Photo: Stephen Carr Photography
KROQ’S 25th Annual Almost Acoustic Christmas show settled in at the recently remodeled L.A. Forum this year after leaving its main home at the Gibson Amphitheater, torn down in September of 2013, and briefly occupying the Shrine Auditorium last year.
According to Meegan Holmes, Executive Account and Project Manager at Delicate Productions who has done the show for 17 years, the newly upgraded Forum turned out to be “an awesome experience. The remodel included acoustic treatments that made for a tight dead space. That was already an amazing step in the right direction for any audio vendor,” Meegan added, “because the treatment practically eliminated the cavernous sound of your average sports arena.”
Featuring an eclectic lineup including No Doubt, Smashing Pumpkins, Imagine Dragons, Weezer, Tears for Fears, Modest Mouse, System of A Down, Bush and Incubus among others, Delicate took advantage of the improved acoustics in the Forum with a Martin Audio MLA loudspeaker system.
Photo: Stephen Carr Photography
The actual setup included 14 Martin Audio MLA with 2 MLD (downfill) cabinets a side as the main hangs; 16 MLA Compact per side for side hangs; 9 MLX ground-stacked subs per side, and 6 W8LM cabinets for front fill.
Two identical FOH setups each included an Avid Profile 48-channel console and a DigiCo SD11 console, while the two identical Monitor setups employed an Avid Profile 48 channel console with 10 Martin Audio LE700 monitor wedges (stage) and 2 LE700’s (cue) along with a Martin Audio WS218X drum sub cabinet.
Tears for Fears – Stephen Carr Photography
Evaluating the show, Meegan concluded, “Since we moved to an arena, KROQ wanted to create a different concert experience for their fans from years past. There was a thrust on the stage that led out to a 16′ by 16′ deck in the middle of the floor, so we used the DSP in the system to steer the energy of the MLA mains away from the thrust, making the engineers’ work less stressful when their artists walked downstage.
“Everyone remarked on the quality of sound, particularly the subs, that we provided at FOH. We received compliments from our competitors that attended the show as well.”
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About Martin Audio®
Founded by audio engineer David Martin in 1971, Martin Audio pioneered the use of all-horn-loaded bass designs in world-class touring loudspeaker systems for groups such as Pink Floyd, ELP and Supertramp. Located outside of London, Martin Audio now embodies a sophisticated mix of acoustic design, research, mathematical modeling and software engineering for a wide range of products in the installation, cinema and touring sound markets.
