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LEA Professional

From Cocktails to Club Nights: LEA Powers the Experience at F Lounge

Located in Pune’s Phoenix Mall of the Millennium, F Lounge by FTV has established itself as a destination for dining, entertainment, and nightlife. The venue was designed to deliver a premium guest experience, combining stylish surroundings, curated programming, and high-quality hospitality into a space that attracts guests throughout the day and late into the evening.

The Spec

🏢Venue: F Lounge | Pune, India

👷Integrator: Astys Audio Video Pvt. Ltd.

🎶Audio Spaces: Indoor and outdoor lounge spaces, VIP areas & flexible event spaces

🦈Products Used: CS704D, CS1504D, CS Touch

Thirsty lion gastropub

F Lounge was designed to support a wide variety of hospitality experiences within a single venue.The venue features a contemporary interior complemented by an expansive alfresco area, creating a dynamic environment that transitions effortlessly from daytime social gatherings to high-energy evening events.

With dedicated VIP seating, a spacious dance floor, and flexible event spaces, the lounge accommodates a variety of experiences, from casual dining and corporate functions to live music performances and celebrity DJ appearances. An eclectic menu of global cuisine, signature cocktails, and immersive entertainment programming reinforces F Lounge’s position as a premier destination for social engagement, offering guests a stylish and memorable atmosphere that reflects FTV’s fashion-forward identity.

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Creating an audio system that could support all of those experiences presented a unique challenge. The venue required consistent coverage and tonal balance throughout the space while maintaining the ability to deliver high output when needed. Compounding the challenge, the owner is a seasoned international traveler with extensive exposure to premium hospitality venues around the world and expected a system that could meet those same standards he encountered in his travels.

After evaluating multiple manufacturers and conducting extensive listening tests, the venue selected a system built around Optimal Audio loudspeakers powered by LEA Professional Connect Series amplifiers. Sparsh Basak, Owner of Astys Audio Video Pvt. Ltd., and his team selected LEA for its combination of power density, processing capabilities, control options, sound quality, and reliability.

“The goal was to provide even, high-quality sound that could get loud without distortion while maintaining tonal balance throughout the venue,” said Sparsh Basak, Owner of Astys Audio Video Pvt. Ltd. “LEA amplifiers stood out because of their power density, built-in DSP, loudspeaker presets, flexible control options, and overall sound quality and reliability.”

Astys deployed Dante-enabled Connect Series 704D and 1504D amplifiers throughout the venue to power the system. A Connect Series Touch wall controller was also installed, providing intuitive source selection and zone-level volume control for day-to-day operation. The team used LEA’s SharkWare software to simplify configuration and commissioning, while LEA Cloud provides remote access and monitoring capabilities for ongoing system management.

Connect Series Touch
CS704D
CS1504D

Today, F Lounge delivers the premium atmosphere envisioned by its management team, with clear, balanced sound that adapts seamlessly throughout the day. Whether guests are enjoying a meal, attending a private event, or hitting the dance floor, LEA amplifiers help create an experience that is every bit as polished as the venue itself.

“We would definitely consider LEA in future installations,” said Basak. “The performance of the products, combined with the support from Generation AV India, made this a very successful project.”

The Conclusion

By combining powerful amplification, intuitive control, and flexible system management, LEA helped create an audio experience that matches the energy and sophistication of F Lounge. We’re grateful to Astys Audio Video Pvt. Ltd. for choosing LEA as part of this standout hospitality project.

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Categories
Martin Audio

HIRE FREQUENCIES DEPLOYS MARTIN AUDIO SYSTEMS ACROSS ALL STAGES OF CHALKE HISTORY FESTIVAL

UK – The Chalke History Festival is the UK’s largest history festival, bringing together many of the world’s most prominent historians, speakers, living history actors, performers, and musicians. The 2026 edition took place in June, drawing 25,000 heritage enthusiasts to the Wiltshire countryside to engage with more than 175 talks, debates, dynamic living history encampments, and live music entertainment. For a festival focusing deeply on the past, event production specialist Hire Frequencies deployed thoroughly modern Martin Audio sound reinforcement solutions across all five stages on the 70-acre site.

“It’s a fantastic festival,” says Will Smith, Founder and MD of Hire Frequencies. “The stages all feature panel discussions and presentations, so we provided a full AV solution including staging, lighting, LED walls, video – we filmed the entire event – and obviously the audio performance was incredibly important.”

