When the owners decided to expand the facilities to include a new on site leisure facility complete with two pools, jacuzzi, gym, fitness centre, bars and restaurant, they asked Pyramid Presentations to design and install high quality lighting and AV systems throughout.
Since the audio brief required 20 different sources and outputs to 12 different areas, Pyramid saw it as an opportunity to design an audio system around a Bose ControlSpace ESP-88 audio management system. An additional requirement was for speakers that blended into a clearly defined interior design, and the Bose FreeSpace range was chosen.
According to Bose Pro Partner, Nic Black of Pyramid, the audio brief consisted of two main elements - background music with four separate music sources and central paging facilities in 10 separate zones, each requiring its own music feed, plus a multi-functional music system in the main leisure bar. This was to be used for background music, occasional conference use, and live events ranging from comedians and karaoke to small live bands and musicians, so required local inputs in various locations for a flexible set-up.
The Bose ControlSpace system offered a central controller with simple access to system parameters such as source select and volume control, and brought together the multiple source inputs and local outputs in one flexible but highly controllable DSP.
The challenge in the main bar was in balancing the system to provide enough headroom for live music without compromising on the aesthetics, and full range Bose FreeSpace DS100 and DS16 speakers provided just the right solution. An additional issue was presented by two indoor pools which suffered from high ambient noise levels when the fun pool was in use, but again the Bose system was well up to the task of delivering background music to enhance the atmosphere.
According to the park's owner, John Willis, "Pyramid's design more than achieved the brief we set. The audio system is of the highest quality and we are delighted with the overall effect and performance across the facility. We were also very impressed by the expertise and standard of installation achieved by Nic Black, which was crucial to the overall success of the project."
Pyramid also supplied architectural lighting design and control for most areas, as well as a disco and events lighting system for the main bar, and AV systems throughout the centre.
(Jim Evans)
