“ To overcome this problem , we carefully placed the speakers so that the sound does not carry forward to other nearby stages . We also made sure the system was aimed to hit the back of each venue and not any further . The subwoofers were configured in an End-Fire configuration . This was to reduce the amount of Low- Frequency Spill into other areas . These sub-arrays were further steered to keep the coverage consistent .” The NEXA stage was equipped with 12 units of the VTX A8 Full Range Line Array elements on each side , while the PA was enriched with 16 units of VT4880A subwoofers placed in an End0Fire configuration .
The JBL Sound System :
Since the JBL sound system was deployed on three stages at the VH1 Supersonic , the stage layout and design played an even more crucial role in the entire process . The PA for the Main Stage consisted of 15 x VTX A12 Full Range line array elements per side , a flown subwoofer array of 6 x VT4800A rigged right behind the Main PA in an End-Fire configuration . The flown subwoofers made sure that the audience area had consistent coverage everywhere . This was further complimented by an additional 30 x VTX G28 Subwoofers which were ground stacked . Front Fills consisted of 4 stacks with 2 x VTX V20 Full Range Line Array elements .
Srinivasan , while talking about the sound design for the NEXA Stage and the BUD-X Stage , said “ When the bands on the main stage finished performing , everyone turned to the left to watch the performance on the NEXA Stage . The NEXA Stage was a changeover stage for the audience to witness one band play right after the other without waiting for the changeover .”
The NEXA stage consisted of 12 x VTX A8 Full Range Line Array elements per side . Although these boxes are small , they packed quite a punch to make sure frequency response across both stages remained consistent . The PA was complemented by 16 x VT4880A subwoofers in an End- Fire configuration . The End-Fire configuration was used to ensure the sound does not travel from one stage to another and helps the artist to hear themselves better . The BUD-X Stage which was also referred to as the Techno stage consisted of 9 x VTX V25II Full Range line array elements per side . This was reinforced with 18 x VTX G28 Subwoofers which were ground stacked along with 4 x VRX 932LA as front fills .” ( The main stage at Bangalore was powered by 24 x JBL VTX V25II tops , 18 x JBL VTX S28 , and 12 x JBL VT4880A . The systems were driven by Crown Amplifiers ). h
While commenting about the efficacy of the JBL sound system that powered the VH1 Supersonic and why the brand was just the right choice to be deployed at the event , Yogesh Nambiar said , “ Besides the fact that the JBL pro audio inventory is perhaps the only one that could cater to such a massive requirement , the dynamic range offered by JBL Pro line arrays that were deployed catered to the multitude of artists that were featured at the festival . Since the genres were diverse , our audio systems were a perfect fit because of the adaptability of the products .”
Srinivasan affirmed the same while talking about the crowd ’ s response to the JBL sound system and said , “ The overall response from the crowd was very positive , since the SPL coverage throughout the venue was consistent , while audio within each stage was isolated to give a completely seamless experience .”
Final Words :
Both Yogesh Nambiar and Sudarshan Srinivasan were pleased with the success and praise the JBL sound system received at the VH1 Supersonic . Yogesh Nambiar concluded by saying , “ As always , it is a pleasure to hear our systems in action , being tested to the limit in terms of adaptability . We were glad to have been able to power one of the best music festivals in India .”
Sudarshan Srinivasan had closing remarks along similar lines and said , “ Every music festival brings its own set of challenges . It ’ s the way we manage it as a team that makes the experience so rewarding . We would like to thank Harman , Sound Mindz , Sound effects , rental sound companies , who provided the equipment for the three stages , and the entire crew of SuperSonic to be the forces behind the success of this event .”
The Score Magazine highonscore . com
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