Martin Audio loudspeaker systems have been specified throughout the vast Armory complex in St Louis, Missouri.

Constructed in 1938 as an armory for the Missouri National Guard – part of Roosevelt’s New Deal after the Great Recession – it later became a US tennis HQ before being converted into a concert venue in the 1960s and 1970s when Ike & Tina Turner and the Grateful Dead were among the artists to take the stage. More recently, it led a chequered life, before falling into disrepair and then being taken on byJake Miller and Chris Honstain of hospitality specialists Brick + Bev, an affiliate of local developer Green Street Real Estate Ventures. Honstain and Green Street’s Phil Hulse put their heads together and the project went into overdrive.

The operators’ principal focus was The Commons, the huge 85,000sq-ft main concert hall, with a 60ft x 32ft stage – the first of three spaces that will feature Martin Audio systems in a phased opening. Brad Stephens at Martin Audio North America and integration partner AVI Systems, worked with some of the facility’s operational staff over the previous six years, won the installation contract, chosing Martin Audio’s WPL line array for the 5,200-capacity space – a decision endorsed by both Honstain and Production Director, Rek Mohr.

Mohr gave the sound system an unconditional thumbs-up: ‘I had never worked with Martin Audio before, but I just love the sound – and the quality you get is incredible. All the different boxes we have in here sound fantastic in their own right and I’m very impressed,’ he says, referring to Torus, CDD and Adorn series used elsewhere.

The Commons sound reinforcement system was designed by AVI’s John VanStipdonk, and comprises 20 WPL (ten per side), with 12 of the smaller footprint WPS as out fill (six per side). Twelve SXCF118 subwoofers have been flown, with a further four SXH218 ground subs. These are all powered and processed in Martin Audio’s dedicated iKon iK42 and iK81 multichannel amplifiers.

‘We decided to use the cardioid subs for rejection on the stage,’ VanStipdonk says. ‘There are two hangs six deep behind each main array. Additional SXH groundstack subs are brought in for national artists and most larger shows.

‘This is a mostly concrete building with a long reverb time,’ he continues. ‘Wavefront Precision’s ability to Hard Avoid the rear wall and other highly reflective areas was critical. The main room is basically a long concrete box, with a 300ft-plus throw from the stage to the rear coverage areas – the rear wall is a concrete elevator shaft. Optimisation with Martin Audio’s Display software was key in taming the space, and while some acoustic treatment was done in that area, it was the Hard Avoid function that really brought it all home.’

Display software was deployed for design and preset creation, with the manufacturer’s proprietary VU-Net used to upload configurations, tune and commission the rig. Using VU-Net software for the amplifier control and monitoring cut down system optimisation and calibration time.

The integrator was assisted in system set-up and tuning by Martin Audio’s Joe Lima. ‘I had great support from Martin Audio as always; Brad Stephens and Joe were instrumental in making this project a success,’ he says.

Mohr also pinpointed the attention to detail with the optimisation and agrees that, on reflection, ‘the control is one of the best parts of the whole syste.’

‘The Martin Audio guys came here to tune the PA and we worked on it to ensure everything was aligned, since the room is the biggest challenge – it’s cavernous with a lot of echo, and you have to know what you’re doing. In fact, because of the size of the room and the number of traps, I had expected more challenges than there were.’

Next, attention turns to finalising the two other key spaces – the EDM dance hall and a nightclub. The 3,200sq-ft basement EDM space will be more of a challenge, believes Mohr. ‘The ceiling clearance is 15ft instead of 80ft and there are more highly reflective surfaces, so control is even more important.’ There is also a large, 8ft diameter original chimney that is being revived.

Honstain reveals that the 33,000sq-ft nightclub will have a unique twist. ‘Something that no one has done for decades’, he teases.

AVI Systems is finalising Martin Audio installations in all these areas – with four Turus arrays destined for the EDM room and eight CDD15 and four SX218 subs hung in the other space. Adorn loudspeakers also feature in the ancillary areas, including the restrooms.

‘John [VanStipdonk] didn’t know whether we’d like the [Wavefront Precision] when he first brought it in, but I absolutely love it,’ Rek Mohr reflects.