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Situated in Fredericksburg, VA, the 1200-seat multipurpose Dodd Auditorium, at the University of Mary Washington (UMW), has been treated to a new, fully DSP-optimised Wavefront Precision line array from Martin Audio.

The installation, which comprises hangs of seven elements per side, was undertaken by Martin Audio partner, Soundworks of Virginia.

Soundworks had worked at the venue many times over the years as a rental provider, notably at commencement ceremonies. Their CEO Steve Payne observed, “At these events all parents really care about is hearing their kid’s name read out clearly. But this was always a challenge over a 250ft throw distance.” But this is just one of a variety of events hosted at the venue, including all types of performance arts, lectures and movies.

Soundworks had traditionally frontlined another PA system, but it was when they switched to Martin Audio, and the WPS, that a profound improvement in coverage and intelligibility became evident. “It was a totally different experience,” he said. “What had become a challenging job now looked easy. The Martin Audio system is so much more sophisticated; it’s all in the processing, and the software.”

Douglas Noble,Executive Director of Dodd Auditorium, had been equally impressed, and when he set out his requirements to Payne for a permanent PA upgrade he initially stated, ‘I don’t think we have it in our budget, but I would love to put a WPS system in Dodd!’ The Soundworks CEO started crunching the numbers and indeed made it work.

WE LOVE OUR MARTIN AUDIO ARRAYS.

While Soundworks are not traditionally an installation company—“we’ve probably done three in total, and all for clients for whom we previously supplied temporary sound”—Steve Payne agreed that WPS was the system best fit for purpose. “The previous system was at least a decade old, and comprised a main cluster, balcony speakers, delays for the mezzanine … all kinds of speakers all over the place, everything delayed. When I looked at how complicated the existing system was, I knew we could simply do two hangs in there, cover the entire room, with some front fills as a precaution. “We’re now getting way better coverage throughout the room and it’s much simpler.”

The hall itself is a traditional rectangular space, with proscenium, slightly raked stalls with fixed seating and a balcony level. A pair of SXC118 cardioid subs were placed under the stage, which Payne notes is sonically well-matched with WPS. Four FlexPoint FP6 are spaced evenly across the front of the stage in mono. “These are great sounding little speakers, and we use them a lot,” he says. A further six Martin Audio XP12s are deployed as stage monitors, the set-up powered from a pair each of Martin Audio iKON iK81 and 1K42, multi-channel DSP amps in 1-box resolution.

Although the installation process was relatively straightforward, there was a delay while additional steels were added to the roof. “Although the entire PA hang weighed no more than around 500lbs, they had installed a roof-mounted air conditioning system which had maxed out the roof load!”

Very little adjustment to the room parameters was required and the WPS hangs throw effortlessly to the back. “The software is incredible,” reasoned the Soundworks CEO. “After many years of using speaker systems that don’t have that software the difference is phenomenal. You make the measurements, put it into the software and tell it the variation and level you want from front to back row and it works it out. We knew we could programme Hard Avoid on the back wall if needed but we didn’t find it was much of a problem.

“The way the system is set up it will play much louder than they will ever need it to; it means anyone coming in can now use the house system for pretty much anything that takes place in there.”

“We loved working with Steve Payne on this project,” responded Douglas Noble. “We trusted him to make our space sound amazing and he didn’t disappoint.We love our Martin Audio arrays.”

Later, following a symphony and choir performance in the Auditorium, he reinforced this. “The sound was absolutely amazing. The audience response was incredible, and I even had one audience member mention how wonderful our new system was, and asked why it hadn’t happened sooner.”

Another who praised the overall coverage, clarity and power of the system, was Director of the Events AV Office, Mark Simpkins, who assists with training the student staff in the Auditorium.

Aside from Payne, who specified the system and oversaw the project, Garrett Milich generated the system documentation and accomplished the physical installation. Other members of the Soundworks team included Bryan Hargrave, who undertook the room measurements, ran the Martin Audio DISPLAY files, and did the final room tuning, while Mathew Walsh also assisted with the physical installation.

