The system comprised 8 boxes of V20 per side, run in active mode in circuits of two, allowing control of different parts of the array from Performance Manager to ensure smooth and consistent coverage throughout the audience areas. Custom House Square is actually around 23m wide and 70m long, and is lined with buildings on either side. The system design goal with the subs was to still feel the bass at the back of the square, but not waste energy by rattling the buildings either side of the “square.” Subs were 6 x G28 and 3 x S25 in three cardioid stacks in a row across the front of the stage. With a crossover frequency of 80Hz, spacing the stacks 2m apart (half a wavelength of 80Hz) allowed them to couple together and act as a horizontal “line array.” Making the line as long as possible created cancellation to the sides of the audience area and focused the sub energy down the length of the “square.”

The nature of the cardioid configuration created excellent cancellation to the rear of the stage, which allowed the backstage dressing room area to be quieter than with a conventional configuration. St John’s Ambulance were also stationed behind the stage, so the reduced sub level made it easier for them to communicate.

Photo above: JBl VTX G28 and S25 subs in cardioid configurations

Front fill was provided by 3 x VRX 932 which McCusker already owned, but were run from their new 4 x 3500 V Racks on the new V5 preset, which they said made night and day difference to the sound of the box. Personally I was impressed with the tonal consistency between the V20 mains and the VRX Front Fill.

My first reaction upon firing the system up was how accurate the LAC prediction software had been. Where it had predicted an HF drop-off was frighteningly precise. I used the HF Throw Distance Compensation Filter by 1 to 2 dB in the top circuits of the array using the default settings which instantly brought fantastic clarity all the way to the back of the square. The bottom circuit I gain shaded down by 1.5dB.

Front to back coverage, both in terms of tonal balance and SPL, was very even. After time-aligning the subs and the front fills, the rig required no further tuning, and FOH engineer Simon Cooper who mixed the show was very impressed with its generous headroom and vocal clarity.

Simon Cooper, mix engineer, Pride: “At the sound check Friday & Saturday morning the system was very Impressive. The tone & SPL from the stage to the rear of the venue was consistent. From a very poor mix position on the day of the gig [off to the far left side of the PA], I could be confident the sound was first class in all areas of the square, all reports on the day were good. Excellent system, look forward to using it again."

The event ran for a week, and McCusker provided the VTX system for one of their regular clients, country singer Lisa McHugh, in Sunday’s afternoon slot. The plan had been to fly 4 or 5 boxes of V20 per side on portable PA towers, with 4 ground stacked S25s. However, upon arrival, we found that there was another company’s PA system already flown in anticipation of the evening’s act and thus there was no room for us to put our towers.

When I suggested lowering the other company’s PA and using their towers, Barry said we wouldn’t have the time as that particular brand of PA was very difficult to rig and de-rig. Also, we needed to make a very swift get-out as there was another band on after Lisa using the flown system.

The solution was to create a ground stacked system of two S25 and four V20 per side, with one VRX 932 as Front Fill. Whilst many other line array systems can quickly become harsh sounding in a ground stack, the V20 simply projected its HF pleasantly to the back of the audience area, with one V20 box on the corner of the square acting as a delay fill down the street.

Lisa McHugh is a working musician who tours with a professional crew and truck full of gear. FOH engineer Niall Bogue commented, "I found the PA to be very responsive across all the range. It needed nothing from my end and there was a smoothness to the sound that surpassed my expectations. The bottom end was really impressive, especially as we were only running 15"s. I am looking forward to many more shows mixing on this system."

”John “Smokie” Shiels, FOH, Nathan Carter subsequently mixed a show at the Clonmany Festival on Wed 5th Aug.  This time the VTX rig was flown rather than ground stacked.   He told us:

“Sounds amazing. We just used 5 aside, low end is absolutely amazing, really deep. Smooth in the highs, mids are aggressive mids. Beautiful sounding system, weight of the boxes impressive, especially when you compare it to other manufacturers. Flying is very clever, quick, no lifting of boxes. In terms of coverage, 8000 people were covered with just 5 V20 a side as mains and 5 V20 per side as delays. The day before I had mixed the same show with the same number of boxes of D&B V series, and it was no contest for the JBL. It’s very easy to mix on. I’d recommend it to anybody, and will be using it more and more in the future.”

On a Gaelic Football Pitch, so 90m long by 80m wide. Headline act Nathan Carter. Castle Stage Hire again, same stage, but a 9 box hang this time to go the extra distance. For subs, we were able to build the cardioids stacks as columns this time, to shorten the length of the sub array in order to spread the sub wider to cover the width of the pitch. I sat in the van and did a system design and Performance Manager file, and by the time the stage was up and the truck unloaded, we were ready to load the file onto the amps.

Vinnie Higgins, mix engineer, Ballymore Country Music Festival told us, “great definition and clarity, great coverage, very consistent sounding from close up all the way to the back, as well as out wide to the sides. I can’t fault it in any way. What stood out for me in particular was the great clarity in the high mids, which delivers great vocal clarity. I found myself using very little EQ."