Vue Audiotechnik debuts new line array with JPCC installation
Published: WORSHIP
INDONESIA: Vue Audiotechnik has completed arguably its most significant Asian installation since the company was created in 2012, having supplied the first newly launched al-8 line array as the main sound reinforcement system for Jakarta Praise Community Church. The al-8 – supplied by Vue Indonesian distributor PT Sarana Generasi Bintang – was launched in early July following a preview at Infocomm.
Jakarta Praise Community Church (JPCC) is one of Jakarta’s fastest growing Christian ministries, currently counting more than 7,000 members across two locations. It recently moved into a new, larger location on the third floor of downtown Jakarta’s Kota Kasablanka Mall.
The decision to opt for the newly launched beryllium-loaded Vue line array reportedly follows a long search for a suitable system. ‘Over the years our church has tried line arrays from most of the major manufacturers, but we’ve always struggled to achieve really good high frequency definition,’ explained Pongky Prasetyo, owner of Soundworks Productions and JPCC’s sound engineer since 2003.
He continued: ‘Our music incorporates a lot of guitar and synthesisers, along with a vocal style that’s very heavy in the upper-mid and high frequencies. For us it’s crowded at the upper end, and most systems struggle to reproduce this without sounding harsh. When I heard that Vue was preparing to introduce a system with beryllium compression drivers, I was immediately intrigued. I’ve had experience with beryllium in the studio and know how much better it is at translating high frequencies.’
Mr Prasetyo contacted PT Sarana Generasi Bintang owner Harmoko Aguswan, but at the time the al-8 was not yet completed. ‘When we first spoke the al-8 was just entering the tuning stage and had not yet been announced publicly,’ Mr Aguswan explained. Nevertheless, he added, ‘after reviewing the church’s requirements and schedule, the Vue team was confident that the al-8 would deliver the HF performance that JPCC had been seeking. Vue committed to delivering the first finished al-8 system in time for the JPCC’s live recording, ‘One’, and anniversary celebration.’
The final design includes 32 al-8 acoustic elements arranged in left and right clusters of eight and a centre cluster consisting of two eight-box arrays. Eight of the manufacturer’s V6 Systems Engines provide all amplification, DSP functions and connectivity to the SystemVUE network. Low frequencies are delivered by 12 hs-28 ACM subwoofers. On-stage sound, meanwhile, is via Vue h-12 enclosures.
Elsewhere in the venue a Yamaha CL-5 console is used for front of house mixing while dual Yamaha CL-3s are used for monitors and broadcast mixes. Microphones are from Lectrosonics.
Following the completion of the installation, Mr Prasetyo has declared that he ‘couldn’t be happier. Just as I had hoped, the beryllium drivers in the al-8 translate the upper frequencies better than anything I’ve tried before. I no longer have to pull back the 2-5kHz range. The al-8’s are so clean and accurate that I feel like they can handle anything I send them.’
Regarding the hs-28 subwoofers, he added: ‘There’s a very realistic quality to hs-28s that’s much more musical than most subwoofers. It’s more than just a punch in the chest. They deliver accuracy at the low that’s the perfect match for the al-8. From the bottom to the top, the Vue system translates perfectly.’