Clubs and entertainment venues have definitely sprung back after the pandemic shutdown, as patrons are ready to feel the beat, turn it up, get down and party. We looked into some recent installs that take club sound to the next level.
Pop’s Nightclub and Concert Venue, SAUGET, IL
Founded in 1981, Pop’s is a late-night oasis on the outskirts of St. Louis. Musical acts that played the iconic venue over the years range from Slipknot and Motorhead to Post Malone and Bruno Mars. In addition to a busy schedule as a concert venue, Pop’s is also famous for transforming into an all-night dance club.
To ensure balanced sound coverage and quality for both concerts and dance parties, Pop’s production manager Brian Sankus partnered with sound engineer Chris Coleman and event manager Ryan Kelley to replace the venue’s aging sound system.
Shopping for the new system, Sankus turned to Justin Slazas of Knoxville-based audio provider M&L Sound. Together, the two designed an all-JBL Professional sound system with eight VTX A12W line arrays over the stage (hung four per side) and 10 VT4886 line arrays to cover the balcony (five clusters of two each). The VTX A12W’s dispersion helps provide the extra wide coverage Pop’s needed while delivering unmatched performance and sensitivity.
“The club’s objective was to improve line-of-sight and coverage,” says Sankus. “Before, it was trap boxes and 60-degree horns. Walking around, you could hear phasing and there wasn’t much clarity in the balcony. There were also giant ground stacks, so if you were off to the side, you couldn’t really see the stage. The new system offers great sound from every angle and clears up the line-of-sight issues.
“Pop’s has always been an old-school rock club — we wanted to retain a certain type of tonality,” Sankus adds. “The A12W delivers the powerful sound we need with 120-degree coverage and great clarity. The top-end is super-clear, whether it’s an empty room sound check or packed with 1,200 people. It’s a versatile speaker while still perfect for heavy rock music.”
For a powerful bottom-end, the team deployed six VTX B28 dual-18 subs on the ground across the front of the stage. Three additional VT4886 provide supplemental down fill coverage for the front of the audience. Onstage, 12 VRX915 wedges, two SRX835 side fills and four SRX728S subs enable musicians to hear with power and accuracy. The main P.A. is powered by 14 Crown ITech 4x3500HD amplifiers with built-in JBL speaker presets.
“We’ve gotten positive feedback from patrons, and the guest engineers that have been here are stoked on the new system,” Sankus concludes.
Pop’s Nightclub and Concert Venue
- Capacity: 1,200
- Key Components: JBL Professional VTX Series
- Integrator: M&L Sound
Queen Miami Beach, Miami, FL
In what began in the 1940s as a live theater and movie house, Miami’s beloved Paris Theater endured some challenging times in the 1970s, re-emerging in the ‘90s as a music and video production studio. Now, the art deco masterpiece has been restored and reborn and is home to the neighborhood’s trendiest new hot spot, Queen Restaurant and Lounge. The vision is for Queen to become a nexus for the city’s “sophisticated, educated, elevated, and more mature clientele,” says owner Mathieu Massa.
Extravagance is the hallmark of Queen, with no corners cut in creating a sophisticated, high-end restaurant and bar with world-renowned DJs, and powerful, pumping music courtesy of E11EVEN Sound by DAS Audio.
Conceived by iDesign’s Michael Meacham and designed and commissioned by DAS audio hospitality and nightclub national sales manager John Fiorito, the system was provided by Randy White of Washington Music Center. It comprises 16 E11EVEN Sound by DAS Audio ES-10 10-inch systems, reinforced by 46 DAS Audio DECO-6-TB two-way ceiling speakers. Crystal clear, house-moving bottom end is where the system truly shines, with a cadre of E11EVEN Sound by DAS Audio ES-Series subwoofers, including ES-212 and ES-212.95 dual-12” cabinets and ES-221 dual-21” systems, flanked by ESBR-18 bass reflex boxes and DAS Audio Quantum Series Q-10 compact installation subs.
The system is powered by DAS Audio’s EP-Series multichannel amplification. Installed by Guillermo “Willy” Rodriguez of Willy Tech Services with an assist from Koncept Systems, the system was tuned by DAS Audio applications engineer Geovanni Ortiz, with additional tweaks by Fiorito. System drive and processing is courtesy of BSS BLU 160 DSP and Crestron control, programmed by Santiago Riuz.
