Categories
Martin Audio

MARQUEE AV SELECT MARTIN AUDIO CDD FOR NEW DAROCO SOHO ITALIAN RESTAURANT

UK: Marquee AV recently helped boost the atmosphere at new London West End Italian restaurant, Daroco Soho, by installing a premium Martin Audio CDD sound reinforcement system.

Introduced to the project by design and construction consultant, Cotton Thompson Cole, Marquee’s project director Stacey Tough, says the preference for Martin Audio had been a joint decision between him and the clients themselves, who had specifically requested the brand. “The fact that they knew, and liked Martin Audio helped the process considerably,” he said. “As they already knew they were getting a first-class product we didn’t have to arrange a demo.”

The brief was to provide a system that would deliver quality sound with even coverage throughout, within the two-storey architecturally led environment. This includes the ‘Wacky Wombat’ cocktail bar in the basement with a DJ booth, providing a club-like atmosphere.

WE ARE DELIGHTED WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE RECENT AUDIO INSTALLATION.

Julien Ross, Daroco

Marquee AV have provided separate DJ input facilities on both floors, which operate on separate zones, accessed by a number of background music players. Programmable wall controllers on each floor allow for local volume control and independent source selection.

The sound system comprises six CDD8B and four SX210 subs in the basement (Wacky Wombat) and eight CDD6B, underpinned by four discreetly concealed SX210 subwoofers on the ground floor and a single CDD5B in reception. With sound needing to remain consistent through stairwells, corridors and toilets nine Martin Audio ADORN A55T were detailed to function as infills in these ancillary areas.

Explaining the logic behind this selection, the project director explained that the ceiling height had been the reason for selecting wall mounted CDD6’s for the ground floor, with anti-vibration mounts on both floors. “The subs are recessed into furniture and seating on both floors, while the ADORN speakers serve the corridors. In the basement bar the CDD8s are ceiling mounted, and a further four of the SX210s are incorporated into the seating, to support the DJ Set up .

In summary Stacey Tough can reflect on a thoroughly satisfying experience as the restaurant concept enjoyed a successful transition from its original base in Paris. In fact it had been the task of Cotton Thompson Cole to provided design support to the Client’s French architect, Olivier Delannoy from the REINH agency to bring the vision to life, coordinating the building works and ensuring the project remained on track through to completion.

As for the sound system, concludes Stacey Tough, “it behaved as exactly as we and the client wanted and it was a pleasure to work in such a beautifully designed interior.”

Praising the work carried out, Julien Ross, co-founder of Daroco, added, “We are delighted with the success of the recent audio installation at Daroco Soho. Working with Stacey and the Marquee AV team was a seamless experience, and their dedication to excellence truly shone through. The result of the installation exceeded our expectations, enhancing the overall audio experience at our venue.”

Photography by Géraldine Martens and Julie Spicy

Categories
Optimal Audio

Cuboids delivering the vibe while guests enjoy cocktail at Jade Eatery & Sips

INDONESIA: In Badung, Indonesia, Jade Eatery & Sips, a modern Asian restaurant and cocktail lounge, has upgraded its ambiance with a new audio system installed by Sontastic.

Featuring Cuboid speakers known for their rich sound, the installation ensures smooth audio throughout the lounge. Now open to the public, Jade Lounge invites guests to enjoy fine dining and cocktails accompanied by seamless sound.

For a delightful dining experience with great music, visit Jade Eatery & Sips today!

Categories
Martin Audio

PLOPSA’S KIOSK OPENS UP WITH NEW TORUS WEATHERISED SOLUTION

As a key member of the project team at FACE, Martin Audio’s Belgian distributor, Steven Kemland played a major role in developing the sound systems at the Plopsa theme parks in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland—starting with Plopsa Indoor Hasselt, which opened in December 2005. Since then Martin Audio SR solutions have been a fairly constant feature of the various zonal installations and upgrades.

But just over a year ago a separate integration company, called Concept10 was set up by Kemland and partner Stijn Vermeiren, and while FACE remains an important supplier the operation enables them to provide not just audio, but a full turnkey audio visual, content and network integration.

