MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 8, 2003 – In March 2003, popular Latin television station, Telemundo, produced the show “Celia Cruz Azucar!” The tribute to the reigning queen of Salsa music, Cuban songstress Celia Cruz, utilized a JBL VerTec™ VT4889 line array system.

More than 20 top Salsa & Latin music artists performed at the event. Among them, Grammy®-award winners Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, La India, Gilberto Santa Rosa and Olga Tanon sang Celia Cruz songs. The list of musicians in the Salsa “big band”, which accompanied all performers, included many of the top names in Latin music. The Celia Cruz Tribute show, recorded and broadcasted live, was hailed as the largest congregation of Latin music performers in recent history.

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Telemundo engaged Acoutech to provide audio services for the show, held at the Jackie Gleason Theater. Acoutech provided a 16-box VerTec VT4889 system configured in two hangs of eight. The progressive arrays were hung relatively high with a steep bottom angle to provide coverage from the highest row of the balcony to the front rows on the main floor. The bulk of the Salsa music low-frequency content was handled by the VerTec arrays, which were operated down to 38 Hz.

Acoutech purchased their VerTec system powered by Crown amplifiers and driven by BSS366 controllers after having evaluated the system last year during the Latin Billboard Awards, also produced by Telemundo TV network at the Jackie Gleason Theatre. Acoutech liked what they heard, and appreciated the way the system goes up and the power it can deliver. “Telemundo, who hired us for the Latin Billboard Awards, really appreciated our ability to hang the system high enough to clear all TV camera shots, and the fact that VerTec is well-accepted by the performing acts,” noted AJ Perez, owner of Acoutech.

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FOH Head Mixing Engineer was Grammy-award winner Hector Rosa, who has mixed several records for various artists performing at the show. Rosa, a JBL LSR28P studio monitor devotee, became a fan of the JBL VerTec system during last year’s Latin Billboard Awards.

Headquartered in Northridge, California, JBL Professional is the world’s leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of professional loudspeakers for recording and broadcast, musician, cinema, touring sound, commercial sound and contracting applications. JBL Professional is part of the Harman International network of professional and consumer audio companies. For complete product and company information, go to the JBL Pro website at www.jblpro.com.

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