Club owner José Miguel Losada was insistent that in keeping his dance music en vogue, he also wanted playback through the current fashion in line array systems - and thus Bernat Camacho and Jordi Rosselló, from Adagio SA, set up a full-scale demo of the maker's different systems.
The Martin Audio distributors were awarded the contract as a result of their close association with the lighting contractors, Stonex SA, while the fit-out was undertaken by installation contractor, Francesco Escoda. Camacho notes, "We could have proposed several solutions using Martin Audio components - but the club really wanted line array, in particular the largest of the three systems."
The new-build venue is divided across three floors and includes the main dancefloor and entrance, the Buda Chillout Room and entrance, the White Room (aka Latinos) and a VIP bar. This creates a four zone system, and while several operate independently (with highly-specified DJ systems), the XTA DSP allows the music to be routed from any of the zones to all the others.
The entertainment starts at the grand entrance, where the clientele are greeted by four flown Martin Audio W8LMD Down-fill boxes - one in each corner, with a pair of concealed Blackline S18 subs. This connects with the main dancefloor, where a portable stage allows the room to double as a live performance space. Here two hangs of three W8L's and a single W8LS sub present a punchy dance system, while four further ground-stacked WLX subs provide further bass extension. Off axis and peripheral areas also provide even coverage thanks to six strategically-placed Martin Audio Blackline F10's.
As with the main dancefloor, the upstairs Buda Room is fed from a top spec DJ system, based around Pioneer components. "The club had wanted to run a W8LM system here but it would have been overkill," continued Camacho. Instead he recommended a pair of W8LMD Down-fill boxes, flown each side, with four concealed ground-stacked S18 subs. This room is also served by its own reception area, and unhappy with the speaker brand installed, the club is in the process of adopting a Martin Audio AQ10 solution.
Further down the first floor, Latinos - now renamed The White Room in view of its décor - boasts four further W8LMD's flown around the small dancefloor and four more S18's, which are hidden from view. Further coverage is provided by an additional pair of LMD's over the bar.
Camacho says that the challenge throughout was to convince the technical team to opt for efficiency rather than fashion. "For example at the demonstration they liked the W8LM system very much and wanted to use it, but instead of a 7.5° vertical dispersion pattern we persuaded them to use the LMD, which opens out to 20°, giving them a much more even coverage."
Finally, Adagio AS have given the main dancefloor DJ team reference monitoring in the form of a pair of Martin Blackline F15's, while the live musicians are extended the same privileges, since they can hear their own stage performance through Martin Audio's LE700 floor wedges,
(Jim Evans)
