JBL delivers consistent audio to the 2025 MTV VMAs

For the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony, hosted at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, Firehouse Productions turned to JBL Professional to match the event’s atmosphere and star-studded roster of nominees.

This year’s awards featured artists including Lady Gaga, who led with 12 nominations, followed by Bruno Mars with 11 and Kendrick Lamar with 10. Performers spanned genres and stages, from Lady Gaga’s return to a live VMA performance and Mariah Carey’s coveted Video Vanguard Award, to breakout acts from up-and-coming stars including Tate McRae and Sabrina Carpenter, and also an Ozzy Osborne tribute by Yungblud, Nuno Bettencourt, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith.

Mark Dittmar, vice president at Firehouse Productions, has engineered sound for 17 of the last 25 VMAs. This year, the system expanded to include 104 VTX V25 line array loudspeakers, 24 flown VTX S28 subs, 16 ground-stacked VTX G28 subs, and 32 VTX A6 front fills - over 180 loudspeakers total - driven by Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers. The system was designed using JBL Venue Synthesis software to successfully accommodate the complex staging and camera demands.

Dittmar underscores that JBL’s trademark intelligibility and rigging flexibility are essential for live television. “Intelligibility is everything on a show like the VMAs,” he said. “At 170 feet, the JBL VTX V25 ii CS loudspeaker still sounds in your face, even when it’s not.”

The comprehensive VTX deployment allowed the production team to deliver consistent audio coverage across UBS Arena’s complex layout, from thrust stages to remote camera spots, without compromising show pacing or visual aesthetics.

“With the VTX system and Venue Synthesis, we’re able to cover the audience no matter where the stage ends up, and the energy in the room is always exactly what the producers want,” Dittmar added.

With the support of JBL Professional and Firehouse Productions, the VMAs delivered visuals and sound powerful enough for broadcast and intimate enough to connect directly with fans.