PT Citra Intirama, Martin Audio's long term distributors, have also enjoyed a relationship with the operators, and first introduced them to the British loudspeaker brand at one of their other elite clubs, the Dragonfly, back in 2006.
Martin Audio was then installed in the Blowfish Bar & Nightclub - but with the recent overhaul came not only replacement drivers for the existing system but a complete new complement of AQ and Blackline series full range systems and subwoofers.
"It was a natural progression to continue with the same brand," said PT Citra Intirama's Eric Haslim. "Martin Audio has a well-established reputation as one of the world's best professional club system loudspeakers, and we have worked hard for the past 20 years to establish the brand in Indonesia."
This time around they worked in conjunction with third party consulting company, PT Rhema Multi Perkasa, under the direction of Dax M. Wenas. Appointed by the distributor, they provided the necessary acoustic design, and carried out the installation, commissioning and operator training, as well as after sales support.
The task facing the installers was to integrate a total of two new Martin Audio Blackline F15+, six Blackline S218+, four AQ215 subs and four WSX subs discreetly into the interior design conceived by Bitte Design & Studio, and also tie it into the new AV set-up. "There were definite efforts to keep the speakers and subwoofers as discreet as possible to meet the design objectives," Haslim confirms.
At the same time, Ismaya Group directors, Bram Hendratam Christian Rijanto and Brian Sutanto, were anxious that the sound was self-contained; thus Vincent Lee of Vertical Acoustics was tasked with identifying areas where sound proofing was necessary and at the same time designing bass traps and diffusers/absorbers to create the ideal acoustic environment.
In addition to Blowfish, the complex also houses the adjacent Puro Italian restaurant (which can double as an overspill) - and this, too, runs exclusively Martin Audio sound reinforcement. Four further Blackline F15+ (in two pairs, as a main FOH system), two S+218+ subs and several F12+ in-fills at the back and sides are to be found. These are supplemented by AQ215s at the rear, to provide further low-end extension to the full range.
(Jim Evans)
