As it has the past four years, Firehouse Productions relied on a HARMAN
Professional Solutions audio system, featuring JBL VTX line arrays and Crown I-Tech
HD amplifiers, for the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas. Firehouse cited high
performance, durability and ease of setup as keys to its continued reliance on
HARMAN Professional Solutions components. This year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival
featured performances from Kanye West, Coldplay, Sam Smith, Puff Daddy, Fall Out
Boy, Demi Lovato, Jennifer Lopez, David Guetta, Kenny Chesney and many more.
One of the most successful live sound production companies in the United States,
Firehouse delivers impactful and clear sound to audiences at some of the largest
tours, festivals and corporate events in the country. For the iHeartRadio Music
Festival, the goal was to provide powerful and uniform coverage to a crowd of more
than 16,000 fans, which Firehouse Productions achieved by deploying a main PA
system that featured a left-right configuration of 18 JBL VTX V25-II-CS line array
elements per side, plus 16 VTX V20 line array elements per side for out fill. A total
of 16 VTX G28 subwoofers provided low-frequency reinforcement, while four V20
loudspeakers and four VERTEC® VT4886 line array loudspeakers were used for
front fill. Seventy Crown I-Tech 12000HD and 12 I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers
powered the system. System management and control were handled with JBL
HiQnet Performance Manager™ software, which simplified the system setup and
enabled management of the entire system from a single location.
“The integration of the JBL LAC (Line Array Calculator) II and Performance Manager
software to design and then control the system was key in allowing us to maintain
even coverage from the top row of seating all the way down to the front row,’ said
Adam Loesch, FOH Systems Engineer, Firehouse Productions. “The new precision
inter-angle positions (.5 degrees and .75 degrees) proved to be invaluable in
maintaining even coverage and consistent volume throughout the vertical listening
plane.’
In addition, Erik Sandberg, FOH Production Mixer for Firehouse Productions,
explained the importance of the HARMAN Professional Solutions system to handle
various types of music with ease for an event that featured artists from a variety of
genres. “The HARMAN system performed very well, providing both clarity and
power, as well as great stability with the presenters’ microphones, which were used
to introduce the acts from the middle of the arena,’ Sandberg noted.
As with most large-scale productions, providing high-impact, low-frequency support
is a key to ensuring satisfaction for audiences and artists alike. “The G28
subwoofers definitely got their workout on this musical variety show that ran for
more than five hours, as visiting engineers pushed them to their limits, but they
never sounded stressed or compressed,’ Loesch added. “We also noticed a smooth
transition from the left-right hangs [V25-II-CS] to the side hangs [V20]. Also, the
new vertical transport system saves us a lot of time and space when loading into a
crowded venue floor.’
