Augmented Reality, Augmented Arrays

Perth’s Magnet House

Previously known as Capitol, Globe, and Pinocchio’s, the nightclub at 393 Murray Street, Perth is home to DJs, bands, late nights and early mornings, and has been central to Perth’s nightlife for a decade. March 2020 was to see it re-open after a three-month refit as Magnet House, sporting a multi-million dollar production and lighting refit headed by Technical Alliance and BHO Interiors.

While timing may not have gone to plan, Magnet House opened up to punters June 27, who got to experience Australia’s first-ever Pixel Kinetic Ceiling, which includes a 54 piece floating triangle ‘Happy Tube’ rig hoisted by 162 individually controlled motors.

With screens and pixel strips everywhere, lucky VJs get to address 240,000 pixels and 34 square metres of LED.

But what’s a nightclub without a PA? CCA Productions, who’ve looked after the premises’ audio needs for years, have installed a banging new d&b audiotechnik A-Series augmented array rig, also the first of its kind in Australia.

“This was a full venue refit for the visuals with a brief of ‘sensory overload’,” comments Luke Willott, Director of CCA Productions.

“We wanted to install a PA that matched that brief. It needed to be sonically upfront and in-your-face, but not visually. We needed it to look discrete while still being able to hit the SPLs needed for EDM and bands.

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“On top of this, Maggie’s is a funny shaped room, with lots of weird angles and glass surfaces. We’ve had both line arrays and point source in there, which have done their job, but d&b’s new augmented array seems to really work for the venue.”

d&b posit the A-Series as being “as flexible as a point source cluster, as controllable as a line array”. They’re basically constant curvature boxes, but with the added magic of being able to be processed as a line array by d&b’s ArrayProcessing.

They also include a new processing function run from the amps known as Midrange Directivity Control (MDC). Variable splay angles allow for arrays of up to four A-Series loudspeakers.

“I think of d&b’s augmented arrays as ‘point and/or line’,” explains Luke. “They look and fly like an array, but it behaves as constant curvature point source.

“With A-Series, we could do things in the venue that would break line array theory, like keeping it square to the room or not J-curving it in, because it’s not a line array.

“There were limitations imposed by line array physics that would have been impractical in this space, so A-Series was the perfect solution, enabling us to focus acoustic energy where we needed it away from where we didn’t.”

CCA installed a system based on hangs of three AL90s a side. The AL90s contain two 10″ LF drivers and a 1.4” exit compression driver with 3″ coil. Their dispersion is 90° x 30°, and they produce a more than respectable max SPL of 139 dB.

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Under the stage, a sub array of both J-Infra and V-Series with cardioid pattern control takes care of the all-important low end while keeping peace with the neighbours.

Infill is from a pair of d&b 10s from the xS-Series, with three 5S from the same range dotted around the club as fill.

Up on the balcony, d&b Y-Series point source make sure everyone is having the same sonic experience, and a re-deployed T-Series rig on the mezzanine can be matrixed in when the venue is at capacity.

The system is all controlled and monitored via d&b’s R1 software, and is powered by d&b D Series amps, with the new 40D set to go in soon.

With the venue normally hosting bands on the national touring circuit, CCA have provided a full production spec, including a monitor package running off a Midas M32 desk.

“The coverage from the A-Series main PA is comprehensive, but there are screens everywhere in Perspex boxes that are audio obstructions, so we needed some fill for the dark spots,” adds Luke.

“We really wanted consistent SPL over the entire listening plane in very area, and we’ve achieved that.”

What did Luke make of d&b’s augmented array concept going into the design phase? “I have to say, I was initially confused by the idea of applying ArrayProcessing to a point source,” admits Luke.

“But then I did the d&b training, got into R1, designed and modelled the system, and it all made sense.”

And what about the all-important sonic results? “There’s a lot of low mid; it’s fat and chunky,” offers Luke. “The bass is extremely coherent. Both the bands and the EDM crowd have been very happy with the sound.

“I think the A-Series are going to be the next big ‘pub box’. If it wasn’t for COVID, I think they’d already be everywhere. They make a great main PA, but could also really shine as fill in bigger systems.

“Because you can run them with ArrayProcessing, they can complement a main array and just become part of the gang. It’s the first time d&b has done this, and it works.”

Since re-opening, Magnet House has seen lines out the door and has been packed every weekend. Still awaiting the rest of the country to open up, Luke relates the difficulties of installation during a pandemic.

“Magnet House spent a lot on this fit-out, with the PA just one piece of the puzzle,” Luke observes. “I think the hardest thing about doing an install in lockdown is trying to hype a new PA when no one can come and listen to it!

“I’m really looking forward to the day when national touring opens up again, and we get to see some great bands and engineers coming through. I think they’re going to love it!”

www.dbaudio.com

nas.solutions

www.ccaproductions.com.au

I’m really looking forward to the day when national touring opens up again and we get to see some great bands and engineers coming through – they’re going to love it!

CX Magazine – October 2020   

LIGHTING  |  AUDIO  |  VIDEO  |  STAGING  |  INTEGRATION

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