Having used Martin Audio PA systems on tour, for some time now, the Australian Pink Floyd show (TAPFS) – arguably the greatest cover band presently on the road – recently completed its first full production tour with audio service company, 22live.

The UK tour saw Paul Timmins, now Hire Director and one of the founders of the recently formed 22live, reunited with the long-term team of band manager Kevin Hopgood, production manager Chris Gadd, and FOH engineer Trevor Gilligan.

A number of factors faced Timmins, 22live Technical Director Simon Gladstone, and Operations Director Stefan Phillips, when they were preparing their bid as a new player in the market. In addition to general touring economics this included the choice of PA.

22live knew they couldn’t offer Gilligan, who has toured with earlier generations of Martin Audio Wavefront, anything other than the latest scalable Wavefront Precision line array solution but they were also up against timing constraints.

‘Although Trevor was happy to try out a new PA, the thing that we really had to demonstrate to make the argument was that the Martin Audio SXCF118 cardioid sub would be sufficient to provide the low end the tour required,’ Timmins recalls. The only way of providing its performance capability was to put it to the test, and a demonstration was organised at Martin Audio HQ in High Wycombe.

The band’s experienced system technician Mark Edwards was among those present at the demo. ‘Both Trevor and Mark were extremely familiar with the Martin Audio SX218, and it was therefore easy to demonstrate the capability of the SXCF118 by using the 218 as the benchmark – and in fact the demo concluded with the SXCF118 coming out on top in terms of both performance and flexibility,’ Timmins says.

22live was duly offered the30-date UK tour. Among the inventory were 32 Martin Audio WPC (2 x 10-inch) line array enclosures, 18 WPS (2 x 8-inch) line array, 16 SXCF118 cardioid subwoofers, six Martin Audio WPM (for lip fills) and four Martin Audio Torus T1215.

By the end of the first show, Gilligan had realised hoe good that choice was:‘What can I say? I love this system,’ he said. ‘It’s great to be back on the Martin Audio gear. It’s a very detailed box and matches the subs perfectly. All in all, a great choice by all involved.’

Further positive feedback was received from Gilligan as the tour progressed. ‘I definitely made the right decision with the little subs,’ he says. ‘The bass guitar and low end of the drum kit is way more musical. Mark [Edwards] did a sub array in an old theatre in Bath. It’s normally a bit lumpy in there but this time it was great – solid and punchy.’

The only venue that had required a larger system was the Glasgow Hydro Arena, where 22live topped the PA system up with an additional 24 Martin Audio WPL (2 x 12-inch) enclosures. ‘We had a great night in the Hydro – the PA worked perfectly,’ Gilligan reports. ‘It was the best mixing experience I have had there.’

‘The fact that we were able to move the production onto Martin Audio, and it delivered beyond the expectations of both the engineer and technicians, I think is a great sign that we made a good decision to back the brand,’ Timmins concludes. ‘I’m confident there will be growing demand and opportunity for Wavefront Precision going forward.’

The band have continued to tour the same se-tup throughout 2023, with a second European run. From the start of this run, monitor engineer Kevin Smith also adopted Martin Audio in his stage set-up, switching to high-performance XE500 15-inch bi-amped coaxial differential dispersion monitors on 22live’s recommendation. The XE500 was designed to be the ultimate, high SPL stage monitor and Smith admits that the superior performance had taken him somewhat by surprise. ‘They have delivered way above and beyond my expectation and are definitely a step up from what I was using previously,’ he says.

The fact that production wanted the inventory to be shipped across the ocean in its entirety was a ringing endorsement. ‘It is the first time they have shipped PA equipment in a long time – and that’s a real testament to their appreciation of the kit,’ says 22live Commercial Director, Alex Penn.