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LTU – The Daina project has transformed a historic interwar cinema in Kaunas, Lithuania, into a world-class culture and live music venue, with a Martin Audio sound reinforcement system at the heart of the redevelopment.

Originally opened in 1936, the Daina is considered an important example of Lithuanian modernist architecture. With renovation work beginning in 2023, the ambitious project has transformed the long-abandoned cinema into a contemporary multifunctional cultural venue, while carefully preserving its architectural identity and historical character.

Audiotonas, Martin Audio’s distributor in Lithuania, was the main audiovisual systems integrator and technology partner, responsible for designing and implementing the venue’s professional sound, stage lighting, and stage infrastructure systems.

The original brief for the venue’s future technical infrastructure and acoustic capabilities was highly ambitious from the very beginning: “A key objective was to ensure that the venue could host concerts, theatre productions, conferences, broadcasts, and other live events at the highest possible technical standard while maintaining maximum operational flexibility,” explains Vytautas Stasiukaitis, CCO at Audiotonas. “The client also placed strong emphasis on future-proof technology, reliability, and rider-friendly specifications that would meet the expectations of international touring productions.”

The project consists of both a main hall and an additional event space, conceived to operate flexibly independently or as a combined venue when needed. From the early stages of the project, the client placed strong trust in Audiotonas’s experience and technical expertise.

“In many ways, the trust was driven by a shared vision for creating an exceptional sounding venue,” says Stasiukaitis. “The client strongly believed in our approach, and our experience and total confidence in the capabilities of the Martin Audio ecosystem helped establish that trust throughout the planning process.”

THE PRIMARY ADVANTAGE OF THE MARTIN AUDIO WPC SYSTEM IN THIS VENUE WAS ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE EXTREMELY PRECISE PATTERN CONTROL

The main hall is equipped with a Martin Audio WPC Wavefront Precision line-array system comprising two hangs of 8 elements per side.

“The primary advantage of the Martin Audio WPC system in this venue was its ability to provide extremely precise pattern control and optimisation within a very acoustically challenging historic environment,” continues Stasiukaitis. “One of the key project goals was to minimise unwanted sound energy on stage and reduce reflections from the large balcony surfaces. Because the building is protected heritage architecture, these surfaces could not be extensively treated with acoustic materials, making loudspeaker directivity and system optimisation critically important.”

The optimised WPC line-array configuration allowed Audiotonas to tightly control vertical coverage and significantly reduce unnecessary excitation of reflective architectural elements, particularly the underside and front surfaces of the balcony. This helped improve clarity, speech intelligibility, and overall mix definition throughout the room, while also creating a cleaner acoustic environment for performers on stage.

The high-resolution amplifier configuration with two dedicated amplifier channels per WPC module, gave the team exceptional precision during system tuning and optimisation, allowing very accurate control of phase alignment, frequency response, and coverage behaviour.

“In a venue like this, where architectural preservation limits traditional acoustic treatment options, advanced software optimisation tools become extremely valuable in achieving professional live sound performance,” adds Stasiukaitis, “We utilised Martin Audio’s Hard Avoid to minimise sound energy directed towards the stage area and to reduce reflections from the balcony surfaces.”

Low-frequency reinforcement is provided by an array of eight Martin Audio SXH218 subwoofers. Due to physical limitations in the venue, a cardioid set-up was not possible. To improve boundary loading and system efficiency, a permanent rear wall was constructed directly behind the subwoofer position. “This effectively created a controlled boundary condition, enhancing low-frequency coupling with both the floor and the rear surface,” notes Stasiukaitis. “While it is not a directional subwoofer array in the strict sense, the system still delivers very strong control within the room due to the architectural reinforcement effects and careful system tuning.”

The main left/right arrays are supported by Martin Audio FlexPoint FP8 front-fill loudspeakers for the first audience rows, while FP15 systems were installed as delays beneath the balcony and within the balcony area itself. Stage monitoring is provided by 8 XE300 stage wedges. The entire system is powered by a total of 14 Martin Audio iKON series multi-channel amplifiers.

In the smaller hall, a Martin Audio THS high-output point source system combines with SXC118 cardioid subwoofers. “This configuration provides a compact but highly controlled solution that delivers excellent musicality,” says Stasiukaitis. “The directional behaviour of the cardioid subs helped mitigate acoustic issues in the tighter space by reducing excitation of problematic reflections and smoothing overall low-frequency distribution.”

The commissioning process was a structured, multi-stage procedure focused on verifying system performance and optimising the venue as a fully integrated system. “The result was a fully aligned and production-ready system tailored exactly to the venue’s acoustic and functional requirements,” confirms Stasiukaitis.

Today, the renewed Daina venue is one of the most technologically advanced mid-size live performance spaces in Lithuania and perhaps across the region.

“In the long term, this flexibility benefits the client by making the venue more attractive to a broader range of organizers and performers, increasing booking potential and revenue streams,” concludes Stasiukaitis. “It supports efficient operations, reduces the need for temporary equipment, and strengthens the venue’s position as a competitive, multifunctional cultural hub. I can say that there is no other space in Lithuania which has everything you need for a live gig with such exceptional sound quality and clarity.”