Set in the Spitalfields development area of East London, Galvin La Chapelle occupies the landmark Grade II-listed, late Victorian St. Botolph Hall - a former chapel and school.
While much of the grandeur of the building has been preserved in the fine dining restaurant at the rear, a major upgrade of the former Café a Vin (converting it into Galvin HOP) created fresh challenges for the sound team. This area combines a lounge with 'Pub-de-luxe', outdoor summer dining venue and a 'food to go' section specialising in hot dogs.
After six years of trading here Chris and Jeff Galvin had decided a potent sound system would give the complex greater versatility, having seen a similar solution on a trip to the United States.
In order to provide an audio solution delivering clarity and performance within the reverberant dining space, whilst maintaining the integrity and grandeur of the building, with preserved granite pillars, exposed brickwork, wooden beams and limestone plastered walls, Patterson consulted the application team at Sound Technology Ltd, the Harman Pro distributors for the UK and Ireland.
Having considered the brief, application engineer Ben Todd recommended the JBL CBT 70J constant beamwidth speakers, with CBT 70JE low frequency extenders. A site demo convinced the client of both performance and suitability. Patterson sensitively had the speakers colour matched to blend discreetly into the sandstone coloured background and preserve the aesthetic.
Within JBL's extensive catalogue he has also found a role for the Control 50 subwoofers, which are recessed under the seating, along with tiny Control 52 satellites, mounted high up in the glazed middle gastro restaurant where a warm sound was required. An additional JBL ASB6115 subwoofer is also available to augment the LF when there is a party booking. The result is serious club-like performance when needed and a smooth sounding, discreet and sophisticated system during the day.
Meanwhile in the Galvin HOP bar, a similarly discreet, yet party-capable system has been installed. JBL Control 24C ceiling speakers and Control 23 on-wall speakers are combined with a JBL PRX718 18in subwoofer along with a further Control 50. Four JBL 8124 ceiling speakers are also found in the toilets.
Further innovation can be found in the marquee areas where JBL's stylish, curved and weatherised Control CRV and all-new Control 85M mushroom landscape speakers, also for outdoor use, can be found. "We wanted something quirky," explained Patterson
The entire set-up is controlled by BSS Soundweb BLU-100, 12 in/8 out DSP, and powered by Crown DCi DriveCore Install amplifiers. A DCi 4|1250N 4-channel amplifier in the dining restaurant is networked to a pair of DCi 8|600N 8-channel amplifiers in Galvin HOP using BLU-Link.
"All signals are transferred over just four Cat 5 cables using BLU-Link, which is a far more elegant solution than using lots of analogue multicore," explains Patterson. "It's worked amazingly well."
(Jim Evans)
