One of Autograph Sound’s longest-running success stories is its ongoing work on worldwide productions of Les Misérables. Most recently, the show opened in Berlin, with sound design by Nick Lidster who was part of the original sound department when the show opened at the Palace Theatre in London in 1985.

This is Lidster’s first design of Les Misérables and it gave him the chance to view it with a fresh but experienced approach. His updated design includes four Martin W8LC and two WSX subs, supporting the main PA system.

Some of the changes are due to the particular demands of the Theatre des Westens in Berlin, a grand, four-tier European style opera house with a large, flat stalls area and three very shallow circle areas. Says Lidster, “A conventional loudspeaker installation would struggle to cover this auditorium. By using two types of line array systems I can get the coverage I require.

“The Martin W8LC’s are in a central cluster above the pros arch, covering a 500-seat gallery area starting about 15 metres from the stage. I felt I needed something slightly more powerful to cover this seating block and I liked the sound and long-throw capability of the W8LC’s, which are suited to this type of coverage and distance.”

This is the first time Nick Lidster has specified Martin Audio’s new W8LC cabinets, having heard them for the first time at a demo at the Brixton Academy. “I’m very pleased with the enclosures. I also liked the prediction software — and the fact that Martin Audio thoughtfully delivered our order in black rather than their customary grey livery!”