NEIL DIAMOND TOURS USA WITH JBL VERTEC™ LINE ARRAY SYSTEM

Veteran Engineer Stanley Miller Relies on Left/Center/Right Arrays
With All-Digital Signal Path

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 30, 2001 - Veteran industry sound engineer Stanley Miller has selected JBL Professional's new VERTEC line array system for the Neil Diamond tour, currently touring the United States in venues with audience sizes ranging from 8,000-20,000. Sixty-four JBL VT4889 enclosures are in use on the large-venue tour, currently playing to sellout crowds nationwide. Also equipped with Crown MA5002-VZ power amplifiers and a Crown IQ network, the all-digital system represents another concert sound 'first' for Miller, who over the years has pioneered a number of live sound technologies including the use of computer-controlled audio gear in a touring environment.

"While preparing for this tour I received many recommendations for VERTEC from people whose judgement I trust," explained Miller. "They told us that VERTEC delivers superior audio quality to the other proposed systems, which we confirmed. The VT4889 speakers work great with the Crown amplifiers and, with the ease of set up and light weight, are perfect for this tour."

The rental sound company for Neil Diamond's 2001 USA tour is Maryland Sound International, LLC (Baltimore, MD). MSI technician, Art Isaacs, explains, "We are relying on a left/center/right main line array format with the VERTEC system, and we set up additional offside left and right VT4889 arrays for wider coverage angles. This system sets up like a dream. The JBL VT4889 enclosures are so lightweight, the stagehands and riggers really love us at load-in".

Bernie Becker, who is handling the monitor mixes on the tour, is also Neil's personal recording engineer. The tour staff also includes experienced road technicians like Greg "Chico" Lopez and John Drane, quite familiar with this show after many years of touring. Lopez, Drane and others are working closely with Miller on a daily basis to ensure that the complex, networked multi-array sound reinforcement system is set up in a consistent manner at each venue.

Working with Neil Diamond for thirty-five years, Miller was among the first to use a separate onstage monitor mixer, and hanging loudspeaker systems for arena concerts. "In over 30 years of mixing this artist, I've been fortunate in that Neil is very open to my creative ideas and new technologies...if they actually improve the sound of the show," notes Miller. "With this new setup, we have a very coherent loudspeaker system with plenty of headroom, and most importantly, exceptional vocal articulation. The line array format is a dramatic improvement. With JBL's VERTEC, mixing is actually fun for me again!"

The VERTEC speakers' clarity allows Miller to get the most out of his 100% digital system. From the stage, where each musician has his own Yamaha digital mixer, the digital signals are networked to the front of house Yamaha PM1D digital consoles for FOH mixing and signal processing, all in the digital domain. JBL Pro LSR25P powered monitors allow Miller an additional reference at the mixing location. From the console, the Crown IQ system distributes the digital signal to Crown amplifiers, where the signal is again converted to analog and fed to the VERTEC VT4889 line array speakers. Technical consultant Sam Helms of Sigmet Marketing was instrumental in coordinating the setup of the Crown IQ interface.

"The entire system is excessively quiet. There is no system hum. We have ten core musicians on stage, backup singers, horn and string sections all with in-ear monitors," said Miller. "With low stage volume, digital clarity and the audio quality of the VERTEC system, it's hard to imagine concert sound getting any better than this."

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.