The Junction live music venue in Plymouth recently replaced its ageing sound reinforcement system, with a Martin Audio installation carried out by local rental and installation company Nub Sound.
The venue has been operated by the independent Bedford Breweries for the past decade-plus, but has been trading as The Junction for at least 20 years and has been systematically upgrading its sound capabilities over the past 18 months, with loudspeakers planned as the final jewel in the crown. Overseen by Director of Operations, Josh Small, the 235-capacity venue opted for triaxial THS 15-inch point source loudspeakers, combined with SXC118 cardioid subs to provide both the requisite headroom and vocal clarity – far exceeding that of the ancient system that it was replacing.
‘The venue has transitioned from being a pub that did live music, to a proper live music venue,’ says Small. The new booking policy is now geared towards 60 per cent touring bands.
House engineer Dom Chiswell says that this change of direction had been enforced as a result of the pandemic. ‘When we came out of Covid, we took a big hit with midweek bar sales – it wasn’t working, so we decided to focus on live shows, but make the experience a lot better for bands prepared to travel all the way down to Devon.’
The process to find the perfect sound solution began a year ago, with an open day at Nub Sound, whose own relationship with the venue dates back many years. Martin Audio support engineer Ben Tucker attended, and several alternative Martin Audio PA systems were considered, including Torus and FlexPoint (and, briefly, CDD-Live).
‘We’d been shown THS as part of Unplugged Bug, which at that time it was only a bespoke box. But once it came out as a production item it was clearly the right box for the room.’
Endorsed by Ben Tucker, Small’s recommendation was for a LR THS system, with one enclosure on top of a pair of stacked SXC118 cardioid subs on each side. A pair of delayed FlexPoint FP6, one mounted each side of the room, provide the necessary fills.
‘The club stages a lot of punk, metal and rock music with loud guitars, so it wasn’t only about reinforcing their low-mid, core energy but getting the vocal above that, which is why the three-way box made so much sense,’ Small says. ‘I’m very comfortable with that decision.’
Processing for the THS and FlexPoint takes place within a dedicated Martin Audio DX0.6 system manager, which feeds the amplifiers. The system was set up with manufacturer presets and tuned with Smaart and pink noise.
‘All I really had to do was time align the system,’ continued Josh. ‘I didn’t need to do any significant EQing at all – we just relied on the natural voicing of the system which was great.’
The new PA has been well received by visiting sound engineers. ‘At least three of the roster of freelance engineers phoned to say how much better it sounds, and compared with the old system, it’s like night and day. Having the cardioid subs, and bringing down the LF on stage, means that drummers are much happier, and it allows us to reduce monitoring volume and improve the sound in the room. At the same time, the pattern control on the THS is really good and that has helped improve how the room is performing.’
‘Feedback from engineers and bands alike has been amazing,’ Chiswell agrees. ‘The amount of headroom I’ve got is insane compared with what it was like before. Now I am able to hear a little bit of everything in the mix, the sound appears louder because of the added clarity, although in fact we are actually averaging about 3dB quieter than we were beforehand.
‘This has given me a new lease of life because I was starting to experience burn-out. Putting in a new system, working with Josh and then hearing it in situ has given me a new-found love for my work.’