LAS VEGAS – Middlesex Sound & Light (MSL) has completed the largest contract in its 41-year history with the opening last fall of Swingers, a 40,000-square-foot golf venue at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The venue features 170 Martin Audio loudspeakers.
More details from Martin Audio (www.martin-audio.com):
Located inside the massive 40,000 sq. ft. Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, the venue features an impressive 170 Martin Audio loudspeakers, including 122 CDD6 models. This popular speaker series has been a go-to for MSL since Swingers first launched its corporate-friendly crazy golf concept in London, later expanding to the U.S. Swingers London was one of the earliest adopters of the CDD line, and to date, MSL has completed more CDD installations than any other UK-based dealer.
Swingers was founded by successful entrepreneurs Matt Grech-Smith and Jeremy Simmonds. Martin Audio systems are now a standard across all Swingers locations as the vibrant entertainment concept continues to grow. Supported by MGM Resorts, the Las Vegas venue features four 9-hole crazy golf courses and Swingers’ new fairground-style Carnival games arcade.
The centerpiece of Swingers Las Vegas is a large, 1920s-style English country house, with its façade animated by a continuous stream of projected visuals.
To create a classic proscenium-style PA system, three Martin Audio TORUS T1230 constant curvature arrays are discreetly flown on each side, paired with cardioid SXCF118 subwoofers. Four powerful CDD10 speakers are installed in the house’s “sunken garden,” where a spacious balcony doubles as a stage for small musical acts and corporate presentations. Additional CDD10s serve as reference monitors for performers, while a DJ booth is located on the lower level of the house—playing a key role as the energy ramps up later in the day. Across the venue, 122 CDD6 loudspeakers provide comprehensive coverage.
MSL system designer Steve Billington shared that the Las Vegas venue is a conversion of the former LIGHT nightclub. His initial site visit focused on determining whether any existing audio equipment could be reused. “But it was clear that nothing was salvageable,” he explained. “With our established brand standard, Martin Audio was the obvious choice. The real challenge was adapting that standard to such a large-scale space.”
“With a constantly moving audience, we go with the CDD6 because of its ultra-wide dispersion and consistent coverage compared to traditional speakers,” Billington said. This speaker’s rectangular, expandable coverage pattern delivers exceptional performance up close.
MSL typically uses a ratio of three SX subwoofers for every 12 CDD6s. For this venue, a cardioid SXC115 was also placed in the DJ booth to limit sound bleed into a private event space directly behind it. “This keeps the bass impact on the dancefloor without disturbing the VIP area,” Billington noted. Elsewhere, low-frequency extension is handled by a mix of 30 SX110 and SX210 subwoofers.
Much of the planning took place in 3D design software prior to installation. The system design was modeled using Martin Audio’s advanced DISPLAY3 visualization software, incorporating Revit and SketchUp models from the project architect. “SketchUp is incredibly powerful, especially for simulating TORUS,” said Billington. “We’re very familiar with CDD, but with TORUS it was valuable to visualize the exact coverage.”
Both Billington and MSL Managing Director Darrel Olivier noted that despite the venue’s large footprint, “the beauty of the TORUS boxes in this environment is that they blend in seamlessly thanks to the height at which they’re installed.”
Signal distribution runs on a 10GB network with a fully redundant fiber backbone, transmitting Dante audio from BSS Soundweb London into Martin Audio’s iKON process-controlled amplifiers.
Swingers co-founder and co-CEO Jeremy Simmonds said, “When we started designing a flagship Swingers to take over the enormous LIGHT nightclub space at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas—the entertainment capital of the world—it quickly became clear that we were building the best competitive socializing venue in the world.
“MSL was the perfect partner for this ambitious project, bringing exceptional creativity and technical expertise to the table. Their contribution has been a huge part of the venue’s incredible success.”
And the Swingers momentum shows no signs of slowing down. The brand plans to expand to more major U.S. cities, with international locations on the horizon.
