Martin Audio WAVEFRONT COMPACT - APPLICATIONS GUIDE User guide

MARTIN AUDIO
LONDON
The Martin Experience
Wavefront Compact Series
Applications Guide
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

Wavefront Compact Series
Applications Guide
Contents
Introduction Wavefront Compact Series Overview
Section 1 W8C 3-way System
Section 2 W8CT & W8CM Line Array System
Section 3 W8CS Flown Subwoofer
Section 4 WSX Folded Horn Subwoofer
Appendix
A1 W8 3-way System
A2 W8S HybridTM Subwoofer
Section 5W8L Series Line Array Systems
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

Introduction
Wavefront Compact Series Overview
Thank you for purchasing a Martin Audio Wavefront Compact Series system.
Wavefront Compact Series products make up a coherent "toolkit" of compact, live
sound enclosures covering a huge range of professional sound projects from high
quality club installations to major touring and festival systems.
Unpacking
Each Martin Audio loudspeaker is built to the highest standard and thoroughly
inspected before it leaves the factory. After unpacking the system, examine it
carefully for any signs of transit damage and inform your dealer if any such damage
is found. It is suggested that you retain the original packaging so that the system can
be repacked at a future date if necessary.
Please note that Martin Audio and its distributors cannot accept any responsibility for
damage to any returned product through the use of non-approved packaging.
Standards
Martin Audio Wavefront Compact Series products conform to the requirements of the
EMC Directive 89/336/EEC, amended by 92/31/EEC and 93/68/EEC and the
requirements of the Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC, amended by 93/68/EEC.
EMC Standards Applied:
Emission EN55103-1:1996
Immunity EN55103-2:1996
Electrical Safety EN60065:1993
About this Applications Guide
This Applications Guide is based on Wavefront Compact field experience and general
acoustical principles. We have provided information on the most popular system
configurations and have included simple equations for those wishing to calculate the
broadband coverage of their own cluster designs.
Going Further
Martin Audio Ltd manufactures a wide range of loudspeakers, system controllers and
power amplifier. Visit our web-site at www.martin-audio.com for the latest product
and applications news.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

Cost effective rental
The Martin Audio Wavefront Compact Series "tool kit" approach provides all the
components required to assemble high quality, truck-friendly, quick deployment
sound systems for applications ranging from small clubs, commercial and theatrical
productions using floor placed W8Cs and W8CS’...
to vast outdoor events with flown Longthrow and W8C clusters:
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

Wavefront W8C systems are regularly used for audiences ranging from just a few
hundred jazz devotees to thousands of arena concert-goers. Longthrow sections can
increase touring system versatility even further and Longthrow/W8C combinations
have been very successfully used to cater for festival audiences from hundreds of
thousands to over two million at “Popestock” 2000.
The Wavefront Compact series includes both flown and floor-standing subwoofers.
W8CS’ may be flown where floor space is limited by extensive set designs or TV
camera tracks. Where floor space is available, Wavefront WSX folded horn
subwoofers may be used to implement an all-horn sound system for maximum
efficiency and projection.
Wavefront Compact system versatility satisfies rental companies' requirements to
maximise stock utilisation without compromising performance and reliability.
Wavefront W8C 3-way System
The heart of the Wavefront Compact series is the award-winning W8C (Section 1), a
compact, light weight, high performance, 3-way loudspeaker system that has been
engineered to work as well in small, stand-alone set-ups as it does in large flown
arrays.
A single Wavefront W8C cabinet will cover 55º horizontally x 30º vertically. The
W8C polar response is well defined so that it may be arrayed for high power rock
and dance applications in large venues. A smooth off-axis amplitude and phase
response allows a wide range of intercabinet angles to be used for easy coverage
tailoring.
All Wavefront Compact series cabinets are fitted with MAN load-certified flying
points to minimise set-up time. These MAN fittings are designed to comply with the
12:1 safety factor specified by the German VBG70 standard when used with
compatible MAN flying systems.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