As a new technical supplier to the festival, Hire Frequencies was tasked with substantially enhancing the audio performance and coverage compared to the festival organisers’ experiences in previous years. To achieve this, the team turned to the Martin Audio portfolio, where they found solutions for every stage on the site.

“There was a Martin Audio product suitable to cover every audio requirement of the festival,” comments Smith. “The range covers all bases, so there was no need to look anywhere else.”

THE MARTIN AUDIO KIT JUST PERFORMS.

Will Smith

The two main venues in terms of presentations were known as the Guildhall and the Moot.

In both locations, main left and right arrays comprised Martin Audio TORUS T1215 constant curvature enclosures combined with SXC115 subwoofers. Three pairs of Martin Audio FlexPoint Series FP8 8” point-source loudspeakers acted as delays flown overhead, with front fill provided by FP6 6” cabinets. The entire system was powered by multi-channel Martin Audio iKON amplifiers.

“We did the usual DISPLAY programming beforehand to make sure that the coverage was perfect,” notes Smith.

A third venue, known as the Forum, doubled as a presentation space by day and a music venue for evening entertainment. Here, Hire Frequencies deployed Martin Audio’s WPS Wavefront Precision line arrays, ground-stacked five cabinets per side and supplemented by high-output SXCF118 subwoofers on each side. Once again, FlexPoint FP8s were installed as delays, with ultra-compact FP6s acting as front fills.

“Due to the configuration of the site, when the live music started in the Forum we needed to actively control spill into the other presentation venues, particularly the Moot,” explains Smith. “The cardioid subwoofers and Martin Audio’s Hard Avoid optimisation feature really came into their own in this regard.”

Two smaller stages were also equipped with dedicated Martin Audio solutions. The Henge – an open-sided tent – utilised CDD-LIVE 12 and CDD-LIVE 8 coaxial active systems, while an outdoor performance stage featured FlexPoint FP12 12” point-source models combined with a pair of SXP118 subwoofers.

“We’ve had really positive feedback across the board,” Smith concludes. “Speech intelligibility was pristine and a massive improvement on last year. We’ve had nothing but fantastic comments from both the organisers and the audiences. The Martin Audio kit just performs.”

Photo Credit: Martin Cook

Thanks to

Integration/Installation Partner: Hire Frequencies

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Categories
Optimal Audio

Martin Audio takes Noa from day-to-night in Vietnam

VNM – Noa by Hybrid Dining Club in Nha Trang, Vietnam, has deployed a Martin Audio sound system designed by local systems integrator B-Star to support both fine dining and nightclub operation from a single integrated audio platform.

Located in one of Vietnam’s leading coastal tourism destinations, the venue transitions from a restaurant during the day to a DJ-led nightlife destination in the evening, requiring an audio system capable of automatically adapting to two distinct operating modes.

Rather than installing separate systems, B-Star designed a networked solution that allows the venue to switch between background music and high-energy club sound while maintaining consistent audio quality and simple operation for staff.

The indoor system comprises 16 Martin Audio Q10 units, two Q12 and two Q15 loudspeakers, supported by eight Q118 subwoofers. The outdoor restaurant area is equipped with four Q12, two Q15 loudspeakers and two Q118 subwoofers to provide coverage across the open-air dining space.

The loudspeaker system is powered by five iKON iK41-Dante and three iKON iK42-Dante amplifiers, providing Dante networking and centralised system management. System processing is handled by an NST Audio D48X DSP processor alongside a Martin Audio DX0.6 system controller for loudspeaker optimisation and protection.

For mixing duties, the installation includes an Allen & Heath SQ-5 digital mixing console for live performances and DJ events, alongside an Allen & Heath QU-5 console for day-to-day venue operation.

“The client’s primary requirement was to create a sound system capable of supporting two completely different operational scenarios while remaining extremely simple for the venue staff to use,” explained Ita Pham, CEO and lead system engineer at B-Star.

Before 9:00pm, the indoor and outdoor loudspeaker systems operate as one unified system, delivering background music throughout the restaurant. Then, after 9:00pm, the entire system changes into two completely independent zones.

