Tiit Terask’s company Audiotel have been doing outstanding business with Martin Audio products — both in concert touring and fixed installations — since taking on the business for Estonia.

The company started life in April 1998 — immediately after that year’s Frankfurt Musikmesse.The timing, says Tiit, coincided with a massive nightclub building programme in Estonia. “Over a two year period between 1996 and 1998 a lot of nice nightclubs were built, but with terrible sound systems! So I decided to introduce them to high quality systems.”

Tiit undertakes every project single-handedly — from speccing the system, installing it, tuning it and commissioning it, using B+K measurement gear.

Audiotel like to use top models from the Martin Audio range, such as Wavefront and Blackline, tuned with state-of-the-art digital controllers from XTA, Martin Audio or BSS. “And there is no point using Martin speakers with poor-sounding, under-powered amplifiers,” he reasons. “If the budget to do a project isn’t there, I would rather walk away from it.”

Tiit Terask remembers his introduction to the Martin Wavefront system. “A club owner, Urmas Past, had visited PALA in Singapore and asked my opinion about different systems — one of them being the Martin W8/W8S. Although I didn’t have listening experience I trusted the philosophy of the 4-way active system, using small format drivers and cone midrange. I ended up flying the W8/W8S with custom-built exra low sub bass under the stage.

“Three years later Martin launched their 18in horn loaded WSX, and the best-sounding nightclub in Estonia was born.” Today he reckons that around 75% of Estonia’s nightclubs are based on Martin Audio, which he believes “is the best form of promotion”.

Audiotel have expanded along the way and in 2002 moved to a new office and warehouse space in a beautiful location close to a large outdoor venue.
Today Audiotel also represent BSS, Eighteeensound, Adam Audio, Gotham cables, Digigram and Oktava. Their inventory of Martin kit includes 100kW of Martin Audio amplification, 32 stacks of W8LM, 12 stacks of W8C, eight stacks of WT3 and 32 x LE12JB floor monitors.

The distributor’s work portfolio includes major outdoor festivals, symphonic concerts and other spectaculars. “In 2002 we supported DM Audio with a monitor system at the Eurovision Song Contest in Tallinn and and I was the only Estonian in an otherwise totally Swedish sound crew,” he says. In April they will take the W8LM system out with Richard Clayderman (having this month fielded 32 stacks of W8LM with DJ Tiesto).

“The W8LM fits perfectly in terms of both cost and its physical size into any situation in Estonia. Sound engineers and promoters who were initially suspicious that it looked too small now love the system — and so do I.”

Pictured two of the venues in which Audiotel have installed Martin Audio: Parlament and Club Privé.