Their brief to Most Technical's Dave Parry was to take the use of entertainment technology to a new level.
This he has done by a bespoke integration of sound, lighting and video, with the mainstay of the sound system being a Martin Audio W8L Longbow line array, which incorporates Timax Outboard Processing; this allows the sound to be mapped in three dimensions and be manipulated around the entire space by the operators. Another core element is Djenerate's new BodyKinetic interactive dance floor system with some 75,000W of sound pumped through the floor, which is underfitted with eight strobes.
Advanced architectural mapping techniques have been employed using Pixel Addicts' media server (The Addict Server) to create an ever changing canvas, in sync with the sound. This includes 12 high output video projectors on moving mirrors.
The system has been configured so that all the lighting, sound and video are controlled from an Avolites Diamond 4 desk (with MIDI signals triggered from the Timax) - something that has never been done before.
Martin Audio's own armoury of power amplifiers, including the MA12K, form the bulk of an engine room that has been placed on full display on the bridge, high above the control booth. In addition to the 55 amplifiers and the Timax 2, other processing devices include the Yamaha DME, providing 128 output channels.
The mainstay of a system that can create either a complete sound field - up through the core of the triple height venue or in separate zones as required - is the Martin Audio W8L Longbow, driven five-way.
"I have always been happy with Martin Audio systems," said Dave Parry. "We love the sound at fabric but we also love the service - and sales manager Simon Bull was an unbelievable help. So when we came to spec matter, Martin Audio were already two furlongs ahead."
(Jim Evans)