“The objective was to create an enjoyable atmosphere earlier on in the evening while allowing guests to dine and converse naturally,” noted Pham. “Then in the evening, the outdoor restaurant continues operating with pleasant background music at moderate levels, while the indoor area transforms into a full-scale nightclub featuring live DJ performances and significantly higher sound pressure levels.”

Pham said that the engineering objective was to not only achieve operational flexibility, but also to ensure that the audio quality remained high in every operating mode. “Even when the nightclub is running at high output levels with DJs performing, the system continues to deliver outstanding clarity, powerful low-frequency performance and uniform coverage throughout the venue,” he stated. “Once the installation and system tuning were completed, the client was extremely satisfied with both the operational flexibility and the overall sound quality delivered by the Martin Audio system.”

According to B-Star, achieving the dual-mode operation required extensive loudspeaker zoning, customised DSP presets and an intelligent control strategy to enable seamless transitions between restaurant and nightclub operation while maintaining a consistent user workflow.

Photography: Daniel Dobrovszki, Armin Speil, Oliver Toth, MateLeblanc

Thanks to

Integration/Installation Partner: B-Star

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Optimal Audio

Optimal Audio Sets the Table at Revellata

FRA – From the first aperitivo to the last table cleared, Revellata is built for the unhurried evening and sound is a big part of that. The new Italo-Corsican bar-restaurant in the heart of Les Halles de Laval set installers EMS Le Mans a deceptively simple brief, asking them to fill eight distinct zones with sound as polished as the interiors and leave behind a sound system that staff can run without a manual in hand. Supplied by Audio-Technica, an Optimal Audio ecosystem fit the bill, giving even coverage everywhere, and intuitive control on the browser-based WebApp.

Each of the restaurant’s eight zones performed a distinct function, calling for more than a single shared source. Optimal Audio’s Zone 8 answered with onboard DSP and independent source allocation across all eight, each configured precisely to its purpose with its own EQ and speaker presets, and controllable alone or in any combination up to the whole venue. Lobby, bar, dining room, terrace or stage — each got its own treatment rather than one feed for all.

With such physically different spaces, powering them cleanly presented its own challenge. Behind the scenes, four SmartAmp 30s drove low-impedance and 70V–100V loads alike at up to 250W a channel, their DSP tuned to the Optimal Audio range so the right EQ and driver protection came as standard. Four channels apiece handed EMS Le Mans the latitude to mix localised and distributed layouts wherever each room demanded.

Never originally intended for sound reinforcement, the venue’s greenery and wooden beams called for a clever approach to coverage. More, smaller loudspeakers were the answer, delivering beautifully even sound throughout. In total, 32 Optimal Audio Cuboid 6 and a pair of Cuboid 3 were distributed across the zones, painted grilles helping them disappear into the interior. Full-range, two-way passive enclosures built for short-to-medium throw, the Cuboids left plenty of headroom for clear vocals, crisp highs and bass to spare.

The client had also insisted the stage be fully equipped, so visiting bands could turn up without their own PA. Two Cuboid 8 run in stereo answered for live nights, with a Sub 10 recessed beneath the stage to support the low end.

Complementing the sound itself, EMS Le Mans delivered simple control in the form of WebApp, Optimal Audio’s browser-based control environment. Easy and intuitive enough for any of the staff to operate, it also sets Optimal Audio apart. “Optimal Audio was the first brand where I found a zone controller with a built-in web interface,” explained EMS Le Mans’ Corentin Deleplancque. “I had installed a four-zone matrix on a smaller project before, and I thought of Zone 8 for Revellata straight away.” The entire configuration was built through it, every zone, input and output set from any device on the network with nothing to download or install.

WebApp’s automated routines set the table before anyone arrives. The day was scheduled once so that presets, sources and levels move on their own between lunch and dinner service, with the system resetting to its base configuration each morning. The staff only ever meet a clean touchscreen showing volume, source and preset recall, with everything else tucked safely behind a PIN.

Quick to credit the results, Deleplancque confirmed: “I find the sound quality excellent, and I’m delighted with WebApp, which allows the team to operate the system with confidence, without having to tinker with the equipment rack.” He added: “It makes it easy to add the features my client will inevitably request down the line.”

