Constantly trying to live up to its name, Creative Audio is constantly striving to deliver better sound and lighting for its clients and audiences. Its most recent move has been the addition of JBL VTX Series line array loudspeakers to its inventory.

‘We own and are very happy with our JBL VerTec VT4888 line array loudspeakers – in fact, we own more than 100 VT4888 and VT4880 subwoofers combined – but our company had grown to the point where we needed to find a line array speaker that was more suited to large concerts,’ says company owner, Chris Mentzel. ‘JBL’s new VTX Series line arrays were announced around the same time we started looking, so the timing was perfect.

‘We looked at other line arrays but the VTX Series was our first choice, and we knew that if we went with anything else we might regret it,’ Mentzel adds. ‘When I found out that other major tour sound companies were starting to use the VTX Series, that also helped with our decision.’

‘We’re finding that you don’t need to use as many boxes as in the past with other line arrays,’ he continues. ‘In that sense, the VTX Series can actually save you money and space. The improved clarity and smoother frequency response are readily noticeable, as is the even coverage pattern. As a sound contractor there’s another practical consideration we have to deal with – our gear has to be rider-friendly. I think it’s clear that more and more artists, promoters and venues are going to be specifying the VTX Series in light of their exceptional performance.’

Creative Audio has already put its VTX system into use at a number of events, including the Southern Illinois Country Fest at the Worldshooting and Recreation Complex in Sparta, Illinois. For the three-day festival, Creative Audio used an LR configuration of 12 V25 line array elements per side, while ground-stacking nine G28 subwoofers per side.

‘The first night the headliner was Trace Adkins, the second night was Dierks Bentley and the third night was Tim McGraw,’ Mentzel says. ‘Every engineer working the festival loved the system. That was also the very first time we used the rig and we were blown away.’

Creative Audio recently completed a 12-show Christmas tour featuring country music star Martina McBride, which spanned the US and Canada. For these arena dates, it used LR hangs of 12 V25 elements with six G28 ground-stacked subwoofers per side. For shows where additional out fill was required, Creative Audio supplied 12 VT4888 elements per side.

More: www.creativeaudio.us
More: www.jblpro.com