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Following the success of the inaugural South Facing Festival at the Crystal Palace Bowl last year, Festival Director, Marcus Weedon, requested the same formula for this year’s 10-day event. And that included Martin Audio’s ground-breaking MLA loudspeaker array, supplied once again by Capital Sound (part of the Solotech UK group).

This perfectly served the requirements of a top-class bill, including London Grammar, Bombay Bicycle Club, Jungle, Becky Hill and Richard Ashcroft.

Two other key developments helped boost the quality of the sound, as Solotech Project Manager David Preston—who was working alongside production manager, Julia Bruns, and site/production specialists, LS Events—explained. Driven by the excellent feedback, and absence of complaints from neighbours last year, he noted that levels within the bowl were raised from an SPL of 96dB(A) to 98dB(A) for this year, while the tech team still managed to stay within offsite thresholds.

The second advantage for Solotech was the extended space on the floating platform which housed the stage. Last year a lack of space at the front precluded mounting a broadside MLX cardioid subwoofer array across the front.

But with no such problems this year, 10 MLX subs were arced across the front of stage, with MLA Compact enclosures deployed as frontfills. David Preston explained: “Having the extra couple of metres along the front of the pontoon meant that we were able to get to a broadside cardioid array and provide more even sub coverage across the venue, and this also gave us greater control in the lower frequencies.

“The event is in a natural amphitheatre which seems to really help us with the audio coverage; the clarity at the back was similar to that at the front—which was great. As for MLA Compact, these provided a more robust option for front fills and could throw effortlessly across the nearby pond to hit the front of the audience.”

Preston led a Solotech team comprising Rayne Ramsden (System/FOH Tech), Isabella Di Biaise (Monitor Engineer), Harry Garcia and Diego Ternivasio (Stage Techs).

Ramsden programmed the DISPLAY software so that the sound tapered off at the site perimeter, thereby ensuring minimum bleed and maximum containment.

Once again, MLA was a hit with visiting sound engineers, among them Richard Ashcroft’s sound engineer, Al Davies. He has been using the PA since shortly after its launch over a decade ago, when with girl group Neon Jungle he said it was the best sound he had ever heard in Brixton Academy.

At Crystal Palace, despite the mix position being off axis he said the sound was balanced, the coverage even throughout, and the rear rejection impressive, with no backstage bleed. The subs also sounded great and non-granular. “Some have a tendency to sound ‘notey’, but the bottom end was balanced beautifully.”

He added, “Richard likes to be loud, so I was mixing at 97.5dB, almost up to the threshold, without ever struggling. He was really impressed and congratulated me afterwards.”

In conclusion, David Preston stated that Crystal Palace is now becoming one of the favourite festival sites he looks after during the summer calendar. “It’s a great space for concerts,” he said. “Working with Julia and the LS Events team is always a pleasure, and I look forward to 2023.

“Martin Audio’s MLA proved yet again that—noise control wise—it can do things that no other box on the market is capable of. For suburban festivals, with tricky noise limits set by local councils, that’s the important factor, to ensure the license for the festival can be granted again for the following year.”

German technology service provider, EBV Veranstaltungstechnik, has invested in Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision technology, with the purchase of a WPM line array from territorial distributors, Audio Technica Deutschland.

Based in Hettenleidelheim in the Rheinland-Palatinate, EBV is a family business with a long tradition. Elmar Breitwieser founded the company over 40 years ago and focused primarily on regional musical events, which he initially equipped with sound and lighting systems before adding stage technology.

In 2018 Christian Breitwieser, son of the founder, took over the company and expanded the business from concert and festival events to corporate functions, conferences and more.

THE OPTIMISATION OPTIONS MAKE THE SYSTEM FEEL AT HOME ANYWHERE—WHETHER IN A ROCK CONCERT OR AS A SPEECH REINFORCEMENT SYSTEM.

Needing to adapt and upgrade the audio equipment to the new requirement he opted for Martin Audio, stating, “I had already been familiar with the brand for a long time.”

His interest was rekindled, first when he became aware of the DD6 and CDD-LIVE series, and he initially expanded the company’s hire inventory by adding these two series, complete with a combination of SXP118 and SX118 subwoofers.

Justifying the purchasing decision, he said, “Both series have an asynchronously radiating horn—even as a self-powered coaxial system in the CDD-LIVE. The resulting performance is outstanding, the systems work very homogeneously and still sound extremely pleasant even at higher levels.

