JBL and Martin Audio help celebrate the Queen?s Diamond Jubilee

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations saw Delta Sound supply JBL VTX line arrays to line the route from Putney Bridge to Tower Bridge and on down to Greenwich as part of the Jubilee Pageant, while a Martin Audio system was deployed by Ace Vintage Systems for a special event in Greatworth, Northampton.

The Pageant – a tribute to Britain’s maritime history – had the Queen’s royal barge as the centrepiece. The flotilla was divided into ten sections, which were separated by musical herald barges playing contemporary and classical music, with around 20,000 people taking part. It was led by a hand-built, 88-foot row-barge named Glorianam, while the new royal barge appeared in the third section from the front.

Receiving satellite downlinks, the JBL loudspeakers relayed programme feeds, BBC commentary (and other background) for around one million spectators. Delta Sound, which also provided relays for the 2011 Royal Wedding, set up 27 separate areas along the route, involving 45 individual hangs (with control position at each hang). 35 of these featured JBL and included a total of 156 VTX V25 line array elements and an additional 54 JBL VERTEC line array loudspeakers – spread 70 meters apart and mounted on Type 1 and Type 2 masts, with six elements per hang. Delta Sound managing director, Paul Keating, commented: “Due to an extremely busy summer schedule, AED offered a welcome solution in providing the 210 boxes needed in total for the pageant.”

Meanwhile, Ace Vintage Systems provided an audio system for a special Jubilee event in Greatworth, Northampton, which ran an entirely analogue system.

Comprised of Martin Audio 215 Mk3 subs, the system was complemented by the company’s MH112 mids (also known as ‘Ladyshaves’) and some tops.

“It sounded fantastic, producing a really warm and clear sound,” said Ace Vintage Systems’ Alex Czechowski. “It showed that new British music is alive and raw which I think makes a change in these corporate times.”

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