Photography: Daniel Dobrovszki, Armin Speil, Oliver Toth, MateLeblanc

Thanks to

Distribution Partner: Audio-Technica
Integration/Installation Partner: EMS Le Mans

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Categories
Martin Audio

Martin Audio WPL Creates an Impactful Sound Experience at Ashoka University’s Banjara 7.0, Sonipat!

IND – Ashoka University’s Banjaara 7.0 transformed its Sonipat campus into a lively destination for music and cultural celebrations, welcoming students and visitors for one of the university’s most anticipated annual events. The evening’s headline performance by Nikhil D’Souza, supported by OX7GEN and an accomplished lineup of musicians including Aditya Ashok, Zohran Miranda, Beven Fonseca and Nathan Thomas, created an atmosphere that demanded concert-quality sound. Hosted at the university’s open-air Frisbee Field and supported by realme to promote the realme 16 5G, the event required an audio system capable of delivering high intelligibility, powerful dynamics and reliable performance across a large outdoor audience area.

The Front of House audio system was built around Martin Audio WPL line arrays with SXH218 Hybrid Horn/Reflex subwoofers, all driven by Martin Audio iKON iK42 power amplifiers. The system delivered exceptional vocal definition, balanced tonal response and impactful low frequencies while maintaining even coverage throughout the venue, ensuring every member of the audience experienced the concert with remarkable clarity and impact.

Photography: Daniel Dobrovszki, Armin Speil, Oliver Toth, MateLeblanc

Thanks to

Distribution Partner: VMT Enterprise

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Categories
LEA Professional

Art of Sound: LEA Amplifiers Support an Immersive Venice Biennale Exhibit

LEA amplifiers helped ArtAV deliver more than 100 channels of synchronized audio for one of the art world’s most prestigious exhibitions.

The Spec

🏢Venue: Venice, Italy

👷Integrator: ArtAV

🎶Audio Spaces: Art Exhibition, Museum Installation

🦈Product Used: Connect Series 168

Thirsty lion gastropub

Galleries and museums around the world host an enormous range of art installations and exhibitions, but what appears on screen or occupies the space is often only part of the experience. Audio plays a significant role in these environments, whether by setting the atmosphere, providing complementary background music, or serving as the installation’s soundscape.

ArtAV specializes in museums, galleries, and exhibition spaces where technology must be powerful, reliable, and virtually invisible. These installations are often temporary and highly complex, requiring systems that can be operated by curators, exhibition staff, and artists rather than dedicated technical teams. To meet those demands, ArtAV has standardized on LEA Connect Series amplifiers across a variety of projects.

“Usability can be every bit as important as amplification power and sonic performance,” said Simon Weightman, Project Manager at ArtAV. “In addition to the built-in DSP capabilities and speaker tunings, LEA amplifiers offer an absolutely fantastic web GUI [WebUI] that simplifies day-to-day operations for front-of-house staff. That is a huge benefit and a significant part of the reason we standardized on LEA for amplification.”

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For Listening All Night To The Rain, ArtAV worked alongside acclaimed artist John Akomfrah to bring his largest exhibition to life. The installation featured 104 audio channels distributed throughout multiple gallery spaces, each with its own distinct soundscape while remaining synchronized as part of a single cohesive experience. ArtAV’s team sets up, measures, and fine-tunes the audio at each installation using LEA Professional’s extensive DSP parameters and its highly regarded Sharkware configuration suite.

LEA Connect Series 168 amplifiers provided the channel density, DSP capabilities, and compact footprint needed to support the project. With equipment often hidden in temporary racks and remote spaces, LEA’s monitoring and management tools also helped simplify system setup, operation, and troubleshooting both on-site and from abroad.

“With over 100 channels of audio in the installation, LEA’s metering and control enabled fast fault-finding and responsive level tweaks during the exhibition, but it wasn’t just a case of ‘set and forget’,” recalled Weightman. “We could monitor and manage the system remotely from the UK during operation, as well as during the installation.”

“Also, the LEA amps fit eight channels of 160W in 1U. Being able to have that smaller form factor is a massive bonus for us.”

Artgoers and critics responded very positively to the exhibit, praising its immersive blend of moving image, sound, and archival material, with major reviews calling it a “magnificent” and emotionally overwhelming experience.

“As installations become more immersive and increasingly reliant on complex audio, having intelligent amplification is now just as important as having great loudspeakers,” said Weightman. “With LEA, we know we have a platform that is reliable, flexible, and easy to support remotely, which allows us to focus on helping artists realize their vision.”

