Category: Martin Audio

IRELAND: No Martin Audio dealer partnership has existed longer than that with Irish distributor Rea Sound, which dates back to 1982.

Fast forward 43 years and the system integrators continue to specify permanent Martin Audio solutions in a broad variety of facilities — most notably Houses of Worship.

Three churches in particular demonstrate how Rea Sound have adopted a different approach to suit the needs (and protect the heritage) of the respective buildings.

One of these is St. Finnian’s Church of Ireland in Castlereagh, outside Belfast. States the church’s Mike Johnson, “We’d had our audio system since around 2017-2018. But with Covid came a necessity to stream services, and the rector asked me to put together a package. So I spoke to Rea Sound and very quickly they proposed a system which we installed five or six weeks later.”

Rea Sound director Roger McMullan remembers that the church wanted a discreet sound system, with the speakers set quite high. “That would give us a nice overview of sound coming from both the front and above, which would also tie in with the audio visual system,” he said.

IT’S A BEAUTIFUL LISTED BUILDING, SO WE HAD TO BE SENSITIVE TO THE AESTHETICS… AND THE ACOUSTICS, WHICH ARE EXCEPTIONAL.”

It was also one of the first churches in which they had installed Martin Audio’s CDD series. “We used four CDD10s at the front of the church,” he said. “This gave us a nice even coverage of the spoken word throughout. It’s not a particularly long church, and the sound quality produced from CDD10 is exceptional.”

“Working with Rea Sound has been excellent,” concludes Mike Johnston. “We’ve always been able to ring up and get answers to questions. The technical help and the solutions are always good, and when we have problems they are always there to help us.”

Another prominent Rea Sound installation was carried out at St. Mark’s Church of Ireland, a Grade A listed parish church in Dundela. “We looked at a number of suppliers and asked them all to come in and look at the building and the acoustic, and make recommendations as to what would fit the bill,” says the church’s Michael Newman. Rea Sound were the successful bidders and their creative approach, specifying O-Line micro-array, surprised him. “With a traditional system you think of speakers placed around the building but that wasn’t the case. We were somewhat dubious about it at first but [Rea’s] faith has definitely been fulfilled. The sound quality is excellent.”

“We set four hangs of 12 O-Line, two in the centre and one at each side,” recalls Roger McMullan.” There are also CDD5 infills for the choir and CDD5 infill for the room. It’s a beautiful listed building so we not only have to be sensitive of the aesthetics, but also the acoustics, which are exceptional. The church didn’t want a distributed speaker system so O-Line fitted perfectly.

“We were able to fit four hangs at the front of the church above the eye-line and as that’s in stone colour it worked well with the church, while providing exceptional sound quality from front to back.”

At Ballynure Methodist Church the AV systems they have had over the years had varied in quality, and some were fairly primitive, according to the church’s Robert Stokes. “But Rea Sound have kept things moving along, as we had three churches installing at the same time.”

According to Roger McMullan, “Each church was very different but the brief was the same. The control aspect had to be similar in all three churches. The sound system is based on Martin Audio CDD10 at high level again, which takes them away from the congregation’s eyesight and provides even coverage of sound throughout the whole space.

“Since all three churches are limited in terms of technical support, they rely on volunteers to easily position themselves in any church.”

Take a look behind the scenes with Irish distributor Rea Sound at their house off worship installations here:

UK: Solotech have been servicing the South Facing Festival since the transformation of the dormant Crystal Palace Bowl in South London, back in 2021.

Promoted by Marcus Weedon, and with production duties back in the capable hands of Method Events (in the shape of Mia Barrett and Matt Hendry), Solotech again fielded Martin Audio’s WPL line array, which had last year replaced its long-serving forerunner, the MLA multicellular array. This combination made for an event in which the sound quality — to which daily audiences of up to 8,000 were treated — was generally considered the best yet.

Since this year’s programme leaned more heavily than previous years towards EDM and DJ-oriented acts — with Nile Rodgers & Chic, Basement Jaxx, Skepta and Busta Rhymes among the prominent acts (alongside Mogwai and Morcheeba) — Solotech account manager, David Preston, said that a diligent approach was required when it came to sound containment, in view of the dependence on sub bass. Thus production was fortunate to again have vastly experienced system tech Ryan Bass on their team.

The layout of South Facing is unusual in that the floating Orbit stage sits on a pontoon on the lake. Here Solotech rigged 15 WPL elements per side as main hangs, with four WPC per side acting as outfills and a further five WPS performing front fill duties — all driven in 1-box resolution from Martin Audio’s iKON iK42 process-controlled multi-channel amplifiers.

THE QUALITY OF SOUND IS ALWAYS EXCELLENT, WITH CONSISTENCY RIGHT ACROSS THE SITE.

