Category: Martin Audio

UK: In a repeat of their successful deployment at OVO Arena Wembley for the 25th MOBO Awards, SWG Events this time headed north with their flagship Martin Audio WPL Line Array to the Utilita Arena, Sheffield for this year’s event

They had to overcome the challenges of providing balanced sound reinforcement for the live audience inside the 12,500-cap arena, while preserving the integrity of the set and striking a balance between the presenters’ mics and the live showcases, in a fast-paced show.

These live performances ranged from UK rap to Afrobeats, Dancehall to Pop/R&B and Garage, with back-to-back performances from Soul II Soul, Ghetts, Sugababes, Cristale, Byron Messia, King Promise and Camidoh, plus a Garage set from DJ Spoony. The event was hosted by Babtunde Aleshe,IndiyahPolack andZezeMills.

It required SWG Events to increase the WPL box count from 16 to 18 elements for each of the main L/R hangs, compared with last time; but more significantly, was the increased number of outhangs, comprising 12-a-side WPC—all driven in 2-box resolution from iKON iK42s.

Explaining the rationale SWG Events’ Head of Audio, Simon Purse stated, “It was a fairly standard arena set up, and [Sheffield] is a very pleasant-sounding space as far as arenas go. But the additional outhangs enabled us to better cover the raked seating in the nearfield. That was a massive benefit as the tonal response from WPC and WPL is really similar, so when you walk around the rig it just really works well.

“There’s the additional benefit of being able to use the same amp racks in the same configuration, in terms of the LK connectors, breakouts and big multicores that Martin Audio can provide. All of that worked brilliantly at the stage end.”

WE GOT THE VOCAL PRESENCE RIGHT OUT OF THE PA, AT AN EVENT WHERE INTELLIGIBILITY WAS THE NAME OF THE GAME.

As with the previous MOBO Awards, which took place in November 2022, they chose an 18-box SXH218 sub array in end fire configuration, with three rows of six subwoofers delayed to a central point. That works well in these arenas because you can achieve the broadside array coverage without intruding on the set design—it can sometimes be quite challenging with such a visually oriented set.”

To avoid interference with the LED screen the PA was trimmed at little higher than normal. Below, there was just a single stage but with a catwalk thrust on stage left, while on stage right there was a smaller thrust for the guest presenters.

SWG Events turned their attention to the stage, providing a number of Martin Audio’s top-of-the-range dedicated XE500 monitors for foldback and adding stage sidefills on each flank in the shape of TORUS T1215 stacked on a pair of SXC118 cardioid subwoofers on each side.

Purse formed an effective tag team with colleague, freelance engineer Matt Pope, who handled system tech and alternated FOH duties. “Matt focused on the musical performance elements while I handled presenter mics and guests,” he explained.

“There were a lot of different intricacies, and the infrastructure behind the show was complex compared with a standard headline arena show. We had our stage system, which was split to FOH and monitors, and another split to an OB truck, which is handling the live broadcast mix. Finally, there were further split heads to a TV truck that was dealing with the presenter microphones and presenter IEM units as well as a separate broadcast mix for presentation later in the week.”

And then there was the speed of turn-around to contend with and imponderables encountered when one merges a live show with an awards presentation. “But the PA element helps tremendously. If it goes in easily—which this did—we can focus on the job in hand.”

Other challenges included striving for good gain before feedback, and trying to adequately project a quietly spoken vocal.

To meet these obstacles requires a highly skilled crew. And these included Will Fisher(monitors); Ian Williams (Playback/Comms); Phil Hughes (RF Tech); Fraser Wilks, Sam Jones, Laura Evans (Stage Patch & general Audio engineering); Mark Bott (SWG Operations Manager) and Henry Roper (SWG Production assistant. All worked under overall production manager Rob Smalldon (of Marvellous Incorporated Ltd), as last year.

Having Martin Audio’s flagship WPL as their front-line PA has enabled SWG Events to push ever further into the world of arena shows. However, Simon Purse knows that fastidious prep now becomes ever more important.

