Ranking among the largest of Japan’s music festivals, Rock in Japan festival staged its 2016 outing at the Hitachi Seaside Park, in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, over two weekends in August. The event featured seven stages, with Martin Audio’s MLA Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array on the main Grass Stage, as well as the Park Stage and Sound of Forest courtesy of MSI Japan.

The Grass Stage set-up addressed three types of audience area – the Standing Zone was for watching the bands from close to the stage, while the Sheet Zone was for those needing more space to sit and the Tent Zone allowed fans to pitch sun shades.

Thanks to the MLA’s high noise control capability, MSI Japan could tailor different sound levels for each zone from a single loudspeaker system. Just 20 MLA elements were required for each wing of the main PA, with a further 16 for each side fill to deliver clear and powerful sound to the Standing Zone.

More than 200 leading artists took part in an event in which each of the four days was sold out well in advance. Happily, the event was blessed with sunny weather, and the sound/acoustic team, not only picked up suntans but left the site with a feeling of great accomplishment.