Sound Reinforcement For All Applications

John Henry's provides live sound reinforcement for all applications. We service the requirements of an extensive and diverse range of local and international clients.

Our inventory includes full concert touring systems; precise monitoring for broadcast TV, radio and rehearsals; playback and portable systems for in-store promotions or press conferences; radio microphones and in-ear monitoring systems; digital recording equipment and a comprehensive range of microphones and signal processors.

Concert Touring Systems
Monitoring Systems
Small Venue / Conference Systems
Microphones and Outboard Equipment
Concert and Event Production
Recent Clients

Concert Touring Systems

For Concert touring we offer EAW Virtual Array speaker systems, fully equipped with compatible amplification and monitor systems. We carry consoles by Midas, Soundcraft and Yamaha. Each system is tailored to your requirements and is supplied with a fully trained, experienced crew.

Monitoring Systems

Our monitor systems have been designed and built to our exact specification, based on our extensive experience and research in the field. In conjunction with EAW, we have developed the all new JH15 active wedge monitor, now available for rent or purchase.



We are able to provide monitor systems to suit all live and rehearsal situations. Our work in the Broadcast field includes multi or single systems for both live and recorded television and radio transmission.

Small Venue / Conference Systems

Our small venue systems are based around the EAW KF300 and EV Sx200 speaker cabinet systems. We can provide small and medium sized systems for a wide variety of events, such as showcases, in-store artist appearances, press conferences and product launches. We can also supply press feeds, telephone hook ups and video monitors.

Microphones and Outboard Equipment

From our vast inventory we are able to provide microphones and outboard equipment on a dry-hire or long term basis. In addition, we carry a full range of RA approved and licenced handheld, lavalier and IEM radio systems.

Concert and Event Production

Drawing from the resources available to us within John Henry's, we are able to offer an unparalleled service when it comes to Concert or Event Production. We can supply a full production package incorporating Sound Reinforcement and Backline Rental; Modular Stage Set design and build; Power Distribution rental and Crewing and Trucking. Through our industry contacts, we can supply you with the latest in lighting technology to suit your tour or individual show.

NEWS FROM THE AUDIO DEPARTMENT

New equipment to meet Rental demand and requirements…

Audio Department

EAW SB730 sub bass cabinets (The Hospital)
Rane Serato Scratch Live USB Interface (Santogold)
Sennheiser EW 300 IEM systems (Various)
Shure KSM9/SL mic and UR4D-R9, UR1-R9, UR2-B5 dual channel radios (Various)

Audio Activities:
We continued to supply monitor systems for BBC TV’s Later……. , Sound, The Wall and the Jonathan Ross Show. In addition we supplied monitor systems for both T4 Special shows with Usher and the Fratellis, as well as Live from Abbey Road with Matchbox Twenty and the Fratellis. Showcases included Jason Mraz at the Royal Opera House, Elbow for Q Magazine at the Hospital, Sam Sparro plus support at the Proud Galleries. The Zavvi Megastore was supplied with a full PA system based around a small KF730 line-array system for a number of different artists performing in the store and Usher’s people liked our monitor system so much at T4 that we were asked to provide it (and a complete backline ) for his rehearsal and show at Indig02.

Strictly Come Dancing....Brucie says...."more channels please!"
Dec 2007

Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly take to the floor to host the 5th run of Strictly Come Dancing and JHL are again supplying a full audio sound system to satisfy the highly demanding specification for the "Live to Air " TV show on BBC1.

To meet the latest specification demand, JHL have invested in Soundcraft 's new flagship Digital console, the Vi6.

JHL chose the Soundcraft Vi6™ live sound console to handle all the floor sound, VT and voiceovers. As general manager, Robert Harding explains, "...this is no ordinary show . I know, when you’re looking at it at home, you might think ‘God that’s easy’ but it’s a very complicated show. We have 54 channels going into the console and we’re using twenty of the outputs” JHL's sound engineer, Aden Gregory operates the Vi6 on the show “ .... it's sound quality and ease of use is fantastic. It doesn’t feel like you’re using a digital desk. It works more like an analogue one so you can get through everything really quickly. I’m using forty personal mics on Strictly, so I need something the EQ really does work on.”

A trustworthy and dependable sound console is a must for Strictly Come Dancing. Robert Harding says, “It can’t go wrong because we’re live to air, so we can’t retake it. So everything we buy has to be super-reliable which the Vi6 has proved to be.”