At the same time, he had also planned an investment in a line array, but this had to take a back seat due to COVID. “Fortunately, we now have a large number of events once again where a line array is needed. And for that reason we made an immediate decision to go with the WPM.”

Like the other members of the Wavefront Precision family, the smaller 6.5″ WPM system offers scalable resolution and very precise control capabilities thanks to the DISPLAY optimisation software. “The WPM fits perfectly into our portfolio due to its flexibility, EBV’s managing director continues. “The optimisation options make the system feel at home anywhere—whether in a rock concert or as a speech reinforcement system.”

An additional benefit of investing in Wavefront Precision had been its immediate availability, he confirmed. “We decided to make this investment at short notice in April and were pleasantly surprised that Martin Audio were able to deliver within a few weeks. This meant that the` system was already in use by the beginning of June.”

Long-standing Martin Audio rental partner, SWG Events, has upgraded its pro audio inventory with the acquisition of 24 of the large format Wavefront Precision WPL enclosures.

These form part of a Martin Audio package, along with 12 SXH218 subs and 24 XE500 floor monitors. Powering the WPL in 2-box resolution are Martin Audio iKON iK42 process-controlled, multi-channel amplifiers, part of an order for 17 iK42’s, which will also be assigned to the XE500.

Stated SWG Events’ Head of Audio, Simon Purse, “Everything came along at the right time, with me joining the company [from Martin Audio]. This coincided with SWG looking to buy a bigger, state-of-the-art system as an upgrade for their trusty W8LC, to put us back at the top end of the touring market, with higher tier acts.”

The acquisition was sanctioned by SWG managing director, Alister Pook, in light of the fact the company had been forced to cross-hire during this summer’s crowded outdoor season. “SWG has always been a Martin Audio house, and the fact that they were able to supply immediately from stock, plus our familiarity with the system, were major selling points,” stated Purse.

On arrival the new system was deployed within 48 hours, enabling their sub-hired MLA to return to base. This was at the Rhyl Event Arena for a package show that featured James, Tom Grennan and Jack Savoretti. It then moved onto CarFest North on the Bolesworth Castle in Chester.

Purse said that the choice of system size ticked a number of boxes. “A 12-box hang per side generally fits where we are at, giving us coverage for 5,000 up to 10,000-cap venue sizes.

“The Southwest has now got to the point where there is local availability to cross-hire so that we can scale up to a full arena system.”

He said he was particularly pleased with the XE500. “I believe we are one of the largest stockists of the XE500 and I’d be happy to put these in front of anyone.”

In conclusion, Martin Audio UK sales manager, Peter Codron added, “SWG has been a loyal, and long-serving customer of Martin Audio for many years. Their ongoing support is further reflected in this latest investment in our new technology, and being part of the ever-increasing UK Wavefront Partner Network. It is also gratifying to know that they already have a number of events earmarked for WPL.”

Popular Richmond, VA live music venue, The Broadberry, has taken delivery of a new Martin Audio TORUS constant curvature array, supplied by locally based rental partner, Soundworks of Virginia.

Soundworks has been working with the 550-capacity venue, owned by Lucas Fritz and Matt McDonald, providing sound for their outdoor concerts since the Spring of 2021.

Explaining the rationale behind the venue upgrade, Fritz says they had been making do with the old system that was in the venue when they took over in 2014. “We were well overdue for a PA overhaul, especially given the calibre of artists we were continuously bringing to the market. We had been working with Soundworks and knew they wouldn’t lead us astray.”

The venue’s production manager Justin Lewis confirms that the previous system had been poorly deployed—and he had a firm idea in mind for its replacement.

WE ARE EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT OUR NEW TORUS RIG.

“Due to the shape of our room I wanted a box with a relatively narrow horizontal pattern. All the line arrays I looked at were too wide and point source didn’t provide the flexibility we wanted in vertical coverage.”

He looked at a number of systems and consulted his crew, ultimately deciding constant curvature would probably be the best for our room. “We chose TORUS mainly due to Soundworks’ existing relationship with Martin Audio, and the cardioid feature of the SXC118 was also a positive influence on our decision.”

Taking up the story, Soundworks’ CEO, Steve Payne, adds, “Their trust in the Martin Audio name, and belief that anything with that badge on it would be a quality solution, was reinforced by the [Wavefront Precision] WPL and WPC systems Soundworks had been routinely providing for their outdoor concerts.”

And while he admits the Wavefront Precision series remains his “hands down favourite,” for an installation situation he needed to look no further than TORUS. “I think this system, with its variable horizontal coverage and choice between 30° and 15° vertical angle is a better solution than a short hang of WPS,” he says, concurring with Justin Lewis.