The Conclusion

By combining powerful DSP, intuitive control, remote management, and high channel density, LEA amplifiers helped ArtAV support one of the Venice Biennale’s most ambitious audio installations. As immersive experiences continue to push artistic and technical boundaries, LEA provides the tools integrators need to focus less on system management and more on helping artists bring their vision to life.

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Categories
Martin Audio

MARTIN AUDIO WPC DELIVERS OPTIMISED CONTROL FOR GLORIOUS DAY

UK – Performing to a capacity crowd at the seafront Hove Lawns location in Brighton, an artist line-up including Groove Armada, Jocelyn Brown, and DJ Todd Terry headlined the Glorious Day festival. Delivering high-quality sound reinforcement alongside optimised noise control in a sensitive residential environment was a Martin Audio WPC system, deployed by dBS Solutions.

The scalable system comprised 10 x Martin Audio WPC array elements per side as the main hangs. Providing significant low-end performance was a castellated array of 10x Martin Audio SX118 subwoofers, configured in a cardioid set-up.

“Hove Lawns on the seafront is a very long, thin area with the beach to the audience’s left and rows of flats and shops along the road to the right,” describes Chris Bogg of dBS Solutions. “The nearest residence is in line with one side of the stage, at a distance of only 60m. Fortunately, the Martin Audio broadside cardioid subwoofer array is fantastic at being able to control noise off to the sides, and we were able to use Hard Avoid features within the software to dramatically reduce noise behind the main array.”

MARTIN AUDIO DELIVERED A FANTASTIC RESULT FOR US AND THE CLIENT, NOT TO MENTION THE FESTIVAL’S NEIGHBOURS!

Chris Bogg, dBS Solutions

A greater challenge for the team was a residential and commercial area situated on one side just beyond the far reaches of the 80m-long site, requiring careful placement of the delay systems. “We had two MLAC delay systems along that left-hand side happily firing almost across the audience and out towards the sea,” Chris continues. “The city-facing delay was angled in more than you ordinarily would, specifically to keep those high frequencies from spilling beyond the boundary of the site.”

Across the event, dBS Solutions utilised Martin Audio’s DISPLAY optimisation software to create multiple levels of coverage predictions. By experimenting with different optimisations and collaborating closely with the local noise control team, they delivered a perfect balance of on-site impact within the stringent off-site noise limitations.

Chris praises the performance and accuracy of these Martin Audio processes: “Our journey has always been towards being able to do our biggest work, which is the festival work, and to be able to optimise the systems – and I think Martin Audio do that better than most. They are the originators of that process, level of control, and scalability.”

The scalable nature of the Wavefront Precision platform has proved invaluable to the rental company. “One of the major things for us when comparing Martin Audio against other products on the market was the scalable resolution,” notes Chris. “As a rental company, I can own lots of amplifier racks; one day I can deploy them in a one-box resolution for a premium audio system, and the next event, if we don’t have off-site noise problems, I can deploy it in a two-box resolution and use those amplifiers on another site.”

At Glorious Days, the system performed exactly as expected, with Chris concluding, “Once again, Martin Audio delivered a fantastic result for us and the client, not to mention the festival’s neighbours!”

Photo credit: NCKPIX /Good Life Festival

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Categories
Martin Audio

GOODLIFE FESTIVAL SCALES UP TO MARTIN AUDIO WPL SYSTEM WITH DBS SOLUTIONS

UK – Goodlife Festival at Harewood House in Leeds built on the sell-out success of its inaugural event last year, returning on Saturday 6 June with an increased capacity to welcome up to 10,000 festival-goers. With a stellar main stage line-up including Armand Van Helden, Groove Armada, Alison Limerick, Roger Sanchez, and Inner City, event production specialist dBS Solutions provided a sound system to match the expanded festival scale with the deployment of a flagship Martin Audio WPL line array system.

Initially slated for a WPC system, the rapid growth in ticket sales prompted dBS Solutions to upgrade the system design. dBS Solutions Director, Chris Bogg, explains: “We won the tender on WPC, but when ticket sales for Leeds started rising and the capacity increased, we re-examined the site. Martin Audio’s DISPLAY software was a fantastic tool because it allowed me to show the client, ‘Look, you’ve opened up this audience area. If you want it to sound consistent, we’re going to need a delay tower, and we might need to look at making the main hang WPL instead of WPC.’ It was an incredibly helpful tool for guiding them through those choices.”