For the MOBOs, having received the CAD files from the venue the SWG Head of Audio was able to plan ahead, arriving on site with all presets stored and ready to go. “For due diligence I then always take additional measurements. You never know exactly what you will find so I was able to fine tune it and utilise the array snapshot feature to update my array optimisations.

Summing up, Simon Purse said, “I was extremely happy with the sound. We got the vocal presence right out of the PA, at an event where intelligibility was the name of the game.”

Rob Smalldon agreed. “The team worked tirelessly to make sure we had a great sounding show especially with a few curve balls thrown in during the weeks leading up to the event,” he said.

“The support pre-event was magnificent, ensuring all the acts got what they needed audio wise, and the system sounded great in the arena. A show like this only works when the experts in their particular field bring their A game and work together with the rest of the production teams to deliver. It felt very calm on site, and everyone did a magnificent job.”

US: A sensitive installation of Martin Audio’s ADORN ACP-55T pendant speakers has been undertaken at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) West Building Gallery in Raleigh, NC, by RMB Audio.

Knowing that the installation required multiple architectural and art curator approvals, the integrators knew instinctively that the stylish pendants would provide the most aesthetically discreet, yet consummately effective means of sound distribution.

According to RMB Audio owner, Cooper Cannady, 16 of the shallow pendant speakers were selected for their 150° conical coverage (117 Hz to 20 KHz ± 3dB, -10db @73 Hz) and off-white finish which matched the ceiling. These were approved by the architectural committee after careful review.

The speakers are paired to cover the wall-to-wall open space. Three areas of the gallery were zoned for audio isolation to control the social gathering adjacent to the art exhibitions. The ACP-55T pendants were hung at 15ft height across three selected zones in the gallery to mitigate sound leakage into other areas.

THE ADORN PENDANT DESIGN BLENDS INTO THE GALLERY CEILING.

“Well-articulated speech is the most critical parameter for the sound system application,” notes Cannady, “and Martin Audio ACP-55T pendants deliver high sound pressure level for speech and background music for daily operation.”

The Martin Audio partners had reviewed there options carefully. But according to Cooper Cannady the choice was obvious. “I knew the project needed a 150° cabinet spaced symmetrically across the gallery,” he said. “Ceiling units could not be considered in these circumstances.”

The installation coincides with the 12th anniversary of NCMA’s Thomas Phifer–designed West Building—home of the ‘People’s Collection.’ It is the first sound system to be permanently installed in the gallery. Previously, mobile carts would be delivered to the space, and without the ceiling elevation, clarity was lost.

The building’s 2010 completion marked not only an award-winning architectural achievement in museum design but also a breakout project for New York City-based Thomas Phifer and Partners.

The continuous ceiling sky light design brings natural light to the exhibits. The continual skylight introduced the challenge to examine how sound can be introduced into the space that is intelligible coverage for the gallery and blending into the ceiling vaulted lighting.

Martin Audio’s compact two-way ADORN ACP-55T were specifically designed for background and foreground applications requiring premium performance and cost competitiveness in spaces with open ceiling architecture such as this.

Stated Martin Audio’s director of marketing, James King, “Adding these pendant speakers to our popular ADORN range has proved to be a winner. In retail spaces and venues with open ceiling architecture specifiers are coming to realise that not only do they meet the aesthetic requirement, but sonically they also provide consistent all-round coverage with absolute clarity, due to their wide-dispersion pattern.”

Summing up the installation, Cooper Cannady also confirms their discreet profile. “If you didn’t know where to look for [the speakers] you simply wouldn’t see them.

“The ADORN pendant design blends into the gallery ceiling; it does not distract the museum attendees and most significantly, spoken word is highly intelligible in the large space.”

Click here for the original article : https://martin-audio.com/news/press-release/martin-audio-adorn-pendants-perfect-for-museum-of-art

Martin Audio took full advantage of their new stand location at the Fira de Barcelona, ensuing they would drive heavy traffic to their booth at the recent ISE 2024.

By taking up a position front and centre of Hall 7 they were able to place major focus, not only on themselves, but brands across the Focusrite Group—thereby helping to demonstrate synergies and opportunities. Equally, in Martin Audio’s celebrated demo room, the integration of recent Focusrite acquisition, TiMax immersive sound, was showcased as well as localisation with stage tracking, helping to enhance the specific Martin Audio presentations.