Prior to Strictly Come Dancing, the Vi6 was put through its paces on another primetime television show, Dance X. The same console is now also being used to mix the sound feed for the studio audience of the six guest acts on each BBC “Later… with Jools Holland”.

More info on the Soundcraft Vi6

"Strictly Dance Fever" for dbx
18 August 2005

John Henry’s Ltd Audio Division used one of their dbx DriveRack units for monitor system management and EQ on the BBC’s “Strictly Dance Fever”, presented by Graham Norton.

As the popular Saturday night show – broadcast live - built up to its shimmying finale, a live band has joined the glitter, glamour and action in Studio TC1 of the BBC TV Centre in West London each week. This necessitates a full 20 piece monitor system plus four ways of hard wired IEMs in the mix, all controlled and processed by the DriveRack. The DriveRack is coupled to a Soundcraft Series 5 console being engineered by JHL’s Jim King.

The DriveRack system consists of a 480 master unit, a 480R remote control, and three 482 slave units, all flight-cased into one tidy on-the-road package – an ideal solution for situations like this where space is at an extreme premium.

The DriveRack 480, 481 and 482 units can be networked with an RS-485 buss allowing full control of each unit on the network from the 480R remote, the Master unit, and a Computer.

King operates the DriveRack – providing everything you need between the mixer and the amps - via its proprietary remote panel during the show, commenting, “It’s absolutely brilliant – you can call up any mix on the desk via the remote. It provides a great space-saving solution for applying some well loved analogue mixing techniques …. which would previously have taken 2 or 3 racks to achieve”.

He adds that it’s also much quicker and easier to do this using DriveRack, and that the crossover facilities are useful.

The DriveRack 480 and 482 provide a host of processing features including a 31-band Graphic Equalizer on each input in addition to Notch Filtering, and Delay. Each output also has a full complement with Signal Routing, Bandpass and Crossover Filtering, a 4-band Parametric EQ, a classic dbx Compressor/Limiter, and output Delay.

The DriveRack’s software comes with several onboard presets for use with different types of monitors, allowing the user to take full advantage of their unique acoustic properties. For “Strictly Dance Fever”, we used a mixture of EAW JH15 proprietary wedges, Clair Brother’s 12AMs and Funktion One Resolution wedges, plus HK DT108’s which are a favourite for brass sections. So DriveRack’s versatility has been invaluable throughout the series, flipping between different types of monitors and being able to select their characteristics with a few button presses.

King also likes the fact that you can locate the DriveRack anywhere – at the desk, onstage, wherever - because it’s so portable. On “Strictly Dance Fever” it usually stays close to the monitor desk, adjacent to the main mix desk – a Yamaha PM5D – engineered and operated by Clive Goodwyn.

Using a dbx Drive Rack for the monitor mix is now a standard JHL’s approach to large TV shows featuring a live orchestra and lots of mixes, and now has two complete dbx systems that are constantly working on indoor and outdoor shows and special events. They are currently mainly used for TV monitor mixes needing a careful balance of precision, power and flexibility.

JHL’s project manager for the show is Robert Harding who also handles the legendary “...Later with Jools Holland” series.

dbx DriveRack web site

John Henry's invests in KF730 Compact Line Array system from EAW
30 June 2005

Pictured Left: EAW 730 Array.Pictured Center: Kenton Forsythe (EAW's Executive Vice President) & John Henry (JHL's MD). Pictured Right: Pepin Clout (JHL), Steve Badham (EAW), Kenton Forsythe (EAW), John Henry (JHL), (front) Simon Panos (JHL). Picture taken at BBC Studios, Maidavale.

John Henry's Ltd., sound reinforcement rental specialists have invested in a significant EAW KF730 Compact Line Array system to add to their already extensive inventory of EAW cabinets. The new system comprises twenty KF730 mid/hi cabinets and eight SB730 subs plus the relevant flyware.

"The KF730 SLAM (Small Line Array Module) packs a six-driver, horn-loaded KF Series design into an amazingly compact enclosure, setting a new record for output per cubic meter.

The full-sized mid/high horn fills the entire face of the enclosure, ensuring broadband 110° horizontal pattern control. The unique Phase Aligned™ LF design extends horizontal pattern control into the LF and a bi-amplified powering configuration (passive mid/ high) reduces total system cost and complexity."

