E2I Design installs an end-to-end HARMAN audio solution to create a seamless, user-friendly sound system with exceptional versatility and control  

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas—E2I Design recently installed a complete audio solution by HARMAN Professional Solutions at Wonders Bar & Grill, a newly opened pub, restaurant, sports bar and live music venue in downtown Corpus Christi. Owners Dayyan and Darren Wonders hired David Rotter, a Systems Integrator at E2I Design, to create a user-friendly system that would enable them to play a wide range of audio sources and manage volume levels in different areas of the bar. After careful consideration, E2I selected a complete HARMAN audio solution made up of dbx controllers, Crown amplification and JBL speakers for their seamless integration, intuitive operation and exceptional sound quality.

“The owners wanted a state-of-the-art audio system that was very user-friendly, with auto-switching capabilities and independent volume control for different zones in the bar,” said Rotter. “By partnering with HARMAN, we were able to cover all of our bases for the system—including controllers, amplification and speakers—all from one integrated provider. All of the solutions work together seamlessly, and the HARMAN team was extremely helpful in making sure that the system we created met all of the customer’s needs.”

The system E2I Design installed at Wonders Bar & Grill includes a dbx ZonePRO 1260m digital zone processor, 4 dbx ZC2 wall-mounted zone controllers, 1 dbx ZC3 wall-mounted zone controller, 1 Crown DCi 4|600 power amplifier, 8 JBL AWC82 loudspeakers and 1 JBL SRX828SP dual self-powered subwoofer system.

Using the ZonePRO processor, E2I Design created four separate audio zones within the bar, including a stage area, a general hangout area, an indoor patio and the actual bar itself. All of the zones play the same audio source and have their own volume controller, which allows the staff to set different volume levels within the same room and enhance the overall experience for customers. For example, the music can be turned up very loud in the back of the room near the pool tables, and set much lower in front of the bar so patrons can easily order drinks and have conversations without shouting over the music. The AWC82 speakers are also highly directional, and E2I installed them to point away from the bar to make the area even quieter.

The system is programmed to automatically switch between multiple audio sources, which can be prioritized using selector switches for different events at the bar. The TV can be set to override the music from the jukebox during a big football game, or a live DJ can override the TV and jukebox during a performance. Finally, the system is designed to sleep until there’s an input source, so there’s no need for the staff to worry about powering the system on or off.

“I’ve had three other bars with sound systems, but I wanted to do something different for this one,” said Dayyan Wonders, owner of Wonders Bar & Grill. “In a lot of bars, it gets so loud that the bartenders can’t hear what the customers are ordering. With the HARMAN system, everyone at the bar can hear what’s going on and customers sitting at tables can actually have conversations. And with auto switching, we don’t have to worry about customers trying to play the jukebox when the rest of the crowd wants to hear the game. This my favorite system I’ve ever had—I couldn’t be any happier.”

E2I Design hired audio engineer Mike Pena to fine-tune the system and ensure that the audio sounds great anywhere in the room. Using the ZonePRO, Pena was able to program limiters, volume levels and EQ settings for each separate zone and audio source. The seamless integration between the HARMAN solutions made the entire tuning process fast and easy, and the resulting sound quality speaks for itself. 

“I work with a lot of HARMAN products in touring sound systems, and I got that same level of clarity and detail from this system,” said Pena. “The ZonePRO has the tools we needed to ensure that the system could adapt and deliver amazing sound quality with all of the different audio sources in the bar—from a country song on the jukebox to a basketball game on TV. We were able to get the system sounding great in all of the different sections and zones, and do it quickly. It was almost three-dimensional sounding with the way it was designed and how well the HARMAN solutions interact with each other.”

Lexicon, dbx and JBL enable front of house engineer, Rob McWhorter, to stay in step with the dancer and electronic music star

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—Virtuoso electronic violinist, YouTube phenomenon and New York Times Best Selling author, Lindsey Stirling recently commenced her latest North American tour with Lexicon, dbx and JBL Professional audio brands bolstering her inimitable sound and elaborate production style.                                                                                                 

During her live show, Stirling twists and twirls alongside four dancers while switching between four violins. “The fact that Lindsey can play as stably as she does while she’s moving is amazing, but working on Lindsey’s violins can still be complicated,” said Rob McWhorter, front of house engineer for Stirling. “A violin is an acoustically based instrument but, with the band’s EDM, dubstep, electronic and pop dance style influences, we have a lot of volume. We can’t keep a live mic in check with Lindsey and instead need to run all of her violins direct.”