“The Paris Theater is a piece of Miami history, and Queen is a shining star in this vibrant district,” says Fiorito. “The new owners spared no expense in remodeling and creating a world-class venue, and we’ve cut no corners on creating a sound system that reflects that attention to detail.”
Queen Miami Beach
- Key Components: E11EVEN Sound by DAS Audio
- Integrator: Willy Tech Services
Microclub on The Roof, New York, NY
Ian Schrager’s Public Hotel in Manhattan recently redesigned its rooftop club space, turning it into a fully immersive experience known as the Microclub on The Roof. This newly designed club offers 360° views of lower Manhattan and features audio/video aspects as a key part of the club’s experience.
Noise pollution from the previous club disturbed residential apartments two floors above. SH Acoustics, led by principal consultant Steve Haas, took on the challenge, collaborating on an audio design relying on 1 SOUND speaker’s controlled-dispersion properties, as well as consulting on acoustical treatments within the space to enhance sound quality and containment in the new design. Essential Communications was brought in to complete the installation.
Essential Communications used 1 SOUND speakers in the audio design, having known the cardioid capabilities of Tower Columns. 1 SOUND did an onsite demonstration for the Ian Schrager Company and SH Acoustics, and everyone was pleased with the sound quality and trusting SH Acoustics and Essential Communications would hit the mark by providing chest-pumping nightclub audio while resolving the sound pollution issues.
For the dance floor area, nine Tower LCC44s in an immersive configuration are paired with five SUB310’s for the bass. Speaker placement was critical, as the club space is predominantly made up of glass windows and columns that were turned into video walls. The LCC44’s were mounted to the side of the video wall columns, using wall brackets that can swing out to a maximum 90° angle. The Towers were an optimal choice, as their rear-cancellation lessened the reflections behind the speakers against the glass windows. And their dispersion pattern extends only 5-degrees off the top, which minimizes sound hitting the ceiling. The SUB310’s were placed between the booths in the seating area. SH Acoustics tuned the system for optimal sound, while effectively eliminating reverberation from finding its way up to neighboring floors. Multiple DSP presets optimize overall level and bass-balance for the variety of events hosted by the venue.
“This was our first experience working with 1 SOUND on a significant project,” says Haas, “and we (and the client) were very pleased at how clean the speakers were at high SPLs, while still exhibiting tight control over the vertical spread of sound.”
Microclub on The Roof
- Capacity: 140
- Key Components: 1 SOUND Tower LCC44’s
- Integrator: SH Acoustics; Essential Communications
Racket NYC, New York, NY
The Bowery Presents (TBP) owns and operates multiple venues around the Northeastern U.S. and in New York City, including Webster Hall, Brooklyn Steel and Terminal 5, which all employ L-Acoustics speakers. Located in the former Highline Ballroom, TBP’s newest venue, Racket NYC’s system combines new gear and some repurposed L-Acoustics kit from their other venues.
“The economics of small clubs can be pretty uncertain,” says Scott Raved, TBP’s director of operations. “We want to give every artist and every venue the best sound possible, so we chose L-Acoustics for our clubs. Pulling some L-Acoustics elements from various venues let us create a cost-effective sound system for Racket NYC.”
TBP’s assistant sound designer Alex Kehr and head sound engineer Lorne Grabe worked with L-Acoustics’ Chris “Sully” Sullivan and Mark Friedman, managing partner of See Factor, TBP’s longtime integration partner. “As the designers of Webster Hall, Brooklyn Steel, Terminal 5 and (Boston’s) Roadrunner, Lorne and I knew we had enough of a system within those venues to create something better than the Highline Ballroom ever had,” Kehr explains. “Keeping it all within the L-Acoustics family gives us the same sonic signature you hear at every other venue.”
Racket’s main P.A. has four A15i flown per side, complemented by four legacy 12XT, two 8XT and two ARCS WiFo hung as various fills and balcony delays, plus three compact 5XT providing fill at house-right. Four SB28 ground subs are under the stage, while eight 115XT HiQ wedges on the deck are driven by five LA4X amplified controllers. One LA12X, one LA2Xi and four LA4X drive the house system, from a P1 Milan AVB audio processor sourced through See Factor. “Racket is the first The Bowery Presents venue in NYC to feature the P1 and to use AVB, which makes a massive difference in audio quality and fidelity,” says Kehr.
Outfitting Racket NYC underscores TBP’s dedication to providing the best sound at all its venues, particularly the smallest, where the economics can be precarious. “It’s difficult to budget for rooms this small in this environment,” says Raved, “but we weren’t going to compromise on sound quality in any of our venues, including Racket, which sounds every bit as good as any of them.”
