In late September, thousands gathered on Washington D.C.’s National Mall for a 12-hour-long event entitled “The Day of Return,” a global day of prayer and repentance, with MHA Audio (Frederick, MD) deploying Martin Audio MLA and other components to deliver sound reinforcement.
The event presented speakers such as Jonathan Cahn, Dr. James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Ann Graham Lotz, Alveda King, Kevin Jessip and several others, who could be heard both inside and beyond the fenced-in ticketed area. The main hang consisted of 11 MLA elements plus an MLD Downfill per side, with 18 MLX subwoofers arranged in a broadside cardioid array.
“We were only covering 150 feet because it was a small compound, but we also had to cover the crowds outside the compound,” explains MHA Audio president Mike Scarfe. As a result, the company also set up two delay masts, each consisting of 12 MLA Compact elements, to cover over 250 feet of the mall. A broadcast link was also provided, as the event went out to 80 nations by satellite.
“It’s a unique space, with the Capitol Building as the backdrop. MLA is superb for the spoken word, I think that it’s the most articulate loudspeaker out there,” Scarfe says.
Social distancing was in place, with about 1,200 people in an area generally designated for 5,000. The audience could enter in pairs and each row was spaced 12 feet apart, with 8 feet between the seats. Demarcations were set with many rows of bike rack fencing.
MHA Audio’s duty crew comprised Dave Rittenhouse as front of house engineer and MLA tech. Other key personnel included Brad Bryan (monitor engineer), Keith Suffecool and Paul Vallette (A2) along with Jim Dugan and Atticus Miranda (RF techs).
The mall was generally packed for the day since an additional 25,000-plus people also congregated for a rally at the Lincoln Memorial organized by evangelical preacher Franklin Graham.