Successive generations of Martin Audio speakers, from C115 to CDD and now TORUS constant curvature and FlexPoint have been specified for Plopsa, the most recent being the complex inside the area known as the Kiosk Village Square. This is dominated by an island stage where every morning and evening a show takes place (featuring Plopsa characters) while during the weekend different music groups take to the bandstand.

Previously Kemland had worked with Martin Audio to get products weatherised, and it was this first custom solution for CDD that had informed the development of the CDD-WR series for outdoor use.

Weatherproofing was again one of a number of requirements set out by the client for the refit of the Kiosk Stage and Square, inside the main entrance at Plopsaland de Panne. Kemland takes up the story.

THE TORUS CLUSTER PROVIDES A PERFECT ANSWER TO OUR NEEDS HERE.
Pieter Dewaegeneere, Plopsa Investment Team

“The Kiosk stage was built 12 years ago, when we installed three [Martin Audio] XD15 a side with WS218X subs. But 12 years is a long time—the stage was getting used more and more and instead of the anticipated maximum of 1000 people, during the weekend there would now be as many as 3000 people watching a show.”

Hence coverage became an issue. Not only would a line array be prohibitively expensive, he rationalised, but also the wrong solution since the audience is wrapped 160° around the stage which is open on all sides. “So we realised what we had to do was install TORUS to provide an even dispersion of 30 metres wide but 160° around the stage.

“We also wanted to have good dispersion across the complete square, which measures 50m x 80m. However, it also needed to be quieter at the back because there were fountains and things for children. So the sound needed to remain clear but drop by 10dB—and that’s working really great with TORUS, as at the end of the square, once you are beyond the 30-metre area, you have a nice sloping off of the sound. In that respect, TORUS is working perfectly.”

To accomplish this, a hanging cluster of four TORUS T1230 a side, augmented by a pair of FlexPoint FP8 on pillars, set 2m high on either side, provide downfill coverage, while a pair of S218X on either side provide low frequency extension.

“It’s the first time that we have integrated TORUS into a project, and it is providing a perfect solution,” says Steven Kemland. “The FP8s are also working great, and that is such a nice box,” adds the installer.

But the icing on the cake is once again the special WR version that was a joint venture between Martin Audio and Concept10. “Martin Audio delivered the boxes with a weatherised grille, and we took it from there, making special plates top and bottom, as well as a backplate—so now it’s completely waterproof. This type of custom work is something we are able to do now that we are independent, which we couldn’t have done previously.”

In January there will be a complete upgrade and harmonisation of the network (which is presently split between Dante and other platforms). CDD5 and CDD6’s will replace older Martin Audio C115s around the entrance, while various other zones in the Kiosk, including retail, will be upgraded. “We will have our own switches and network on separate fibre,” promises Kemland.

Rather than operate as an independent zone, the Kiosk is now tied into the voice evac, receiving emergency announcements that will duck the BGM. The network upgrade will allow any sound source to be routed to any zone on the suite. “For example, we can send DJ or live music to the complete park if we wish.”

Pieter Dewaegeneere from the Plopsa Investment Team confirms that all requirements have been met and the flexibility of the new network and sound upgrade will see the park safely into the future. “Plopsa has been working with the people behind the new Concept10, and their Martin Audio products for many years,” he confirmed. “For the Kiosk we were looking for a compact installation with a very wide distribution. The TORUS cluster provides a perfect answer to our needs here. With this investment we now have a real ‘live’ feeling on our entrance plaza … 365 days a year.”

Categories
Martin Audio

Hoshioto Camp gets immersive with Martin Audio

JAPAN: 

Having taken place recently at Budou Romankan in the Japanese Prefecture of Okayama, Hoshioto Camp 23 is said to have been the first outdoor music festival in Japan to introduce immersive sound.

Each sound by the artists on stage could be heard from wherever they were standing –which isn’t the case with conventional left and right proscenium-type speaker systems – creating a sense of immersion. Local sound rental company, Bright, originally invested in Martin Audio’s WPC system back in 2020. When it was time to upgrade the event’s main speaker system, WPC was recommended as the “perfect overall fit” for its sound quality, controllability and sense of scale, after evaluation against other systems.