 “Always having a direct signal means there’s a lot you need to do to make the sound as big and natural as possible,” McWhorter said. “ One of the key elements of Lindsey’s violin sound is reverb, and on this tour, I have a pair of Lexicon PCM 96s to help give me the biggest, most spacious and ambient reverb as possible, so I can run them very wet and still sound natural.” McWhorter further deploys the Lexicon PCM 96s for Sterling’s vocals and the drum kit.

Rounding out Stirling’s violin sound, McWhorter uses two dbx 676 Tube Microphone Preamp Channel Strips. “I have slightly different settings for each violin—various combinations of reverb, EQ, compression and different pre-amps—and two of the four instruments rely on dbx processing,” he said.

Having worked with Stirling since her debut tour four years ago, McWhorter also serves as her production manager and uses JBL speakers for onstage monitoring. “All of our monitors are JBL, and we’ve been using them since day one. In the four years that we’ve had them, I’ve never had to replace a driver. We use a drum sub, wedges at the keyboard position and side fills for the dancers. That way, if any of their IEMs go out, I know they’ll still be able to hear the mix. The JBLs are solid and never let me down.”

Stirling catapulted into the limelight as an acclaimed violinist and performer with her self-released and produced music videos on YouTube, which have garnered more than 1.4 billion views and more than 8 million subscribers. With her unique blend of Celtic folk, classical, dubstep and dance, her debut and sophomore releases have both topped the Billboard Album charts and, to date, her tours have sold more than 500,000 headline tickets worldwide. Lindsey’s highly anticipated third studio album, “Brave Enough,” will be released on August 19 through her own imprint, Lindseystomp Records.

JBL, Crown and dbx deliver premium sound quality and powerful zone control for the upscale Novotel New Plymouth Hobson

NEW PLYMOUTH, New Zealand—The choice of a HARMAN Professional Solutions integrated system­—featuring JBL loudspeakers, Crown amplifiers and dbx signal processing—­is proving to be the perfect match for the stylish, 4.5-star Novotel New Plymouth Hobson hotel in New Zealand’s Taranaki region. The hotel required an elegant audio system to provide premium sound quality, coverage and control of its many areas. Local integrator TSH Audio & Video worked closely with Jands, the New Zealand HARMAN Distributor, on the audio design of the project.

TSH Audio & Video (formerly Taranaki Sound Hire) has been installing innovative AV systems and supplying technical hire services to the Taranaki community for more than 40 years. Established in 1988, Jands is a specialized distributor of world-leading audio brands in New Zealand.

The hotel’s distributed sound system is controlled with a dbx by HARMAN ZonePRO 1261m digital zone processor. The ZonePRO family of fixed architecture audio processors offers a high-quality, cost-effective solution for commercial audio applications. The system is managed by several ZonePRO Ethernet controllers throughout the venue.

“ZonePRO is a rock solid platform and is really easy to program,” said Daniel Evans, Senior Technician at TSH Audio & Video. “Working with the ethernet controllers makes it so easy to install and manage.” 

An array of JBL loudspeakers was selected for this installation, including the new JBL Control 31 loudspeakers installed in the conference room. Part of the JBL Control Contractor Series, they feature extremely smooth frequency response and extended bandwidth for high quality sound. JBL Control 24CT-M ceiling loudspeakers with wide 150-degree coverage were installed throughout the venue for background music, including inside the gymnasium. In addition, JBL Control 25T loudspeakers were installed to provide music for the outdoor deck/dining area.

The audio system at Novotel New Plymouth Hobson is powered by Crown DCi 2|300 and Crown DCi 4|300 multichannel amplifiers. Crown DCi high-performance amplifiers are designed, engineered and manufactured with the highest quality standards and provide system integrators with a versatile, compact and highly energy-efficient amplifier.

“TSH was very pleased to be involved with the construction of this iconic New Plymouth project and to be working with Jands to specify a high quality audio system,” said Evans. “Jands provided us with quick turnaround on design changes and the HARMAN vast toolbox of products came in handy when we had to come in under budget."

