The military parade in Moscow Red Square, held annually on Victory Day, is an amazing celebration, which hides the complex preparation of a technical show.

The parade rehearsals are held on Khodynskoye Field, in the suburbs of Moscow. The model of Red Square is laid out right on the surface of the field for troop training, and the sound adjusted accordingly

Talk of renewing the sound systems has been in negotiation since 1995. In 2003 two companies, Atex and Telecom, finalised a contract with A&T Trade Company for developing a new sound system for the Red Square parades.

The system for parades in Red Square traditionally represents two packages – mobile and fixed, with complete backup. With microphones installed in the cars of the Minister of Defence and Commander-in-Chief which drive around inspecting the troops, the PA equipment generally receives high-quality signals from mics for distribution, with the signal taken from the mixing desk.

The sound is reproduced by loudspeakers installed in the Kremlin wall, with additional infill set in Lenin Mausoleum and on the walls of GUM, a big department store in front of the Kremlin. The Khodynskoye field parade sound system is provided by Martin Audio speakers.

In August 2003 Atex contacted A&T Trade asking for a compact, mobile, reliable and powerful sound system, with the result that a Martin Audio line array was chosen, consisting of a package of four cabinets and a mobile rack. The system was tested at the most unfavourable points, and the result exceeded all expectations, passing the rigorous procedures laid down by Atex, whose specialists were highly appreciate of the sound quality, reliability and construction of the new Martin Audio system.

The entire system includes 20 x W8LC speakers. One set comprises two hand carts, each containing two speakers. The speakers are housed in two buses, eight pieces in each bus (with one package in reserve). The field system is fed by a diesel generator or UPS battery, able to provide half an hour’s functionality of the system.

The Martin Audio line array has to work in the most extreme conditions.

Yuri Shilin, head of Atex, says: “We were principally interested in the quality and reliability of the sound system. Working with Martin Audio and A&T Trade was very effective — the Martin Audio specialists were sensitive to our requests, while the A&T Trade team not only provided information and advice, but helped us to adjust the processor and other equipment.”

Nizhni Tagil, an important centre of the metallurgic and engineering industry, is situated in the Ural region of Russia. On the eve of ‘Metallurgist’s Day’, the Nizhni Tagil Integrated Steel Plant (NTISP) presented a gift to its staff — a large concert hall equipped with high-quality sound systems. The project was developed and implemented by A&T Trade.

The main concert hall is a monumental structure dating back to Stalin, and bearing the majesty and pomposity of that period. It can seat 850 and has multilevel internal architecture. With its luxurious upholstered seats, the hall was initially designed for concerts, meetings and festivals — but its interior structure implies a more versatile application.

The Ekaterinburg branch of A&T Trade faced the challenge of installing the sound system without disturbing the interior architecture — ie to make it as unobtrusive as possible. The acoustic requirement was to provide uniform sound pressure at all the three tiers of the hall, with a sound level not less
than 119dB.

Furthermore, the new system needed to achieve both transparency of musical texture during concerts and speech intelligibility during conferences.

The audio infrastructure was thus built around Martin Audio line array elements — with W8LC and WSX horn subwoofers. Eight W8LC’s (with four subwoofers underneath) are suspended on each side, and the systems were set up using the Martin Audio dedicated DX1 controller.

Sound reinforcement is provided by Martin Audio MA 2.8 amplifiers and on stage are Martin Audio LE12J, LE700, and LE400C reference speakers. Side fills include, on each side, a single W8CS compact touring horn subwoofer and suspended EM186 three-way cabinets. The active signal digital isolator eliminates any interaction between the stage and auditorium sound.

The principal chose a white finish for the installed package to match the lightness of the interior.

The very first event at the hall was a complete success, which proved the excellence of the sound installation. Viktor Rukavishnikov, commercial manager of NTISP Recreation Centre, said, “The Martin Audio installation maintains the theatre’s historical design reference and the flown systems not only look appropriate but the sound quality and power exceed all expectations. Now we can welcome world artistes without the need to rent in additional equipment — which makes this extremely cost-effective.”