Martin Audio WPS enhances CupOJoy experience
- Details
Part of a complete audio-visual fit-out masterminded by local system integrators CCCP (Camera Corner), a Martin Audio Wavefront Precision WPS line array was specified after careful evaluation.
Since the facility - whose mission is to be a family-friendly venue, offering ‘music that inspires’ - is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers, the two-year fund-raising programme, leading up to the investment, required an outcome that would please operators and donors alike. And the WPS has certainly delivered.
CupOJoy’s technical director, Mark Berg comments, “When we fired up the PA for the first time before the launch event I was flabbergasted by the quality of the sound, and [CupOJoy director], Jan Oettinger, said she was moved to tears. After the benefit concert two days later, multiple people came up, including one of our donors, stating that it sounded ‘amazing’.”
As this is the first sound system installed in the main space, in view of the size and scope of the room, it presented a major challenge, confirmed Oettinger.
CCCP’s Steve Littlepage was tech head and system designer. He detailed two WPS line array hangs, seven elements per side, driven in single box resolution from two Martin Audio iKON iK81 amplifiers (with channel eight of each iK81 used to drive DD6 front-fills). These are set either at the edge of the stage, or operate on a thrust with a different system preset. Four SX218 subwoofers, driven by the iK42, are flown in an end-fire configuration and aligned with the arrays.
Mark Berg pointed out further advantages of reduced real estate in having the iKON multi-channel, process-controlled amps. “It means we can run the entire system off just three amps instead of many more required in the rack with the other two systems [we reviewed]. It was one of the main selling points of the system.”
CCCP also provided new projector, screen and PTZ cameras, and created a flexible infrastructure for touring productions to patch into the system with their control. Crucially, this will also be networked to CupOJoy’s smaller 200-cap venue across the hall, where an appropriate PA is installed. A Q-SYS backbone provides system flexibility between Performance mode for concerts and a Presentation mode via touch panel or iPad app, for corporate events.
