Soundworks of Virginia, one of the first live sound production companies in the world to acquire Martin Audio large-format WPL line arrays at the beginning of 2019, recently used the rig to provide sound reinforcement for a performance by R&B vocal group Boyz II Men at the Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion, a 6,500-capacity outdoor amphitheater in Portsmouth, VA.
The venue is familiar to the Soundworks team, and while load-in and rigging protocols are straightforward, there are acoustic challenges to be met due to a a tent-like material to cover the 3,000 seats nearest the stage. Soundworks engineer and system tech Bryan Hargrave notes, “Since we did not have serious noise abatement issues to address, I used the Hard Avoid feature available in [Martin Audio’s proprietary] DISPLAY software to prevent reflections and interaction with the tent cover. This makes a very positive impact on the sound quality and is appreciated by both band engineer and audience alike.”
Bobby Scherberger is the venue production manager, and since Martin Audio was listed on the band’s rider, once he had cleared the WPL rig with the Boyz II Men production team, he contacted Soundworks. “We have worked with Bobby for many years and at numerous different venues,” says Soundworks president Grant Howard. “He is aware of Soundworks’ equipment and has total confidence in our experience and capability. It’s fair to say he has become a fan of Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision.
To provide optimum coverage, Soundworks hung 12 WPL elements per side that were run in two-box resolution from the iKON multichannel amplifiers. Subwoofers comprised 16 SHX218s in a castellated cardioid array. Five WPS provided frontfill coverage while four WPS and an SXH218 on either stage wing took care of sidefills. Three XE500 stage monitors were provided for the singers’ reference sound.
Explaining the two-box resolution, Howard says that for larger shows they generally power the system in single box resolution and subs in bridged amp channel mode when sufficient power is available. “But another plus with Wavefront Precision is you can adjust the system’s resolution and sub power to cut amp channel usage in half with a barely perceptible change in performance,” he adds. “As in this case, when we had lots of other events going on simultaneously, the fact that amplifier power/DSP could be rationed enabled us to take on more jobs which obviously means greater profit.”
Hargrave notes that whenever space permits, they find the castellated cardioid array provides the best overall performance. “Additionally, the latest version of DISPLAY 3 not only dictates delay times but also takes care of amp gain shading for sub arrays as well. The results we are getting out of the box with very little time or effort expended are excellent.”
He adds that the band’s crew was “top notch” and included production manager John Lopez, FOH engineer Bill Fegley, and monitor engineer John Eline. As Soundworks of Virginia plunges into festival season, CEO and founder Steve Payne concludes, “It is hard to imagine that I could be more pleased with the impact Wavefront Precision has had on our business. Our WPC and WPS systems are covering venues we have been serving for years with greatly improved results over our previous systems. Everyone — the client, the attendees, the security guards — everyone comments on the great sound.”
For more information: https://martin-audio.com
