We have updated our policies with regard to privacy and our Website Terms and Conditions of Use
Solotech has completed an audio and lighting installation at Stereo, a cocktail bar situated under Covent Garden and where, as the name suggests, music is paramount.
Stereo is the latest live music and cocktail bar to join the London scene from international hospitality brand, Experimental Group. From daytime acoustic sets to live gigs in the evening, finishing with DJ sets into the early hours, the audio specification needed to be both high end and flexible.
Mikey Sorbello, Stereo’s Music Co-Ordinator wanted the audio to be powerful, crystal clear and of studio quality. On the decision to use Solotech, he commented, “We looked around for a company that was completing installs that were clear, clean and precise as possible, and we came across Solotech, who lived up to all of these criteria.”
Solotech were commissioned to supply audio and lighting throughout the building. Senior Business Development Manager Dan Seal recommended an L-Acoustics loudspeaker solution with a QSC Q-Sys Nano core to provide Digital Signal Processing (DSP), Input/Output (I/O) routing, a user interface and zone control throughout the venue.
L-Acoustics Soundvision software was used to model the venue and ensure that the proposed system design could deliver even coverage at the required SPLs. With space at a premium, Solotech installed two clusters of 3 x L-Acoustics A15 either side of the stage in an L-R configuration, with four KS21 subwoofers built under the stage apron.
We’ve got four L-Acoustics KS21 Subs under the stage – I don’t know how we got them under there but they’re there! Mikey Sorbello
We’ve got four L-Acoustics KS21 Subs under the stage – I don’t know how we got them under there but they’re there!
L-Acoustics X8s provided delays to reach the far corners of the room. L-Acoustics 5XTs have then been installed around the raised bar and in the toilets, with the ultra-compact SB10i subwoofers installed in ceiling recesses to ensure an even low frequency response throughout.
Space was again key when it came digital console choice with Solotech specifying a DiGiCo SD11. The console is just 48cm wide and 58cm deep yet can handle 48 input channels and 24 mix busses, ample for providing the house mix and monitors simultaneously.
In the DJ booth, Solotech installed a pair of industry standard Pioneer CDJ-3000 decks, a DJM-900 NXS2 mixer with a pair of L-Acoustics X2 cabinets for monitoring.
As part of the Stereo fit-out Solotech also supplied and installed the lighting system within the venue. At the heart of the system is a Chamsys MagicQ lighting console. At the back and above the bar area and to the side of the stage, Chauvet COLORado LED battens have been mounted to provide walls of colour. For stage lighting, 18 Chauvet Rogue R1X moving head lanterns are available, with the whole system controlled over DMX.
Stereo have opted to take the audio package on a contract rental basis, with the lighting, installation and consumable elements paid for up front. The advantages of contract rental are many fold: no initial Cap-Ex outlay, fixed monthly costs, access to the highest specification products as used by Solotech and a service support network to keep the system up and running.
Solotech Sales Director Ryan Thomas added, “Contract rental is an operational expense, therefore is tax deductible. If you are a business operating in profit it makes complete financial sense to opt for this. Then there’s the options available at the end of the fixed term: return the equipment with nothing further to pay, extend the fixed term or refresh the installation with new equipment on a new fixed term.
Mickey Sorbello is delighted with how the project has gone: “We were really tight on time, almost down to the minute to get the installation complete. We were so thankful to the team from Solotech who put in so much effort to ensure we opened on time. Definitely impossible without the help of Solotech!”
Dan Seal commented, “In Stereo, Experimental Group have created a fantastic music venue. The L-Acoustics system delivers on the desire for “studio grade” audio while the lighting is able to compliment any genre of music. It’s been a great project to have been involved in and we look forward to working with their team again in the future.”
Check out our interview with Mickey Sorbello on YouTube