Located at the trendy Sawary Beach Resort in Lebanon, the Île Beach Bar is an upscale cocktail bar, and lounge that perfectly blends a relaxed beachfront ambiance with an energetic nightlife scene: a must-visit destination resort on the Batroun Coastal Road.

Martin Audio’s Lebanese distributors Technosound were brought in to deliver a high-quality audio solution to complement this luxurious setting at the 500-cap venue. As a long-time friend of Technosound’s Charbel Fahed, Île Beach Bar owner, Abdo Obeid, had complete confidence in the latter’s ability to design and implement a state-of-the-art sound system, based on his track record.

In turn, Charbel says, “Abdo owns several top-tier clubs in Lebanon; his commitment to quality and innovation is reflected in every aspect of the venue.”

OUR GUESTS LOVE THE CLARITY AND DEPTH OF THE AUDIO, AND WE COULDN’T BE HAPPIER WITH THE RESULT.

However, the project was not without its challenges, as Charbel Fahed acknowledged. “We needed to ensure the sound system could deliver crystal clear audio while withstanding the coastal environment’s humidity and salt exposure. In addition, the setup also needed to maintain sound consistency across both open-air and enclosed sections of the venue.”

Abdo Obeid was already familiar with Martin Audio’s outstanding reputation for delivering premium sound quality—and this brand was proposed because of its ability to provide a rich, immersive listening experience that aligns with the venue’s high standards, while meeting the above challenges head on.

The client had stipulated a sound system that would enhance the ambiance during the day while delivering powerful, high-energy audio at night. It also needed to transition seamlessly from laid-back lounge vibes to an electrifying party atmosphere.” Finally, Abdo Obeid wanted to be the first venue in Lebanon to take possession of Martin Audio’s new FlexPoint series.

Charbel Fahed was happy to recommend this series based on its “versatility, clarity, and ability to deliver exceptional sound across various areas of the venue.” He proposed six FlexPoint FP15 speakers and two Blackline X218, strategically placed to ensure even coverage throughout the main lounge, bar and dancefloor areas, while a pair of Blackline X118 subs are placed under the DJ booth. Finally, the two Martin Audio ADORN A55 speakers are positioned in the restroom areas to maintain a seamless audio experience.

It is after dark when the system really shows its true mettle when a DJ plays a carefully curated mix of hot Afro House and uplifting dance tracks to match the venue’s vibrant energy.

Abdo Obeid confirmed that the new FlexPoint system comfortably met all requirements and gave it a resounding thumbs-up.

“Partnering with Technosound was a game-changer for Île Beach Bar,” he said. “Their Martin Audio solution has taken our sound experience to the next level, creating the perfect atmosphere day and night. Our guests love the clarity and depth of the audio, and we couldn’t be happier with the result. Highly recommended!”

ITALY: Martin Audio solution for Chiesa di Sant’Erasmo

There are certain architectural and historic structures that present particularly demanding challenges when it comes to installing and optimising sound systems.

This complexity is particularly redolent of churches and other places of worship: avoiding annoying acoustic reverberations, preventing incorrect propagation of sounds, and ensuring maximum intelligibility of music and speech (while still respecting precise architectural constraints) are of paramount importance, especially when dealing with treasured historical buildings.

This challenge was recently faced head on by the Piacenza-based IT and system integration company Inside Srl, for the Church of Sant’Erasmo in Castel Goffredo, situated in the province of Mantua.

The Church’s parish priest, Don Giuseppe Bergamaschi, explained, “The idea of upgrading the sound system in our church was a need felt for many years by all users—from the congregation to the readers, from the choristers to the instrumentalists, as well as the priests themselves. We entrusted the renovation of the acoustic system to Inside Srl of Piacenza—and right from the outset, when the tests and studies of other systems were conducted, we realised the solution we had chosen would provide optimum performance.” This solution was Martin Audio’s award-winning O-Line micro-array.

