JBL VTX A8 deployed for Next to Normal in London’s West End

Nominated for four Olivier Awards, Next To Normal has recently transferred from the Donmar to the Wyndham’s Theatre in London’s West End. Sound designer Tony Gayle has delivered an audio experience for this musical in the larger theatre, specifying a JBL Professional VTX A8 system.

This is the latest in a series of musicals on which Gayle has specified JBL VTX A Series. Having first used it on Beautiful The Carole King Musical tour, followed by Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical in the West End, he has subsequently specified it on many productions including My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican - for which he won the Olivier award for best sound design – Gatsby at The American Repertory Theater Boston and Two Strangers (carry a Cake Across New York) which is currently playing at the Criterion Theatre.

“The JBL VTX A8 is exactly what a theatre system should sound like," said Gayle. “It’s incredibly transparent and natural on a whole range of playback or live instruments, its coverage is very consistent, it sounds equally impressive at any volume, and when needed it can go loud without any kind of distortion.”

Gayle grew up in a world of Jamaican sound systems, and whilst he never learnt an instrument, it was the equipment that fascinated him. “I loved the power, the sound, the bass and playing with EQ. I just loved the kit.”

Next To Normal is an emotional hard-hitting musical with a rock score written by Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Brian Yorkey. The cast of six all provide vocals and are accompanied by an on-stage live band featuring drums and percussion, bass, guitar, real upright piano, violin and cello.

“The A Series is dealing with a variety of instruments without colouring any of them. There’s a fantastic detail and accuracy to the HF which helps keep the sound of every instrument intact in the mix,” Gayle said. “JBL have built a loudspeaker that sounds amazing out of the box without the need for excessive DSP. The only tuning needed is just for a specific room , which I do on the desk.”

This system itself comprises two main hangs of eight VTX A8 line-array elements which cover all but the first five rows of the stalls. Two ground-mounted B18 subwoofers and two flown B18 subwoofers reinforce the bottom end.

“I could have extended the array but the sightlines would have been compromised in this theatre, especially given the height of the band’s position on set,” Gayle explained. “The arrays are angled slightly inwards to centre the energy a little and keep sound off of the audience boxes”.

Again sightlines prevented additional flown subs, but the A8 arrays themselves are operating in their Full-Range mode with extension down to 50Hz to create plenty of low-end energy.

The balconies are extremely well targeted by the arrays, with only the rear of the upper tier requiring delays due to the physical design of the theatre.

Gayle is using JBL’s new Venue Synthesis application to model the space and whilst he says coverage is pretty simple to determine in the confined space of a theatre, the weight loading calculations provided are a very useful tool.

Justin Teasdale, one of the production sound team has also used the JBL VTX A Series in entirely different content – installed onboard the Norwegian Colorline cruise ship 'Color Fantasy'. He says whilst the use of JBL does still sometimes raise an eyebrow in the theatre world, this is getting less so as people are hearing it more and more.

Gayle agreed: “This applies to the composers and musical directors too,” he says. “They want to hear their music transfer accurately to the theatre and I’m increasingly noticing the appreciation for the sound of this JBL system.”

Gayle acted as sound designer on 16 shows last year, and eight already this year. Next up is Becoming Nancy at Birmingham Rep which he says will also feature JBL VTX A8, followed by a much-anticipated transfer of My Neighbour Totoro to the West End in 2025.

“I don’t think there’s a show I wouldn’t spec the JBL VTX A-Series on,” Gayle concluded.

JBL Professional is exclusively distributed in the UK by Sound Technology Ltd.