According to Marketing Director, James King, “This was a deliberate strategy and one that really paid off. We have a wealth of expertise and product solutions for the pro audio industry within the Group now, and the with the recent addition of TiMax it made perfect sense to help shine a light on them too, while also helping to augment Martin Audio’s own showcase.

“The stand’s location helped enormously to bring fresh interest while our audio demonstrations gave a tour de force review of key product lines from our strongest ever line-up.

While it was too late in the day to fully integrate TiMax to the wider Focusrite Group stand in time for ISE 2024, all the promotional activity and cooperation undoubtedly helped drive increased interest to TiMax, who had a stand towards the back of Hall 7.

James King also noted that the week had been a near record one for Martin Audio’s website traffic. “It showed conclusively how favourably offline and online activity can intersect.”

Meanwhile, he promises that the Group will return to ISE 2025 with “an even bigger and better stand in the same location … and this time it will be with full TiMax integration.”

UK: Marquee AV recently helped boost the atmosphere at new London West End Italian restaurant, Daroco Soho, by installing a premium Martin Audio CDD sound reinforcement system.

Introduced to the project by design and construction consultant, Cotton Thompson Cole, Marquee’s project director Stacey Tough, says the preference for Martin Audio had been a joint decision between him and the clients themselves, who had specifically requested the brand. “The fact that they knew, and liked Martin Audio helped the process considerably,” he said. “As they already knew they were getting a first-class product we didn’t have to arrange a demo.”

The brief was to provide a system that would deliver quality sound with even coverage throughout, within the two-storey architecturally led environment. This includes the ‘Wacky Wombat’ cocktail bar in the basement with a DJ booth, providing a club-like atmosphere.

WE ARE DELIGHTED WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE RECENT AUDIO INSTALLATION.

Marquee AV have provided separate DJ input facilities on both floors, which operate on separate zones, accessed by a number of background music players. Programmable wall controllers on each floor allow for local volume control and independent source selection.

The sound system comprises six CDD8B and four SX210 subs in the basement (Wacky Wombat) and eight CDD6B, underpinned by four discreetly concealed SX210 subwoofers on the ground floor and a single CDD5B in reception. With sound needing to remain consistent through stairwells, corridors and toilets nine Martin Audio ADORN A55T were detailed to function as infills in these ancillary areas.

Explaining the logic behind this selection, the project director explained that the ceiling height had been the reason for selecting wall mounted CDD6’s for the ground floor, with anti-vibration mounts on both floors. “The subs are recessed into furniture and seating on both floors, while the ADORN speakers serve the corridors. In the basement bar the CDD8s are ceiling mounted, and a further four of the SX210s are incorporated into the seating, to support the DJ Set up .

In summary Stacey Tough can reflect on a thoroughly satisfying experience as the restaurant concept enjoyed a successful transition from its original base in Paris. In fact it had been the task of Cotton Thompson Cole to provided design support to the Client’s French architect, Olivier Delannoy from the REINH agency to bring the vision to life, coordinating the building works and ensuring the project remained on track through to completion.

As for the sound system, concludes Stacey Tough, “it behaved as exactly as we and the client wanted and it was a pleasure to work in such a beautifully designed interior.”

Praising the work carried out, Julien Ross, co-founder of Daroco, added, “We are delighted with the success of the recent audio installation at Daroco Soho. Working with Stacey and the Marquee AV team was a seamless experience, and their dedication to excellence truly shone through. The result of the installation exceeded our expectations, enhancing the overall audio experience at our venue.”

Photography by Géraldine Martens and Julie Spicy

As a key member of the project team at FACE, Martin Audio’s Belgian distributor, Steven Kemland played a major role in developing the sound systems at the Plopsa theme parks in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland—starting with Plopsa Indoor Hasselt, which opened in December 2005. Since then Martin Audio SR solutions have been a fairly constant feature of the various zonal installations and upgrades.

But just over a year ago a separate integration company, called Concept10 was set up by Kemland and partner Stijn Vermeiren, and while FACE remains an important supplier the operation enables them to provide not just audio, but a full turnkey audio visual, content and network integration.