Wavefront Longthrow W8CT & W8CM Line Array System
The Wavefront Longthrow W8CT & W8CM system (Section 2) is a compact, very
powerful, light weight, multiple horn line array loudspeaker system whose cabinets
have the same footprint and flying points as Wavefront W8C and W8CS systems.
Unlike odd-ball line arrays from other manufacturers, W8CTs and W8CMs have been
designed to integrate seamlessly into the rest of the Wavefront family. The
W8CM/CT combination may be rigged in continuous columns for high power, very
long throw applications or may be used to complement regular W8C clusters by
providing spot coverage for difficult seating areas.
The W8CT combines three horn-loaded high-mid drivers with six horn-loaded high
frequency compression drivers. Like the award-winning W8C high-mid system,
W8CT high-mid cone systems are optimally loaded to produce much lower distortion
than typical waveguide-loaded compression drivers.
The W8CM has two vertically arrayed, low-mid horns to complement W8CT high-
mid/high systems with seamless amplitude and polar integration.
Like all Wavefront series trapezoidal products, W8CTs and W8CMs are fitted with
MAN load-certified flying points and are designed to comply with the 12:1 safety
factor specified by the German VBG70 standard.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

Wavefront W8CS Flown Subwoofer
The W8CS (Section 3) is a compact, light weight subwoofer that has the same cabinet
footprint and flying points as the Wavefront W8C. It has been engineered to extend
the W8C's performance to below 45Hz.
The W8CS comprises a special high excursion driver coupled to an efficient mid-bass
horn and sub-bass port. This unique combination gives the W8CS the characteristic
punch of a horn-loaded system with the low frequency bass extension of a reflex
enclosure.
W8CS’ may be used as full bass subwoofers (up to120Hz) or may be flown as mid-
bass sections (60-160Hz) to complement floor standing WSXs.
Wavefront WSX Folded Horn Subwoofer
The WSX folded horn subwoofer (Section 4) complements Wavefront Compact W8C
touring systems to provide deep bass with maximum efficiency, speed and impact. It
has a classic Martin ‘S’ shaped folded horn and couples a powerful, high excursion
driver to the airload with a modified hyperbolic expansion law.
WSXs may be used as full bass subwoofers (up to120Hz) or as low-bass headroom
extenders to complement flown W8CS sections configured for mid-bass.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

DX1 Loudspeaker Management System
The Martin Audio DX1 (Section 1.5) is a very high performance, 2 input/ 6 output
DSP-based controller providing crossover, protection, delay and alignment functions.
It comes with factory plug'n'play presets for a wide range of Martin Audio product
configurations including the Wavefront Compact family. It is ideal for combining
Wavefront Compact products into seamless systems.
For instance, two DX1s may be used to combine W8Cs, W8CS’ and WSXs to form a
stereo, 5-way, active, all horn system for the ultimate performance and impact. One
more DX1 may be used to add W8CT and W8CM Longthrow sections for difficult
venues or large outdoor events.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

MARTIN AUDIO
LONDON
The Martin Experience
Wavefront Compact Series
Applications Guide
Section 1
Wavefront W8C
3-Way System
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

Section 1
Wavefront W8C 3-Way System
Contents
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Specifications
1.3 Pin-outs and cabling
1.4 System patching
1.5 DX1 Loudspeaker Management System
1.6 Power amplifier recommendations
1.6.1 Martin Audio MA2.8 Power Amplifier Overview
1.7 General operational summary
1.8 Arraying and placement
1.9 Coverage calculations
1.10 W8Cs as front fills
1.11 W8Cs as side clusters
1.12 W8Cs in distributed (delay) systems
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

