MAG MUST in the popular international publication AV Magazine

MAG MUST in the popular international publication AV Magazine


An article about MAG Audio's latest audio solution MAG MUST appeared in one of the core journals for audio visual technology — AV Magazine — the industry's longest standing professional AV solutions magazine.

Read the article below or find the original review at AVInteractive.


Scalable line arrays debut in Ukraine’s largest arena


MAG Audio, the largest speaker manufacturer in Eastern Europe, has introduced MAG MUST – technology designed to achieve exceptionally smooth sound coverage across avenue of any size, from a little bar to a stadium. The launch presentation took place at the biggest arena in Ukraine – the 70,000-seat NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv on 6 September.

MAG MUST (short for Multiple Uniform Sound Technology) offers rental companies the benefit of using only one line-array format instead of many different ones, therefore eliminating the need for bothersome stock and complex logistics. The technology is based on a scalable 8in MAG Wasp line array.

“We intended to create a technology that can change the approach to using small format line arrays,” said Igor Sydorenko, systems engineer at MAG Audio. “Today manufacturers offer lines of products depending on the target event size – starting from compact arrays and up to large format ones. But we consider this approach outdated. So we decided to design the technology that can serve the needs of any client, regardless of the event’s demands.”

MAG MUST saves rental companies the trouble of purchasing a range of sound systems to fit venues of various sizes. A scalable system simply takes less space in stock than a range of small-, mid- and large format audio systems. Moreover, it makes logistics easier. When working on a small concert hall and a large festival in sequence, if the user uploads a truck with the full set at once, it obviates the need to come back to the stock for large format systems, sparing precious time and money.

Another advantage of scalable system is that there isn’t a new deployment challenge every time a company works with it. Every different type of system needs a different way of setting up, operating and maintaining it, but with MAG MUST equipment technicians only need to be trained once.

For the launch event, technicians built a 65 metres-long stage, which incorporated two big LED screens on each side. Such a huge venue called for a nuanced approach to project design, so MAG Audio engineers conducted extensive research and tests to get the best out of MAG MUST.

The MAG MUST system consisted of two line arrays (24 MAG Wasp tops and 12 Wasp S-12 subs on each side of the stage) as PA; two line arrays made up of 16 MAG Wasp tops each as out-fills; 48 x H28 subs lined in the end-fire configuration; and 8 MAG Wasp tops deployed as front-fills. Four MAG Wasp tops and 2 x Wasp S-12 on each side were deployed as side-fills; 4 х Focus 12, 4 х Focus 15 и 2 х Focus SUB ensured monitoring on stage.

In addition, eight delay towers ensured smooth sound coverage over the entire venue. Four delay towers provided sound to the back of the field (fan zone 2) and consisted of 8 x MAG Wasp tops and 3 x Wasp S-12 subs each. The other four towers had to provide sound over the grandstand, so each of them consisted of 16 x MAG Wasp tops and 8 x Wasp S-12 subs.

All the systems were amplified with 32 Powersoft Amplifiers: a total of 20 racks with 22 x X8 Dante, 4 x X4 Dante, and 6 x T604. Signal routing through all the amplifiers was via a Dante network.

Based on the scalable line array MAG Wasp 8in, the solution was the first to create uniform sound coverage across the launch stadium’s listening area with just 1.5 dB of SPL variation and it subsequently broke the Ukrainian national record for “minimal SPL variation at one location”.

Such even sound coverage was achieved by increasing the number of sound sources. MAG Audio engineers set several delay lines and increased the number of acoustic systems in every line array. This way, a seemingly compact system MAG Wasp 8in filled a surprisingly large venue, carrying to the back of the stadium even better than conventional large-format systems.

All the elements in the system are preapproved to ensure matching and easy adjustment. This way, rental companies can purchase additional equipment which will be 100% compatible with their current products.

A turnkey solution for clients, MAG MUST is complete with every piece of equipment necessary for the customers’ audio needs – from speakers and amplifiers to cases and cables, not to mention free training and technical support. All the elements are fully compatible and make an integral system.

In addition, MAG MUST offers all needed presets for the tops and subs to fine-tune any listening environment. The presets go together with the ArmoniaPlus software from Powersoft Kit and are available for download from the MAG Audio website.

The technology made its debut the next day after the presentation, during the READY.STEADY.FAVORIT multi-artist Ukrainian music industry concert at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium. The concert hosted over 40 000 attendees and featured a range of popular artists, including Eurovision Song Contest 2007 drag queen Verka Serduchka & Band, the winner of the Ukrainian National Selection for Eurovision 2019 MARUV, and Berlin Music Video Awards 2019 nominees MOZGI band, as well as Max Barskih, Olegg Vynnyk, Olya Polyakova, DILEMMA, TAYANNA, and Dzidzio.

Andrii Tsistanov, sound engineer of Verka Serduchka & Band, said: “MAG MUST is definitely more efficient than big format speaker systems. It is loud enough and creates great uniform sound coverage across the listening area. In my opinion, this idea has great potential, as the technology can be applied for any venues imaginable.”

“I liked the coverage and great sound clarity,” said Oleg Shevchenko, sound engineer of MOZGI band. “Even though the stadium is a troublesome type of venue, the sound was exceptionally impactful and intelligible. The positioning of the systems, the delay lines – everything was so well-thought-out that altogether it ensured an amazing sound experience for listeners.”

“It was the first time such a large-scale project was equipped with the acoustic systems of a Ukrainian manufacturer, and I can say – things have worked out really well,'' said Serhii Holovin, sound engineer of Olegg Vynnyk.

“The idea is super. MAG MUST helped to achieve refined sound and ensured the distribution of even sound pressure throughout the venue. All the occupied sectors at the stadium were uniformly covered with clear sound,” said Nikita Shkuropat, sound engineer of Max Barskih and MARUV.


 18/11/2019

Back to News
Continue