Holoplot X1 matrix array makes festival debut in Marbella

Immersive audio is becoming a key part of large-scale concerts and other live events. Among the systems available for creating an all-enveloping sound environment is Holoplot, which is now most famously installed at Sphere, the massive in-door venue in Las Vegas. The first outdoor installation of Holoplot’s X1 Matrix Array also took place this year at the Starlite Occident Festival in Marbella, which posed its own set of technical challenges.

The ’boutique’ series of shows, which runs from June to September, is held in a disused quarry. There had been difficulties in the past covering the auditorium – and the VIP enclosure in particular – using a conventional left-right sound rig. The event’s long-time technical equipment provider, Ilusovi Servicios, decided to take an immersive approach this year after company owner Jose Manuel Jimenez heard the X1 Matrix Array being demonstrated at ISE 2023 in January.

The specific acoustic problems of the Starlite Occident amphitheatre include multiple reflections caused by the sides of the quarry, sharply raked audience seating and the VIP section being positioned at a 90-degree angle to the stage. To prepare for the installation, lead audio engineer Aaron Guerrero, went to London for training and a demonstration of the X1 system. “It helped me reset my brain, because this is not a line array,” he comments. “It’s a completely different concept and I needed to learn what the system can do.”

The ’boutique’ series of shows at Starlite Occident, which runs from June to September, is held in a disused quarry

The installation for this year’s shows comprised six X1 MD80-S three-way modules and six X1 MD96 two-way modules arranged in a six (for the vertical sound plane) by two (for the hoizontal) configuration on either side of the stage. Two MD96s were arranged as a central cluster, while two single MD96s provided front fill coverage for the sections closest to the stage. The system was supplied through Holoplot’s distributor for Spain and Portugal, Sound Architecture.

Reese Kirsh, segment manager for live performance at Holoplot, explains that the priority was to achieve even, optimised audio coverage through the venue. “The stage was quite low, which meant deploying a traditional PA would have required the hangs to be positioned at an acute angle to ensure the audience at the back of the arena had a similar audio experience to those at the front,” he says. “Another challenge was the VIP bar and seating area at stage right of the main arena. The organisers naturally wanted to ensure this provided a high quality auditory experience but it had proved difficult as it was between a 45 and 90-degree angle to the PA hang. We generated a targeted coverage beam from the right array of the main system, covering the VIP area without exciting the massive mountain behind it.”

Aaron Guerrero adds that getting high frequency signals to the rear of the auditorium was another key factor: “With X1 we’ve addressed everything from the back of the room to the VIP areas, delivering a captivating experience for the audience. The system’s audio distribution enables us to sustain optimal sound levels without pushing the speakers to their maximum capacity.”