Wavefront W8C 3-Way System
1.1Introduction
The award-winning Wavefront W8C 3-Way System is a very compact, light weight,
high performance 3-way loudspeaker system in a trapezoidal cabinet. The Wavefront
W8C integrates a horn-loaded 12" low-mid driver with a horn-loaded 6.5" high-mid
driver and a horn-loaded 1" very high frequency compression driver. The 6.5" high-
mid cone driver provides a whole order better performance than a large compression
driver and is optimally loaded using a toroidal phase plug.
Wavefront series trapezoidal cabinets are fitted with MAN load-certified flying points
and are designed to comply with the 12:1 safety factor specified by the German
VBG70 standard when used with compatible 12:1 flying systems. One important
advantage of the MAN flying system is that inter-cabinet connections place a minimal
load on the cabinets and, being external, can be load certified and inspected
independently.
1.2Specifications
Type: 3-way trapezoid, switchable active/passive
high-mid/high via rear panel
switch (see Section 1.5)
Frequency response: 120Hz - 18kHz +/- 3dB
LF limit: -10dB @ 100Hz
Drivers: 1 x 12" (305mm) low-mid horn
1 x 6.5" (165mm) high-mid horn
1 x 1" (25mm) exit hf compression driver
Rated power: Low-mid 300W AES, 1200Wpk
High-mid (active/passive) 150W AES, 600Wpk
High (active) 60W AES, 240Wpk
Sensitivity: Low-mid 106dB/W
High-mid 108dB/W
High 107dB/W
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

Maximum SPL: 129dB continuous, 135dB peak
Impedance: Low-mid 8 ohms nominal
High-mid 16 ohms nominal
High 16 ohms nominal
Coverage (-6dB): 55º horizontal, 30º vertical
Crossover: 750Hz, 3.5kHz
Connectors: 2 x Neutrik NL8, 2 x EP8
Cabinet construction: Birch Ply
Cabinet finish: Slate textured paint
Protective grille: Perforated steel
Grille finish: Grey paint
Dimensions (incl wheels): (W) 562mm x (H) 799mm x (D) 925mm
(W) 22.1ins x (H) 31.5ins x (D) 36.4ins
Flown weight: 69kg (152lbs). Lid 4kg (9lb) extra
Before rigging, note colour coding! W8C has 2 black points per side
W8CS has 1 black point per side
W8CT has 2 orange points per side
W8CM has 1 orange point per side
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

1.3 Pin-outs and cabling
W8C
Connector type W8C mode
EP8 NL8 W8C Active* W8C Passive*
1-1 Low Mid - Low Mid -
2+1 Low Mid + Low Mid +
3-2 High Mid - High Mid/High -
4+2 High Mid + High Mid/High +
5-3 High - n/c
6+3 High + n/c
7-4 n/c n/c
8+4 n/c n/c
(*see Section 1.5 for details of the connector panel Active/Passive switch
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

1.3.1 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)
Cannon EP connectors
EP8-11 8 pin cable female
EP8-12 8 pin cable male
EP8-13 8 pin panel mount female
EP8-14 8 pin panel mount male
Connectors should be kept in good, clean, uncorroded condition to ensure full,
undistorted loudspeaker performance. Corroded or damaged pins and sockets can
cause severe distortion or loss of signal.
1.3.2 Recommended loudspeaker cable
Cable run vs copper core cross sectional area
Single W8C Two W8C paralleled at the cluster.
Up to 50m 2.5mm² 6mm² (or 2 x 2.5mm² cores in parallel)
Up to 100m 6mm² 10mm² (or 2 x 6mm² cores in parallel)
Q. Why the odd sizes?
A. Loudspeaker cables are available in a limited range of standard copper core sizes -
ie. 1.5mm², 2.5mm², 4mm², 6mm², 10mm² and 35mm².
1.4 System patching
A good system patch should…
1) Be electrically safe - ie be put together by suitably qualified electrical
technicians paying attention to possible sources of moisture, connector
damage, cable damage, user and public safety.
2) Enable the system to provide the required sound quality, coverage and level
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