According to JHL's Pepin Clout "The KF730 system proved its mettle from the very first time we used it for Seal in the Leeds Corn Exchange. It is a notoriously difficult venue, yet we were able to achieve even coverage and great sound, even though we had to ground stack the system due to the constraints of the venue. The client was hugely impressed and we had a tremendous response from the audience, so you could say that our curiosity was piqued from that point on. Since then we've used it for a number of clients in a variety of different venues from concert halls to TV and radio studios; wherever we've taken it, the response has been nothing but positive. Radio One in particular, for whom we do a lot of work doing their live recording sessions at Maida Vale studios in London, having heard it once, requested that we use nothing else on their gigs." Recent gigs for Radio One using the KF730 system include the memorial concert for iconic British DJ, John Peel, who died suddenly last year; an acoustic set for Radiohead and a live session with young Merseyside band, The Coral.

"The KF730 system is a perfect fit for JHL's profile," commented EAW UK sales manager, Steve Badham. "It's compact, so ideally suited for venues like TV and radio applications where space is limited, yet has lots of output for its size. It's also equally effective ground-stacked as it is flown, making the system extremely versatile, hence a very good choice for a company with such a diverse client portfolio as JHL."

JHL Buys First PM5D From Marquee Audio
10 January 2005

Specialists in providing audio support for front-line television programmes in cramped studios, John Henry’s Ltd (JHL) often need to work on a small footprint.

After flirting with Yamaha’s digital platform over the years, they have now jumped right in — purchasing their first PM5D from their preferred suppliers, Marquee Audio. The desk immediately took up residency on the set of Strictly Come Dancing filming at both TV Centre and the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, where Clive Goodwin was senior sound engineer and Jim King mixed monitors (see above pic).

Says JHL’s special projects manager, Pepin Clout, "We’ve used some of the smaller boards for some years now — the O3D, O1V and O2R’s. We contemplated buying a DM2000 — but it wasn’t quite right for our applications." When they received the preliminary spec on the PM5D from Marquee Audio, however, all that changed.

"Marquee has supplied us for many years and has consistently proved to be one of the most helpful sales companies in terms of support."

JHL initially took a console on approval, which in addition to Strictly Come Dancing went onto the Shooting Stars Hospice fundraiser ball at the Dorchester and the Graham Norton Sound of Music special. That’s all it took to convince them.

"This desk is perfect for the Strictly Come Dancing type of show," states
JHL’s Robert Harding, who project managed the TV shows’ sound design, "There we have multiple inputs – 24 personal microphones, two presenter microphones plus back-ups, along with track, VT and live band feeds with up to 13 separate output mix zones. We find that with 48 analogue inputs to start with it’s fine for most applications. The control surface is very user-friendly, the display is big enough to be easy to read and with its inbuilt effects, dynamics and memory saving facility it offers the extra flexibility that our projects demand."

Pepin adds that the Dorchester Ball was a classic example of where the desk’s lack of real estate came into its own. “We were given a small footprint on which to work, so we used everything in the desk, and no outboard at all.

"The PM5D goes much further than other boards we have auditioned — in fact on Sound of Music we used it as a full-blown monitor board and will be doing the same on the Later Hootenanny with Natasha Bedingfield."

"Everywhere we’ve taken it we’ve had a good response from technicians and clients alike. Radio 1 liked it very much when we used it on a recent live session with three bands playing back to back."

After finishing on Strictly Come Dancing the PM5D moves immediately to another show spawned by the hit series — Strictly Come Ice Dancing at Pinewood Studios — and then onto another new show, Can’t Sing Singers.

(Taken from Marquee Audio press release.)

[Pictured - two PM5D’s set up at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool / Jim King]

Yamaha PM5D

John Henry's Bring In More Powerlight
07 January 2005

Leading London production company John Henry’s Ltd. (JHL) have updated their already massive monitor system inventory with a major purchase of 40 PowerLight PL236 amplifiers. Their UK distributor, Shure Distribution UK, filled the initial order and provided the product in newly commissioned monitor racks.

As JHL’s Special Projects Manager Pepin Clout observed, “all our front-of-house amplifiers are QSC, so it made perfect sense to maintain that continuity. That said, we conducted an extensive market evaluation of all available product, which effectively confirmed our decision that QSC amplifiers continue to be our best investment, based on sonic transparency and performance, power-to-weight ratio, and reliability.”

JHL are active not only in live television broadcasts, but are well-established in the concert touring, corporate, and showcase arenas, putting rigorous demands on their amplifier stock, day in and day out. The amp racks are designed with the flexibility to drive a monitor rig one day and an installation the next.

The new PL236 racks barely had time to be checked in before they were sent out for a shooting of the high-profile TV show Later…With Jools Holland. The show, which features back-to-back performances on multiple stages, found the amps pressed into service powering a total of 86 floor monitors.

