Irvine California––This year’s KROQ Weenie Roast Y Fiesta was both a 20th Anniversary musical celebration and a heartfelt remembrance for the Beastie Boys’ Adam “MCA” Yauch who passed away from cancer the day before the show.
Delicate Productions, also celebrating their 20th Anniversary of providing sound for KROQ’s legendary event, upped the ante with the new Martin Audio Multi-cellular Loudspeaker (MLA) system, which they were using for the first time at the Roast.
Held at the Verizon Amphitheatre, the event featured headliner Coldplay who had just completed three sold-out shows at the Hollywood Bowl, along with heavyweights Incubus, The Offspring, Silverspun Pickups, Pennywise, Angels & Airwaves, The Dirty Heads, Garbage, AWOLNATION, Grouplove, Of Monsters and Men and Walk The Moon.
During the high-impact show with a surprise appearance by the recently reunited Soundgarden, Coldplay capped off an exceptional set featuring their hits with a solemn piano version of “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” as a tribute to Yauch and the band that broke so many musical boundaries.
The overall system consisted of 15 MLA enclosures and one MLD downfill enclosure per side for the main system, seven MLAs and one MLD per side for sidefill, 12 MLX subwoofers (3 flown and 9 ground-stacked), eight W8LMs for front fill, and Martin Audio LE700 stage monitors. Delicate also provided Yamaha PM5D consoles for monitors.
Delicate’s crew for the Roast included Andy Turner (FOH Tech), Brennan Houser (System Tech), Steve Walsh and Manny Barajas (Monitor Techs), Dave Reyna (RF Tech), Manny Perez and Peter Baigent (Stage) and Meegan Holmes (Project Manager).
Asked about the Martin Audio MLA system’s performance, Delicate Director of Touring Jason Alt said, “It was phenomenal. Expectations for the system were great and it performed above and beyond. Given the variety of artists that played, whatever people put into it, they got out of it. Overall, every engineer that mixed on the system had a really positive experience and was blown away by the fidelity of the system.”
For more about Martin Audio, please click to www.martin-audio.com.
About MLA™ (Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array)
The result of many years of intensive R&D, MLA’s methodology replaces trial-and-error array design with intelligent numerical optimization of the array’s output based on a highly accurate acoustic model. The multi-cellular format has six individual cells in each enclosure, each with its own DSP and amplification.
With up to 24 enclosures, each MLA array has up to 144 cells — too great a number to optimize manually, or by ear. Instead, Martin Audio’s proprietary Display2™ system design software automatically calculates FIR DSP filters for each cell and a redundant-ring audio network (U-NET™) downloads the settings into each array enclosure. Martin Audio’s VU-NET™ software provides real-time control and monitoring of the system.
MLA delivers a frequency response and SPL consistency never before achievable; a very high system output (140dB peak, per cabinet @1m); Automatic optimization of the array, both physically (splay angles) and electronically (DSP); Computer control and monitoring of the entire system, and total control of sound system balance for engineers and sound technicians.
MLA is fully integrated, with Class D amplification, DSP and U-NET digital audio
network built into each enclosure. MLA complete systems are ready-to-use, with MLA, MLD and MLX enclosures, flying hardware, software, cabling and training all supplied. Everything needed is included. All ancillary items — from tablet PC and Merlin™ controller to network interconnects and mains distro — are also included in the complete system package. This ensures full compatibility worldwide, down to cabling and accessories.
Additional features include 90° x 7.5° dispersion; a compact size (1136mm wide x 372mm high x 675mm deep), one-box-fits-all (festivals to theaters) application range and a global voltage, power factor corrected power supply.
MLA’s compact size and very high output allows it to be shipped using smaller trucks, offering considerable savings and reduced carbon footprint. The system also includes the MLX powered, flyable subwoofer capable of an unprecedented measured peak output of 150dB @ 1m; MLD downfill cabinet, and Merlin 4-in/10-out system controller and network hub. Audio input is via analog, AES3 or U-NET.
By adopting these principles and system components MLA is optimized for every member of the audience — from a 2,000 capacity theater, to a 20,000-seat arena, to a 100,000-person festival site. It will deliver the engineer’s exact mix to every seat (up to over 150 meters) with precision, exceptional power and clarity.
About Martin Audio®
Founded by audio engineer David Martin in 1971, Martin Audio pioneered the use of all-horn-loaded bass designs in world-class touring loudspeaker systems for groups such as Pink Floyd, ELP and Supertramp. Located outside of London, Martin Audio now embodies a sophisticated mix of acoustic design, research, mathematical modeling and software engineering for a wide range of products in the installation, cinema and touring sound markets.
