INVERNESS, Scotland — Okay, so maybe sightings of Martin Audio W8L Longbow line array enclosures aren’t as rare as those for the legendary monster of the lake. But if there’s always a few skeptics when it comes to audio gear, Production Hire owner Mark Neal, who purchased 24 of the line array enclosures and used them at the RockNess Music Festival, is a confirmed believer.
At RockNess, Neal ran 12 W8L hangs a side, with W8LD Downfills on the front corners providing the necessary infill, using Martin Audio’s predictive 3D Display software to optimize coverage for acts ranging from Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, Dizzee Rascal and Flaming Lips.
“The system definitely throws and there must have been 25,000 in front of it when Prodigy appeared on stage,” he said.
“We always knew Longbow would handle live shows but we first tried it out at a dance music event —and it was sensational.” But the clincher was the power of the low-mids. “We really like that because it’s 1” instead of 1.4”. This leads to a very sparkly system which goes all the way up and down the frequency range, which a lot of line arrays don’t do.”
Neal also noted that because the system is horn-loaded the sound tends not to flap around in the wind. “Again, this is a problem with many other systems I have experienced,” he said.
Neal’s marketing rationale also appears to have been right on the money. Whereas last year he had only been able to cover Stage 2 at RockNess for production company Loud Sound Events (using the seven-a-side W8LC rig), this year he could handle both, adding W3s for infill support on the second stage.
“Aside from the additional festivals we can now do this summer, we have a series of autumn dance events lined up, and Longbow will be perfect for that.”
For more information, please visit www.martin-audio.com.
