LONDON – A new 600-capacity live music venue, Under the Bridge, has taken over the site of the former Purple nightclub, situated at Chelsea FC's Stamford Bridge ground. The design team included Jim Cafarelli (House of Blues), Ian Woodall (XL Video) and Andrew Frengley (Matrix Nine). Seeking, as Woodall put it, "a KF730 on steroids," EAW's Kenton Forsythe got busy.
As it turned out, the KF740 ended up being merely a prototype for the system that is now commercially in production (the "CFC-740" imprint on the enclosures bearing testament to the fact that the originals were destined for Chelsea Football Club).
Featuring four phase-aligned 10" woofers (double the complement found in the KF730) the new KF740 remains lightweight and compact while also incorporating two 8" horn-loaded cones and two 1.4" exit, 2.5" horn-loaded voice coil compression drivers. Driven three-way, the unit's pattern control is further enhanced with EAW's Focusing and Resolution software.
These have been designed into a flown L/C/R system (4+2+4) to take account of the venue's extreme width. "We hadn't even heard them when we first fired them up," said Woodall. "But as the venue is so short and wide, it was important to keep as much energy up in the air as possible."
{mosimage}In all, nearly 80 enclosures from EAW are used at Under The Bridge, including six EAW SB1000 subs on individual sends under the stage apron. "As the stage is arranged an arc, and the subs are staggered and offset, we can delay them individually and achieve greater control," said the installer.
Four KF730 elements provide main system stage right outfills, with another KF695 unit covering the stairs on stage left. EAW's KF850/SB330 provide stage fills (upstage and downstage), while a pair of EAW JF80s enhance the sound heard by those in the mosh pit. Elsewhere, MK2396s and JF80s provide delay coverage.
For reference, sound bands can call on as many as 16 low-profile EAW MW15 MicroWedge 15 floor monitors – plus a pair of MicroSubs for visiting drummers.
"Although we had options, we decided to opt for EAW because of the history we have with the brand, and the fact that pretty much every engineer has mixed a gig through an EAW PA in his time," said Woodall.
For more information, please visit www.eaw.com.
