Martin Audio will give a UK exhibition debut to its MLA multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array at this year’s PLASA Show (Sept 12-15, stand 1-F4).
Martin Audio R&D Director Jason Baird explains, “Our primary aim with MLA was to take the guesswork out of daily system design and enable the engineer‘s mix to be delivered throughout an audience with precision, consistency and repeatability.”
The result of many years of intensive R&D, MLA‘s methodology replaces trial-and-error array design with intelligent numerical optimisation of the array‘s output based on a highly accurate acoustic model.
The multi-cellular format has six individual cells in each enclosure — each with its own onboard DSP and power amplification.
A 24-enclosure array has 144 cells — too great a number to optimise manually or by ear. Martin Audio‘s proprietary Display 2.0 system design software automatically calculates FIR DSP filters for each cell and a redundant-ring audio network (U-NET) downloads the settings into each array enclosure. Martin‘s VU-NET software provides real time control and monitoring of the system.
MLA features an exceptionally even frequency response and SPL over audience areas; a very high system output (140dB peak, per cabinet @1m); Automatic optimisation of array, both physically (splay angles) and electronically (DSP); Computer control and monitoring of the entire system, and total control of sound system balance for engineers and sound technicians. Additional features include 90° x 7.5° dispersion; a compact size (1136mm (44.7in) wide x 372mm (14.6in) high x 675mm (26.5in) deep), one-box-fits-all (festivals to theatres) application range and a global voltage, power factor corrected power supply.
Also on display at PLASA will be the new MLX powered, flyable subwoofer capable of an unprecedented peak output of 150dB @ 1m, and MLD down-fill (being shown for the first time) as the components of a system managed by the Merlin 4-in/10-out dedicated controller and network hub. Audio input is via analogue, AES3 or U-NET.