But it was the low frequencies, and the design and placement of the 15 SXHF218 subwoofers that required an astute technical approach. Ryan Bass justified his preference for a castellated broadside array, by stating, “After utilising the sub array features within DISPLAY 3 [prediction software] I was able to design and tweak the array to ensure solid bass onsite whilst maintaining suitable levels offsite and on stage. In DISPLAY 3 I was able to adjust the sub spacing, arc delay and gain shading to achieve my desired results. This eliminated any guesswork and delivered a great result.”

The fact that the site is in a bowl naturally helps offsite containment. “Care was taken with the design to ensure I wasn’t overshooting, but still hitting all the way to the back of the arena,” he added. “Similarly with the WPC side hangs, one of which was pointed straight towards an offsite measuring point, flying them a little higher and down into the crowd helped to contain the spill.”

The Solotech team, under crew chief Oli Fallon, worked closely alongside noise management company, Vanguardia to ensure “everyone had a great time whilst keeping the local residents happy,” according to Bass. Following their offsite monitoring the PA company realised they had further headroom, and consequently ended up with a limit of over 100dBA at FOH … “which in a park in London is excellent!” he said.

Reflecting on the response to WPL, Bass said, “The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Every guest engineer had a good show, comments from production/promoter were positive and the crowds certainly seemed to enjoy it as well. Several engineers commented on just how good the coverage was and how consistent everything sounded across the site.”

Rigging WPL is always a breeze, he says. “Being able to preset angles on their carts means it takes no time at all to get the PA up in the air, a big improvement the 4-point rigging of MLA. Tuning WPL is always an easy task, I never feel like I’m taking too much out of the system or fighting it in order to end up with a great result.”

Working with Martin Audio products is always a joy, he concluded. “From designing a system, rigging and implementing it to hearing the show and end result … the quality of sound is always excellent, with consistency right across the site. Martin Audio products always outperform for their size, while having tools such as Hard Avoid can often be a game changer.”

This was confirmed by David Preston. “The WPL performed brilliantly again this year, and with the use of Martin Audio DISPLAY software and all the optimisation tools they provide for the system we achieved great levels across the site — and importantly also off site — always staying within the dB limits set by Vanguardia at the offsite measurement locations.”

US: The Columbus district of Indiana is known as the architectural capital of America’s Midwest, housing a clutch of unique and iconic modernist buildings.

A good example of this high art is St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, constructed in 1988, and described as “an architectural masterpiece”. But for all its aesthetic beauty, delivering an evenly-distributed sound through the sanctuary to the 750 congregants—sat in a series of rising levels of concentric, but irregular circles—had proved historically difficult before the adoption of a Martin Audio line array.

Tasked with masterminding a sustainable PA upgrade, Alex Moon, Director of Engineering at the locally-based Force Tech, undertook a site survey. He immediately noted the asymmetric and non-aligned interior, with the sanctuary set around a central section flanked by two raked seating wings. He recognised that finding the centre of the room with the PA would be difficult. ”It was a very interesting but difficult space, which required a complete rethink,” he rationalised.

The upgrade contract had originated from an acoustics consultant with whom Force Tech had worked previously. Sensing that the acoustic treatment required to preserve the integrity of the sound would be too cost-prohibitive, Moon drew on all his experience of specifying Martin Audio systems over a number of years, and his deep knowledge of the manufacturer’s proprietary DISPLAY3 acoustic prediction software.

THE DIFFERENCE WAS NIGHT AND DAY.

Historically, the church had been through several PA iterations, starting with a point source system. “This was then replaced by a column array when they were doing mostly speech and voice lift, and then a planar system,” he stated. But the PA never provided adequate coverage—particularly when the church’s needs developed from traditional choir-based service to a more contemporary Sunday worship, incorporating a full orchestra and band; at the same time it needed to meet the midweek needs of the private school to which it is attached.

The sound designer’s solution was to specify Martin Audio’s scalable Wavefront Precision Mini (WPM) line array—which proved to be hugely cost-effective and obviated the need for acoustic cladding. He knew instinctively that WPM would represent his best option, and the DISPLAY data confirmed that his decision for two optimised hangs of 10 elements each side of the stage—with a pair of SXCF115 subwoofers at the top of each hang in end-fire—would meet all requirements.

But prior to adoption, he first insisted on delivering full proof of concept to the client after their rocky SR journey to date. “We knew we could get them to a better place without all the acoustic treatment,” he said. Martin Audio’s North-eastern Regional Sales Manager, Martha Callaghan, organised a demo rig, and support engineer Will Harris set up and tuned the system on site. That was all that was required. “They loved it,” exclaimed Moon. “The difference was night and day.”

