Popular Richmond live music venue The Broadberry has taken delivery of a new Martin Audio Torus constant curvature array, having been making do with a system inherited by current owners, Lucas Fritz and Matt McDonald, when they took over the 550-capacity venue in 2014.
The venue’s Production Manager, Justin Lewis, confirms that the previous system had been poorly deployed, and that he had a firm idea in mind for its replacement. ‘Due to the shape of our room, I wanted a box with a relatively narrow horizontal pattern. All the line arrays I looked at were too wide and point source didn’t provide the flexibility we wanted in vertical coverage.’
‘We were well overdue for a PA overhaul, especially given the calibre of artists we were continuously bringing to the market,’ Fritz agrees. ‘We had been working with Soundworks and knew they wouldn’t lead us astray.’
Local rental partner Soundworks of Virginia, had been providing sound for outdoor concerts at the venue since spring 2021. Lewis looked at a number of systems and consulted his crew, deciding constant curvature would probably be the best for our room. ‘We chose Torus mainly due to Soundworks’ existing relationship with Martin Audio, and the cardioid feature of the SXC118 was also a positive influence on our decision,’ he says.
‘Their trust in the Martin Audio name and belief that anything with that badge on it would be a quality solution, was reinforced by the [Wavefront Precision] WPL and WPC systems Soundworks had been routinely providing for their outdoor concerts,’ says Soundworks CEO, Steve Payne. And, while he admits the Wavefront Precision series remains his “hands-down favourite”, for an installation situation he needed to look no further than Torus. ‘I think this system, with its variable horizontal coverage and choice between 30° and 15° vertical angle is a better solution than a short hang of WPS.’
The venue’s new pair of three-box hangs comprise two T1215 and a single T1230 at the base, to eliminate the need for front fills. The arrays are supported by Torus fly bars hung from Unitruss, which span the structural roof girders. Four SXC118, groundstacked in a central cluster under the stage, provide the low end, and all processing is via the onboard DSP in the Martin Audio iKon multichannel amplifiers.
Soundworks’ Project Manager Bryan Hargrave masterminded the installation, in conjunction with Martin Audio US Technical Support Engineer Joe Lima.
‘The coverage and sound quality are just about perfect now, and the rig is a vast improvement over our old one,’ Justin Lewis reports. ‘Our crew is pleased, and we’ve had generally good responses from guest engineers.
Fritz is equally effusive: ‘We are extremely excited about our new Torus rig. The room sounds better than ever.’