Kazuyuki Oshita, president of Bright, said there were other reasons why he recommended it to the organisers, notably its ability to deliver “consistency of sound right across the area”, and to mitigate against noise pollution by being able to contain the energy uniquely within the sound field.

The 16 principal WPC boxes were powered by Martin Audio’s multi-channel iK42 amplifiers, and to create the full immersion, an end-to-end Martin Audio solution was specified, including eight XD15, four SX218 subwoofers, six XP12, various XE300 and ADORN A55 enclosures.

Various other local rental suppliers, introduced to the main contractors by Martin Audio Japan, also tapped into their inventories to complete the complement required, which also included SPAT Revolution processing. These companies included Super 4, Music Reserve, Freeway and Network Papa.

Review notices couldn’t have been more positive. One stated: ”Of course the sound in front of the stage was powerful, but I felt it sounded good even from a distance.” Another said, “I’ve participated in Hoshioto at least five times, including camps, and the sound was the best ever.”

In addition to customer feedback, the organisers also remarked on how effective Wavefront Precision had been in reducing sound leakage into the neighbourhood, while Martin Audio Japan described the entire experiment as being “100% successful”, and that the deployment had succeeded “on every level”.

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Optimal Audio

Optimal Audio Makes AVgek Debut at Brasserie de Greup

NETHERLANDS: Opened in September 2022, and located in the village of Mijnsheerenland to the south of Rotterdam, Brasserie de Greup is a beautifully designed hospitality venue offering high-quality food, drink, and entertainment. Whether it’s just for a visit to the bar, a delicious meal for two, or a party for hundreds, Brasserie de Greup, with its restaurant, recently renovated cafe and sun-drenched outdoor terrace, is a magnet for the discerning customer. Instrumental in the creation of its relaxed and welcoming atmosphere is an Optimal Audio system, installed by AVgek of Rotterdam.

Vastly experienced installers AVgek specialise in commercial and domestic audio-visual projects, and consulted with the team at Brasserie de Greup over their requirements. The Brasserie wanted to provide background and foreground music reinforcement for the bar and restaurant areas, from a system that was as easy as possible for its staff to operate.

Bob Sol of AVgek comments:
 
“We have a great relationship with Audio Technica Benelux (Optimal Audio’s distributor in the region) and were aware that this new brand had attracted a very positive reaction. Having made an assessment of the venue’s needs, we felt that they aligned perfectly with what Optimal Audio could offer, so advised the Brasserie team accordingly. This was our first install with Optimal Audio, and we were blown away by the simplicity and ease of use for the installer and the user!”
 
Bob designed a system comprising four on-wall, landscape-mounted Optimal Audio Cuboid 8 two-way, full range, passive 8” loudspeakers and a single Sub 15 subwoofer, controlled by a Zone 4 controller via WebApp. WebApp makes system set-up straightforward – once completed, venue staff are presented with a simple user interface which allows for easy operation via mobile phone. At Brasserie de Greup, the system is configured with presets for background and foreground music choices. The former sees the system preset without the Sub 15 and with the Cuboid 8s acting as full-range units, while the latter deploys the subwoofer with the low frequency removed from the Cuboid 8.
 
The system lives up to every expectation according to Bob:
 
“The client is really happy with the sound and the simplicity of WebApp, and has indicated that they will soon be looking to replace old systems in the four other areas of the venue with Optimal Audio. The system in the Brasserie sounds really great with both presets – since this first outing with Optimal Audio, we’ve offered it to a number of clients and already seen a big uptake. It’s proving very popular indeed.”

Categories
Martin Audio

TORUS SOLUTION FOR DOMINION CHURCH IN IOWA

Martin Audio partner, Audio Video Electronics (AVE) has successfully upgraded the technical infrastructure at the Word of Faith Dominion Church (WOFD) in Lake Mills, Iowa.

