TAURANGA and NELSON, New Zealand – NZ Sound Reinforcement and JPRO provided JBL VTX A12 and A8 line array systems for the Bay Dreams music festival that took place in early January at Mount Maunganui near Tauranga on New Zealand’s north island and also Nelson City on the northern portion of New Zealand’s south island. The event featured performances by Cardi B, Tash Sultana, Rich the Kid and more.
More details by JBL Professional and Harman (www.harman.com):
Bay Dreams is an annual music festival that takes place every Jan. 2nd at Mount Maunganui. Established in 2016, Bay Dreams has quickly become one of New Zealand’s biggest summer music festivals.
In 2019, the festival expanded to Nelson City, with a second day of performances taking place on January 4. In order to deliver industry-leading sound for some of the biggest artists in the world, Bay Dreams recruited the help of NZ Sound Reinforcement, a full-service production company in New Zealand. NZ Sound partnered with JPRO, one of New Zealand’s premier pro audio distribution companies, to deploy a state-of-the-art JBL Professional audio system.
“The new JBL VTX A-Series systems have provided an amazing experience for all involved, from the artists to the spectators,” said Ray Ward, Owner, NZ Sound Reinforcement. “The systems have shown impressive coverage outdoors, providing a very smooth and natural top-end. We look forward to providing incredible sound for upcoming summer festivals and international artists making their way to New Zealand in the coming months. We thank organizers Pato Alvarez and Mitch Lowe for putting on another sold-out masterpiece.”
“We are blown away, Bay Dreams was pretty epic,” said Brenda Ward, Owner, NZ Sound Reinforcement. “The JBL VTX A12 and A8 systems have performed even beyond our expectations—they sound amazing. JBL certainly helped the artists to put on some of their best performances and the crowd loved it.”
NZ Sound deployed a complete JBL Professional audio system for the second stage featuring 24 VTX A12 line array loudspeakers as mains, selected for their unmatched performance and sensitivity. A total of 18 compact VTX A8 line array loudspeakers provided wide, even coverage as side-fills for the crowd. NZ Sound selected eight VTX F12 12-inch bi-amplified loudspeakers as in-fills for their unparalleled clarity. And in order to provide tight, powerful bass coverage, NZ Sound utilized 24 ground-shaking VTX G28 subwoofers.
On stage, NZ Sound deployed 16 JBL VTX M20 and four VTX M22 professional stage monitors to deliver award-winning sound for performers. Two VT4883 subwoofers provided an extended bass response as drum subs. NZ Sound deployed VTX F35 3-way enclosures and G28 subwoofers as side-fill monitors, providing even, balanced coverage onstage.
The system was powered by Crown V-Rack amplifier racks, equipped with four Crown iTech 3500 amplifiers for optimum performance and setup simplicity. JBL’s Line Array Calculator allowed NZ Sound quickly and easily configure the system, while JBL’s HiQnet Performance Manager software offered simple system management and control.
“Performance Manager and Line Array Calculator helped save time and energy as we were able to pre-configure settings and system alignment before the event,” says Tim Robertson, Tour Sound Manager, JPRO, who provided technical support and system design for the event. “System predictions have been very accurate and only minor tweaks were needed once the system was loaded in and set up.”
“We are extremely pleased with our association with NZ Sound Reinforcement, which has helped A12 loudspeakers become one of the most requested systems on tour riders worldwide,” said Ramesh Jayaraman, VP & GM, HARMAN Professional Solutions, APAC. “The new JBL VTX A12 is a complete tour sound solution that offered the perfect combination of sound quality and power for Bay Dreams. Thanks to JPRO for their confidence in HARMAN solutions, and for their relationship-driven approach.”
