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Kid Kapichi performing at The Printworks in Hastings with support from Martin Audio BlacklineX.

UK Live Venue Upgrades With Martin Audio For “Local Heroes” Concert

BlacklineX powered loudspeakers deployed for send-off concert by Kid Kapichi at The Printworks in Hastings.

The Printworks, the local venue of Hastings-based Kid Kapichi, which stamped its name on the UK rock scene last year, was treated to a sound reinforcement upgrade via Martin Audio BlacklineX powered loudspeakers that were implemented just before the pandemic lockdown.

The band is fronted by Jack Wilson and Ben Beetham (who share those honors), and for this gig, sound engineer Alfie Rolph made sure that they performed to 200 fans upstairs through a Martin Audio BlacklineX powered XP12/XP118 PA rig supplied by Old Barn Audio (OBA).

“The Martin Audio speakers represented a huge upgrade,” Wilson states, “and we’ll now be looking to use them for all future events of that level.”

Rolph, an employee of OBA and one of the Printworks’ sound techs, reviewed the existing sound system and decided it was time for an upgrade: “Although it was a tried and trusted system, I knew that for Kid Kapichi’s last gig here, these local legends needed a truly special send off.”

And so he turned to Old Barn Audio for recommendations. “I had heard great things about Martin Audio products and especially the BlacklineX Powered range so I was intrigued to hear them in action,” he says. “Speaking with Chris from Old Barn, we agreed on four XP12s and a pair of XP118s. On arrival I was surprised by how light the speakers were; speakers with built-in DSP are usually a two-man job to carry but these were easy to handle by myself. We got the speakers configured incredibly quickly, and I was surprised by how easy the BlacklineX Powered system was to set up.

“The sound from these speakers absolutely blew me away,” Rolph concludes. “Straight out of the box they were pretty much perfect. I only had to do slight EQ to match the room. I’ve never had so much control over the sound before. Every detail could be heard and it was as loud as I wanted it to be. Usually I would have to substitute bass for vocal clarity or have to constantly tell the guitarists to turn down because the speakers couldn’t match the level … but not anymore.”

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