Based in Brooklyn Park, MN the integrators opted for a TORUS constant curvature array solution after their engineering team had reviewed a number of possibilities.

According to AVE Sales Consultant, Kerry Graffunder, the Church’s existing PA had reached end of life and was no longer delivering the coverage or clarity required from a worship establishment that is just 25 years old. “The pastor merely requested some ‘thump in the trunk’ … and the intelligibility has greatly increased also,” he said.

This result was obtained by hanging a pair of TORUS, left and right of the stage, with a Blackline X218 subwoofer in the centre. Nearfield coverage is provided by a pair of Martin Audio’s differential dispersion DD6 under two angled scrims at the front of the stage. The new set-up is powered by a pair of Martin Audio’s iKON iK42 multichannel power amps.

Project lead, Karl Selander, explained how they had arrived at this solution. “We have many different HoW installations using [Martin Audio] CDD point source under our belts, but this was our first time wetting our feet with TORUS. We had not really had an opportunity to explore the TORUS line previously, but when we looked at the different options, it was clear that a CDD solution wasn’t the right fit for the room.”

“GIVEN THE HISTORY OF MARTIN AUDIO IT WAS THE CORRECT DECISION … IT’S GIVEN THE MINISTRY A TON OF EXTRA BENEFITS”.
Kerry Graffunder, Sales Consultant, AVE

Instead, by placing a T1215 (15° vertical pattern atop a T1230 (30°) he knew he could get both the throw and width of coverage in an 80ft x 80ft square room (particularly as due to the 17ft stage thrust the net coverage area for congregants was little more than 60ft).

The technical upgrade was undertaken in two phases, with a new mixing desk and control up on the balcony, forming the first phase, and the ‘racks and stacks’ following in phase two.

Martin Audio has been on their list of specified brands for the House of Worship specialists for as long as they can remember. The O-Line micro-array had marked one of AVE’s first forays into that market with the brand. “It was for a specific customer, and seemed a really good fit,” they noted.

However, moving on to TORUS—which adopts ahybridapproach betweenline arrayand point-source, Karl Selander led an exacting collaborative review, enlisting design support from Martin Audio’s US office, fronted by Martha Callaghan. This ensured they were deploying the correct solution and giving up to 200 congregants the best bang for their buck—whether receiving the word of the Lord from the celebrants, or rejoicing to the worship band.

While WOFD was fairly forgiving when it came to reverberation, unlike some worship houses, Martin Audio’s own technical support team assisted with the DISPLAY software modelling to ensure optimisation.

In fact the installation team had faced very few challenges, as Karl Selander explained. “The rigging solution we came up with ensured we could securely mount the T12 grid. It was relatively simple to get the angles correct, using Unistrut [brackets] attached to the existing purlin and optimize the pan and tilt angles. It went up extremely quickly.”

Presets available in Martin Audio’s VU-NET software for selecting the installed TORUS configuration gave them the head start they needed, and the recommended FIR filters placed on the appropriate amp channel. “We then just needed to dial in any problem frequencies within the room. After that, it sounded great straight out of the box.”

Selander’s verdict on TORUS? “The size of the cab was easy to work with, and the tech crew there had no problems moving anything around. The adjustments that were available with the waveguides were simple to understand and use and the support from Martin Audio was spot on. We had all the information we needed right out of the gate.”

Kerry Graffunder added his own endorsement, praising the support from Martin Audio and Callaghan’s recommendation in particular. “Given the history of Martin Audio it was the correct decision … it’s given the Ministry a ton of extra benefits.”

Pastor Doug Domokos is in no doubt that the new installation will lead the Church forward. “[The team] went above and beyond,” he said. “We had high expectations, and these have been exceeded. The ‘praise’ team is extremely pleased and say the sound is a difference of ‘night and day’ … it’s now just so clean.”

Categories
Martin Audio

MARTIN AUDIO BLACKLINE X AND ADORN COMBO CHARACTERISE NEW GENERATION POPWORLDS

With over 40 ‘Popworld’ late night bar/discos in their estate, major leisure operators, Stonegate Group, recently refreshed the brand by unveiling their next generation interior.

