Category: Martin Audio

Soundworks of Virginia returned to the familiar 100-acre Maymont Park site in Richmond, VA to help stage the Richmond Jazz and Music Festival, an event for which they have provided sound reinforcement since 2017.

Working for promoter JMI (Johnson Marketing Inc) they fielded their flagship Martin Audio WPL optimised line array on the main stage, deploying hangs of 12 WPL elements on each wing. These were underpinned by 12 SXH218 in cardioid formation—a move largely designed to prevent the stage from vibrating—with a delay tower of eight smaller WPS elements, set around 275ft back and with four WPS deployed along the stage lip as frontfills. Monitors comprised four WPS loudspeakers atop a pair of SXC118 subs, mounted both stage left and right for sidefills, plus 12 of Soundworks’ own SW2 proprietary wedges.

Soundworks also equipped the second stage with 12 WPC per side with eight SXH218 subs in a centre cluster. Monitor provision again consisted of four WPS enclosures above a pair of SXC118 on each wing for sidefills plus 12 of Martin Audio’s powerful XE500 wedges.

Run from iKON multi-channel amplifiers in 2-box resolution, this provided the perfect setting for an all-star line-up headed by Chaka Khan to showcase their art.

“THE MARTIN AUDIO SYSTEMS COVER ALL THE BASES. THERE’S NO AREA OF THE AUDIENCE THAT ISN’T PROPERLY COVERED. EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE DELIVERED!”

Mike Ferguson, Production Manager, Richmond Jazz and Music Festival

Yet although Soundworks’ tech team has worked this site many times in the past, there is still work to be done in advance, and it is far from a case of simply applying existing site measurements, as founder and CEO, Steve Payne, explains.

“Maymont shows use a temporary stage—typically a Stageline SL320—and there are several different locations used within the park for concerts. Additionally, the stage is never placed in exactly the same spot each time which means the spatial definition of the audience area varies each time. We have found that the more accurate the audience area definition is the more accurate the results we achieve … and for that reason, in order to get the best results possible we opt to measure each time.”

He continued, “We go in once the stage is set in place and do our laser measurements. Then we use Martin Audio DISPLAY software to predict and optimise coverage.” Any time alignment adjustments are then carried out in a Lake LM44 processor.

Drum ‘n’ bass fans were given an event to remember when the three-day Liquicity Festival was staged recently in Geestmerambacht Park in the north of the Netherlands.

Begun in 2013 the first multiple day Liquicity took place in 2017 and today the event attracts daily attendances of up to 20,000.

Martin Audio partners DSL and Stairway Productions collectively provided several hundred enclosures, plus amplifiers and accessories, site wide. This notably included a massive deployment of WPL Wavefront Precision line arrays by DSL for the premier two performance stages—and seven separate zones in all (including the food court) spread across a site that was suitably draped and decorated for the occasion.

The main Galaxy stage saw 20x WPL left and right (in two box resolution), with 12x WPC for delays (also in two box resolution)and 21x SXH218 subs in cardioid (14 front-facing and seven back), with a further four W8VDQ for front fill and six Blackline X12 for outfill. These were powered by 17x IK42 multi-channel amps. On stage, six LE1500 were used for monitoring and two further LE1500 and a Blackline X118 were used on stage.

The second (Solar) stage saw 12x WPL stacked, with eight MLA Mini and MSX subs (as outfills). Four TORUS T1215 were used as front fill, with 20 WS218 and six SX218 subs. A further LE1500 and LE1200 wedge monitors, with a pair of X118 were used on stage, with all passive enclosures powered by nine iK42.

“BUT THE ADVANCED CONTROL YOU HAVE GENERALLY WITH A MARTIN AUDIO SYSTEM HELPED CONTAIN THE SOUND.”

Martijn de Jong, Product Manager (Audio) at Ampco Flashlight Sales

On the third (Lunar stage) playback was through 12x Martin Audio W8C, underpinned by 18x WSX subs. Reference monitoring was again provided from a pair of LE1500 and X118.

For the Nebula stage, sound reinforcement turned to Blackline, with a pair ofBlackline H3T+, four WS218 and a pair of X15.

To equip other areas Stairway Productions dipped into several of Martin Audio’s other successful ranges, including CDD-Live 15 (for Temple), FlexPoint FP8 (for Mirror Palace) and TORUS T1215 (for the Mobile stage) … all with complementary subs.

Enjoying their third year of providing top quality sound at the South Facing Festival, Solotech UK found themselves working with a new production team … but the result was just the same.

The natural contouring of the 10,000-cap Crystal Palace Bowl amphitheater, coupled with the power and ultimate control of Martin Audio’s MLA multicellular array, once again provided a winning formula.

