Joep Beving has visited a number of concert halls troughout the Netherlands in order to promote his new album, Henosis. During this tour he was accompanied by Maarten Vos, Echo Collective and Capella Amsterdam.

Soon became clear that something special was going to happen during the concerts. On the one hand, because of the acoustic setup of four strings, a bass clarinet, a six-member choir and a piano. On the other hand, beacuse of the electronic setup of various synthesizers, like a modular synthesizer and a Korg MS20. For Sascha Mourik, the Front of House technicus of Joep Beving, it was obvious that this project needed special attention. Also, because of the special tone of the piano, which also had to be tuned with two cello’s, the bass clarinet and the synths. Especially the mid-low would be a challenge. Usually, classic orchestral halls are built for acoustic sessions, whereas reinforced sound can be difficult. The sound system had to be compact and easy to install, due to the limited load-in time.

During the JBL VTX A8 demo days of Fairlight, Mourik heard the new VTX A8 system for the first time. "I really liked the amount and definition of mid-low. For a cabinet with this size it is almost unimaginable. I got in contact with Fairlight and plans were made to get Joep Beving on the road with the JBL VTX A8." Ritsaart Baneke, support technicus for the Harman Group, joined Saskia as a system technician of Fairlight.

The first show took place at De Vereeniging in Nijmegen. The first show is always difficult, because all the expertise comes together for the first time. Among other things, a lot of time is put into the final tuning of the lighting and the sound in combination with the musicians on the first day. The JBL sound system was very quickly ready to use. ‘’The rigging system of the VTX A8 is briljant, most settings can be set in the truck. After that, you only have to position them underneath the hoists, to connect and you are ready to go’’, said Baneke. Within half an hour, 24 pieces of VTX A8 were installed and the stage was free for the musicians.

The VTX A8 system comes with two default settings: a full range and a 80 Hz low off. Baneke switched these settings frequently, because the reverberation time differs per venue. Nine single 18'' subs were used during the shows. "We only use this for the synths. The VTX A8 system reproduced the instruments very nice, with depth and dynamic. ’The built-in processors of the amplifiers are easy to use with the Performance Manager. During the adjustment I had all the tools available and during the show I saw at a glance what exactly happens with all speakers and amplifiers. If necessary, I could change it."

The average setup exists of a left- and right sytem. Complemented by flown outfills and infills.

Next to De Vereeniging in Nijmegen, the Doelen in Rotterdam and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam were also visited. The new A8 system was also used during these shows. Mourik was very happy with the result: ‘’When the audience around me closes their eyes and enjoys the music, then I know and feel that the music arrives. I am very proud to take part of this and I am very happy to work with tools like this."