Martin Audio WLX - Manual

Cable and panel connector part numbers Please note the following part numbers when ordering loudspeaker connectors to make up cables and patch panels Neutrik NL connectors NL8FC 8 pole cable (female) NL8MPR 8 pole panel (male) NL8MM 8 pole inline coupler (male-male) Connectors should be kept in good...

Sub-woofer crossover and alignment Crossover frequencies The original factory controller settings for W8L, W8LC and W8LM systems are intended for use with sub-bass systems such as the W8LS, WLX or WSX. As a consequence LF high pass filters should be set as follows: Loudspeaker Type Default (with sub...

Main to sub-woofer delays Reference settings The following table shows system delays to align various combinations of W8L Series main and sub-woofer system. These should be treated as important initial settings and will work without further adjustments where grilles are alignment. They are a good st...

In all cases, set the main (W8L, W8LC or W8LM) and sub-woofer controller output parameters as follows, making sure that controller inputs are initially set flat (no equalisation), 0dB gain, 0ms delay. Flown WLXs Side-by-side arrays Similar length (height) sub-woofer arrays should be placed beside th...

4 x WLX + 8 x W8LC mixed array for orchestral applications using Connector Brackets – ViewPoint™ Rigging View Stacked WLXs or WLXGSs WLX or WLXGS subwoofers may be ground stacked below the main system. Ground stacked subwoofers can be up to 6dB more efficient than flown systems – assuming an acousti...

Stacked system alignment A stacked subwoofer system should be placed directly beneath the main system with the subwoofer and main system grilles vertically aligned. Subwoofer grilles and main system grilles should be closely aligned so that they are at equal distances from a central audience area – ...

WLX sub-woofers may be time aligned without test gear as follows: 1) Start with the controller outputs delays set as per the above table 2) Use a laser tape measure to measure the distance to the main system grille and the WLX sub-woofer grille 3) If the WLX sub-woofers are closer than the main syst...

overpowered models - with suitably set controller limiters - without risking uncontrolled power bursts. The MA series power amplifiers’ regulated power rails also ensure maximum performance under the real-world concert conditions of less-than-optimum mains supplies and low impedance loads. Amplifier...

have been checked and controllers have been set to suit the power amplifiers to be used. Music should be used to check that controllers are receiving and sending the appropriate signal bands and then each power amplifier level control advanced in sequence to check system operation and patching. Assu...

Symmetrically coupled 2-wide columns show a slight improvement in mid-bass amplitude and polar response - but the effect becomes insignificant in large, flat fronted arrays or widely spaced stage apron systems. 2-wide symmetrical columns of WLX/WLXGS may be horizontally arrayed to improve mid-bass c...

Coverage angle for tightly packed flat fronted arrays -6dB Coverage Here is a simplified formula for calculating the main coverage angle of a tightly packed flat fronted array. * = approximate speed of sound in m/s. Varies with temperature (see Section 2a). Arcsin means “the angle whose sin is ...” ...

Again, a flexible side wall may absorb sound at certain low frequencies. Boundaries should always be treated with caution. Spacing It is possible to space out WLX or WLXGS subwoofers to provide a larger frontal area with fewer units but care must be taken to avoid irregular coverage at higher, mid-b...

Stacked WLX/WLXGS application examples The following sketches show how WLX/WLXGS arrays may be deployed for a wide range of productions and types of venue. All productions and venues present their own unique requirements and these examples are intended as a template or starting point for your own sp...

(5) Alternative set-up for wide venues Splayed WLX/WLXGS arrays for wide horizontal coverage. Example 5 shows a set-up for a TV shoot in a similar wide venue where sight-lines are critical. Note the lower profile, splayed arrays. Thrust stages Examples 6 show a typical set-up for a large, thrust sta...

Island stages (not shown) Island stages are simply four-sided versions of examples 3 and 5 and should be aligned using the same process. Tutorial on spaced systems Whenever two or more loudspeaker systems are fed with the same signal and their coverage overlaps, sound addition and subtraction will t...

Addition & Subtraction The above shows how two pairs of sine waves (with identical amplitude and frequency characteristics) will sum. Pair (a) are in phase and add. Pair (b) are out of phase and cancel. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

Polar variations with frequency Whether particular frequency components add or subtract in the far field will depend on the loudspeaker system spacing, the angular offset of the listener with respect to the centre line, and the wavelength. The following polar responses show what happens when subwoof...

40 Hz reduced spacing The above shows what happens at 40Hz if we reduce the spacing between the subwoofers to 4.3m. We get better central coverage without 40Hz side lobes - adequate for long, narrow “shoe-box” venues but wider coverage would be required for most arenas. 40Hz close coupled Close coup...

Listeners in the 60º zone will hear the note at a reduced level and may be more aware of room reverberation because the direct-to-reverberation ratio would be poorer for that note. Other notes would give different effects. In practice, these peaks and troughs can be smoothed out with additional fill...

Note that it is important to keep the subwoofers tightly packed to avoid polar anomolies caused by spacing. Procedure The normal procedure is to measure the angle from the top of the vertical subwoofer stack to the highest/most distant seats (using an inclinometer) and to calculate the required dela...

The following delay line taps would be required for the above system: t0 = 0ms t1 = 0.83mS t2 = 1.66mS t3 = 2.49mS t4 = 3.32mS t5 = 4.15mS t6 = 4.98mS Going further It is possible to apply electronic shaping to horizontal arrays. For instance, it is common to use curved main clusters for smooth mid ...