Method Events were the new incumbents this year, and for the production company’s award-winning co-founder Will Holdoway it was a welcome reunion with Solotech account manager David Preston. “It was a pleasure to be working again with David and the Solotech team for the first time since operating shows together at Drumsheds, North London until February 2022,” he reported.

Once again, the programme over the two weeks was top drawer, with—according to Preston—Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds providing the highlight. Also featured were Primal Scream and Jesus & Mary Chain, Rudimental Live, James & Happy Mondays, First Aid Kit, Raver Tots, Craig David and Sister Sledge.

Solotech UK fielded L/R hangs of 10 MLA and an MLD Downfill box on each side of the stage, while front fills comprised four MLA Compact and a pair of DD12. Subwoofers this year consisted of 12 MLX—six a side in end fire configuration (two stacks of three either side of the stage). The enforced change of sub design from the previous year was due to space limitations between the edge of the stage and the pontoons.

Nevertheless, stated Preston, this was without compromise. “The system worked really well and provided perfect coverage, with the HF showing its ability to throw to the top of the field more than any other box.”

Working once again with Matthew Baines from acoustic consultants, Vanguardia, they comfortably achieved offsite thresholds while delivering the necessary power for visiting engineers within the main bowl.

The person with the most challenging task of getting the optimum sound from Crystal Palace’s amphitheater contouring was system tech Rayne Ramsden. He set out with the same [Martin Audio] DISPLAY file due to the successful deployment of the MLA last year, adjusting only to take into account the change in subwoofer layout.

“A challenge faced in a natural amphitheater is the fact that the venue itself is shaped in a way that amplifies the audio coming from the stage, creating additional reflections both on and off-site,” he said. “Therefore, we needed to monitor how the PA was interacting with the venue and how that affected the level off-site very closely, In addition, there was a steel shield running the entire boundary length of the venue, creating additional direct reflections back towards stage.”

Hard Avoid had been great at mitigating all these reflections and was a very useful tool, he said, “particularly with the ability to reduce the level of audio offsite, since there are residents that back directly onto the boundary line.” He added, “The ability to control the offsite level without losing quality or intelligibility withing the coverage area, is always impressive with MLA.”

Method Events’ Will Holdoway agreed with the general wisdom of this deployment. “MLA is clearly still the system to beat for this venue with its combination of tight control yet significant high-end throw, filling the natural amphitheater with ease.

“We had a broader array of programming this year, with more electronic music shows, meaning that tight control was even more pertinent than in previous years.”

Other tech personnel involved in the Festival’s success included crew chief, Harry Garcia, stage tech, Isabella Di Biase and monitor engineer, Sam Cunningham.

Photo credit: Noel Gallagher.

Despite train strikes and inclement weather, Brighton & Hove Pride 2023 enjoyed another successful year, raising money for the Brighton Rainbow Fund supporting LGBTQ+ groups and organisations within the local community, as crowds of around 250,000 people descended on the seaside resort. It is estimated that more than £25m was brought into the city’s economy over the Pride weekend.

With more than 150 LGBTQ+ artists performing across 12 different stages, attention was largely focused on the main ‘Fabuloso’ stage in the 63-acre Preston Park. Here first night headliners Black Eyed Peas were followed by Steps on the Sunday, with Solotech UK for the second year providing their flagship WPL line array.

Working once again alongside production manager Dean Parker, at Wilde Ones International Events, their sound design was based around main PA hangs of 18 WPL per side, with a stage right side hang of six of the smaller WPC, and a larger drop of 12 WPC elements stage left.

According to crew chief and system tech Joseph Pearce this was in response to general site sensitivity, and with the stage pointing parallel to the road, the proximity of the housing on the right side.

Eight of Martin Audio’s smaller WPS enclosures provided near fill coverage while low frequency extension was provided by 20 powerful 2×18 SXHF218 subwoofers, designed in a castellated cardioid broadside array across the front of the stage.

Solotech provided stage monitoring in the shape of 16 of Martin Audio’s popular LE1500 floor wedges, with six TORUS T1215 constant curvature arrays and four SXHF218subs on stage.

Experimental Icelandic rock band, Sigur Rós recently embarked on a two-and-a-half-week tour of North America, complete with a 41-piece orchestra.

It marks the third phase of support from their audio rental company 22live, who earlier covered their 2022 world shows, followed by European summer dates (where the orchestral idea was first introduced) and now tour dates in the United States and Canada.

Each wave of dates has seen progressive iterations of Martin Audio sound reinforcement, culminating in monitor engineer Throstur Albertsson recently changing his monitor set-up for powerful XE500 wedges (to complement their IEM’s) but more significantly 18 of the manufacturer’s new FlexPoint FP4 for local orchestral monitoring.

