Glastonbury is regarded as the mother of all festivals with arguably the most iconic of stages. The Pyramid Stage showcases the world’s greatest talent and therefore needs to sound loud, proud and faultless, but it also needs to meet the strict criteria set in stone by the license.
Attempting to quantify exactly what makes Glastonbury so special is always difficult, but this year there is one further special ingredient being added to the mix: Martin Audio’s ground-breaking MLA, courtesy of RG Jones Sound Engineering, will grace the Pyramid Stage for the first time.
The fact that Martin Audio is teaming once again with RG Jones builds on a Glastonbury relationship that started back in 2008. Glastonbury has become the largest green space open-air festival in the world, attracting more than 150,000 attendees who expect pristine sound, and where artists can make, break or further their careers.
So when RG Jones first specified Martin Audio speakers for the iconic Pyramid stage back in 2008, their combined reputation was put to the ultimate test. But successive years of using the Longbow system proved more than a match, with the powerful full-frequency sound stirring the crowds, the proprietary software system Display™ helping to maintain off-site noise limits, and the combined expertise of the companies delivering consistently standout moments.
Key to the longevity and pedigree of Glastonbury, however, is that founders and organizers, the Eavis family, have always demanded the festival remain true to its roots and absolutely up-to-date at the same time. It is therefore fitting that Martin Audio’s MLA will debut this year, bringing forth its reputation for sound quality alongside its scientifically proven ability to direct sound evenly and consistently across the audience and to control leakage beyond the audience perimeter.
RG Jones was the first UK Company to invest in the system in 2012 and has witnessed the systems growing reputation first hand. As Managing Director John Carroll said, “We were not content to follow the crowd when it came to choosing our flagship system. MLA is the next generation and there’s nothing out there to match it. The timing seemed right this year and our continued support from Martin Audio is second to none”. With Simon Honywill, Senior Project Consultant for RG Jones, having such extensive experience of the system also helped convince the Glastonbury production team that MLA had earned its rightful place on the Pyramid stage.
Summing up, Jason Baird, R&D Director for Martin Audio, said, “It was my career highlight back in 2008 working on our very first Glastonbury, but I think with MLA this year, it may well be topped. It’s a great endorsement of our system not just for its coverage and control, but because it has a reputation for being such a neutral, uncolored canvas for engineers to mix upon. With such an eclectic line up once again this year, MLA will more than do justice to everything from Dolly Parton to Kasabian, which is good news for the artists, visiting engineers and of course the audience.”
For more about Martin Audio, please click to www.martin-audio.com.
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.