Successive generations of Martin Audio speakers, from C115 to CDD and now TORUS constant curvature and FlexPoint have been specified for Plopsa, the most recent being the complex inside the area known as the Kiosk Village Square. This is dominated by an island stage where every morning and evening a show takes place (featuring Plopsa characters) while during the weekend different music groups take to the bandstand.

Previously Kemland had worked with Martin Audio to get products weatherised, and it was this first custom solution for CDD that had informed the development of the CDD-WR series for outdoor use.

Weatherproofing was again one of a number of requirements set out by the client for the refit of the Kiosk Stage and Square, inside the main entrance at Plopsaland de Panne. Kemland takes up the story.

THE TORUS CLUSTER PROVIDES A PERFECT ANSWER TO OUR NEEDS HERE.

“The Kiosk stage was built 12 years ago, when we installed three [Martin Audio] XD15 a side with WS218X subs. But 12 years is a long time—the stage was getting used more and more and instead of the anticipated maximum of 1000 people, during the weekend there would now be as many as 3000 people watching a show.”

Hence coverage became an issue. Not only would a line array be prohibitively expensive, he rationalised, but also the wrong solution since the audience is wrapped 160° around the stage which is open on all sides. “So we realised what we had to do was install TORUS to provide an even dispersion of 30 metres wide but 160° around the stage.

“We also wanted to have good dispersion across the complete square, which measures 50m x 80m. However, it also needed to be quieter at the back because there were fountains and things for children. So the sound needed to remain clear but drop by 10dB—and that’s working really great with TORUS, as at the end of the square, once you are beyond the 30-metre area, you have a nice sloping off of the sound. In that respect, TORUS is working perfectly.”

To accomplish this, a hanging cluster of four TORUS T1230 a side, augmented by a pair of FlexPoint FP8 on pillars, set 2m high on either side, provide downfill coverage, while a pair of S218X on either side provide low frequency extension.

“It’s the first time that we have integrated TORUS into a project, and it is providing a perfect solution,” says Steven Kemland. “The FP8s are also working great, and that is such a nice box,” adds the installer.

But the icing on the cake is once again the special WR version that was a joint venture between Martin Audio and Concept10. “Martin Audio delivered the boxes with a weatherised grille, and we took it from there, making special plates top and bottom, as well as a backplate—so now it’s completely waterproof. This type of custom work is something we are able to do now that we are independent, which we couldn’t have done previously.”

In January there will be a complete upgrade and harmonisation of the network (which is presently split between Dante and other platforms). CDD5 and CDD6’s will replace older Martin Audio C115s around the entrance, while various other zones in the Kiosk, including retail, will be upgraded. “We will have our own switches and network on separate fibre,” promises Kemland.

Rather than operate as an independent zone, the Kiosk is now tied into the voice evac, receiving emergency announcements that will duck the BGM. The network upgrade will allow any sound source to be routed to any zone on the suite. “For example, we can send DJ or live music to the complete park if we wish.”

Pieter Dewaegeneere from the Plopsa Investment Team confirms that all requirements have been met and the flexibility of the new network and sound upgrade will see the park safely into the future. “Plopsa has been working with the people behind the new Concept10, and their Martin Audio products for many years,” he confirmed. “For the Kiosk we were looking for a compact installation with a very wide distribution. The TORUS cluster provides a perfect answer to our needs here. With this investment we now have a real ‘live’ feeling on our entrance plaza … 365 days a year.”

JAPAN: 

Having taken place recently at Budou Romankan in the Japanese Prefecture of Okayama, Hoshioto Camp 23 is said to have been the first outdoor music festival in Japan to introduce immersive sound.

Each sound by the artists on stage could be heard from wherever they were standing –which isn’t the case with conventional left and right proscenium-type speaker systems – creating a sense of immersion. Local sound rental company, Bright, originally invested in Martin Audio’s WPC system back in 2020. When it was time to upgrade the event’s main speaker system, WPC was recommended as the “perfect overall fit” for its sound quality, controllability and sense of scale, after evaluation against other systems.