Popworld Bournemouth, like most of the others, has benefitted from a creative and immersive audio-visual integration courtesy of Martin Audio partners, Middlesex Sound & Light (MSL).

Occupying the site of a former Walkabout Inn, which had also been equipped with Martin Audio premium sound, MSL were able to service, recondition and redeploy some of the pre-existing kit across the five-zone interior. Where auxiliary sound has been required, they have met the challenge by specifying Martin Audio’s compact but high output ADORN series in the shape of A55T surface mount and ACS-40TS ceiling speakers.

The operators have made their heaviest investment yet in audio visual, flipping their earlier concept of an illuminated dancefloor, and now running a fluid overhead pixel-driven lightshow to create a party vibe, while cheesy pop music is played out through a combination of the new and redeployed Martin Audio enclosures.

“MARTIN AUDIO DOMINATES NEARLY ALL OF THE POPWORLDS WE’VE FITTED OUT”.
Toby Jones, MSL project manager

“Martin Audio dominates nearly all of the Popworlds we’ve fitted out,” confirms MSL project manager, Toby Jones. “It is our go-to brand because it delivers good quality, with excellent sonic response; it’s also reliable and represents fantastic value for money.”

From an audio perspective, Jones designed the venue into a five-zone interior, plus a separate one for DJ monitoring, where he has specified a pair of powerful Blackline X10.

Assigned to the first zone is the main dancefloor where they have turned to Martin Audio sister brand, Optimal Audio, for four Cuboid 12s, ceiling-mounted in a quad landscape array. Providing LF extension is a pair of existing Martin Audio WS218X subwoofers, which have now been reassigned to the dancefloor.

Off the dancefloor, and forming a second zone, are front VIP booth areas, and these are serviced by four wall-mounted Blackline X8 which fit unobtrusively into the booths. “These are all time aligned and delayed to the dancefloor — and can handle increased volume where necessary,” he continues.

MSL have been super-creative in a dedicated Selfie area (which is their third zone). A neat Selfie wall with pixel string lights and two-way mirrors is complemented by a pair of wall-mounted Blackline X8.

Coverage in the main bar area is provided by six original Blackline F12 (reassigned from the previous installation)—again, all in landscape mode and flown from the ceiling. These are matched by a pair of pre-existing X118 subwoofers.

Toby Jones had no hesitation in recommending that the client retain some of their original tech. “After all,” he says, “Blackline is a tried and trusted product. It’s been in the venue and worked extremely well for them over the years … so why dispose of it?”

However, in the ambient areas he has turned his attention elsewhere in the Martin Audio portfolio. The ADORN A55Ts line the corridor, while in the basement toilets the music is routed through the newly programmed DSP to the four ADORN ACS-40TS ceiling speakers (two in each toilet).

In conclusion the installer states, “Stonegate have established a next generation immersive—both aurally and visually. And Blackline X will be a vital part of the ongoing success story.”

Categories
Martin Audio

REIMAGINING 35 YEARS OF EDDIE IZZARD, REMIXED THROUGH WAVEFRONT PRECISION

Take one artiste, one hyper-cardioid wireless mic and 35 years of comedy history and you have Eddie Izzard’sRemix Tour Live. Take an unimaginably disparate collection of venues and halls, ranging from 2,200-cap down to 840—some with tiered balconies, and some with no flying facilities—add in weird sound effects ranging from dinosaurs to Darth Vader (and a whisper to a scream) …and you potentially have a mighty headache for the production team.

Fortunately Eddie has toured with Martin Audio’s scalable, compact and supremely versatile WPS line array previously, and her production crew are well aware of the system’s adaptability. In fact Solotech senior account manager, Robin Conway, discloses that “the last Eddie Izzard tour [Wunderbar, in 2019] was part of the reasons I bought WPS in the first place. This time around production and I wanted to try and provide the same level of consistency while retaining a single truck.” Hence the inventory was stripped back to a bare minimum.