Hardly cooling off after the Jools Holland shoot, the amps went immediately to the Shooting Stars Ball fundraiser at London’s swank Dorchester Hotel (pictured).

QSC Audio Products, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of power amplifiers, loudspeakers, signal processing, digital signal transport, and computer control systems for professional audio markets worldwide.

(Taken from the QSC press release)

THE POWERLIGHT 2 SERIES
The PowerLight 2 Series is a high performance line of amplifiers designed exclusively for the touring and live sound professional. Four models range in power from 900 watts to 1850 watts per channel, all in two-rack space chassis that are only 14" deep and 21 lbs.

More info

JHL Joins The Midas Heritage 3000 Club
6 November 2001

Due to the current run of the "Later with Jools .............." on BBC2 on Friday evenings, JHL have invested in a Midas Heritage 3000 console, JHL's Robert Harding who is responsible for all equipment supplied for the "Floor Sound" for the show confirmed "that due to weekly demand and technical specification, the investment in the console was fully justified". The full spec of this versatile console can be seen at www.midasconsoles.com

JHL go QSC
13 October 2001

Leading London based rental company John Henry's Ltd have just taken
delivery of a batch of QSC Powerlight amplifiers to upgrade their main PA
racks. The purchase of the PL236 and PL6.0 PFC units came after a lengthy
evaluation of a number of different amplifiers with their existing EAW speaker
systems.

"Having expanded our main EAW KF850 system at our sister operation in
Dubai, we shipped our existing Crest racks out to power it", said Aden Gregory, JHL's Audio Rental Department Manager "This gave us the opportunity to review our amplifier stock. We decided to check out a range of different switch-mode power amplifiers and after extensively testing a number of brands we chose the Powerlights from QSC. We were surprised that the PL6.0 PFC, which weighs only 59lbs, could deliver so much energy and have such a fast recovery rate. Not only do both models of amplifier sound excellent but the added advantage of being a lighter weight is no mean consideration given the amount of trucking and load-ins we do in any given month".

The amplifiers were supplied by HW International, who have had a long standing relationship with John Henry's Ltd. Commenting on the acquisition, HW's Graham Logue said "We are delighted that JHL picked QSC to power their systems, it's good to see another high end sound company selecting QSC amplification".

www.hwinternational.co.uk

Radian lands in the UK
13 October 2001

Leading London based rental company John Henry's Ltd are the first
organisation in the UK to purchase the all new Radian MicroWedge, a compact
high power 12" floor monitor designed by Radian Audio Engineering in
conjunction with US rental company Rat Sound. The RMW-1122 is a uniquely
shaped, arrayable low profile design that features a powerful co-axial 12" speaker with a 2" compression driver that has low distortion and a very flat frequency response and can be used in either bi-amp or passive mode. It is the first in a range of a new generation of high performance wedges designed by Radian.

"We had been evaluating different 1 x 12" wedges recently with a view to
replacing our existing stock" stated Pepin Clout, JHL's Special Project Manager
"A lot of our work revolves around live sound reinforcement for TV and/or
corporate applications, where low profile wedges are always in demand. Having seen an ad for an interesting looking wedge, we contacted Radian to find out more. They kindly shipped us a demo pair to put up against the competition - and won out. Not only did they sound great, both in passive and bi-amp mode, but their compact trapezoidal footprint and crafty cable management design is a godsend on a small stage".

As soon as they landed the units were pressed into service, firstly with US
band Alien Ant Farm on a live performance for Channel 4's T4, followed by a
secret gig by the Sugababes for Warner UK and then for Sir Elton John and Victoria Beckham, appearing on the first of a new series of BBC TV's Parkinson show.

"We thank John Henry's for being the first major sound company in the UK for selecting our product" said Richard Kontrimas, the president of Radian Audio Engineering. "This validates our efforts to supply a new generation of high performance stage monitors and John Henry's joins a worldwide group of sound companies using the MicroWedge."

www.radianaudio.com

JHL Buys Part of The Dome
21 June 2001

Well at least in the shape of a Soundcraft Pro Series 5 48/32 monitor console which had resided in The Dome for the few events that happened during the year of 2000. The deal was stuctured by Spencer Brookes of Marquee Audio and commented that "John drove a hard bargain but at the end of the day he has secured a brilliant console which is Soundcrafts leading live mixer" The console has already been used during the latest run of the "Later with Jools" series on BBC2.

www.soundcraft.co.uk