Explaining the background, 22live hire director, Paul Timmins, who has a long relationship with Sigur Rós, said “We needed some tiny speakers for the orchestra. I’d got wind about FlexPoint and when I attended the Martin Audio Open Day in April I discovered that Ingvar Jónsson – Sigur Rós FOH engineer – was also planning to visit because of a side project with Martin Audio he was involved with. He was impressed with the FP4 and XE500 wedges and told the monitor engineer how great they were, believing the diminutive FP4s would be ideal for the orchestra.”

His colleague, Throstur Albertsson, duly adopted this solution for the orchestra foldback, but the challenge became one of timing. Martin Audio met the deadline by fast tracking the first production run in order to meet the first six orchestral shows in Europe.

“I WAS IMMEDIATELY IMPRESSED WITH HOW WELL FP4’S SOUNDED, AND THE FACT THEY ARE COAXIAL, WITH 100° DISPERSION, THE TONALITY WAS REALLY EVEN”.

Throstur Albertsson, Monitor Engineer

Throstur admitted to having been disappointed with elements of his traditional tiny monitors and readily acquiesced. “I was immediately impressed with how well FP4’s sounded, and the fact they are coaxial, with 100° dispersion, the tonality was really even. Mounting them was easy as I combined the tilt backet onto a mic stand and they do the job perfectly.”

Last Autumn Martin Audio partner, 22live, completed its first full production tour, with arguably the greatest cover band on the road today.

The Australian Pink Floyd show, which provides an authentic tribute to the original band, has long used Martin Audio PA on tour.

For the band’s late 2022 UK tour Paul Timmins, now hire director and one of the founders of the recently formed pro-audio service company, 22live, was reunited with the long-term team of band manager Kevin Hopgood, production manager Chris Gadd, and FOH engineer Trevor Gilligan.

There were a number of factors to consider for Timmins, along with 22live technical director, Simon Gladstone, and operations director Stefan Phillips, when they were preparing their bid as a new player in the market. In addition to general touring economics this included the choice of PA.

With regard to the latter, 22live knew they couldn’t offer Gilligan, who has toured with earlier generations of Martin Audio Wavefront, anything other than the latest scalable Wavefront Precision line array solution—but they were also up against timing constraints.

“WHAT CAN I SAY … I LOVE THIS SYSTEM! IT’S GREAT TO BE BACK ON THE MARTIN AUDIO GEAR. IT’S A VERY DETAILED BOX AND MATCHES THE SUBS PERFECTLY. ALL IN ALL, A GREAT CHOICE BY ALL INVOLVED”.

Trevor Gilligan, FOH engineer

“Although Trevor was happy to try out a new PA, the thing that we really had to demonstrate to make the argument was that the Martin Audio SXCF118 cardioid sub would be sufficient to provide the low end the tour required,” stated Timmins. The only way of providing its performance capability was to put it to the test, and a demonstration was organised at Martin Audio HQ in High Wycombe.

Our collaboration with Live Sound Company Orissa and their recent acquisition of the Martin Audio WPL System underscores our mutual dedication to advancing audio technology and setting new standards in the live sound industry. Together, we are committed to delivering unmatched sonic experiences that resonate with audiences and leave them in awe.

Already recognised for its high-profile appearance at Brazil’s famous Rock in Rio festival, Martin Audio’s MLA multicellular loudspeaker array also provided main stage artists at the annual Festival Coolritibain Curitiba, nearly 500 miles further south, with exemplary sound.

Headliners included Marisa Monte, Sandy, Mano Brown and the legendary Gilberto Gil—but it was the influence of Marisa Monte’s sound engineer, Daniel Carvalho, that brought about the change from the originally specified festival system.

He had been piloting the mix on the famous singer’s Portas tour through an MLA, provided by predominant rental company Gabisom (who also service Rock in Rio). Coolritiba was part of their 100-show tour schedule where Marisa Monte was top of the bill.

Daniel Carvalho reports: “The festival had requested [another brand], but since we were headliners, and they were renting from Gabisom as well, we asked if they could switch to MLA for the festival.” And so, they shipped out the boxes to complement the touring rig.

“EVERY TIME I USE MARTIN AUDIO I AM IMPRESSED, WITH THE CLARITY OF THE HIGHS, THE DEFINITION OF TRANSIENTS AND THE COVERAGE ARE IMPRESSIVE AND, MY MASTER EQUALISER REMAINS FLAT. SO, IT`S JUST HAPPINESS ALL ROUND.”

Maycon Mendes, Sandy’s engineer

The results, he said, were incredible. “For many [engineers] it was their first time with Martin Audio and all techs loved the sound. The Rap guys didn’t ask for additional subs and the promoter himself said he wants the same set-up for next year. Everybody agreed that it was the best sound ever heard at the site, including the Gabisom crew.