The sound design was expertly reworked from venue to venue by the experienced FOH team of sound engineer, Scott (Scoobie) Scherban and system tech, Rayne Ramsden—working alongside production manager, Stephen Reeve. They knew to expect the unexpected, and as Rayne put it, “each venue has been a beast of its own.”

Production carried just 24 WPS to enable 12-a-side elements to be flown at the largest venue, Birmingham Symphony Hall (2,200-cap), as well as four SX218, half a dozen DD6 (generally as lipfills) and a pair of XD12 for various balcony delays or sidefills. This scaled down to just a pair of WPS a side ground stacked on a single SX218 at bijou theatres such as the Brighton Theatre Royal and Richmond Theatre. The rig, in whatever configuration, is driven in the optimum 1-box resolution from Martin Audio’s iKON multi-channel amplifiers. Elsewhere, in Glasgow they had a stacked six-a-side WPS on a single SX218, while in Cardiff they reverted to a vertical SX218 with four WPS stacked on top, presenting the potential problem of obscured sightlines. To say WPS had to function as a workhorse is putting it mildly.

“TO BE ABLE TO GROUND STACK LIKE THAT AND MANAGE TO COVER THREE BALCONIES UP IS PURE GENIUS”.
Scott (Scoobie) Scherban, FOH sound engineer

Scoobie was highly complimentary of WPS’ ability to achieve the near impossible, citing one venue which only permitted a single sub with four WPS stacked on top. “It did an incredible job,” he said. “To be able to ground stack like that and manage to cover three balconies up is pure genius.”

He faced the additional challenge of contending with a vast assortment of mic gymnastics (bordering on abuse) as Izzard worked through trademark classic skits. He approached it as a “hybrid rock / theatre show,” explaining … “the thunder and lightning effects make the opening surprisingly big and bold … and so it has to be loud.”

Vocal simulations range from his Darth Vader [Canteen of the Death Star] sketch where she’s cupping the mic, to capturing her imitating dinosaurs eating, notes Scoobie. “There is a lot of mumbling, and the challenge is to capture the sound from the most subtle level right the way through to absolute scream. The gain on the microphone is huge.” Two separate preamps were assigned to the mic—one dedicated to speech, the other for her effects channel to get the level up sufficiently.

Rayne Ramsden also highlighted the challenges of deploying different stacked PA configs in venues without hanging points or low weight bearing capacity.

Getting a single mic to travel with power and clarity into the deepest recesses of small venue was one of Rayne Ramsden’s prime concerns. ”Having the one-box resolution was really useful in being able to move the audio within the space”, he says. But he also needed to minimise the sound coming back off the box that the mic would inevitably pick up “and make sure it is as limited as possible.”

He has been using Martin Audio DISPLAY 2 software to optimise the sound. “It’s much quicker to get a 2D CAD slice out than to draw the whole venue particularly when you don’t have pre-given calculations.” He has also made full use of the Hard Avoid feature in DISPLAY. “There’s been a lot of usage of that onstage,” he admits, “to avoid the rear side of the box. Also, some of the venues had a tiered roof that I had to make sure I didn’t hit.”

Having worked with WPS now in many different modes and deployments, he concludes, “The great thing about WPS is that it’s a big sounding box in a small format, which helped keep the sightlines as clear as possible. You can use it anywhere … as a nice complement to WPL as delays or side hangs.” Or clearly as a stand-alone workhorse PA in its own right.

Categories
LEA Professional

LEA Amps For Luxurious Hotel | W Hoboken

LEA Amps For Luxurious Hotel | W Hoboken

When the sound system at the W Hoboken started to show its age and experience failures, it was time for an upgrade. Enter LEA Professional, the solution to bring this architectural gem back to life. 🏨

Let’s dive in! 🦈

THE SPEC

LEA Amps For Luxurious Hotel | W Hoboken

🏢 Venue: W Hotel I Hoboken, New Jersey

👷‍♂️ Integrator: Busy Puppy Productions & Essential Communications

🎶 Audio Spaces: Audio Spaces: Hotel Ballrooms, Meeting Rooms, Common Areas, Hallways

🦈 Product Used: LEA Connect Series 704D, LEA Connect Series 168D

THE VENUE

Perched on the Hoboken, New Jersey waterfront, the W Hotel offers stunning views of the New York City skyline across the Hudson River. Built in the early 2000s, the pet-friendly hotel is steps away from the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) and New York Waterway Ferry, enabling easy access to Manhattan.