With an audience area approaching 100 metres, the final system comprised front hangs of 10 x Martin Audio WPL array elements per side, paired with a castle-wall cardioid sub-array of 14 x SXH218 subs. To ensure seamless coverage to the back of the site, a single delay tower of 6 x Martin Audio WPC array elements was deployed, including a cardioid-configured stack of 3 x SXH subs. Ground-stacked Martin Audio TORUST1230 outfills covered the sides, while Martin Audio FP12s sat on top of the castle-wall sub-array as front-fills.

THE SCALABILITY OF THE SYSTEM IS BRILLIANT AND IT ALWAYS SOUNDS AMAZING.

Chris Bogg, dBS Solutions

On stage, a high-performance monitoring package featured Martin Audio XE300 wedges, with DJ-fills consisting of two SXC subs with an FP15 FlexPoint Series cabinet on each side of the performer.

“We got great coverage from the system and plenty of sub,” confirms Chris, and praises the accuracy of Martin Audio’s DISPLAY software in designing and optimising the system: “What we really like about the Martin Audio software is that it is super accurate. What you are looking at on screen is genuinely what you get on-site.”

Managing noise limits across the site required close cooperation, with Chris describing a highly collaborative approach between artists, engineers, and the on-site noise management team throughout the event. “The noise management team would come back and forth to check on other tents, and if we were approaching the limit, we’d back it down a decibel or two. We would check in before the headliners went on to see what headroom we had left before hitting any off-site noise. While we didn’t have a lot left to give in terms of off-site noise limits, there was tons of headroom in the PA itself. Giving them that extra decibel or two really livened it up and they were very pleased with the sound of the system.”

This year dBS Solutions is celebrating its 20th anniversary in business. Asked about his highlights, Bogg is quick to respond: “The people we get to work with make this a really nice way to make a living – the many incredible artists over the years, and the freelancers, contractors, and site teams we get to collaborate with. We are entirely about our team and working collaboratively with others.”

That collaborative approach extends directly to the company’s long-standing partnership with Martin Audio. “Our journey with Martin Audio has progressed from smaller boxes like WPM and WPS to WPC and WPL, allowing us to scale up to these large-scale festivals,” Chris explains. “What really sealed it for us when we bought our first optimisable array was the scalable resolution. With Martin, you can step toward it. As a rental company, that means I can own a pool of amplifiers and deploy them at one-box resolution on a high-stakes gig where we need absolute off-site noise control, or run them at two-box resolution for a standard gig and use the remaining amplifier channels to run a second system on another site. The scalability of the system is brilliant and it always sounds amazing.”

Photo credit: NCKPIX /Good Life Festival

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Categories
Martin Audio

MARTIN AUDIO WPM SYSTEM ELEVATES ACOUSTIC EXPERIENCE AT HISTORIC JACOB’S PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL

USA – Set against the scenic backdrop of the Berkshire Hills in Becket, Massachusetts, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival is America’s longest-running international dance festival. Founded in 1931 by modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn on a historic 220-acre farm, this National Historic Landmark District welcomes thousands of global visitors each summer. To support its diverse, world-class lineup of international choreographers and artists, the Festival’s Ted Shawn Theatre – originally opened in 1942 as the first performance space in the US designed exclusively for dance – has been equipped with a complete, state-of-the-art Martin Audio sound system.

Designed around Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision WPM Series line arrays, the system was specified and supplied by New Jersey-based Audio Inc.

“This is the first year we’ve taken on full production in the venue,” begins Stephan Wojtecki, Head of Audio at Audio Inc. “When Edward Tolve, our Operations Manager, and I did the walkthrough, as soon as we walked into the room, we knew: WPM, 100% WPM.”

Audio Inc.’s introduction to the Martin Audio Wavefront Precision line originally began with an installation project. “We had an installation at the time in a high school auditorium. We realized WPM was an incredibly good-sounding product. After that job I immediately knew we had to do more with it.”

