ATK Audiotek of Valencia, Calif. (atkaudiotek.com), recently revamped the American Idol set at CBS Television City in Hollywood with JBL Professional loudspeakers. “We had to accommodate a number of needs for the new set,” explains Pat Baltzell, sound designer for American Idol.
“The main P.A. needs to be heard loud and clear by the performers and audience. However, we need a separate audio system for when host Ryan Seacrest and the contestants are speaking, because they’re on lavalier mics, and the judges are situated right in the middle of the main P.A. system.”
Left-right arrays of 10 JBL VerTec VT4889 full-size line array elements on each side comprise the main P.A. system. The main hangs are complemented by a front fill system of six VRX932LAP Constant Curvature loudspeakers installed into the set. Two VRX928LA compact Constant Curvature loudspeakers are also installed into the contestant couch set to provide a mix minus foldback of the judges and Seacrest. Four JBL Control 8SR speakers are installed in two additional mix minus zones under metal gratings in the stage serving as foldback speakers for Seacrest and the contestants during periods of dialog.
