Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision WPC line arrays have been installed at two venues belonging to Butlin’s, a UK holiday resort operator. The systems will power a variety of shows and concerts in the 1,200-plus capacity Centre Stage spaces at the Skegness and Bognor Regis sites.
Butlin’s head of technical entertainment Andrew Sugg commissioned the upgrades through the integrator Illuminate Design, recognising that the resorts’ entertainment mix now extends beyond its origins as a holiday camp destination to include Big Weekenders (adult-only entertainment weekends), conferences and events.
Butlin’s has been using Martin Audio systems for more than 20 years. The old sound systems were showing their age, according to Sugg, with upgrades long overdue.
Martin Audio’s technical sales support representative, Nigel Meddemmen, undertook site visits to Skegness and Bognor Regis and created design options via visualisation models in Martin Audio’s DISPLAY 3 software. The implementation required different approaches since structurally the Centre Stages at the respective venues are different. The venue in Skegness is high with a balcony, while the one in Bognor Regis is in a fairly low-ceilinged, very wide space.
But the designs at both venues are based on four- and five-box WPC hangs, with four of Martin Audio’s shorter throw TORUS T1215 in a centre cluster. Multiples of CDD15 provide left/right outfills, while CDD10s are detailed for delay duties, and an additional five CDD12s provide balcony coverage in Skegness.
Subwoofers comprise eight stacks of two SXC118 in a cardioid array, run off Martin Audio iKON iK42 multi-channel amplifiers, while iK81s drive the remainder of the rig.
Robin Shephard-Blandy, director at Illuminate Design, said: “The fact that Martin Audio were able to validate the system and put their seal of approval on it gave reassurance not only to Andrew’s guys but also visiting acts and engineers that the system has been set up correctly.”
Andrew Sugg added: “Although we don’t need to be rider compliant for day-to-day business, when we go into Big Weekenders, seeing a name like ‘Martin Audio’ on the tech specs helps cement the fact we are a professional venue. We now see this very much as an ongoing relationship.”