ANAHEIM, California – At Winter NAMM 2016, dbx by HARMAN is debuting seven powerful additions to its popular 500 Series line of signal processing modules. Perfect for studio, live sound and mobile recording applications, the 500 Series modules and PowerRack 500 Series chassis are compact, portable and highly modular. They also offer excellent features, control, sound quality, and the highly sought-after warmth and usability of analog signal processing.

The new dbx 540 is a single-slot 500 Series tube microphone preamp that boasts pristine audio output, superior-quality high-end design at a value price. The dbx 540 features a Class A tube preamplifier, switchable phantom power and a super fast in-line optical compressor. The interchangeable 12AX7 preamp tube allows users to experiment with a variety of modern and vintage tubes for creating a customized sound.

The new dbx 565 is the ideal 500 Series dual-channel optical compressor for the discriminating user. The 565 features a dual-channel multi-frequency-band optical compressor, Linkwitz-Riley 4th-order (24dB/octave) crossover slope, Master level display with VU meter, Gain reduction LED, Independent compression, Attack and Release controls, and a Circuit bypass switch.

Finally, the new 555 5-band parametric EQ, the 570 High-Z input and the 590 Phase manipulator will join the current dbx 500 series line offering a full range of processing tools for recording and live sound.

Also new at Winter NAMM 2016, the new PowerBlock3 and PowerRack3 both feature power sources designed to house up to three 500 Series modules. The rear panel sports three slots of balanced XLR inputs and outputs along with three slots of unbalanced ¼-inch inputs and outputs. A 48V phantom power switch is located on the front of the rack for easy access. The chassis are designed to be fully compatible with the 500 Series format, but in two different compact orientations–horizontal and vertical, respectively.

“Our studio and live sound customers let us know they are delighted by the dbx 500 Series line,” said Peter Chaikin, Recording Solutions, HARMAN Professional. “With five new entries and two new chassis, dbx has an unparalleled stable of versatile and high-quality modules.”

HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions and connected services. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. The Company's software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 28,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $6.4 billion during the 12 months ended September 30, 2015. The Company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.

ANAHEIM, California – dbx by HARMAN is showcasing expanded offerings for its DriveRack VENU360 Loudspeaker Management System at Winter NAMM 2016. Dante and BLU link™ enabled versions of the VENU360 extend the versatility of the best-selling VENU360 product family.

The Dante compatible VENU360D and BLU link compatible VENU360B units open the VENU360 to a whole new world of live and installed sound systems, including networked systems that want to add a stage or a room to an existing design. The VENU360 provides all the processing and flexibility needed between the mixer and amplifiers to optimize and protect your loudspeakers. With the latest advancements in dbx’s proprietary AutoEQ™ and AFS™ algorithms, additional input channels, Ethernet control via an Android,® iOS,® Mac,® or Windows® device, and updated wizards, the DriveRack VENU360 continues the DriveRack legacy of great-sounding, powerful, and affordable loudspeaker management processors, for a whole new generation.

“We’re very excited to expand our best-selling DriveRack family with the addition of the VENU360B BLU link and VENU360D Dante versions,” said Noel Larson, Director of Marketing, Signal Processing, at Harman Professional. “The VENU360 has been a tremendous success and almost immediately we had requests for BLU link and Dante enabled versions of the product. We are proud to introduce the next level of DriveRack.”

With an RTA Mic “listening” to the room, the updated DriveRack VENU360 AutoEQ algorithm sets speaker levels and room EQ automatically in a matter of seconds using sine sweeps. This means room adjustments can now be made very quickly, without subjecting an audience to lengthy broadcasts of pink noise.

And of course, nothing turns audiences away like annoying and potentially painful audio feedback. To counter this, dbx engineers have improved their already-stellar Advanced Feedback Suppression algorithm. The DriveRack VENU360 “listens” for and anticipates feedback and automatically removes it before it even has a chance, while never altering your sound.

More information on the dbx VENU360D and VENU360B can be found at http://dbxpro.com/en-US/products/driverack-venu360-d and http://dbxpro.com/en-US/products/driverack-venu360-b.

HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions and connected services. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. The Company's software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 28,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $6.4 billion during the 12 months