MHA Audio Teams with Martin Audio's MLA System For Sweetlife Festival in Maryland

The Sweetlife Music and Food Festival combined the best of both worlds for an enthusiastic overflow crowd at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, half way between Washington and Baltimore.

Presented by the local Sweetgreen restaurant group, Sweetlife showcased a range of healthy and organic foods on-site along with performances by global EDM phenomenon Avicii, Hip Hop artist Kid Cudi, The Shins, Explosions in the Sky, Fitz and the Tantrums, A$AP Rocky, Fun, Delta Spirit, Zola Jesus, and a host of others during the all-day event.

Originally built as the home for the National Symphony Orchestra, Merriweather Post Pavilion was designed by iconoclastic architect Frank Gehry and located within 40 preserved acres known as Symphony Woods. For over 40 years, the storied natural amphitheatre has featured the best in rock, country, rhythm and blues, pop, jazz, hip hop, alternative, electronica, and classical music.

MHA Audio of Hagerstown, Maryland provided sound for the Sweetlife Festival under the direction of owner Mike Scarfe. To ensure consistent coverage, control, and the sound quality people have come to expect at the Pavilion, MHA used Martin Audio's breakthrough Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array powered and self-processed system.

The main setup consisted of 11 MLA and one MLD downfill enclosure per side, along with six flown MLX subs per side, and six WSX subs per side in the pit. Martin Audio W8LCs were used for outfill with W8LMs for front fill. Martin Audio LE700 wedges were used for on stage monitoring. An Avid Venue Profile console was used for front-of-house and Yamaha PM5D-RH for monitors.

Commenting on the event, Scarfe stated, "Utilizing the MLA's cellular control, the system provided exceptional coverage and imaging with no change in sound quality and only a 5dB difference in level from the front row to over 260' on the lawn. The control allows minimal unwanted reflections and rear spill, making the system noticeably quiet on stage. The venue production team are thrilled with the new MLA system, and also commented on how quiet the sound was both on and behind the stage."