of positive feedback we’ve received about the HARMAN audio systems in the new Hospitality Hall building,” said Frank D. Alaimo, AV Systems Specialist, University of Nevada Las Vegas. “We’ve been relying on JBL speakers and Crown amps in other buildings on campus for years—the systems are flexible, easy to use and they sound great. The university has an excellent relationship with the local HARMAN team, and they help us stay up to date with the latest audio technology.”

Alaimo and his team selected a range of JBL Professional speakers to create customized audio systems for each of the facility’s learning environments. JBL Control 26CT ceiling speakers are installed in the interactive learning studio, the executive boardroom, three conference rooms and the executive learning kitchen. Nine Control 47C/T extended range ceiling speakers and four Control 40CS/T in-ceiling subwoofers provide superior speech intelligibility and extra wide 120-degree coverage for events in Hospitality Hall’s auditorium. Two CBT70J-1 line array columns are joined by two CBT70JE-1 extensions to deliver additional high impact reinforcement for media playback in the auditorium. The CBT Series speakers installed in the auditorium are driven by reliable Crown DriveCore Install Series power amplifiers.

The limited ceiling space in the ten classrooms made it difficult to install regular ceiling speakers overhead. Alaimo and his team overcame the space restrictions by utilizing new JBL LCT 81C/T lay-in ceiling tile speakers, which feature a low profile depth of only four inches. The HARMAN installation at UNLV’s Hospitality Hall marks one of the first major deployments of LCT 81C/T speakers.

“This was the first time we used the new JBL LCT 81C/T speakers, and we were extremely impressed with the level of sound quality in such a compact design,” continued Alaimo. “Most of the classrooms had limited overhead space with HVAC units and pipes in the way. The LCT 81C/T’s are compact and convenient—they enabled us to fit speakers in these really tight spaces with no problems, and they aesthetically blend in with the ceiling perfectly. With a lay-in ceiling tile speaker, you might expect a small compromise in performance, but the LCT 81C/T sounds solid from top to bottom and delivers great coverage. As a result, the ceiling speakers allow students in the back of the room to hear every detail as well as students in the front.”

Mahajak Development deploys an end-to-end HARMAN audio system featuring JBL, Crown, and Soundcraft solutions at Thailand’s Nongnooch Convention Center

PATTAYA CHONBURI, Thailand—Mahajak Development Co. recently equipped the new Nongnooch Convention Center with state-of-the-art HARMAN Professional Solutions audio systems.

The Nongnooch Pattaya International Convention and Exhibition Center (NICE) is a new world-class venue for conventions, exhibitions and corporate events. The facility hosts events in its 5,360-seat main auditorium, and remotely at the nearby Nongnooch Botanical Gardens and other locations. In order to deliver exceptional audio quality for a wide range of events, NICE hired Mahajak Development to provide a powerful, modern line array system for the auditorium, and a scalable, easy-to-use mobile audio system for remote events. Mahajak Development selected an end-to-end HARMAN solution comprised of JBL VTX and VRX Series loudspeakers, Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers, and Soundcraft Vi2000 and Si Impact digital mixers.

“We needed sophisticated yet easy-to-use equipment, and HARMAN’s ingenious audio solutions have gone above and beyond our expectations,” said the spokesperson at Nongnooch Pattaya International Convention and Exhibition Center. “Our new line array and mobile systems allow us to have a greater impact at our events and communicate better with attendees. We’re glad to have quality gear that we can trust to be powerful, versatile, and relatively simple.”

For the auditorium’s main sound system, Mahajak Development deployed a custom JBL line array featuring VTX-V20 and VRX-932LA loudspeakers paired with stackable VTX-G28 subwoofers. They also deployed versatile, full-range PRX815W wedges as center-fill speakers and on-stage floor monitors. Crown I-Tech 5000, 9000, and 12000HD amplifiers provide plenty of power and headroom for the whole system. Audio is mixed wirelessly on a Soundcraft Vi2000 digital mixer, which provides hands-on control, visual feedback and powerful DSP processing.

For offsite events, NICE needed the performance of a line array system in a portable, scalable configuration that was still easy to set up and operate. Mahajak Development selected JBL VRX-932LAP loudspeakers and VRX-918SP subwoofers, which were designed specifically to work together in a modular system. Inputs on stage are routed to a Soundcraft Mini Stagebox 32R, supplemented by dbx DI1 and DI4 direct boxes. Mahajak Development chose the Soundcraft Si Impact digital mixer for the mobile rig, which packs all the functionality of larger models into a stripped-down and intuitive interface.

