ESS Audio, TJT Music and Master-Ton recently deployed a complete HARMAN Professional Solutions live sound reinforcement system at the fifth annual Psalms of David Festival.
Held in September 2020 in the small Polish town of Kolbuszowa, the fifth annual Psalms of David Festival was a celebration of Jewish and Christian scripture set to a soundtrack of live orchestral music. The open-air event, which was hosted at Kolbuszowa’s sports stadium, saw performances from Poland’s largest youth symphony orchestra, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, as well as dozens of individual performers and soloists.
To ensure every note rang clear among the audience at the event, which had to adhere to COVID-19 social distancing rules, the organizers needed a cutting-edge sound system with excellent sound quality and broad coverage. To accomplish their goal, they hired ESS Audio to design and deploy a powerful HARMAN sound reinforcement system consisting of JBL loudspeakers, Crown amplifiers and Soundcraft mixing consoles in collaboration with TJT Music and Master-Ton.
“2020 was a difficult year for the professional sound industry, with only a handful of events taking place,” said Witold Karalow, Managing Director, ESS. “The Psalms of David Festival was our biggest show in Poland, and we were determined to make it a success. Alongside TJT Music, we deployed a JBL VTX A12 FOH system to great effect. The performance of the HARMAN audio solutions, including the Crown amplifiers and Soundcraft Vi Series consoles, was outstanding.”
At the core of the sound system were 24 JBL VTX A12 line array loudspeakers, arranged side-by-side in two clusters of 12. The JBL VTX A12 is a favorite among touring companies thanks to its modular design, portability and unparalleled performance. JBL VTX G28 subwoofers, deployed in two clusters of eight, provide additional low-end extension and power for a true full-range sound. With a ground-stackable design and lightweight frame facilitating easy deployment and setup, the VTX G28 is well-suited to one-off festival events.
To provide high-quality monitoring for the performers on stage, the team deployed two JBL V20 three-way line array elements as near-field stage fill speakers. In place of individual monitors, they deployed smaller loudspeakers within close proximity of the performers, with JBL VTX M22 stage monitors placed near soloists and orchestra leaders, and VTX F12 two-way speakers positioned for the event’s choirs.
The team powered the JBL speakers with versatile Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers, which feature built-in DSP, four routable inputs and support for all the major connectivity protocols, including AES, CobraNet, HiQnet and Ethernet, in addition to analog audio. Soundcraft Vi3000 and Vi7000 digital consoles provided powerful and flexible mixing capabilities with uncompromising sound quality. The Soundcraft Vi3000 features a full complement of digital and analogue inputs, enabling quick on-the-fly mix adjustments. The Soundcraft Vi7000 builds upon that foundation with 96 kHz processing, BSS DPR-901II Dynamic EQ and support for more audio channels.
Despite the unusual circumstances caused by the pandemic, the fifth annual Psalms of David Festival was a huge success and a delight for those in attendance. The show is expected to be broadcast on TV and released on Blu-Ray in the near future.