Racket NYC
- Capacity: 650
- Key Components: L-Acoustics A15i
- Integrator: See Factor
FOREVER, Wuhan, China
Situated in Wuhan’s Xintiandi district, the FOREVER superclub marks the second KV2 Audio VHD5 installation in a Chinese nightclub, the first being at Shanghai’s TAXX II.
Financed by Chinese entertainment giant, Noah’s Ark Group, FOREVER Wuhan is a 5,000 square-meter venue with three main areas: the principal 2,000-capacity “House Style” hall, a smaller “HipHop” area and several private KTV rooms. The main hall has some breathtaking trussing structures, sophisticated lighting and 3D effects as well as the ultra-powerful KV2 VHD5 system which was specified, designed and installed by Guangzhou-based Idee International Sound System Co. (IDEE), part of KV2’s Chinese distributor AVMedia.
“The investors wanted a sound system that was out of the ordinary — something that would create an experience never to be forgotten,” says AVMedia’s Mr. Tony. “Noah’s Ark [management] were already familiar with KV2 as they’d previously replaced systems from other extremely well-known audio brands with KV2 in five of their other nightspots around China, as the other systems didn’t live up to their expectations. When I suggested the flagship VHD5 for FOREVER, they didn’t hesitate.”
Mr. Tony specified a L/R system comprising a VHD5.0 mid/hi and a VHD8.10 low/mid element per side with two VHD2.0 front fills. For private booths and VIP areas, 16 ESD12 2-way full range speakers (known as TIME12 in China) act as a fill system, while 50 ESD1.18 subwoofers provide powerful low bass reinforcement. Here, 24 of the 50 subs cover the 16 meters in front of the DJ booth, with eight built into the front of the booth and another eight subs flown per side. The remaining 26 units are built into seating booths across the back of the room. Power, processing and control for the VHD systems are supplied by dedicated VHD power units. Two high-SPL ESM312 monitors act as DJ monitors.
Audio for the 150-capacity HipHop room is provided by a pair of KV2 Audio ESM312s, a pair of TIME12s and 12 ESD1.18 subs.
“What never fails to impress with KV2, and in particular the VHD systems, is the ability to cover such vast areas with so few boxes, yet the clarity and precision wherever you are in the room is simply unrivalled,” says Mr. Tony. “We’re proud to be part of the FOREVER experience.”
FOREVER
- Capacity: 2,000 + 150
- Key Components: KV2 VHD5’s
- Integrator: Guangzhou Idee International
Astoria Club, Barcelona, Spain
Housed in a historic cinema, the 4,845 square-foot Astoria Club in Barcelona is a nightclub and multipurpose space that preserves the classic structure of the old cinema with its stage, private boxes and the amphitheater itself, giving the place a romantic and theatrical air.
A major challenge for the venue was the volume of the space itself and the reflective materials on the walls, ceiling and floor. Using Bose Professional’s Modeler sound system software, Óscar Valero of integrator GAPLASA determined the best components to ensure even coverage through asymmetrical patterns. “The Modeler software was the perfect tool for visualizing and designing a system with the needed components that could achieve the desired SPL and coverage,” notes Valero.
In the past, this club had problems with noise impacting the neighbors, so using a larger line array would not be possible, as these typically generate high SPLs to cover all the area. Valero and his team found the solution would have to be a distributed system. The space needed enough SPL, even coverage, deep bass and small-format products that could deliver the desired caliber of sound experience while respecting the aesthetics of the Astoria Club itself.
This came in the form of a Bose Professional system with eight AMM112 multipurpose speakers, four ShowMatch SMS118 SUBs and a ControlSpace EX-1280 digital signal processor — all powered by two Powersoft X4 Dante amplifiers.
The AMM112s are passive, coaxial two-way designs with a 3-inch compression driver, 12-inch woofer and 131 dB peak SPLs. Proprietary Beamwidth Matching Waveguides deliver consistent frequency response, clarity and projection across the coverage area.
“AMM was the right family to achieve all the goals needed for the club itself,” says Valero, adding that “the coverage of the entire area is amazingly even and the presence of bass is powerful but does not create problems with the neighbors.”
Astoria Club
- Size: 4,845 sq. ft.
- Key Components: Bose AMM112’s
- Integrator: GAPLASA Pro