Subsequently, the company approached their local Martin Audio representative when they needed a versatile, scalable setup for rental applications. “I approached Martha Callaghan when we were looking to invest in a small-format PA that could scale from small-to-mid-size rental events. After talking with Martha, we looked closer at WPM, which also led to a conversation about WPS, and we made a major purchase of both a couple of years ago.”

Fast-forward to this summer’s Ted Shawn Theatre deployment, where the team performed a complete system redesign, modelling the space top-to-bottom using Martin Audio’s DISPLAY software.

WE’VE BUILT OUR MARTIN AUDIO INVENTORY TO THE POINT WHERE WE HAVE ALMOST THE FULL LINE NOW…

Stephan Wojtecki, Audio Inc.

The ultimately specified system comprises six WPM cabinets per side, supplemented with a flown SXC115 cardioid subwoofer in each array. To address a challenging rear mezzanine – where the front-of-house audio mix position is also located – Audio Inc. deployed a pair of Martin Audio TORUS T820 constant curvature arrays as delay positions, while ultra-compact FlexPoint FP6 cabinets serve as front infills. The entire system is powered by six Martin Audio iKON multi-channel amplifiers running over a Dante network.

“The system sounds so warm and musical, even at a distance,” describes Wojtecki. “That’s often the general description I get when people hear Wavefront Precision or most Martin Audio boxes for the first time. The venue has a clean-sounding, perfectly tailored array that – importantly for dance – is so discreet people hardly notice it is there.”

Christopher Marc, Jacob’s Pillow Audio Supervisor, adds: “People are appreciating the upgrades in clarity and tone without it being overbearing. Our rigs in the past have relied on volume for ‘clarity’, thus eliminating any real dynamics in the room. This system has allowed us a huge improvement in clarity at any level.”

With their system design, Audio Inc. has also been able to solve long-standing coverage issues. “The top of the steeply-raked rear mezzanine is where they had the biggest coverage problems,” Wojtecki explains. “The TORUS T820s filled in very nicely in the software. When we did our final tuning, we watched the Smaart traces as we blended in the delays and they filled in the gaps perfectly. It was very rewarding. They are voiced so well with the WPM that the transition is totally seamless, and overall we have it down to a 3dB variation from front to back.”

The stage monitoring package is designed to fulfil the high-energy demands of the performers. Audio Inc. specified four Martin Audio CDD-LIVE 8 coaxial differential dispersion speakers per side, paired with compact SX212 subwoofers, alongside Martin Audio XE500 floor wedges when “throw-and-go” capabilities are required.

“Everything blends together nicely and creates a highly uniform sound field across both the audience and the stage,” Wojtecki confirms. “The rear-rejection of the WPM array is incredibly helpful for a proper dance monitor setup. Because of that rejection, it feels like you have two separate systems: one for the stage and one for the audience, working together to create a linear field. That was one of the biggest appeals to them – having proper coverage on stage that sounds voiced identically to what the audience hears out front.”

Wojtecki describes the effortless tuning process: “All I had to do was time-align everything and apply a tiny bit of corrective EQ on the delays and front fills. If you measure the room correctly and input the exact data into the DISPLAY software, the results just work – especially in single-box resolution. Nine times out of ten, you don’t have to touch it.”

While the system design setup primarily stays consistent throughout the Festival, the WPM’s flexibility allows the team to adapt to specific rider demands. “The Akram Khan Company have a specific ‘mountain’ scenic element on stage from which the sound needs to be localised,” explains Wojtecki. “We added an additional centre WPM array and delayed the entire PA back to that spot. We also supplemented the low-end with two additional SX118 subwoofers on each side for the immense soundtrack of the production.”

“As Jacob’s Pillow grows as an organisation to facilitate and support all kinds of dance, this investment signifies a huge lift in support for that mission, and the idea that live sound and design is a significant part of dance,” notes Marc, adding, “Audio Inc. has taken the time to truly invest in what we are trying to do. They have provided a huge support system to us by listening to our needs, responding to them, and making the appropriate recommendations.”

Hands-on with the system, engineer Mads Hamilton is also effusive in their praise: “I could not be happier with the system and the team that has worked alongside us to install it. All interactions I have had with Audio Inc. have prioritised the operation of our systems to their fullest capacity and the quality of audio for Jacob’s Pillow patrons. Stephan’s patience, kindness, and availability to our team has made my job as the engineer exponentially easier. I am looking forward to the remaining weeks of the Festival getting to play with this stunning system.”

