Martin Audio WPL Powers Swedish House Mafia’s Landmark Estonia Debut

Swedish House Mafia's first-ever Baltic show at Tallinn Song Festival Grounds showcased Martin Audio's flagship Wavefront Precision WPL system in its Estonia debut, overcoming the venue's notorious reflections with a 270-degree configuration and a vast sub-bass array.

Electronic supergroup Swedish House Mafia delivered a historic first appearance in Estonia at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds, where the audience experienced the trio with a Martin Audio Wavefront Precision WPL system — the first time the manufacturer's top-tier line array has been deployed in the country.

Tallinna Lauluväljak, completed in 1960 and famed for Henno Sepmann's sweeping concrete arch, was designed to project the sound of massed choirs. While breathtaking architecturally, that same canopy presents a stern test for amplified concerts — something Martin Audio distributor and system provider Audiosky knows well from previous projects at the site.

Audiosky's COO, Tiit Terask, said: "This acoustic screen was designed so that the voices of 10,000 singers would reflect beautifully to the audience, and it certainly looks magnificent," and continued: "But if you place a high-output amplified sound system in front of it, the reflections off that screen are extremely challenging - a highly uncomfortable delay time."

To counter this, the team combined precise system optimisation with a reconfigured stage position. "To overcome this acoustic obstacle, we took a dual approach," Tiit continues. "First, we moved the stage further out from the concrete screen. Second, this first-ever deployment of Martin Audio WPL in Estonia delivered the best acoustic results we have ever achieved at this venue."

Further raising the bar, the show was presented in a 270-degree format — another first for the venue — demanding a carefully modelled and executed design.

The main left/right arrays each featured 18 Martin Audio WPL enclosures. Because of the stage architecture, outhangs of 14 WPL per side were set further upstage than the mains. Twelve WPC elements per side acted as delays, with nine W8VDQ point-source cabinets providing front fill.

For the signature low-end impact associated with Swedish House Mafia, the team deployed more than 100 subwoofers. Sixteen SXHF218 subs (eight per side) were flown directly behind the mains, with 16 W8LS units flown behind the outhangs (eight per side). On the deck, 72 SX218s were arranged as three cardioid blocks of 24.

Martin Audio Product Specialist Ben Tucker supported Audiosky on site, navigating the venue's unusual geometry. "The raked seating area had a huge, prominent VIP section right in the centre," Ben explains. "To cover this strange geometry, we decided to have the main PA system cover the entire area, allowing the delays to gently blend in rather than acting as a completely distinct delay system."

Using Martin Audio's DISPLAY software, Tucker refined coverage to control reflections and off-site spill. "We pointed the top box of the main PA at the absolute furthest listener, and then used the software processing to transition into a 'Hard Avoid' area straight up the rear wall and on the entire concrete canopy roof," he says. "And I gave the audience coverage and the ceiling area equal DSP weighting - a technique we use frequently at major UK festivals to control noise limits and stop sound propagating beyond the audience."

Subwoofer strategy proved equally critical. "I went back and forth for a couple of weeks to find the best configuration," Tucker explains. "As soon as you add more than one subwoofer source to a venue, you introduce comb filtering and cancellations. In this case, we were working with seven distinct subwoofer sources."

"We knew we wanted to get some subwoofers in the air because we had a 105m throw to cover, and Swedish House Mafia's show is exceptionally low-end heavy," he continues. "I applied a bit of delay-gain steering to pull the flown energy down into the audience area."

The stage layout dictated the ground array as well. "We ended up with three arrays of 24 ground subs in three-high blocks, with the centre cabinet in each stack reversed to create a cardioid pattern. It was an overwhelming amount of low-end - the largest subwoofer array I have ever deployed in my career!"

In practice, the outcome surpassed expectations. Tiit reported: "I was incredibly surprised by how smooth and even the total coverage was. Typically, I am sceptical of marketing drawings, but in this case, the predictions matched the real-world results perfectly. One of the biggest difficulties at this venue is ensuring consistent coverage. On this show, whether you stood between the main left/right or shifted over between a main hang and an outhang, the audio profile was absolutely identical. Covering such a wide area with identical, seamless sound is a massive achievement."

He credited meticulous preparation for the result. "It was a major undertaking, but the team's preparation was flawless. I am incredibly proud of my crew; everyone executed their roles to perfection."

Tucker concurred: "As a systems engineer and part of the Martin Audio product support team, it was a pleasure to work alongside such a highly competent, professional crew. I have complete confidence in Tiit and his team moving forward. They will deploy this system excellently on any show they take on."

The touring and local production teams offered immediate praise. "We received maximum points from the Swedish House Mafia production team - they told us the sound was a perfect 10 out of 10," Tiit concludes. "The positive impact was instant. This project represented next-level performance and marks a brand-new benchmark for event audio in Estonia."

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