HITACHINAKA, Japan — MSI Japan, which has supported the Rockin’ On magazine-sponsored Rock in Japan music festival since it was launched 12 years ago, provided a Martin Audio MLA system for the largest of the six stages at this year’s event.
More details from Martin Audio (www.martin-audio.com):
Martin Audio’s award-winning MLA system continued to wow audiences in the Far East with a successful tour of duty at Japan’s largest festival, Rock in Japan.
Promoted by music magazine publishers Rockin’On, and an annual event for twelve years, the three-day extravaganza featured over 100 of Japan’s leading rock bands and artists and drew a crowd of around 60,000 daily to the venue at the Hitachi Seaside Park in Hitachinaka.
Rental company MSI Japan, who provided front line sound reinforcement for the event every year, now had the luxury of fielding the MLA for the largest of the six stages (Grass Stage)—specified by the company’s president, Shuzo Fujii.
The promoters were already aware of the power of the MLA system, having experienced it on the second stage (Lake Stage) at last year’s festival, where the system enjoyed its Japanese debut. It was so successful, they were happy to endorse its promotion to main stage this year.
With Martin Audio Technical Training Manager, Martyn ‘Ferrit’ Rowe, optimizing last year’s sound, the system tech duties this year passed to Dave Sugawara.
A procession of headline artists, including Princess Princess, Yuki, KREVA, Perfume, Spitz, The Hiatus and Acidman all played through MLA with their respective sound engineers all commenting on the sonic quality and characteristics.
For MSI Japan the challenge involved throwing the sound over 250 meters without a delay tower, which the 19 MLA elements and one MLD per side managed effortlessly. This was further boosted by the LF extension offered by two hangs of six MLX subs and an additional 11 on stage.
Reflecting on a hugely successful weekend (in which further MLA enclosures from MSI Japan were also on duty at another baseball stadium show, Osamu ‘Sam’ Yamashita from Audiobrains, Martin Audio’s Japanese distributor, stated, “The beauty of MLA was that it maintained its consistency right across the 200 meter throw distance. But at 300 meters there is a parking lot—and the system was optimized so that the sound could hardly be heard at all from there.”
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