To complete the deployment, a further pair of SX218 subs have been ground-stacked either side of the stage and the entire rig is powered by an iK42 and three iKON iK81 DSP multi-channel amplifiers, assigned in 2-box resolution.

Mindful that the church is a thing of architectural beauty, Alex Moon ensured the speakers were finished in white to blend into the décor. “We had warned the client from the beginning that [the PA] would be a lot more visible than previously, and they were fine with that.”

It then came down to the tuning and the precise steering of the system. The designer used his programming skills to apply ‘Hard Avoid’ to relevant areas, while the cardioid subs ensured the necessary rear rejection—thus enabling consistent coverage without unwanted reflections.

Having designed, and commissioned the system, the Force Tech Engineering Director—along with colleagues, account manager Brian Eicher and project manager, Darren Strom are confident in knowing that this solution will meet St. Peter’s needs for the foreseeable future.

UK: Since relocating its hi-tech studio in Bath closer to Bristol, Distiller Music has taken the opportunity to develop a spatial environment, building on the legacy of its historic use of Martin Audio speakers.

As the former ‘Distillery I’ space has made way for the new upgraded ’Distillery II’—a fully-rigged, adaptive environment for rehearsal, recording, performance and production—it has added Martin Audio CDD-LIVE 8 to the pre-existing TORUS PA rig, processed through an Airsound spatial system.

In its latest incarnation, the studio has opted to make the facility commercially available for use by recording, film, music video and content producers, after previously being for private recording use only—with no live facility.

The men behind the specification are Sam Cunningham and Dave Roden, respectively also the Stereophonics’ long-time monitor and FOH engineer, and thus already heavily invested in Martin Audio technology. It was they who had originally specified TORUS several years ago—with four TORUS T1215 (15°) boxes for each stage wing—along with four SXC118 cardioid subs and four XE300 wedge monitors. A rack of iKON process control amps—three iK42 and an iK81—have recently been upgraded with Dante cards.

However, once in contact with Airsound, Cunningham set up a demo in the live room, using existing CDD10s that were incorporated in their breakout rooms, along with some CDD8—using Airsound Dipole technology at the back of the room, to assess the impact of an immersive objects-based environment.

IT PUTS US IN THE IMMERSIVE LISTENING SPACE AND IT’S INCREDIBLY IMPRESSIVE.

“We added these speakers around the room on high- and low-level trusses to create an immersive system that would still respect the main L/R nature of the existing larger TORUS house system,” Cunningham explained. “The Airsound software basically takes an Atmos mix and allows it to tell where the speakers are placed.”

US: The Martin Audio and TiMax series of roadshows moves to Massachusetts for its next US Open Day, which will take place on October 28th, with separate presentations and product demonstrations at 11am and 2pm. Hosting the event this time are Charles River Studios (Studio A), based at 495 Turnpike St. Canton, MA 02021.

The US team will be on hand to present and talk to attendees about upcoming projects and the attributes and potential applications. They will demonstrate Martin Audio FlexPoint, TORUS constant curvature and Wavefront Precision optimised line arrays, as well as TiMax immersive audio solutions … all of which will be featured.

THE CUSTOMER RESPONSE AND INTEREST HAVE BEEN IMMEDIATE AND OVERWHELMING.

But pride of place will go to Martin Audio’s new BlacklineQ. This series is a reimagining of the iconic Blackline range delivers improved passive two-way point source loudspeakers, all-new column speakers and a suite of subwoofers. The entire series features intelligent design details, making it equally at home in portable or install applications.

This will be matched by Martin Audio’s customary hospitality, and refreshments will be served throughout the day.

Commenting on the choice of venue, Lee Stein, VP North America, said it was time to return to the Northeast US, and Martin Audio colleague Martha Callaghan had suggested the venue as she was familiar with the facility. “We chose Boston as we hadn’t done an event of this scale there previously,” he said. “Martha thought it would be perfect, both functionally and locationally, for a Boston based Open Day.”

As for BlacklineQ, he added, “We’re very excited to debut this product. It expands what the previous BlacklineX offered by featuring different form factors, configurations, and dispersion horns. The customer response and interest have been immediate and overwhelming, and customers will be delighted to hear what these speakers can do.”

India: Drishti Events has taken its audio performance to the next level with the addition of the Martin Audio TORUS T1215 and T1230. In so doing the New Delhi-based production company has become the first in India to invest.

Built for short to-medium throw applications, the TORUS series offers crystal clear audio, smooth tonal consistency, and coverage patterns that adapt effortlessly to different event formats.

THIS MOVE REFLECTS DRISHTI EVENTS’ VISION AND LEADERSHIP IN THE INDUSTRY.

To match the clarity of the tops Drishti Events has also equipped the set-up withMartin Audio Blackline X218 dual 18in subwoofers. Powering it all are Linea Research 44M10 DSP amplifiers, providing advanced processing, precise system control and reliability.