The fundamental requirement was to completely replace a very dated, and no longer performing audio system with a system capable of guaranteeing speech that was always clear and intelligible, even in a highly reverberant environment such as that of the Church of Sant’Erasmo.

Added to this was the specific request of the client—the Parish of Castel Goffredo—to have a sound system capable of enhancing the choir, which not only animates the celebrations, but also performs in concerts inside the Church, which also hosts musical performances by other groups.

The solution proposed by Inside Srl’s technical manager, Cristian Sartori, and his colleague Gianluca Pighi, was the Martin Audio O-Line 2-way system (in white version)—four elements per side. The system’s unique technology offers impressive sidelobe-free vertical dispersion.

First, the listening test was successfully conducted inside the Church, with the parish priest and Inside team verifying the suitability of the system for voice and music—as well as its aesthetic integration into the surrounding environment. Next came another key stage in the process as attention turned to acoustic simulation. This was done with the team of product specialists at Audiosales, Martin Audio’s distribution partner.

Completing the Martin Audio deployment, a pair of CDD8W’s are set on two columns towards the altar area, performing fill duties.

Inside’s remit for the Church of Sant’Erasmo was not limited to providing sound reinforcement.

The client also requested that Masses and celebrations be broadcast live via the Castel Goffredo radio station, Radio Alfa. “Many people”, explains Don Giuseppe Bergamaschi, “follow both weekday and Sunday Holy Mass via streaming. We have the church directly connected to Radio Alfa and the audio is excellent as is the video.”

Martin Audio partner, dBS Solutions recently provided sound reinforcement for The Hallé Orchestra at their resident venue, The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. A regular fixture in the dBS Solutions diary, this time the focus wasTop Gun: Maverick – In Concert.

This brought back fond memories of the Tom Cruise blockbuster for a near sell-out audience in the 2,355-cap hall. The show originally premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in late summer, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, attended by Tom Cruise.

In Manchester, under project manager James Roberts, dBS Solutions provided a Martin Audio scalable resolution WPS line array featuring14 elements a side, driven in optimum 1-box resolution by Martin Audio iKON iK42 amplifiers. Martin Audio FlexPoint FP12 sidefills (two per side) provided foldback for the SFX and dialogue to accompany the score.

THE AIM WAS TO GET OPTIMUM GAIN BEFORE FEEDBACK—WHICH IS WHY WE USED THE WAVEFRONT PRECISION.

dBS worked closely with creative producers, ESK Film Services, who oversaw all technical elements with the orchestration and track separation. Roberts explained that the principal musicians, percussion section and conductor, were all on click tracks.

But a large concert hall, with an unconventional shape and four-level tiered seating, presents its own difficulties where amplified music is concerned. “It’s obviously a more challenging acoustic environment than you’d expect in a venue that is designed for classical music,” he said. “All the orchestra were miced, so the aim was to get optimum gain before feedback—which is why we used the Wavefront Precision.”

dBS also deployed the ‘Hard Avoid’ feature on the stage to keep stage levels down. Rear rejection was further achieved by the deployment of four (2 x 2) SXCF118 cardioid subwoofers—a formula adopted by dBS Solutions for all their orchestral work. Aside from the rear rejection, says Roberts, by employing a generous 14 WPS per side they could get consistent coverage from the front row to the very back.

Although the trim height of the rigs was higher than they would have preferred—to avoid obscuring sightlines to the video screen, the splay angles were correctly calculated using a combination of Martin Audio’s proprietary DISPLAY software.

In summary, dBS Solutions MD, Chris Bogg, said, “It’s gratifying that we’ve now become Hallé’s trusted partner for this type of orchestration.”

Talking of the event, Lucy Turner of the Hallé commented, “We’ve worked with dBS Solutions for some years now on our amplified concerts. The team there really understand what we and our players need when amplifying an orchestra. The sound of theTop Gunperformance was a superb balance of orchestra and film, covering every seat in the hall. It was dynamic throughout without being too loud or bass heavy for our players on stage. We look forward to working with Chris and the team again soon.”