Concurrently fielding Martin Audio MLA systems for two of Hungary’s signature festivals and 318 MLA series enclosures in Hyde Park for Roger Waters’ surround sound concert at the British Summer Time Festival proved no problem to Capital Sound.

Featuring Depeche Mode, Iron Maiden, Limp Bizkit, Clean Bandit, Steve Aoki and Hurts, the multi-genre Volt Festival took place in Sopron took place close to the Austrian-Hungary border, while Sziget’s sibling Balaton Sound EDM festival took place at Lake Balaton. Appearing here were The Chainsmokers, David Guetta, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Martin Garrix, DJ Snake and other famous artists.

All have been serviced for a number of years by Capital Sound, and continue to feature Martin Audio’s loudspeaker systems on main stages. With such heavy demand on inventory, Capital needed to plunder the Martin Audio European MLA network, and get cross-hire support from Hungarian company BG Event Kft and Polish rental company, Muśnicki Sound Systems, with whom they frequently work at this trio of top-line events.

Volt Festival attracts over 100,000 music-lovers over its five days, although Capital Operations and Development Director, Paul Timmins, said there were changes afoot this year in the PA stack. ‘With the growing trend towards greater stage visuals, the wider stage meant we needed an extra 12 MLA Compact for front fill.’ These were supplied by BG Event.

Capital had Jonny Buck on duty as crew chief and Finlay Watt as FOH tech, with support once again from Hungarian Audio crew chief, Marci Mezei.

At Volt Festival, the remainder of the main PA consisted of an MLA PA (18 per side, including an MLD Downfill), with 36 MLX subwoofers in a 12x3 stacks spaced cardioid array. Outhangs consisted of eight MLA (stage left) and five MLA (stage right). Delays comprised two masts, each with six Martin Audio W8LC line arrays, with a further 12 W8LC as front fill.

For Balaton Sound, the PA design consisted of 15 MLA (and a single MLD) per side, with 36 MLX subwoofers in the same spaced cardioid array, eight MLA per side as out fill and six W8LC line array elements per side. Front fill was again composed of 12 W8LC cabinets.

‘The new set-up worked well, and the big sub array we introduced last year again proved that this design really works,’ Timmins says. ‘The feat of being able to source so many MLA boxes for simultaneous events across Europe provided quite a challenge.’

See also:
British Summer Time 2018