The pair of three-box hangs comprise two T1215 and a single T1230 at the base, to eliminate the desire for front fills. The arrays are supported by TORUS fly bars hung from Unitruss, which spans the structural roof girders. Four SXC118, ground stacked in a central cluster under the stage, provide the low end, and all processing is via the onboard DSP in the Martin Audio iKon multi-channel amplifiers.

Soundworks’ project manager Bryan Hargrave masterminded the installation, in conjunction with Martin Audio US Technical Support Engineer, Joe Lima.

Summing up, Justin Lewis says, “The coverage and sound quality are just about perfect now, and the rig is a vast improvement over our old one. Our crew is pleased, and we’ve had generally good responses from guest engineers.

And Lucas Fritz is equally effusive. “We are extremely excited about our new TORUS rig. The room sounds better than it ever has,” he exclaims.

Photo credit: Ashley Travis

Martin Audio’s MLA system for the first time on the main stage of Radio 1’s Big Weekend that took place at Memorial Park, Coventry, with the popular music festival finally returning after the hiatus caused by Covid-19.

An audience of 40,000, and an array of premiere acts that included Harry Styles, George Ezra, Ed Sheeran and Calvin Harris, played across two nights in the city of Coventry’s beautiful, historic park. The show was new to RG Jones, who tendered successfully for the event. The production company were delighted to get the chance to flex their sonic muscles on such a high-profile project while re-connecting with long-standing clients Dick and Frankie Tee from EnTEEtainment, and reminding Festival Republic, who managed the event, what the company can do.

Being an urban site, noise management was of the highest priority, but Coventry’s status as 2022 City of Culture has also meant that throughout the year events of all shapes and sizes are taking place and the city council are keen to make the most of the opportunities that City of Culture affords. A generous offsite limit of 75dBA Leq15was relatively straightforward to achieve for MLA and its ability to control offsite noise, despite some strange acoustics surrounding the nearest houses.

Main PA hangs of 14 MLA elements were boosted by a central cardioid sub array of 22 MLX, asymmetrically steered to help with offsite C-weighted levels. In addition, MLA Mini and DD12 provided frontfills, MLA Mini and MLA Compact outfills, and there were two delay positions of 12 MLA Compact, and a single central position of eight MLA. Most impressive was the MLA Mini outfill—with a hang of 12 enclosures covering about 75m and easily keeping up with the stage right MLA.

The RG Jones crew featured a blend of seasoned A-team regulars and some newbies. “It’s so crucial to have the right team on these shows and bringing some new faces into the circle of trust is both exciting and invaluable,” believes Simon Honywill. At FOH were RG’s regular Damion Dyer, and the experienced Chris Pyne, running the twin DiGiCo SD12 A/B desk system.System tech was Matt Besford-Foster, who was fresh off MLA training and getting amongst his first MLA system, having spent many years travelling the world with Muse and Elbow.

His verdict on MLA could scarcely have been more positive. “I was very impressed with the tonal signature across the MLA range,” he said. “MLA Mini seemed to defy physics with their ability to sit alongside MLA as a side hang and hold their own.”

On stage were Mark Isbister, in his regular role as patch master and interface with the BBC, assisted by Chris Lambert and RG’s own Rosie Tarrant.Looking after monitors were Martin Dineley and Sam Manigley.

Simon Honywill was responsible for system design and used Martin Audio’s new 3D prediction software – DISPLAY 3 — to generate a series of plots for environmental sound consultants, Vanguardia. “For me it was interesting to actually deploy a system that was mapped in DISPLAY 3 for the first time. I worked hard to design a system that would deliver the best possible experience for the audience of course, but also looked into restricting coverage on the house right side of the arena, where there was a large bar and toilets, and beyond the perimeter fence was the closest noise monitoring point.

“I had some reservations about using 12 MLA Compact on the outfill that covered that area, but in fact it was the right choice as the crowds thinned out significantly there and we were able to control coverage very effectively and run the headliners at a comfortable 98dBA.”

Frankie Tee was also fulsome in her praise for the sound coverage. “It was a real pleasure to be back working with RG Jones again after so many years. We knew they would deliver a great service to the Radio 1 event, and we only had positive feedback from the clients, broadcast and artists, proving we were in safe hands.

“The site faced some challenges with nearby properties, but Simon and the team were able to very accurately not only predict offsite noise levels, but stick to them too. I very much look forward to hopefully many more events together!”

