3db entered into a joint venture partnership with Wigwam Hire in October 2004 - and set out to provide a turnkey solution to the corporate market (with the incorporation of a lighting and video division and shortly some Litedeck staging).
The company already had conventional loudspeakers in its inventory, but needed a proprietary compact line array system to make them competitive. "I was fortunate in being able to hear the W8LM system which Wigwam used as side-hangs on the George Michael tour," said Mulrainey. "That's what swung it for us. It came out top on all the specs and when I listed to the LM's they sounded fantastic."
Supplied by Wigwam, the order comprised 12 W8LM enclosures, four W8LMD Downfills and eight WLX subs - plus MA series amplifiers, DX1 processing and ViewPoint optimisation software.
"Since most of the work we do is corporate this configuration will allow us to rig four hangs of three, with an LMD underneath. It's a perfect size and weight solution," adds Mulrainey.
The icing on the cake, he says, is Martin Audio's new W8LM Lightweight Grid Lifting Assembly. The manufacturer has modified the system by removing some elements and welding the liftbar to the mainframe, so that it becomes a single (and much lighter) assembly.
3db also has the latest version of DISPLAY, Martin Audio's predictive software tool which Eddie Mulrainey also sees as a major selling point. "It will enable us to give a printout to clients showing the room simulation. We will also be able to demo the system to installation companies and carry out our own training."
(Jim Evans)
