Martin Audio WPM Elevates Sound At Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

Set in the Berkshire Hills at Becket, Massachusetts, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival—founded in 1931 by modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn on a 220‑acre farm and designated a National Historic Landmark District—welcomes thousands of visitors each summer.

To support its international roster of choreographers and companies, the Festival’s Ted Shawn Theatre, opened in 1942 as the first US venue built expressly for dance, has been fitted with a comprehensive, state-of-the-art Martin Audio system.

Centred on Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision WPM line arrays, the solution was specified and supplied by New Jersey-based Audio Inc. "This is the first year we've taken on full production in the venue," begins Stephan Wojtecki, Head of Audio at Audio Inc. "When Edward Tolve, our Operations Manager, and I did the walkthrough, as soon as we walked into the room, we knew: WPM, 100% WPM."

Audio Inc.'s path to Wavefront Precision originated with an install project. "We had an installation at the time in a high school auditorium. We realized WPM was an incredibly good-sounding product. After that job I immediately knew we had to do more with it." The firm then engaged their local Martin Audio representative as they sought a scalable rental solution. "I approached Martha Callaghan when we were looking to invest in a small-format PA that could scale from small-to-mid-size rental events. After talking with Martha, we looked closer at WPM, which also led to a conversation about WPS, and we made a major purchase of both a couple of years ago."

Ahead of this summer’s deployment at the Ted Shawn Theatre, Audio Inc. reworked the venue’s audio from the ground up, modelling the space comprehensively in Martin Audio’s DISPLAY software. "We've built our Martin Audio inventory to the point where we have almost the full line now..." said Stephan Wojtecki, Audio Inc.

The final specification features six WPM cabinets per side with a flown SXC115 cardioid subwoofer in each array. To tackle the challenging rear mezzanine—also home to front-of-house—Audio Inc. installed a pair of TORUS T820 constant curvature arrays as delays, while compact FlexPoint FP6 units handle front infill. Six iKON multi-channel amplifiers power the entire system over a Dante network.

Wojtecki said the results are immediately apparent to audiences. "The system sounds so warm and musical, even at a distance," describes Wojtecki. "That’s often the general description I get when people hear Wavefront Precision or most Martin Audio boxes for the first time. The venue has a clean-sounding, perfectly tailored array that - importantly for dance - is so discreet people hardly notice it is there."

Christopher Marc, Jacob's Pillow Audio Supervisor, reported a marked step up in performance: "People are appreciating the upgrades in clarity and tone without it being overbearing. Our rigs in the past have relied on volume for 'clarity', thus eliminating any real dynamics in the room. This system has allowed us a huge improvement in clarity at any level."

Longstanding coverage shortcomings, particularly at the top of the steeply raked rear mezzanine, have also been resolved. "The top of the steeply-raked rear mezzanine is where they had the biggest coverage problems," Wojtecki explains. "The TORUS T820s filled in very nicely in the software. When we did our final tuning, we watched the Smaart traces as we blended in the delays and they filled in the gaps perfectly. It was very rewarding. They are voiced so well with the WPM that the transition is totally seamless, and overall we have it down to a 3dB variation from front to back.”

On stage, monitoring is designed for the high-energy demands of dance. Audio Inc. specified four CDD-LIVE 8 coaxial differential dispersion loudspeakers per side with compact SX212 subwoofers, supplemented by XE500 wedges when rapid, simple setups are needed.

"Everything blends together nicely and creates a highly uniform sound field across both the audience and the stage," Wojtecki confirms. "The rear-rejection of the WPM array is incredibly helpful for a proper dance monitor setup. Because of that rejection, it feels like you have two separate systems: one for the stage and one for the audience, working together to create a linear field. That was one of the biggest appeals to them - having proper coverage on stage that sounds voiced identically to what the audience hears out front."

Tuning the system proved straightforward. "All I had to do was time-align everything and apply a tiny bit of corrective EQ on the delays and front fills. If you measure the room correctly and input the exact data into the DISPLAY software, the results just work - especially in single-box resolution. Nine times out of ten, you don't have to touch it."

While the core configuration is consistent throughout the season, the WPM platform’s flexibility enables tailoring for specific productions. "The Akram Khan Company have a specific 'mountain' scenic element on stage from which the sound needs to be localised,” explains Wojtecki. “We added an additional centre WPM array and delayed the entire PA back to that spot. We also supplemented the low-end with two additional SX118 subwoofers on each side for the immense soundtrack of the production."

Marc said the upgrade underpins the organisation’s ambitions. "As Jacob's Pillow grows as an organisation to facilitate and support all kinds of dance, this investment signifies a huge lift in support for that mission, and the idea that live sound and design is a significant part of dance," notes Marc, adding, "Audio Inc. has taken the time to truly invest in what we are trying to do. They have provided a huge support system to us by listening to our needs, responding to them, and making the appropriate recommendations."

Engineer Mads Hamilton, who is hands-on with the rig, echoed that view: "I could not be happier with the system and the team that has worked alongside us to install it. All interactions I have had with Audio Inc. have prioritised the operation of our systems to their fullest capacity and the quality of audio for Jacob's Pillow patrons. Stephan’s patience, kindness, and availability to our team has made my job as the engineer exponentially easier. I am looking forward to the remaining weeks of the Festival getting to play with this stunning system."

Wojtecki concluded by reflecting on Audio Inc.’s wider portfolio and the success at Jacob’s Pillow: "We've built our Martin Audio inventory to the point where we have almost the full line now: CDD, FlexPoint, TORUS, and Wavefront Precision. Our clients love the sound quality, the business just keeps growing, and Jacob’s Pillow is a true demonstration of this. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience to see the system and our team deliver so successfully for this world-renowned event."

Photo credit: Photos Hannah Murphy; courtesy of Jacob's Pillow.

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