The combination of sound system specialist Masons and Martin Audio have given the City of Manchester some of its best-sounding clubs. One local leisure group has regularly been a part of this winning combination is Trof, whose most recent hybrid bar/restaurant/live venue is Gorilla.
In Gorilla, Masons System Designer Jack Jennings has created an all-purpose environment to satisfy both live music fans and serious clubbers, as well as bringing ambience to the bar and function rooms – or ‘stage, club, bar’, as the venue terms it...
Situated on a ground floor area between two railway arches, respectively assigned to function room and live venue, with a small mezzanine area providing an additional space, Jennings set about dividing the venue into three separate zones. His first task was to source a sound system for the main PA that would define midrange speech intelligibility.
He settled on four of Martin Audio’s WT3 arrayable three-way compact theatre enclosures, flown two a side over the stage in the 600-capacity main space, with four WS218X subs floor mounted in pairs either side of the stage, and concealed under the apron.
‘We had installed the WT3 at another Trof venue, the Deaf Institute, a few years back and it sounded really nice,’ he explains. ‘I knew the 6.5-inch mid-range driver was perfect for vocal reproduction and in an arched area it provides very good, tight pattern control.’
To this he has added a Blackline F12+ centre fill, a pair of delayed F15+ and a pair of delayed F10+ to cover another mezzanine bar to the rear of this space. ‘We will also be adding three further Blackline F12+ imminently to provide additional side and centre fills,’ he says. ‘This will ensure even coverage throughout.’
To optimise the sound, Martin Audio DX1.5 controllers have been specified, while the main PA has been assigned to Martin Audio amplifiers – an MA18K driving the subs and MA5.2K and MA2.0 to the top boxes, which are run biamped.
In the function room under the adjacent arch, Masons has installed a further pair of Blackline F12+, wall mounted at one end. Four AQ6s and two Blackline F10+ deliver the music in the bar/dining area at the front of the venue, while up on the mezzanine level music is pumped out through a pair of AQ8s and an AQ112 sub.
‘We needed a high specification main PA system as the DJs are using industry standard playback and the venue is also on the UK live touring circuit,’ Jennings reflects. ‘The system we designed at the Deaf Institute provided the blueprint for this; the operators are extremely happy as the venue is proving really popular, and the regular club nights, in particular, are full to capacity.’
More: www.thisisgorilla.com
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More: www.martin-audio.com
