Luminar Leisure had owned the 1000-capacity Grade 1-listed theatre, with its 11-metre proscenium arch, for three years before deciding to develop it into a Jamhouse at a cost of £1.5m. But the conversion provided a major challenge for Ivor Green's sound installation team, led by Martin Tasker. "This is a large space, with a void above the proscenium, an 84-cover restaurant on the balcony and a large bar by the entrance," reports Green. "But the room itself is extremely live."
The choice of loudspeaker came down to two, with the contractors opting exclusively for Nexo. "We have regularly used Nexo products in the past and the PS15 is ideal for this application as it produces one of the tightest, sweetest sounding mid - and background sounds in the marketplace," says the installer.
Twenty of the PS15's are deployed as the core background delivery at ground floor and balcony level. These include three sets of PS15's, flown in stereo pairs from the balcony, and a further two positioned at the rear of the dance-floor, covering the under balcony and again in the new VIP Lounge, which has been developed above the proscenium arch. The sub frequencies are reproduced from a pair of LS1200's, positioned in front of the stage.
IGA have maintained the continuity with Nexo at the stage where six Alpha E AL.EM-P mid-hi enclosures and six AL.B1-18P bass - run three-way active, and powered by Crown amplification - have been distributed in two ground stacks, either side of the stage.
Ivor Green was mindful of the building's characteristics when designing the system, explaining: "The purpose was to direct the sound down to avoid radiating energy up into the void, and exciting the huge reverberant space. The Alpha has a narrow 75° x 30° dispersion and the mid and low frequencies come out of the speaker like a pinspot." IGA have implemented loudspeaker management from Nexo's dedicated processors - the NX242 digital TD controller for the Alpha series and PS15 TD controller.
The system has been carefully configured for live or DJ use from the respective sound desks, time-aligned so that part of the house system provides the delays when a live band is playing, while offering smooth even coverage with the subs activated, when in dance mode.In addition to the sound system Ivor Green & Associates were also responsible for the lighting and plasma displays. But just as Green had also been responsible for installing the original Jamhouse - in a three-storey Georgian building in Birmingham's St. Paul's Square - so concept originator Neil Tibbatts has been tasked by Luminar Leisure with carrying his design forward to the larger footprint in Edinburgh, opening up former smaller recording studios into bars and lounge areas, to fully maximise the space.
General manager of the Edinburgh Jamhouse is John Allison, and the musical director is Kenny Hutchison, while Jools Holland's Rhythm 'n' Blues Orchestra is set to play the venue early in the new year.
(Chris Henry)