Kazuyuki Oshita, president of Bright, said there were other reasons why he recommended it to the organisers, notably its ability to deliver “consistency of sound right across the area”, and to mitigate against noise pollution by being able to contain the energy uniquely within the sound field.

The 16 principal WPC boxes were powered by Martin Audio’s multi-channel iK42 amplifiers, and to create the full immersion, an end-to-end Martin Audio solution was specified, including eight XD15, four SX218 subwoofers, six XP12, various XE300 and ADORN A55 enclosures.

Various other local rental suppliers, introduced to the main contractors by Martin Audio Japan, also tapped into their inventories to complete the complement required, which also included SPAT Revolution processing. These companies included Super 4, Music Reserve, Freeway and Network Papa.

Review notices couldn’t have been more positive. One stated: ”Of course the sound in front of the stage was powerful, but I felt it sounded good even from a distance.” Another said, “I’ve participated in Hoshioto at least five times, including camps, and the sound was the best ever.”

In addition to customer feedback, the organisers also remarked on how effective Wavefront Precision had been in reducing sound leakage into the neighbourhood, while Martin Audio Japan described the entire experiment as being “100% successful”, and that the deployment had succeeded “on every level”.

Martin Audio partner, Audio Video Electronics (AVE) has successfully upgraded the technical infrastructure at the Word of Faith Dominion Church (WOFD) in Lake Mills, Iowa.

Based in Brooklyn Park, MN the integrators opted for a TORUS constant curvature array solution after their engineering team had reviewed a number of possibilities.

According to AVE Sales Consultant, Kerry Graffunder, the Church’s existing PA had reached end of life and was no longer delivering the coverage or clarity required from a worship establishment that is just 25 years old. “The pastor merely requested some ‘thump in the trunk’ … and the intelligibility has greatly increased also,” he said.

This result was obtained by hanging a pair of TORUS, left and right of the stage, with a Blackline X218 subwoofer in the centre. Nearfield coverage is provided by a pair of Martin Audio’s differential dispersion DD6 under two angled scrims at the front of the stage. The new set-up is powered by a pair of Martin Audio’s iKON iK42 multichannel power amps.

Project lead, Karl Selander, explained how they had arrived at this solution. “We have many different HoW installations using [Martin Audio] CDD point source under our belts, but this was our first time wetting our feet with TORUS. We had not really had an opportunity to explore the TORUS line previously, but when we looked at the different options, it was clear that a CDD solution wasn’t the right fit for the room.”

“GIVEN THE HISTORY OF MARTIN AUDIO IT WAS THE CORRECT DECISION … IT’S GIVEN THE MINISTRY A TON OF EXTRA BENEFITS”.

Instead, by placing a T1215 (15° vertical pattern atop a T1230 (30°) he knew he could get both the throw and width of coverage in an 80ft x 80ft square room (particularly as due to the 17ft stage thrust the net coverage area for congregants was little more than 60ft).

The technical upgrade was undertaken in two phases, with a new mixing desk and control up on the balcony, forming the first phase, and the ‘racks and stacks’ following in phase two.

Martin Audio has been on their list of specified brands for the House of Worship specialists for as long as they can remember. The O-Line micro-array had marked one of AVE’s first forays into that market with the brand. “It was for a specific customer, and seemed a really good fit,” they noted.

However, moving on to TORUS—which adopts ahybridapproach betweenline arrayand point-source, Karl Selander led an exacting collaborative review, enlisting design support from Martin Audio’s US office, fronted by Martha Callaghan. This ensured they were deploying the correct solution and giving up to 200 congregants the best bang for their buck—whether receiving the word of the Lord from the celebrants, or rejoicing to the worship band.

While WOFD was fairly forgiving when it came to reverberation, unlike some worship houses, Martin Audio’s own technical support team assisted with the DISPLAY software modelling to ensure optimisation.

In fact the installation team had faced very few challenges, as Karl Selander explained. “The rigging solution we came up with ensured we could securely mount the T12 grid. It was relatively simple to get the angles correct, using Unistrut [brackets] attached to the existing purlin and optimize the pan and tilt angles. It went up extremely quickly.”