The final words come from Stephan Wojtecki: “We’ve built our Martin Audio inventory to the point where we have almost the full line now: CDD, FlexPoint, TORUS, and Wavefront Precision. Our clients love the sound quality, the business just keeps growing, and Jacob’s Pillow is a true demonstration of this. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience to see the system and our team deliver so successfully for this world-renowned event.”

Photography: Photos Hannah Murphy; courtesy of Jacob’s Pillow.

Thanks to

Integration/Installation Partner: Audio Inc.

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Learning Amplified: LEA Powers Next-Generation Education at GEMS School in Dubai

Located in Dubai, UAE, GEMS School of Research and Innovation was designed to redefine what a modern educational environment can be. The state-of-the-art campus combines advanced technology, collaborative learning spaces, and immersive educational experiences to create an engaging environment for students and educators alike.

The Spec

🏢Venue: GEMS School of Research and Innovation | Dubai, UAE

👷Integrator: Granteq

🎶Audio Spaces: STEM Lab, Reading Lounge and Immersive Room

🦈Product Used: CS352

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Each learning space at GEMS School of Research and Innovation was designed to support different teaching styles and educational experiences, requiring audio systems that could seamlessly adapt to a variety of activities. The STEM Lab needed a flexible audio system capable of supporting presentations, demonstrations, and collaborative learning sessions. The Reading Lounge required clear, comfortable audio that could enhance the atmosphere without becoming distracting. Meanwhile, the Immersive Room demanded audio performance that could complement interactive visual experiences and help create more engaging, sensory-focused learning.

To help bring this vision to life, the school partnered with leading AV integrator Granteq to deliver a range of solutions for the specialized learning environments across the campus. Given the varied systems requirements for the rooms, Granteq chose LEA Professional’s Connect Series amplifiers to provide reliable, high-performance audio in each space. The project’s innovative approach to educational technology received international recognition by winning the Education category at the 2026 Inavation Awards held during ISE Barcelona. The Inavation Awards are among the most prestigious in the industry, with winners selected by public voting, highlighting the broad appreciation for projects like this one.

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“The school wanted a reliable, high-performance AV system that could support a modern education environment where technology is part of everyday learning,” said Girish Narayanan, Managing Director at Granteq. “The challenge was to make the technology powerful enough for each space while keeping it simple and dependable for daily use by teachers and staff. We chose LEA amplifiers because in an education environment, the system has to work every time.”

Granteq installed several Connect Series 352 amplifiers to power the audio systems in the Reading Lounge, STEM Lab, and Immersive Room. The CS352 is a 2-channel amplifier that provides 350 watts per channel. All amplifiers in the Connect Series are professional-grade, IoT-enabled smart amplifiers suitable for installations of any size. They support both Hi-Z (70V or 100V) and Lo-Z, selectable by channel, eliminating the need for separate amplifiers to handle different speaker impedances, while streamlining installations and reducing equipment costs. The Connect Series also includes 96kHz DSP as a standard feature, providing a range of benefits that greatly enhance audio performance and system versatility.

The Connect Series delivers an industry-first professional amplifier family featuring cloud connectivity, a revolutionary advancement, and a significant benefit for anyone maintaining the systems. With LEA Cloud, AV integrators like Granteq can remotely control and monitor amplifiers from anywhere, at any time, and with no subscription model or hidden costs. It’s completely free to use.

Since completion, the school’s AV systems have helped support the collaborative and immersive learning experiences envisioned during the design phase. Across the spaces powered by LEA Professional amplifiers, students, teachers, and staff benefit from clear audio that enhances presentations, supports interactive activities, and fosters engaging educational experiences.

“With more than 20 years of experience in the AV industry, we continuously evaluate technologies based on reliability, network capability, DSP features, ease of configuration, and long-term support,” said Narayanan. “LEA was a strong fit for the modern, networked AV environments required at GEMS School, and we look forward to using them again in future projects.”

The Conclusion

Today, LEA-powered audio systems help support the collaborative and immersive learning experiences envisioned for GEMS School of Research and Innovation. The project’s success earned international recognition with a 2026 Inavation Award, demonstrating how thoughtful technology integration can help shape the future of education.

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