More than 70 of Martin Audio’s new CDD installation loudspeakers have been installed in a new London leisure hospitality venue called Swingers by Middlesex Sound & Lighting (MSL).
Operated by the Institute of Competitive Socialising (ICS), offers two nine-hole crazy golf courses, a dining area with street food, a two-tier clubhouse and five bars. It hosts corporate crazy golf sessions for the business world, and then gives its 16,000-sq-ft of space an upbeat vibe after dark, with nightly DJs. It is described as an environment of ‘competitive socialising’.
MSL Director Darrel Olivier says that after seeing the Swingers operation – which is run by Jeremy Simmonds and business partner Matt Grech-Smith – prototyped at a short-term pop-up in Shoreditch, he was excited by the prospect of equipping the quirky underground venue opposite London’s ‘Gherkin’ tower with a full A/V integration featuring the CCD speakers and their patented Coaxial Differential Dispersion driver technology: ‘We were asked to provide very high quality and evenly distributed audio system which could be ramped up for the nighttime trade,’ he says.
‘While MSL has fitted 24 CDD8 (8-inch) speakers and a total of five CSX112 (12-inch) subs around the two golf courses it is for the clubhouses that Olivier has reserved the most potent sound. Here he has placed four CDD8 and a powerful CSX212 (2 x 12-inch) sub for the DJ sets, with a further four CDD6 in the Lower Clubhouse bar and ten CDD6s in the Upper Clubhouse on the mezzanine level.
Moving through the building, MSL has specified four CDD6 in the Private Dining Room and six CDD8 in the general dining area. Elsewhere, there is a pair of CDD5 (5-inch) in Reception, four CDD6 in the entrance, eight further CDD5 in ancillary areas, such as corridors, washrooms and toilets. The entire system is driven by Powersoft M-series amplifiers.
The installer also designed an intuitive series of presets and routing commands programmed into the BSS DSP, with source select and global volume control: ‘We worked closely with the operations team at Swingers, to create presets for volume at different times of the day. And, because of the inherent reverberation in the building, we worked hard on the gain structure of the individual input channels to ensure we delivered the best sound. By installing so many CDD enclosures, we were able to compensate for the environment.’
Inputs are derived from BGM, DJ, live feeds, various A/V inputs and there is a separate aux audio input. Two 65-inch Sony commercial display screens have been detailed – one for the Private Dining area and the other for the leader board – connected and run by WyreStorm HDBaseT matrix HD video switcher, with room for future proofing.
‘We are massive Martin Audio fans,’ Olivier proclaims. ‘CDD works well, looks good, provides even coverage and represents exceptional value, while the variety of Martin Audio bracketry gives us enormous flexibility. Because we spec so much CDD, I know it like the back of my hand. And when clients see your confidence in a system it helps you negotiate the sale.’
‘This is a challenging environment in which to achieve top-quality sound, particularly given the challenges presented by the building and the many different areas within our scheme,’ adds Simmonds. ‘CDD handles everything thrown at it while Darrel and his team have integrated and programmed all the A/V technology in such a way that the system works for our needs as the atmosphere changes from lunch time through to the early hours.’