“Our primary aim is to ensure that the client can focus on managing the event instead of configuring the AV equipment,” said Pongsakorn Kanchanachayphoom, Project Director of Mahajak Development. “The facility required a versatile audio system including portable rigs for large and small events, and HARMAN had the best solutions for everything. We had the opportunity to try out JBL speakers against other brands, and they out-performed the competition. We ended up choosing HARMAN products for everything from the line arrays, mixers and amplifiers to DIs and stage boxes.”    

"Providing HARMAN Professional Audio Solutions at the world-renowned NICE center is an absolute pleasure," said Ramesh Jayaraman, VP & GM HARMAN Professional Solutions, APAC. "We're pleased to have partnered with Mahajak and thank them for delivering a HARMAN system that comprehensively meets their client’s needs. Their carefully constructed audio systems and level of service are highly commendable.”

Kinoton Korea selects JBL, Crown, Soundcraft and BSS solutions to deliver an impactful fan experience at SK Wyverns baseball games

INCHEON, South Korea—Kinoton Korea recently equipped Incheon SK Happy Dream Stadium with a complete networked sound reinforcement system by HARMAN Professional Solutions.

Built in 2001, SK Happy Dream Stadium plays host to home games by SK Wyverns, a professional baseball team based in Incheon, South Korea. As part of a continuous effort to improve the stadium, which seats 25,000 fans, the stadium recently decided to upgrade the stadium’s aging sound system. In order to provide fans with a rich audio experience with superior coverage and intelligibility, SK Wyverns hired local audio integrator Kinoton Korea to design and install a premium sound reinforcement system. Kinoton Korea selected a complete HARMAN networked audio solution for its industry-leading sound quality and reliable performance.

“The stadium owners love the new HARMAN system—the improved audio coverage really enhances the fans’ experiences during games,” said Cheol Yoon, VP, Kinoton Korea Inc. “South Korea experiences a wide variety of weather as the seasons change, so it was critical that all stadium speakers be weather-proof. The ability to utilize weather-resistant JBL speakers enabled us to provide SK Happy Dream Stadium with a high quality sound reinforcement system that is perfectly suited to the dynamic South Korean climate.”  

The HARMAN system installed by Kinoton at SK Happy Dream Stadium features a range of weather-resistant JBL Professional speakers distributed throughout the stadium, including 54 AM7215/95 WRX, 16 AW595, nine ASB7128 WRX, 37 AC26 WRX, 39 Control 26CT and 15 Control 25AV speakers. The entire speaker system is powered by Crown DriveCore Install Series amplifiers. In the control room, microphone and playback signals are mixed using a Soundcraft Vi1 Series mixer, while two JBL LSR305 speakers provide accurate monitoring.

Kinoton designed the entire system around a BSS Soundweb London BLU-800 signal processor and two BLU-320 expanders, providing the foundation of the custom HARMAN solution. Additionally, six Soundweb London BLU-BOB2 break-out boxes each offer eight channels of analog audio output expansion via the high bandwidth, fault tolerant digital audio bus. Finally, six BSS MC-1 fiber optic media converters provide signal transport over extremely long distances (up to 6.2 miles) using a single cable. MC-1 devices utilize automatic link restoration which re-establishes network links between two devices when any Soundweb London device is disconnected or restarted.

“The BLU Link connectivity helped us ensure clean digital connections between the processors and amplifiers,” continued Cheol Yoon, VP, Kinoton Korea Inc. “The MC-1 was also critical for successful transmission over the necessary distances. The main broadcasting room was in a completely different space than the amplifier racks, so we used optical cables for transmission. The BSS Soundweb London system was the perfect choice in this scenario.”

“At HARMAN Professional Solutions, we understand the excitement that fans feel during baseball games,” said Ramesh Jayaraman, VP & GM, HARMAN Professional Solutions, APAC. “We are pleased that our solutions help keep the momentum at SK Wyverns’ games at a high level. We thank Kinoton Korea for their expertise and excellent customer service, and for their faith in utilizing HARMAN products to satisfy their clients’ expectations.”