HARMAN Professional Solutions recently hosted 20 Los Angeles-based artists, musicians and content creators at an immersive product showcase and networking event. The event launches what will be an ongoing “Create With” program where emerging music creators will engage with JBL Professional and AKG products in new and creative ways.
“The event was an amazing opportunity to get connected with other artists and creators,” said musician Caroline Kingsbury. “I loved seeing all the detailed behind the scenes work that goes into making the great products JBL and AKG make to help us create our best work.”
The event kicked off with a happy hour, giving attendees a unique chance to meet local creators in-person for the first time. Following the meet-and-greet, the creators designed their own AKG Ara microphones using paint markers. Gathered around a long table with a full spread of colors available, everyone embraced the good, old-fashioned arts-and-crafts moment by customizing a USB condenser mic with their respective, one-of-a-kind styles. By the end of the activity, there were plenty of flowers, neon colors, detailed landscapes and more painted onto 20 Ara mics at the drawing table.
Creators were then given a comprehensive tour of the HARMAN Experience Center, a 16,000-square-foot audio and lighting product showcase with a 6,000-square-foot soundstage and multiple studio recording set-ups. The Experience Center is a hands-on environment for exploring all things professional audio, from JBL Professional’s powerful audio touring, studio and portable PA loudspeakers to Martin’s spellbinding lighting fixtures and a full line up of AKG headphones and microphones. Additionally, guests toured through HARMAN’s Global Center of Acoustic Excellence known all over the world as the R&D engineering facilities where patented, Grammy- and Oscar-winning audio technology for JBL Professional have been developed for nearly 50 years.
“JBL has held a high level of respect in my eyes as one of the best speakers and monitors in the industry,” said multi-Platinum producer Thaddeus Dixon. “As someone who prides themselves on using the best equipment, I've always deemed JBL monitors as well as AKG microphones/headphones as the top of the line. To be reminded of the excellence HARMAN brands have built and lasted over several decades was appreciated, and I'm looking forward to what's to come.”
Along with a deep-dive into gear and technology, the group also participated in a masterclass on the creative process led by Grammy-nominated songwriter, DJ and producer Morgan Page. With a backdrop of vivid Martin lighting effects and JBL line arrays, Page shared his well-earned advice for songwriting and generating inspiration, including establishing a routine workflow, removing distractions from your creative spaces and embracing “wabi-sabi”––the Japanese concept of finding beauty within imperfection.
“The wabi-sabi aesthetic presents three simple realities: Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect,” Page explained to the audience. “You're not going to make a perfect song. You don't need to make a perfect song. And don't worry if you’re building a legacy of music or not. The biggest musical legacies, a lot don't last. The stars pass on, and their music is enjoyed and consumed. You should try for that if you can––I mean, aim high––but don't beat yourself up over it.”
“I find myself getting stuck in the writing process constantly, and Morgan had super simple solutions to help keep the creative juices flowing,” explained Kinsbury. “One of my favorite points he made was about Quality vs Quantity: ‘Quality work requires a lot of output. There is no way to improve without building a large volume of work. Don't be precious. Be prolific. High output demands iteration and improvement.’ Mind blown! It made me feel a lot less alone in some of the struggles that I have with my own creative process.”
Overall, the influencer event showed the best of what JBL, AKG and the rest of the HARMAN family of solutions have to offer the latest generation of online creators.
“The creators who joined us here tonight are among the who’s who of emerging music artists in Los Angeles and represent a diversity of genre, background and method of production,” said Frank Joseph, Senior Director of North America Marketing for HARMAN Professional Solutions. “Our audio brands have led product development with an artist-first approach, so we were pleased to have hosted a night where we could bring them together to network, create and learn from each other.” The evening’s playlist included songs recorded by the creators themselves: https://bit.ly/3UVFEHy
