DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS ALIKE AGREE ON THE SUPERIORITY OF JBL VERTEC® LINE ARRAY SYSTEMS

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, October 28, 2004 – While the 2004 Republican and Democratic National Conventions featured ideologies across the political spectrum, they both benefited from high-quality sound systems courtesy of Baltzell Audio Design, ATK/Audiotek Inc. and JBL VERTEC® line array speakers.

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The 2004 Democratic National Convention took place July 26-29, 2004 at the Fleet Center in Boston, MA. Three podiums were located on a single stage, while sound designer Patrick Baltzell of Baltzell Audio Design specified 132 VERTEC speakers. Six clusters of 12 VT4889 speakers formed the arc-shaped PA system, while the delay ring was composed of 10 clusters of six VT4887’s.

Because of the arena’s high ceilings, sound designer Patrick Baltzell was concerned about the potential for long reverberation times. “It was 130 feet from the floor to the ceiling, so I took a more distributed approach, using a large number of VERTEC clusters while keeping the distance to the listener as close as possible,” Baltzell said. “This way, we didn’t excite the ceiling and have an unacceptable amount of reverberation for the speech reinforcement.”

The 2004 Republican National Convention, which took place August 30-September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, featured its own set of challenges. President George W. Bush gave his acceptance speech from a separate stage located in the center of the arena floor directly below the scoreboard, while the other stage was set up in a more ‘conventional’ configuration. A total of 224 VERTEC line array elements made up the two systems, with 152 VT4889 speakers and 62 VT4887 speakers.

“George Bush spoke in the round from dead-center under scoreboard, so when he spoke we had to switch to the in-the round sound system,” Baltzell said. “All delay times were reconfigured as a scene change. The delay ring was perfect circle.”

In choosing a line array loudspeaker for the two conventions, Baltzell said it was a no-brainer. “I love the sound of the VERTEC’s, they’re easy to rig, which was a consideration with the size of the crews, and weight was a big factor,” Baltzell said. “We had all the amps and power distribution isolation transformers on platforms that were floating in the air, so the total weight of the sound system was substantial. I was able to cut back the weight by 25 or 30 percent by using VERTEC, which is a big plus for me.”

About JBL Professional:
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 Professional website at www.jblpro.com.

About The Harman Pro Group:
Headquartered in Northridge, California, the Harman Pro Group is part of Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com), a leading manufacturer of high-quality, high fidelity audio products and infotainment systems for the automotive, home and professional markets. The Company's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol: HAR. Harman Pro Group companies include AKG Acoustics, BSS Audio, dbx, Crown International, JBL Professional, Lexicon, Soundcraft, and Studer.

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