About a year ago, JBL (www.jblpro.com) began delivering its SRX900 line of smaller line array and subwoofer enclosures. Now, after 12 months or so, we thought it would be interesting to talk with some sound companies who invested in the systems.
The SRX900 Series of powered, two-way systems includes the SRX906 (dual-6.5”) and SRX910 (dual-10”) line arrays and matching 18” SRX918S and dual-18” SRX928S subs. User-configurable DSP and design/management software offer access to key control features from a computer, mobile device or the rear-panel LCD. Systems can be deployed in a variety of ways, from pole-mounted to ground-stacked to flown arrays of up to 16 cabinets. Options include array frames, pole-mount and truss-clamp adapters, cases, carts and covers.
CTS
Nashville, TN
When Carl Taylor’s Taylor Sound and Marty Garcia’s (now of Future Sonics) Crystal Clear Sound, merged in 1985, Crystal Taylor Systems (now CTS) was born; and the company moved to Nashville in 1994.
“We’re known as a touring company, but we do a lot of conferences and events, many in small, confined spaces without a lot of trim or rigging ability,” says owner Mike Taylor. CTS’ wide range of clients include: live events, conferences, ministries, inspirational world leaders and chart-topping artists. Recently, the flexibility and fast thinking of the CTS crew was put to the test when sudden inclement weather (very common lately) forced the last-minute move of Vanderbilt University’s huge graduation ceremony from an outdoor setting into Nashville’s 20,000-seat Bridgestone Arena. All in a day’s work…
CTS had 120 JBL VerTec 4886 line arrays and stepped up with 130 of the company’s VTX V20 enclosures, and when the SRX series became available, CTS bought 60 SRX906 LA’s with the companion SRX918S subs.
“One cool thing that about the 906s is that they’re powered,” Taylor notes. “The weight was right and the SPL output was great. I can put them on a tripod, I can put them on a Genie, I can put them on a motor (hoist) or even get a really tall guy to hold them if he’s willing.” (Laughs) “Also, the way they package and case-up with a hard cover rather than a soft bag helps them stay super-clean. That’s really important, especially if we’re going into a ballroom; I can’t bring something that’s been collecting dust at a festival,” Taylor says, looking at the SRX906s from a day-to-day practical aspect.
“We didn’t buy any of the SRX910 LA’s,” he notes. “We have about 130 JBL VTX V20s, so we have that box covered — but the 910s do sound really nice; warm and beautiful. Combined with our V20s, we use the SRX906 as side or front fills or as delays — just run a little signal and power out to them and not have to worry about an amp rack. We also use the SRX906 a lot with the VTX A8s (our main go-to ballroom speaker) — the voicing pairs nicely with them.”
Taylor added another practical aspect: “We’ve been a JBL-only house for a long time and the network is good and strong. I know who to call should I have a problem or if I’m in an area where we need to rent more of them.”
First Born Productions
Los Fresnos, TX
Based out of Los Fresnos, TX, just north of Brownsville and just 10-15 minutes from Mexico, First Born Productions was established in 2005. The company began small, with just a pickup truck and a 12-foot cargo trailer, doing small local spring break events on South Padre Island. But these days, with its fleet of semi trucks traveling all over the country, First Born Productions has done hundreds of Latin tours and — in terms of production needs — has become a one-stop shop.
“We are a national touring/production company and do everything — sound, lighting video special effects, backline, rigging, ground support, staging, transportation — in-house, “ says Adolfo Garcia of First Born Productions. “We are well known in the Latin industry as a production house, and if you go through Billboard’s top-10 or top-15 Latin artists, we’re probably on tour with them.”
And First Born’s clientele is not strictly Latin artists. “All last year and this year we’ve been out with Lil Wayne who does LOTS of one-offs; and we do a lot with country act Randy Rogers and a lot of one-offs this past year with Derulo and Ashanti,” Garcia explains. “Some of our gear I haven’t seen in a year, because it’s non-stop touring.”
In terms of gear, “we are strictly a JBL house with VTX V25s, V20s and A12s, but we also have about 60 or so SRX 910s, which we use for frontfills and sidefills,” says Garcia. “The 910s are voiced to blend in with the larger systems. And they’re easy to use — plug-and-play. The control software is easy to use; you plug-in a couple Cat-5 links, some power and signal and you’re done. One of our bigger artists — Banda MS — is using a lot of these for sidefills, and we have some on tour with Angeles Azules, Gloria Trevi, Pepe Aguilar… everybody loves them because of the coverage we get from such a small box.”
StagePro
Ottawa, KS
For more than three decades, StagePro has provided top-notch production support. The company is centrally located just outside the KC metro area, but travels anywhere in the contiguous United States — and beyond — bringing events to life. From concert to corporate, StagePro is a one-stop-shop, providing audio, lighting, video, staging and crew for any production needs.
“I started StagePro back in 1993,” says founder Jay Waller. “I was a sound guy buying equipment because I wanted to use better gear than the audio providers in this area had back then. From there, it spun out of control, becoming a full production house — and not just sound. We offer video cameras, video walls, everything. But the thing that catapulted Stage Pro was that I was designed all the Apex hydraulic stages. Around 2004, I invested in producing the first generation Apex stages. I thought they’d be lucrative; they were. The problem was — and it’s a good problem — after developing the first 50-foot trailer stage, I had to put a lot of money into the sound, lighting and other things to keep up with the level of shows those stages took us to.”
Waller notes StagePro handles a lot of festivals — such as Country Fan Fest, Country Jam, Oregon Jam, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Lollapalooza — typically doing stages #3 and #4, but with full production.
“We’ve been with Harman JBL for years and have about 250 VTX boxes. And then they came out with the SRX series, which are ideal for festival secondary and beer garden-type stages, as well as corporate work. A company like Sprint or Walmart may need VTX A12s or B28s in the main session, but also need systems for 8, 10 or 12 smaller break-out rooms, and the SRX are awesome for that,” Waller says.
“When we’re using smaller hydraulic stages — 32×24 or 24×24 — and we’re doing acts like Grand Funk Railroad for 2,000 or 3,000 people at a fair or festival, hanging the SRX 910s is easy, and the performance from those boxes is wonderful. That’s a huge market for us, because I have a fleet of 12 hydraulic stages from 16-feet to 64-feet in my parking lot and we do a lot of those.”