without feedback and without stressing its mechanical, electrical or
electro-acoustic components.
3) Be divided into easily understood sections (eg Main, midfield, downfill etc)
and clearly labelled so that adjustments may be made quickly and efficiently.
The schematic above shows a simple system using a Martin Audio DX1 Loudspeaker
Management System configured as a 2 x 3way crossover controlling W8Cs switched
for passive high-mid/high sections and W8CS subwoofers.
See the Section 1.5 for further DX1 information and Section 2 of this applications
guide for a more complex example.
1.4.1 Cluster sub-sections
When designing a large sound system it is worth spending a little time working out a
sensible cluster patch to optimise audience coverage.
The following example is a 4 wide, 4 deep W8C classical music centre cluster
divided into farfield, midfield, nearfield and downfill horizontal rows and inner and
outer vertical columns. The active (3-way) W8Cs may be patched in pairs for
symmetrical control.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

Recommended W8C pairs:
Inner Farfield Outer Farfield
Inner Midfield Outer Midfield
Inner Nearfield Outer Nearfield
Inner Downfield Outer Downfill
Controller channel allocations
The whole cluster may be controlled from just ½ a Martin Audio DX1 controller set
up for 3-way operation. See Section 1.5 for further DX1 information.
Power amplifier channel allocations
There are 8 pairs of W8Cs each requiring high, high-mid & low-mid power amplifier
channels.
8 pairs at 3 bands per pair = 24 amplifier channels required
= 12 x 2ch amplifiers per cluster.
2ch power amplifier allocations:
Farfield inner & outer high Farfield inner & outer himid Farfield inner & outer lomid
Midfield inner & outer high Midfield inner & outer himid Midfield inner & outer lomid
Nearfield inner & outer high Nearfield inner & outer himid Nearfield inner & outer lomid
Downfill inner & outer high Downfill inner & outer himid Downfill inner & outer lomid
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

Initial inner level settings
Initial inner level settings can be calculated for each row as follows:
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

The farfield inner power amplifier channels are the reference...
Initial outer level settings
Similarly, initial outer level settings can be calculated for each row as follows:
Again, the farfield inner amplifier setting (0dB) is used as a reference...
In a fairly small, wide, fan-shaped venue with heavily raked seating, we may require
the following amplifier channel settings:
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

The attenuation rate shown here is 2dB per cluster row. The actual rate of vertical
attenuation will depend on the cluster height which in turn will depend on the rake of
the seats. High clusters are further from the audience at the front and require less
nearfield & downfill attenuation. The lower the cluster, the greater the required
attenuation rate.
Again, the vertical layout is...
In a narrower venue, we may require the outer sections to be attenuated a little,
particularly in the farfield section, as follows:
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.

1.5 DX1 Loudspeaker Management System
Martin Audio can provide factory set configuration cards for a variety of off-the-shelf
crossover systems (contact your dealer or Martin Audio Ltd for further information)
but the Martin Audio DX1 Loudspeaker Management System is strongly
recommended for all new Wavefront system designs.
The Martin Audio DX1 is a very high performance DSP-based controller and
provides crossover, protection, delay and alignment functions. As a Martin Audio
product, the DX1 is kept up-to-date with preset crossover and limiter functions
suitable for a wide range of system configurations and power amplifiers.
DX1 Factory Preset Examples
W8C Rear panel Active/Passive switch
Please note that the W8C rear connector panel is equipped with an Active/Passive
switch.
Active mode (DX1 factory presets 21, 23 or 25)
In Active mode each driver (low-mid, high-mid & high) is driven by its own power
amplifier channel. These power amplifier channels are sourced from the appropriate
DX1 output to ensure optimal crossover and limiter alignment.
The advantages of active mode are:
ØSmoother high-mid/high amplitude and phase response
ØSmoother high-mid/high vertical polar response
ØImproved high-mid/high amplifier headroom
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.