Soundworks Deploys Martin Audio Wavefront Precision At Richmond’s Iron Blossom

Richmond's Iron Blossom Music Festival marked its fourth outing with a two-day, two-stage programme headlined by LCD Soundsystem and Jack White, reaffirming its cultural standing in Virginia's capital. Audio for both stages was supplied by local specialist Soundworks of Virginia, Inc., which fielded full Martin Audio Wavefront Precision systems across the site.

Soundworks has handled the festival's sound since its launch in 2023, but its adoption of Martin Audio's Wavefront Precision platform predates that, beginning in 2019. The company was the first worldwide to take on the flagship WPL line array, proudly running serial number one. "We had Paul and Brad from Martin Audio at the event, and we walked them over to the array and showed them serial number one," smiles Soundworks' CEO Steve Payne.

Recalling the early investment made in partnership with sister firm Southard Audio, Payne added context on why the move made sense at the time. "We've had a long history with [Martin Audio Managing Director] Dom Harter and with [Martin Audio Director of Strategic Projects] Brad Stephens. We'd been using a 10-inch box for years, and we decided this was the time to up the ante a little bit and go to a 12-inch box. Martin Audio did not have a 12-inch box at the time, but Brad told us, 'We've got it on the drawing board. How about I demo the 10-inch box for you, because the 12 is going to sound the same, just bigger.'"

A comparative demo at Brown's Island — a Richmond venue frequently serviced by Soundworks — sealed the decision. "Martin Audio brought in the WPC rig and it was a no-brainer; the WPC was the clear winner," Payne notes. "It was really consistent throughout the entire listening field, sounded really nice, had lots of level, and just ticked all the boxes. Based on that, we invested in WPL before it even existed."

"The WPC was the clear winner" Steve Payne, CEO, Soundworks

Since then, Soundworks has expanded significantly within the Wavefront Precision ecosystem. What began with 24 WPL elements and 12 SXH218 subwoofers has grown to an inventory of more than 120 Wavefront Precision elements spanning WPL, WPC and WPS, together with 52 SX-Series subs.

At Iron Blossom 2026, WPL covered the Main Stage and WPC handled the second stage. The Main Stage comprised twin hangs of 14 WPL per side, with six WPS as front fills and 16 SXH218 subwoofers arranged in a castellated array. On stage, 12 XE500 wedges provided artist monitoring. Power and control came via 28 Martin Audio iKON iK42 amplifiers.

The second stage featured two hangs of 10 WPC for mains, supported by four WPS front fills and 12 SXH218 subs, driven by nine iK42 amplifiers. Notably, the reach and coverage of both systems meant no delay towers were necessary. "We deployed delays in the first year but quickly realised they were unnecessary, a testament to the Martin Audio performance," notes Grant Howard, President, Soundworks.

System design and prediction work for the festival were overseen by Head Engineer Bryan Hargrave using Martin Audio's DISPLAY 3 software, based on measurements refined since year one. "We took good measurements the first year, and luckily it hasn't changed substantially," he explains. "In the second year, when the delays went away, we made the PA throw a little further, but the shape of the venue hasn't changed. DISPLAY reliably provides accurate predictions, so we're really only tuning on site for changes in temperature or humidity."

Programming across the two days swung from the electronic dance textures of LCD Soundsystem on Friday to Jack White's high-octane rock on Saturday — a contrast the PA handled with ease, according to Howard. "I think that's one of the nice things about the Martin Audio rig: it sounds very pleasing for any genre," says Howard. "We don't think about tuning the PA particularly differently regardless of whether we're doing symphony or hip-hop. We might put a little more bass up, but the PA just sounds good and the engineers can pretty much get whatever they want out of it."

Audience and engineer reactions underscored the result. "I think everybody walked away happy," Hargrave confirms. "All the comments I heard were people saying it sounded great."

For Payne, the breadth and scalability of their Wavefront Precision toolkit have been pivotal to the company's growth and consistency of delivery. "The WPL served us so well that we really jumped in with both feet and bought WPC and WPS - we've never looked back. With those three boxes in inventory, we find we've got the appropriate tool for almost everything we do. We've got some Martin Audio CDD-LIVEs when we need a little point source. But anytime we need a line array, we've got a Martin Audio 8", 10", and 12" solution. For us, and for our clients, that really works well."

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