GHENT, Belgium — ARC Productions provided sound equipment from Martin Audio to enhance the stage at the annual Boomtown festival in Belgium. The company says the Martin MLA Compact and Mini system not only directed the sound in front of the fans, it also reduced the level of noise dispersion beyond the concert area, which was a main concern.
More details from FACE (Foundation for Audiovisual Commerce & Engineering) (www.face-be.eu):
Boomtown is a pop music festival which takes place in Ghent every year during the “Gentse Feesten.” According to FACE (Foundation for Audiovisual Commerce & Engineering), “With MLA we’re not only using a great sound system, the MLA system is also an asset in sound control. It’s a winning solution at city festivals where noise pollution is an important topic.”
The full light and sound installation at the “Kouter” in Ghent at Boomtown festival was provided by ARC Productions, which specializes in sound, light, video projection and custom-designed productions.
To let Boomtown’s visitors fully enjoy their favorite national and international bands, ARC Productions worked with 16 Martin Audio MLA Compact as main system, 8 MLA Mini as delay system, two W8VDQ loudspeakers as infill, and 12 WS218X sub-bass systems in a matrix configuration. For onstage monitors, ARC Productions provided the LE1500 high performance stage monitors.
The MLA Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array delivers dramatically increased level of performance and consistency of audience coverage compared to conventional touring arrays. Unlike line arrays ─ which aim to produce iso-phasic wavefronts as they exit from the array (usually up in the air in real-world applications) ─ MLA cellular technology is designed to achieve phase-coherent summation across the audience itself. MLA technology gives the system tech the tools to control sound throughout the venue with absolute confidence and the FOH engineer can mix knowing that the balance set at the mix position will be heard everywhere. For the Boomtown festival, ARC Productions uses MLA Compact and MLA Mini to keep noise pollution as low as possible.
The Martin Audio W8VDQ combines line array and differential dispersion technologies to provide an advanced solution to the requirement of even coverage over wide angles and throw distances. The resultant dispersion pattern is ideally suited to cover audiences located in front of the Boomtown stage.
Martin Audio’s WS218X is high performance sub-bass system which is designed for use at medium to large event locations. By placing the sub-basses in a matrix configuration, controlling the radiation pattern of the sub frequencies happens in an efficient way. In this configuration, there’s a significant reduction on the back and the sides of the sub matrix but maximum power and tonality are kept in the listeners’ area. By using an ‘hard avoid area’ on stage in the design of the MLA Compact combined with the level reduction at the back side of the sub matrix, a quiet stage is created which musicians and monitor tech will appreciate.
Jeroen Willems, FACE account manager, adds, “A clear and proper sound goes directly and accurately throughout the audience. MLA Compact is a great and precise system for sound engineers to work with. The advanced control of the radiation pattern of the system gives us a great extra tool for difficult situations we have at city festivals.”
