Day: October 7, 2026

Categories
Optimal Audio

Optimal Audio makes complexity disappear with Venue Wizard

Optimal Audio has launched Venue Wizard, a free online tool that gives venue owners and integrators a system recommendation in under five minutes, with no sign-up required. Six short steps of questions about the space and how it is used are all it takes for Venue Wizard to draw on the full Optimal Audio ecosystem and suggest a combination of multi-zone control, amplification and loudspeakers.

Anyone who starts looking into commercial audio for a venue soon runs into the same obstacle. The market is broad, the products look alike on the page, and the descriptions are written for audio professionals rather than the people who will use the system every day. Venue Wizard starts from the other end: the venue and what happens in it, not the product.

The questions are written in the language of running a venue, not the language of a datasheet. Venue Wizard asks whether the venue shows live sport rather than whether HDMI connectivity is required, and that answer steers the recommendation towards the Zone family. The final choice within the range is then shaped by the number of zones the venue needs and whether a powered variant suits the way the loudspeakers will be deployed. Live bands, background music and the other ways a venue is used are handled the same way.

Practical questions shape the outline specification too, such as whether loudspeakers will be mounted on the wall, in the ceiling or outdoors. An “I don’t know” option is offered throughout, and any uncertainty is carried forward to the local distributor, who is better placed to resolve it. Venue Wizard also asks what matters most – lowest possible cost or room to grow – and weights its recommendation accordingly.

Each recommendation begins with control, followed by amplification and loudspeakers. Loudspeaker selection is driven by content, so a room built around background music is treated differently from one that hosts live bands. Every product or product grouping comes with an explanation of why it has been recommended, so buyers understand the reasoning as well as the result.

“Commercial audio has always expected the customer to do the homework before they can even ask the question,” explained Jamie Gomez, Global Demand Manager at Optimal Audio. “Venue Wizard takes that away. After a few questions about their venue, a buyer comes away with a clear picture of what they could achieve. If they want to go further, they’re a few details away from a conversation with an expert in their own market.”

Venue Wizard is deliberately a starting point rather than a full system design tool. Buyers who would like their recommendation emailed to them, or followed up, can submit a few details. The recommendation is then forwarded to the Optimal Audio distributor in their country, where an expert can refine the specification around the venue.

Venue Wizard is available now at https://optimal-audio.co.uk/resources/venue-wizard/

Click here for original article.

Categories
Martin Audio

REA SOUND EQUIPS RICHHILL METHODIST CHURCH WITH MARTIN AUDIO CDD

UK – Richhill Methodist Church in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, has recently undergone a major extension, complete with a comprehensive AV upgrade featuring a new Martin Audio sound system supplied and installed by Rea Sound.

The project began in the summer of 2025 following a conversation with Rea Sound Director, Roger McMullan, a contact established through the integrator’s extensive previous work with houses of worship. “They were planning to extend the church and wanted to coincide with a complete audio-visual fit-out, both for the new extension and the church itself,” he recalls.

While the main body of the church remained unchanged, the new extension added a kitchen, a foyer area, and upstairs meeting rooms. With the existing audio equipment around 15 years old, and the church becoming more active with events and a live praise band, the timing was perfect for a unified upgrade.

Following on-site visits and careful development of design proposals, Rea Sound put forward a comprehensive solution centred on the Martin Audio portfolio.

MARTIN AUDIO IS A GO-TO FOR CHURCHES

Gage Helton, S and L Integration

“Martin Audio is a go-to for churches,” states McMullan. “In a church environment speech intelligibility is the key – the minister, the announcements, the sermon. Martin Audio is great at that. And once you get into live praise with a live band, Martin Audio just handles it all so easily.”

The elegant and simple solution in the church comprises a pair of Martin Audio CDD15 15” Coaxial Differential Dispersion loudspeakers mounted left and right. They are supplemented by a pair of SX210 subwoofers, whose compact design and high output provided the perfect solution for the specific layout of the space.

Aesthetics and visual integration were considered alongside audio performance throughout. “I worked very closely with the architect,” McMullan says. “He loved the design and look of the CDD, and that slimline profile worked well with his plan for aesthetics in that space. Crucially, the sound quality is there right from the front to the back of the church.”

Martin Audio’s DISPLAY software was used to verify the coverage. “I knew the solution would work, it was more of a reassurance,” McMullan notes.

Amplification is provided by Linea Research, a Martin Audio sister brand. Taking advantage of the factory presets supplied for all Martin Audio speaker models, McMullan confirms that “it just works.”

The new foyer also benefits from a Martin Audio solution, comprising ACS-40TS ceiling speakers. The new infrastructure facilitates the seamless relay of main services from the church to different areas around the site, providing the technical team far greater control over the entire building.

“We can relay sound from the church, and they also can conduct meetings independently in the foyer, plus we’ve added Bluetooth connectivity for background music in there,” he explains.

Summing up the successful installation, McMullan concludes: “Everybody loves it. Martin Audio provided a perfect audio solution and it’s a project that has delivered exactly what the church needs now and into the future.”

Photo Credit: 

Thanks to

Integration/Installation Partner: Rea Sound

Click here for original article.