Other sound engineers lined up to sing the system’s praises based on their Coolritiba experience. Maycon Mendes, Sandy’s engineer, said, “Every time I use Martin Audio I am impressed, with the clarity of the highs, the definition of transients and the coverage are impressive and, my master equaliser remains flat. So, it`s just happiness all round.”

Gustavo Mendes, Gilberto Gil’s tech added, “Thanks for the opportunity of using the MLA system, which is for sure the best PA we used in this Gilberto Gil tour.”

Daniel Carvalho himself is well qualified to have recommended the system. He has been handling Marisa Monte’s live mix since 2015 and was a studio engineer prior to that during which time he has become an eight times Latin Grammy Award winner as mastering engineer and mixer.

He first encountered MLA when mixing a band at Rock in Rio in 2015. “Someone from Martin Audio showed me the DISPLAY software and introduced me to the system.” From that day on he was sold. “When the Portas tour came around, I told Gabi from Gabisom, that I would love to try the Martin Audio system. It was love at first hear. At a stadium in Belo Horizonte, Marisa`s manager came to front-of-house and asked, ‘What happened today? The voice is so clear”. I told him it was our new PA and he said ok let`s use this one from now on.”

At Coolritiba, where a crowd of around 20,000 fans assembled, the main PA was rigged as an L/C/R system with 15 MLA and a single MLD downfill at the base of each hang. Outfills comprised seven MLA plus an MLD downfill; there was a delay fill of six further MLA, with six MLA Compact as front fills. The rig, which Daniel Carvalho also helped design, incorporated a generous array of 32 MLX subwoofers arranged in castellated broadside configuration.

Asked what he loves in particular about MLA, Daniel is unequivocal. “It is easy to design and deploy. The array processing ensures every position in the house sounds the same. And it’s very forgiving; when we have to make sudden changes at venues without the need to recalculate angles—it’s just a matter of changing the preset of EQ settings and the sound delivers precisely what we need.

“Thanks go to Gabi for placing this much-loved PA in our hands,” he says in conclusion, “and to Josiel Silva and Diego Talasca for rigging everything so expertly.”

The runaway success of Martin Audio’s best-selling CDD series is showing little sign of slowing down.

When the new upmarket Mooij Alkmaar restaurant opened recently, it complemented its South American cuisine with music produced from matched pairings of CDD6s and SX210 loudspeakers from the company’s coaxial differential dispersion series.

The installation in the city of Alkmaar was carried out by lighting and sound rental specialists, Bleeker Group. The Heerhugowaard-based company is a customary Martin Audio user, and it was owner, Jacco Bleeker himself who specified the solution as best fit for purpose.

“THE SUBS ARE LESS UNOBTRUSIVE, AS THEY ARE TUCKED AWAY, TO BECOME PART OF THE FURNITURE”.

Martijn de Jong, Product Manager (Audio), Ampco Flashlight Sales

And that purpose was to reproduce background music during the week and live music to tape at weekends. “It’s an ideal solution for them,” exclaims Martijn de Jong, Product Manager (Audio) at Ampco Flashlight Sales, Martin Audio’s Dutch distributor.

Although the operation is new, the building certainly is not. In fact it is the oldest restaurant building in Alkmaar, and was formerly known as ‘het Gulden Vlies’. The old façade has been completely renovated and restored to its original state and given the name Mooij in acknowledgment that it was originally owned by three generations of the Mooij family. The conversion took two and a half years to realise.

In total, Bleeker have detailed 14 CDD6 and a pair of SX210 subs for the ground floor distribution and on the first floor eight CDD6 and an SX210.

The integrators had again recommended the Martin Audio solution to owners, Remco de Boer and Daan Touw, for its coverage pattern and the amount of SPL it can generate from such a small form factor. This was after the owners had already bought into the CDD6 / SX210 combo at another restaurant—Marktzicht in Broek op Langedijk.

“Partnering the CDD6 with the SX210 is a perfect match, and so they automatically opted for it again,”confirms de Jong. “At Mooij Alkmaar this provides balanced coverage and plenty of SPL. Although aesthetic considerations weren’t a prerequisite, the customer was pleasantly surprised by the looks of the CDD6 and its ceiling bracket. It looks very elegant.”The subs are less unobtrusive, as they are tucked away, to become part of the furniture.

The system was designed and tuned using Smaart, to ensure full optimisation.

Summarising the installation, the owners said, “We are extremely happy with the end result. The system sounds and looks great. In fact visiting sound engineers have been amazed at what this speaker can do … how great it sounds and performs in the restaurant.”