Presets available in Martin Audio’s VU-NET software for selecting the installed TORUS configuration gave them the head start they needed, and the recommended FIR filters placed on the appropriate amp channel. “We then just needed to dial in any problem frequencies within the room. After that, it sounded great straight out of the box.”

Selander’s verdict on TORUS? “The size of the cab was easy to work with, and the tech crew there had no problems moving anything around. The adjustments that were available with the waveguides were simple to understand and use and the support from Martin Audio was spot on. We had all the information we needed right out of the gate.”

Kerry Graffunder added his own endorsement, praising the support from Martin Audio and Callaghan’s recommendation in particular. “Given the history of Martin Audio it was the correct decision … it’s given the Ministry a ton of extra benefits.”

Pastor Doug Domokos is in no doubt that the new installation will lead the Church forward. “[The team] went above and beyond,” he said. “We had high expectations, and these have been exceeded. The ‘praise’ team is extremely pleased and say the sound is a difference of ‘night and day’ … it’s now just so clean.”

With over 40 ‘Popworld’ late night bar/discos in their estate, major leisure operators, Stonegate Group, recently refreshed the brand by unveiling their next generation interior.

Popworld Bournemouth, like most of the others, has benefitted from a creative and immersive audio-visual integration courtesy of Martin Audio partners, Middlesex Sound & Light (MSL).

Occupying the site of a former Walkabout Inn, which had also been equipped with Martin Audio premium sound, MSL were able to service, recondition and redeploy some of the pre-existing kit across the five-zone interior. Where auxiliary sound has been required, they have met the challenge by specifying Martin Audio’s compact but high output ADORN series in the shape of A55T surface mount and ACS-40TS ceiling speakers.

The operators have made their heaviest investment yet in audio visual, flipping their earlier concept of an illuminated dancefloor, and now running a fluid overhead pixel-driven lightshow to create a party vibe, while cheesy pop music is played out through a combination of the new and redeployed Martin Audio enclosures.

“MARTIN AUDIO DOMINATES NEARLY ALL OF THE POPWORLDS WE’VE FITTED OUT”.

“Martin Audio dominates nearly all of the Popworlds we’ve fitted out,” confirms MSL project manager, Toby Jones. “It is our go-to brand because it delivers good quality, with excellent sonic response; it’s also reliable and represents fantastic value for money.”

From an audio perspective, Jones designed the venue into a five-zone interior, plus a separate one for DJ monitoring, where he has specified a pair of powerful Blackline X10.

Assigned to the first zone is the main dancefloor where they have turned to Martin Audio sister brand, Optimal Audio, for four Cuboid 12s, ceiling-mounted in a quad landscape array. Providing LF extension is a pair of existing Martin Audio WS218X subwoofers, which have now been reassigned to the dancefloor.

Off the dancefloor, and forming a second zone, are front VIP booth areas, and these are serviced by four wall-mounted Blackline X8 which fit unobtrusively into the booths. “These are all time aligned and delayed to the dancefloor — and can handle increased volume where necessary,” he continues.

MSL have been super-creative in a dedicated Selfie area (which is their third zone). A neat Selfie wall with pixel string lights and two-way mirrors is complemented by a pair of wall-mounted Blackline X8.

Coverage in the main bar area is provided by six original Blackline F12 (reassigned from the previous installation)—again, all in landscape mode and flown from the ceiling. These are matched by a pair of pre-existing X118 subwoofers.

Toby Jones had no hesitation in recommending that the client retain some of their original tech. “After all,” he says, “Blackline is a tried and trusted product. It’s been in the venue and worked extremely well for them over the years … so why dispose of it?”

However, in the ambient areas he has turned his attention elsewhere in the Martin Audio portfolio. The ADORN A55Ts line the corridor, while in the basement toilets the music is routed through the newly programmed DSP to the four ADORN ACS-40TS ceiling speakers (two in each toilet).

In conclusion the installer states, “Stonegate have established a next generation immersive—both aurally and visually. And Blackline X will be a vital part of the ongoing success story.”

Take one artiste, one hyper-cardioid wireless mic and 35 years of comedy history and you have Eddie Izzard’sRemix Tour Live. Take an unimaginably disparate collection of venues and halls, ranging from 2,200-cap down to 840—some with tiered balconies, and some with no flying facilities—add in weird sound effects ranging from dinosaurs to Darth Vader (and a whisper to a scream) …and you potentially have a mighty headache for the production team.

