A First for Warwick Castle. A Classic for RG Jones.
In 2024, RG Jones Sound Engineering stepped onto new ground — quite literally — bringing four nights of world-class live sound to the iconic medieval setting of Warwick Castle. Tasked by RG Live and Merlin Entertainment, the team delivered a robust, high-spec system that could flex between orchestral sweeps and indie rock punch — without ever breaching the site’s offsite noise threshold of 75dB(C).
The programme was varied:
- The Music of Hans Zimmer vs John Williams
- Ministry of Sound Classical
- McFly
- Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Each posed its own technical challenge — but that’s what RG’s does best.
A Historic Venue with Modern Demands
With its long, narrow 260m layout and rising gradient, the Warwick Castle site was no small task. RG Jones had to balance scale, clarity, coverage, and compliance. Situated in the heart of a bustling town, offsite sound control was non-negotiable.
Simon Honywill and Jack Bowcher led the sound design, using Martin Audio’s MLA system, renowned for its precision and ‘Hard Avoid™’ technology, which lets engineers sculpt audio boundaries down to a metre.
System Highlights:
- Main PA: 16 MLA per side with 24 MLX subwoofers
- Outfills/Infills: MLA Compact + TORUS T1230 lipfills
- Delays:
- 2 x hangs of 12 WPL at ~95m
- 2 x hangs of 8 WPL at ~185m
- Control: Digico & Yamaha desks, Outline Newton, Shure Axient Digital
- Noise Compliance: Hard Avoid™, end-fire subs, and intelligent placement
Timing, Terrain and Tight Turnarounds
The crew, many just off the back of Glastonbury, had limited time each day for setup due to the castle’s daytime attractions — school tours, jousting, falconry. That meant minimal sound checks, no room for error, and the need for a repeatable, fail-safe system.
These dB limits are generally unheard of. We worried it’d be too quiet, but with careful tuning and some magic in the delays, it was absolutely fine.
— Sam Brazier, Lead System Designer
A Cast of Longstanding Collaborators
This was more than a job — it was a reunion. RG Jones’ legacy in classical concerts goes back decades. Simon Honywill and conductor Anthony Inglis first worked together over 30 years ago. Production lead Dick Tee is another long-term collaborator. The client? RG Live — formerly Raymond Gubbay, whose classical tours are practically synonymous with RG Jones.
Each night closed with a fireworks finale, capping off four days of tightly engineered, emotionally rich performance — all in a location better known for knights and trebuchets.
Looking Ahead
This was RG Jones’ first appearance at Warwick Castle — and they’ve already been invited back. The debut showcased the company’s unmatched ability to combine scale with subtlety, even in the most complex of heritage environments.
This was an extraordinary team effort. It was about clarity, control, and working within real-world constraints. We proved we could do it — and do it beautifully.
— Jack Bowcher, RG Jones Senior Project Manager
At a Glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Client / Event: | RG Live / Merlin Entertainment – Warwick Castle Concert Series 2024 |
| Challenge: | Deliver high-impact, multi-genre live sound within the strict acoustic constraints of a heritage site, maintaining under 75dB(C) offsite while covering a 260m-long audience area. |
| Scope of Work: | Full audio system design and operation using Martin Audio MLA arrays, WPL delays, and TORUS lipfills, supported by DiGiCo and Yamaha control with Outline Newton processing. Managed day-turnaround schedules amid public attractions and minimal soundcheck windows. |
| Result: | Four nights of exceptional clarity, control, and compliance — balancing orchestral finesse and rock energy in one of England’s most challenging historic venues, proving MLA’s precision and RG Jones’ mastery in complex live environments. |