–Production Hire Unleashes Monster On The Banks of Loch Ness––
When Production Hire realized the amount of summer festival work and autumn dance events that were available if the company could provide adequate PA coverage, proprietor Mark Neal decided it was time to invest in a potent line array system. And the move paid instant dividends.
After evaluating a couple of leading systems, Neal purchased 24 Martin Audio W8L Longbow line array enclosures and gave them a critical first initiation at the RockNess Music Festival near Inverness this month, where Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, Dizzee Rascal and Flaming Lips were among the headliners.
He ran 12 W8L hangs a side, with W8LD Downfills on the front corners providing the necessary infill, while Martin Audio’s predictive 3D Display software made sure the coverage was fully optimized.
It didn’t take long for Neal to realize he’d made the right decision. “The system definitely throws and there must have been 25,000 in front of it when Prodigy appeared on stage,� he reports.
“We always knew Longbow would handle live shows but we first tried it out at a dance music event —and it was sensational.� But the clincher was the power of the low-mids. “We really like that because it’s 1� instead of 1.4�. This leads to a very sparkly system which goes all the way up and down the frequency range, which a lot of line arrays don’t do.�
Neal also noted that because the system is horn-loaded the sound tends not to flap around in the wind. “Again, this is a problem with many other systems I have experienced,� he adds.
Mark Neal’s marketing rationale also appears to have been right on the money. Whereas last year he had only been able to cover Stage 2 at RockNess for production company Loud Sound Events (using the seven-a-side W8LC rig), this year he could handle both, adding W3’s for infill support on the second stage.
“Aside from the additional festivals we can now do this summer, we have a series of autumn dance events lined up, and Longbow will be perfect for that.�
For more about Martin Audio, please call 519.747.5853, email [email protected], or click to www.martin-audio.com.
