The Aruba roll-out for The Dukedom Group, now contains 32 venues around the UK, each one of them different and individually designed. The Stoke site is a single large room with a central bar, designed by Mason Wood Architects - who also do all the Revolution Vodka Bars. Each site's audio design and installation is also unique and specific to that venue. At Stoke, the client wanted both a variable loudness foreground music system, and a punchier DJ-led dancefloor area, operational five nights a week. Aruba Stoke is divided into three sound zones. The dancefloor/DJ zone (the loudest area) uses JBL Control 30 speakers. The bar area is designed to allow comfortable conversation, whilst also getting into the groove, and this features JBL Control 29AVs. The reception and chill-out area is the quietest zone, and here Anderson specified the compact JBL Control 25s.
Zoning is via an Allen & Heath iDR processor which also has a remote, switchable between sources, which includes settings for background music, TV or DJ. The challenge was minimizing the reverb in each area all of which feature plenty of hard surfaces and finishes. Pro Technical worked closely with Mason Wood on this aspect of the design to try and minimize reflections in the sound. Anderson uses JBL for many reasons, including the fact that he gets great service from Harman Pro UK, and that the hardware is easy to install. The JBL Control series come complete with their own inbuilt InvisiBall mounting hardware, so the only tools needed to install them are a drill and a screwdriver.
Pro technical also used JBL recently in the downstairs bar area of the Redcar Aruba, which features eight Control 29 AVs, two MS 125 subs and two Control 25s.
(Lee Baldock)