THE INSTALL

Hotel staff contracted Ron Lorman of Busy Puppy Productions, as an audio consultant, to design a robust audio distribution system for the hotel’s common areas and meeting rooms. Lorman specified LEA Professional amplifiers based on a recommendation from Doug Asher of Essential Communications. To minimize disruptions to guests and staff, the existing loudspeakers would remain in place for the foreseeable future.

“We discovered the existing loudspeakers were low impedance speakers; some were wired in series and other sets in series-parallel,” said Asher. “They were running at less than two ohms because they had so many eight ohms speakers on a line. That can tax normal amplifiers quite a bit, leading to burnout. Lorman re-designed the wiring schemes to achieve more balanced operational loads. We felt that the LEA amplifiers were the best solution because we knew they could handle a two-ohm load and operated at very reasonable temperatures. Add in all the other advanced features like the web interface, ease of setup, and control of the amplifiers, and it was a no-brainer.”

Asher’s team decided to use an LEA Connect Series 704D to power the loudspeakers in the   Ballroom. The 704 is a Dante-enabled 4-channel amplifier with 700 watts per channel, perfectly suited for small to medium-scale installations. The 704 supports high-Z (70V or 100V) and low-Z selectable by channel, giving the hotel excess capabilities for possible future expansion.

For the meeting rooms and remaining common areas and hallways, several LEA Connect Series 168D amplifiers were installed to run the remaining speaker lines. The larger ballroom is divisible, so care had to be taken to set the zones up properly, given the possible various room combinations. The 168D is a Dante-enabled 8-channel amplifier offering 160 watts per channel, which was an excellent fit for the common areas, hallways, and meeting rooms. Like the 704D, the 168D also supports high-Z (70V or 100V) and low-Z selectable by channel.

While all the loudspeaker processing happens in the LEA amplifiers via the built-in DSP, hotel staff wanted complete control of background audio throughout the building. Essential Communications deployed a Symetrix DSP in the rack room to control the system. Control pages were created in the Symetrix software that could be accessed via a web browser. Hotel management was provided with two iPads — one for the common areas and the other for the meeting rooms — that allow staff to manage all the zones, select the music, and control volume levels.

THE CONCLUSION

The hotel staff was so happy with the upgrade that Lorman and Essential Communications were commissioned to retrofit the restaurant as well, again with LEA amplification. Additionally, plans are being implemented to upgrade the audio systems in the former nightclub, which is now the hotel’s premier event space with Manhattan skyline views, using LEA Professional amplifiers.

“Commissioning the LEA amplifiers was flawless,” said Asher. “We test everything in our shop before it gets to a client site. All we did on-site was make sure we connected the more than 60 speaker runs to the right amplifiers. Everything worked when we turned on the system and started walking around the hotel, checking all the controls and the zones. Everything came up the first time; the music was playing, and it was playing in the correct zones. Everyone was really pleased about the transition from the old to the new system and how smoothly it went.”

A special thanks to the teams at Busy Puppy Productions and Essential Communications for choosing our amps for this installation. We look forward to delivering top-notch sound quality for years to come.

Categories
Optimal Audio

Optimal Audio Transforms Sarai Restaurant’s Ambiance

In November 2022, Sarai Restaurant debuted at Singapore’s Tanglin Mall with an Optimal Audio installation by XC Lighting Pte Ltd.

The foundation of this setup was the Zone 4 controller, dispersing sound across distinct zones like the lobby and private dining areas. Up 6 ceiling speakers delivered consistent, full sound, while Sub 10 subwoofers added depth without occupying much space.

These choices were aimed at ensuring top-quality sound in various zones, including private dining areas. The objective was clear: crafting a balanced, premium audio atmosphere to enrich the dining experience at Sarai from its very start.