This investment gives Drishti Events the versatility to excel across diverse venues and event types while enhancing their reputation as one of Delhi’s most capable and forward-thinking production companies.

Said Drishti Events director, Rajeev Bhatt, “This investment has been a defining step for our company. The clarity, consistency and adaptability TORUS brings allow us to take on a wider variety of events with complete confidence. It has enhanced our service quality, impressed our clients and strengthened our reputation as a premium event solutions provider.”

VMT director, Jeff Mandot, concluded, “This move reflects Drishti Events’ vision and leadership in the industry. It enhances their production capabilities, empowers them to deliver at the highest standard, and reinforces their standing as a leader in delivering premium event experiences.”

INDONESIA: Holywings is an Indonesian lifestyle and entertainment group with an eclectic selection of bars, clubs and live music venues, spread across the island’s key cities.

Many of the venues under the Holywings banner feature Martin Audio solutions, provided and installed by partner, GMT Group.

Their latest sound system upgrade – at the HW Superhouse Paskal Bandung live music bar – is no exception, although in this instance it is a new-generation Martin Audio WPC line array that provides the main stage hangs rather than the point source that populates many of the other venues. The system was conceived by the Marketing & Technical Director of GMT Group, Satrio Prisetya.

Superhouse Paskal Bandung itself is a large, near 400-capacity, open-plan venue with its stage set centrally. The venue offers combines live band performances with DJ sets, to create a true club atmosphere. Working with PT.GoshenSwara Indonesia, Martin Audio’s Indonesian distributor, GMT Group recommended this solution based on all performance requirements.

As a result, four WPC elements per side are paired with two SXH218 subwoofers per side in stereo stacks. These are supported by a pair of X15B outfills and four TORUS T1230 for delay, with a further pair each of SX218 and X118B subs for delay.

If this type of powerful, dynamic audio setup was required to support both DJ-based and live events, then this was matched by the dramatic lighting, stylish industrial interiors, and a spacious layout to deliver the full club experience.

The feedback from the customer could scarcely have been more positive. The HW Superhouse Paskal Bandung AVL team said, “We just wanted the sound to reach every corner evenly — and now it does.”

US: Situated at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, The Murphy Center—home to the University’s men’s and women’s basketball and track teams—recently commissioned a new Martin Audio WPS line array system, after a long gestation period, dating back several years.

The contract was won by the experienced Nashville-based Spectrum Sound Inc, which has been providing audio production services to customers since 1979 and has lately been turning increasingly to Martin Audio for its installed sound solutions.

The arena’s outdated PA system had reached end-of-life after years of patchwork fixes. To deliver modern performance and reliability, Spectrum Sound was tasked with designing a new solution. Key goals included consistent coverage, high speech intelligibility, and full-range musical reproduction across the 11,520-seat venue. With the space also hosting conferences, graduations, and community events, system versatility was essential.

Spectrum Sound’s team recognised that Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision series, with its advanced control and optimisation capabilities, was ideally suited to managing the challenging acoustics of a reverberant basketball court, further complicated by reflective glass walls. Martin Audio’s WPS and WPM arrays were chosen for their scalable coverage and clarity. This combination ensures powerful, adaptable sound for events of any size or format, delivering a consistent, high-quality experience in every seat. System Integration Sales Managers Ken DeBelius and Paul Royer secured the project after a compelling on-site demo by Martin Audio’s Director of Strategic Projects, Brad Stephens, won over the client.

Following the bid, Operations Manager Zach Mitchell and Project Manager Rod Hester, saw the implementation through to completion, with assistance from Martin Audio’s Product & Application Support Manager, Joe Lima. The latter quickly formed a positive working relationship with the Spectrum team, assisting with the system engineering, designing an inspired 360° subwoofer array and seeing the project through to commissioning.

“A major factor in choosing Martin Audio was its optimization technology,” said Zach Mitchell. “We needed precise coverage only where it was needed. We worked closely with Joe throughout the process, taking his concept and making sure it was properly implemented, all while keeping the client’s goals front and centre.”

The old system was removed, and new custom rigging and steels designed for the new PA. The design solution was for a six WPS arrays in the round. “Utilising a mixture of array sizes, along with FlexPoint FP15s as court fills and CDD12s as a delay ring behind the scoreboards, we were able to get consistent coverage in every seat,” Mitchell explained.

“A MAJOR FACTOR IN CHOOSING MARTIN AUDIO WAS ITS OPTIMIZATION TECHNOLOGY”

But the major triumph is the 360° sub bass array conceived by Joe Lima. This comprises four clusters of four SXCF118 cardioid subs flown in the centre of the arena.