ATM Fly-Ware MLSS Speaker Rigging System

by Will James

Features

The MLSS rig system is designed to allow mid-sized speaker cabinets to hang from a truss or other suitable rigging platform including a winch or rated wire rope suspension. It is designed to allow side-to-side splay (Pan) to complement the angles of trapezoidal speaker boxes, and offers an infinitely adjustable pattern, governed by the angle of the actual speaker cabinets.

The MLSS rig system consists of several parts, which must be assembled in strict compliance with the diagrams provided from the manufacturer. First is an angled crossmember which is the centerpiece of the rig. It has a cylindrical fitting on each end to accommodate the grade-8 bolts, that create the conjoining of the rear carrier pieces, which protrude straight back. It is the assembly of the crossmember to the end carriers, via the bolt, that allows for splay adjustment. The adjustment is then fixed by locating the hang points on the MLSS system to the desired points on your truss or grid. Speakers are then hung with speaker-proprietary rigging hardware, or through use of shackles and chain or shackles and nylon slings.

In Use

The MLSS system must first be assembled on the ground, prior to joining to any structure. At first, the assembly was a little cumbersome to put together, but after carefully studying the drawings, construction made a lot more sense. After building the MLSS assembly, we shackled it to a truss, via half-Cheeseboroughs (or cheeseburgers as we like to call them) with steel eyelets. The MLSS system provides for downward angle adjustment through the use of different length sling chokes, a ratchet strap or different lengths of rated chain

Summary

The ATM Fly-Ware MLSS rig system is perfect for installing mid sized speakers in a permanent setting, but a bit to deal with on a night-to-night basis. It does allow for infinite modules to be added, which is nice for adding to an already existing speaker system. Furthermore, the MLSS system has good weight ratings. It can comfortably handle 500 pounds per module, when properly installed.