MLA Takes Over Main Stage at Rock in Rio Lisbon posted: 13/06/2016
Held in Bela Vista Park in Lisbon, Gabisom Audio Equipment from Brazil deployed Martin Audio's premier MLA rig on the World Stage for the first time at the recent five-day Rock in Rio Festival in Lisbon. In doing so it was the largest deployment of MLA on a single stage.
The historical ties between Martin Audio's MLA and Rock in Rio began with a system test at the US event in Las Vegas in May 2015, where it appeared on the second stage, the Mercedes-Benz Evolution. An eclectic line-up over the Rock and Pop weekends included Foster the People, Gary Clark Jr., Grave with Steve Vai, Deftones, Jessi J, Charli XCX, Joss Stone, Magic!,Tove Lo, James Bay and others.
Each FOH engineer was extremely complimentary about the award-winning MLA, saying it was one of the easiest shows they had done. Dwayne Baker, FOH engineer for Theophilus London, said: Its an incredible sound system and was easy to mix on, while James Bay's FOH engineer, Rob Sadler, added: I did not have to touch the graph at all - it is a very well assembled system, and it looked great.
The successful event in Las Vegas was followed with the deployment of 46 MLA, two MLD Downfill and 24 MLX subs by Gabisom at the 30th birthday of Rock in Rio in Brazil - again on the second stage, (the Sunset Stage). Another eclectic line up ensued featuring artists such as Korn, John Legend, Magic, Deftones, Steve Vai and Al Jarreau, and once again MLA proved its sonic capabilities. The FOH set-up was overseen by Pedro Cluny from Gabisom Portugal, who also doubled as system tech. Bearing in mind that the FOH position was set 86m from the PA, he commented that it sounded like MLA was only about 30m away.
Gabisom chief engineer, Peter Racy, was another who confirmed the impact created by MLA. He stated that the purchase of MLA had underlined what they already knew about the system's reputation. For me personally it was a pleasure to hear the pristine sound quality of MLA, and in my opinion that is what made the difference. In fact I heard nothing but rave reviews from users of the MLA in Rio.
And so to Rock in Rio in Lisbon, in a deal negotiated by Dom Harter, Managing Director of Martin Audio, with the support of his agent Alex Rojas from PRO AVLS, MLA was taken onto the main World Stage.
In fact, with 112 MLA, eight MLD, 60 MLX subs and 24 MLA Compact this became the largest deployment of MLA systems on a single stage, eclipsing both Glastonbury and Hyde Park main stages.
Unusual for MLA - but a trademark sound and visual design of Rock in Rio - is the doubling of hangs either side of the stage with both flanking an array of subs. Typically the design calls for one array to do vocals and the other to do instrumentation from the band. Coincidentally, and great for those that love their audio history, a similar idea was espoused by Dave Martin in the 70's. What the design did deliver for the festival was a very muscular sound but one that had absolute clarity for the daily crowds that were in excess of 70,000.
Peter Racy, Head of Audio from Gabisom; Eder Moura, FOH system tech, and Martin Audio's Chris Pyne and Jason Baird
Adding his experience was Martin Audio Product Support Engineer, Chris Pyne, who had also been part of the original crew in Las Vegas. Geographically, this was a complicated place, as the contouring of the terrain was very different from left to right, climbing steeply on one side of the stage and running flat on the other, he said. The challenge was to get even coverage and in order to compensate for this unusual geography, every single array required a different optimization. Fortunately, with MLA and Display 2 software this was a very easy problem to solve.
The main World Stage, was a whos who of rock and pop celebrities, featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Stereophonics, Queen and Adam Lambert, Mika, Fergie, Hollywood Vampires, Maroon 5, Avicii, and Charlie Puth. But MLA was equal to this challenge, displaying power, clarity and versatility.
Chris Pyne reported that all sound engineer comments had been directed at the efficiency of MLA's mids and highs. Queen's technical team, in particular, noted how impressive the rear rejection was on stage, and Gabisom's monitor tech Thiago Borges remarked on the purity of sound.
Finally, it was not only MLA that rocked the stage, but also many acts used a full set of LE1500 and LE2100 Martin Audio monitors which were fed by the companys own MA5.2KDSP amplifiers.
In conclusion, Dom Harter said, This is a historic victory for MLA and Martin Audio and is representative of the system's growing dominance in the festival circuit. We are delighted that Gabisom has started a new division in the company and look forward to many more prestigious tours with this world famous rental company.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
MLA Takes Over Main Stage at Rock in Rio Lisbon posted: 13/06/2016 