Fortunately Eddie has toured with Martin Audio’s scalable, compact and supremely versatile WPS line array previously, and her production crew are well aware of the system’s adaptability. In fact Solotech senior account manager, Robin Conway, discloses that “the last Eddie Izzard tour [Wunderbar, in 2019] was part of the reasons I bought WPS in the first place. This time around production and I wanted to try and provide the same level of consistency while retaining a single truck.” Hence the inventory was stripped back to a bare minimum.

The sound design was expertly reworked from venue to venue by the experienced FOH team of sound engineer, Scott (Scoobie) Scherban and system tech, Rayne Ramsden—working alongside production manager, Stephen Reeve. They knew to expect the unexpected, and as Rayne put it, “each venue has been a beast of its own.”

Production carried just 24 WPS to enable 12-a-side elements to be flown at the largest venue, Birmingham Symphony Hall (2,200-cap), as well as four SX218, half a dozen DD6 (generally as lipfills) and a pair of XD12 for various balcony delays or sidefills. This scaled down to just a pair of WPS a side ground stacked on a single SX218 at bijou theatres such as the Brighton Theatre Royal and Richmond Theatre. The rig, in whatever configuration, is driven in the optimum 1-box resolution from Martin Audio’s iKON multi-channel amplifiers. Elsewhere, in Glasgow they had a stacked six-a-side WPS on a single SX218, while in Cardiff they reverted to a vertical SX218 with four WPS stacked on top, presenting the potential problem of obscured sightlines. To say WPS had to function as a workhorse is putting it mildly.

“TO BE ABLE TO GROUND STACK LIKE THAT AND MANAGE TO COVER THREE BALCONIES UP IS PURE GENIUS”.

Scoobie was highly complimentary of WPS’ ability to achieve the near impossible, citing one venue which only permitted a single sub with four WPS stacked on top. “It did an incredible job,” he said. “To be able to ground stack like that and manage to cover three balconies up is pure genius.”

He faced the additional challenge of contending with a vast assortment of mic gymnastics (bordering on abuse) as Izzard worked through trademark classic skits. He approached it as a “hybrid rock / theatre show,” explaining … “the thunder and lightning effects make the opening surprisingly big and bold … and so it has to be loud.”

Vocal simulations range from his Darth Vader [Canteen of the Death Star] sketch where she’s cupping the mic, to capturing her imitating dinosaurs eating, notes Scoobie. “There is a lot of mumbling, and the challenge is to capture the sound from the most subtle level right the way through to absolute scream. The gain on the microphone is huge.” Two separate preamps were assigned to the mic—one dedicated to speech, the other for her effects channel to get the level up sufficiently.

Rayne Ramsden also highlighted the challenges of deploying different stacked PA configs in venues without hanging points or low weight bearing capacity.

Getting a single mic to travel with power and clarity into the deepest recesses of small venue was one of Rayne Ramsden’s prime concerns. ”Having the one-box resolution was really useful in being able to move the audio within the space”, he says. But he also needed to minimise the sound coming back off the box that the mic would inevitably pick up “and make sure it is as limited as possible.”

He has been using Martin Audio DISPLAY 2 software to optimise the sound. “It’s much quicker to get a 2D CAD slice out than to draw the whole venue particularly when you don’t have pre-given calculations.” He has also made full use of the Hard Avoid feature in DISPLAY. “There’s been a lot of usage of that onstage,” he admits, “to avoid the rear side of the box. Also, some of the venues had a tiered roof that I had to make sure I didn’t hit.”

Having worked with WPS now in many different modes and deployments, he concludes, “The great thing about WPS is that it’s a big sounding box in a small format, which helped keep the sightlines as clear as possible. You can use it anywhere … as a nice complement to WPL as delays or side hangs.” Or clearly as a stand-alone workhorse PA in its own right.

The Luzhou Laojiao Command Center in Sichuan Province, China, now features Martin Audio’s O-LINE microarray, enhancing the venue’s audio and video capabilities following successful integration and commissioning.