With artistes ranging from the Rolling Stones to Elton John and the Eagles gracing the new supercharged stage and fascia at this year’s American Express presents BST Hyde Park the quality of sound literally needed to raise the bar at AEG Live’s flagship event.

Martin Audio rental partners Capital Sound (part of the Solotech UK group) have been the exclusive suppliers of the manufacturer’s ground-breaking MLA since the event’s inception in 2013, and were able to respond by providing enhanced site coverage. This year, with its expansion across three weekends, the event broke all records, selling 530,000 tickets across the nine shows.

Taking note of the additional 5-metre height gain of Star Group’s new Titan stage (which now reaches 19 metres off the ground), Solotech extended the two main PA and sidefill hangs and streamlined the 11 delay towers, introducing their recently acquired WPL scalable line array—the largest in the Wavefront Precision family.

This resulted in no fewer than 182 Martin Audio line array elements being deployed at the event as well as 44 subwoofers.

Stated Solotech Senior Technical Advisor, Robin Conway, “Had we used the original plot, the hangs would have been out of proportion. So I looked at issues such as trim height, and both visually and performance wise, by increasing the box count we managed to achieve better results, with more energy at the front.“On top of that, we also managed to achieve the trim height we wanted, with the main hangstrimmed this year at 16.2m from the ground (as opposed to 12.5 previously, and the sides at 17.5m, compared to 14.5m.”

Aesthetically the stage design also had to work around a newly-created tree, the central focal point of the stage, while mechanically a wrap-around video screen was introduced for the first time—also masterminded by Solotech.

The main PA this year was increased by four elements, and comprised 19 MLA and a single MLD Downfill each side, with 15 MLA and an MLD Downfill as side hangs (two each side larger than previously). Arranged in a broadside cardioid array were 32 MLX subwoofers while six pairs of MLA Compact provided front fills.

The delay positions had also been extended, with longer hangs. Of the 11 masts, positions 1-5 were identically configured with seven MLA and an MLD Downfill; the Delay masts 6-9 behind the FOH mix tower comprised an extended 10 WPL and three SXH218 in a cardioid stack, while Delay points 10 and 11 were each populated with eight WPC elements.

All Wavefront Precision enclosures were driven by Martin Audio iKON multi-channel amplifiers in the optimum 1-box resolution, and the sound was again carried site wide on an Optocore fibre ring, which offered full redundancy.

The quality of the PA this year was once again exemplary, no better so than for Adele … a fact to which the many social posts attested.

Once again Solotech fielded a highly accomplished technical team, working through the event’s long-term production manager, Proper Productions’ Mark Ward, with Tim Patterson as crew chief, Johnny Buck (monitor engineer), Mike Warren (FOH engineer) and Joseph Pierce system tech. Martin Audio’s former technical director, Jason Baird, was brought in as consultant for the set-up.

Solotech senior project manager Martin Connolly, was delighted with both the onsite and offsite sound thresholds, which met the approval of acousticians / noise control consultants, Vanguardia. “Following propagation tests, we managed to achieve great level—an increase on what we have had in the past and with a bit more control,” he said.

This was particularly evident in performances by Elton John and Adele, as Connolly explained. “Elton John was 100-101dB(A) and Adele was 102dB(A) LEq (1 min) and 101dB(A) LEq 5 mins, with 75dB(A) offsite.”

He said the event had fully justified their decision back in Spring this year to invest further into Wavefront Precision—with an acquisition countenanced by Solotech. As a result, WPL and WPC now complement the WPS system they had earlier bought for the Tim Minchin tour.

Along with the two new WPs Solotech also purchased TORUS for their hire inventory—part of an order amounting to well over 100 enclosures. “Had we not done so, looking at our order book for the summer we would simply have had to sub-hire in,” stated Connolly.

As for the video displays, Solotech provided a near 1500sq.m screen measuring over 16m high for main stage including 4500 Saco tiles and 540 Roe CB5 LED panels on main stage screen. A further 300 Roe CB5 were deployed for delays, relays and for Stage 2.

Summing up the event, and the technical excellence of the sound reinforcement, production director Mark Ward said, “There were a lot of conversations about how to make the PA sound great and feel in proportion on Star’s vast new Titan stage. Solotech and Martin Audio got fully engaged in figuring out solutions and we more than achieved the result we were after—both sonically and aesthetically. It looked ‘right’ and sounded brilliant.”

Photography: Gus Stewart and Awais Butt