The Oscars® may be the biggest show in L.A. each February, but the Elton John
AIDS Foundation Academy Awards® Party isn’t far off. Audio rental company
Mastermind Production Group Inc. was hired to provide live sound reinforcement for
2017’s star-studded event, which featured a live performance from rock-funk band
St. Paul & The Broken Bones in the main tent.
With space at a premium, Mastermind needed to deploy a compact sound system
that could meet strict weight and size restrictions, while delivering plenty of output
and the highest quality sound. Mastermind didn’t know who the talent would be until
a couple of weeks before the event, so they also needed a system that could handle
any type of performance. In order to achieve these goals, Mastermind selected a
JBL VTX V20 rig for its compact footprint, versatile performance and transparent
sound quality.
“The VTX system is easy to deploy and the sound is clean, full and punchy,’ said
Chad Griswold, owner of Mastermind Production Group Inc. “At 88 pounds per box,
we were able to hang enough V20 loudspeakers to achieve the performance and
output of a much larger rig. The rig sounded great out of the box and we were
confident the system could handle any type of performance. We were told it was
the best rig they’d ever had at the event.’
The JBL system deployed by Mastermind Production Group Inc. included 8 VTX V20
loudspeakers per side, 6 VTX-S28 subs hidden below the stage, 6 VT4886 per side
for out fill, 5 AC18 for front fill, 2 SRX712M monitors for delay and 2 x VRX918S
monitors for drum subs. In addition to the VTX system in the main tent, Mastermind
deployed JBL Professional speakers for the entire event, including a DJ tent and
three ancillary tents that were used for the other festivities of the evening.
