MadisonAV recently deployed the cutting-edge JBL Professional VTX A8 line array system at Rolling Sets Festival and Let the Good Times Roll Festival, the two most anticipated Central Coast festivals of the year. The sell-out festivals delivered unforgettable performances from a huge lineup of artists and were matched with a fantastic sonic experience with the flagship system from JBL Professional.
With the two festivals being held back-to-back over the two days, the JBL VTX A8 system was featured on the Jim Beam Stage at Rolling Sets, with performances from Rage, Hope D, Big Twisty & the Funknasty, The Moving Stills, Stupid Baby, Butterknife, Deadshowws and Voider impressing the crowd on the first day to start off the festival.
On day two, the venue was re-set to become Let the Good Times Roll festival, and the Ocean Stage included outstanding performances from Cool Hand Luke as the DJ followed by The Little Quirks, Coterie, The Bamboos, The Cat Empire, and the headline act, Six60.
Ryan Hazell from Roll In Production Services, and the events’ Production Manager, Tristan Forbes Technical Services, collaborated with Peter Kubow from MadisonAV to utilise the JBL VTX A8 system at the Jim Beam Stage and Ocean Stage for the two-day event at the Entrance. They were assisted by the on-stage production crew of Silhouette Sound.
Ryan Hazell and Peter Kubow discussed the performance of the system and its capabilities to adhere to PA performance spec for the event, leading to Ryan deciding to use the JBL VTX A Series for the first time.
Peter Kubow was the FOH Operator for some of the Bands/Artists, as well as the systems designer for the VTX A system chosen for the Ocean and Jim Beam stages. The system was tuned to ensure even coverage for the listening area required for punters and the system was calibrated to optimise the performance before even arriving at the event. Kubow stated “I was really surprised at how little needed to be changed once the system was put in place. The predictability of the frequency response and performance was impressive.”
With a 40-degree day welcoming the production crews, rigging took place later than planned due to the heat, so the team were also impressed by the speed and simplicity of the patented JBL rigging systems. “We also overcame some sticky hurdles including two show stops due to a huge gust front and electrical storm on day one, luckily the weather eased and led to some ideal days to follow,” said Hazell.
When talking about the PA, Hazell went on to say that “The VTX system surpassed all my expectations, I was expecting it to be good but not “that” good. We were able to compare it pretty much side by side next to the big German manufacturer’s latest system on the main stage. The VTX more than held its own and covered the space beautifully with a perfect deployment. For 8 x A8s on the main hangs, I did not expect the fullness and quality of the sound image coming from such a small format PA, this is what makes the A8s so versatile; lightweight, small footprint and a huge sound. The A8 married perfectly with the A6 infills, the sonic signature was seamless between the two boxes. Those A6s pack a punch! The sub deployment was also super impressive, 12 x G28 in array pattern and cardioid configuration. It’s rare to get such even sub coverage around the entire audience area. There were so many comments, it definitely had the edge in this regard over the main stage.”
Whilst discussing the audio performance, Hazell told us “The clarity and efficiency is what makes this system stand out from the pack. The improved clarity means you don’t need to run the system as loud to translate the impact to the audience. Pete was explaining the new driver technology and the super quick recovery time that translates into drastically improved transient response, more like a studio monitor. That is how I would describe the sound of the PA, the transient detail was something new to what I have experienced in a deployment of this size, you can hear the space between that is normally lost in a live setting.”
Production Manager, Tristan Forbes, provided his feedback on the performance of the system at the event said “I know that a production supplier for this festival has enquired about having it on their next festival. They are happy to leave their PA in the warehouse and go with VTX now. I personally had bands approach me to say thanks for the awesome sound on this stage, to which I had to redirect the appreciation back to the VTX. Having bands walk away feeling as though their mixes were actually heard correctly note for note has made our job so much easier. The international acts walked away knowing they were definitely looked after out the front. That’s huge for us.”
The solution consisted of 16 x A8 elements and 10 x G28 subs:
8x A8 elements hung per side
10x G28 ground stacked subs in a Cardioid layout
2x A6 front Fills
3x VRACKS which consisted of
6x Crown HD I-TECH 120000 amplifiers
3x Crown HD I-TECH 4 x 3500 amplifiers
The VTX A Series line array speakers are renowned for their advanced technology, including the patented D2 Dual-Diaphragm Dual-Voice-Coil Compression Drivers and the Differential Drive Neodymium Magnet Dual Voice Coil Woofer. This combination ensures unparalleled clarity, power, and intelligibility, making them the ideal choice for large-scale events such as Rolling Sets and Let the Good Times Roll.
“With the festival season really kicking off we’re having some great conversations about the JBL VTX A-Series, especially since we’ve had the systems featured in in three separate venues at BIGSOUND, at the Entech Roadshow and our launch event at The Star” said Peter Kubow, Category & Market Specialist for Performance Audio Solutions at MadisonAV.
“The VTX series is also kicking huge goals in other markets. It was featured on stages at CROSSD Festival and Coachella, and at major events like the MTV Music Video Awards, Billboard Award Latin Music Awards and Half time Show at the NFL. We’re now seeing an appreciation of the advancements in JBL’s technologies and the realisation that their VTX flagship line array offering really suits Australian industry tastes. MadisonAV has invested in a significant demo system of A12, A8 and A6 series line arrays and their subs, and we’re willing to work on event projects with production companies so we can get them heard.”
