To accommodate the multi-zone configuration, and provide the flexibility required, Soundworks proposed an Audica Professional MICROseries system, which was auditioned by the restaurant's owner prior to installation.
Each of the four zones of the restaurant was fitted with individual Audica MICROzone controller/amplifier, and each MICROzone was provided with an Audica WMR (wall mount remote) for local individual control.
In the main restaurant area the MICROzone is used to feed a four-channel MICROplus power amplifier, which drives 12 MICROpoint loudspeakers, and two active MICROsubs for additional low frequency reinforcement.
In the other three rooms the MICROzone's built-in power amplifiers are used to directly drive the loudspeakers. The Speciality Restaurant uses MICROdot ceiling loudspeakers, The Bar is fitted with three MICROdots and a MICROsub and the PDR (Private Dining Room) is also fitted with three MICROdots and a MICROsub.
For the prime configuration the MICROzone from the main restaurant operates as the master for the music system. To feed the BGM music to each room, Soundworks took a 'No EQ' out from the master MICROzone and fed it into a Behringer MX882 splitter mixer; then the output from the splitter to input two of the other MICROzones. This kept the outputs of the other three MICROzone units available for an independent second configuration. The master MICROzone has input from a media player, Sky TV and a DVD player.
The second configuration required by the restaurant owner was to be able to connect the other three rooms independently from main restaurant, which when used for parties would not be providing the background music for the other rooms. For this, Soundworks used the 'No EQ' output from the Speciality Restaurant MICROzone and fed it to the line input three of the Bar MICROzone; then from 'No EQ' output from the bar MICROzone to the PDR MICROzone, thus providing the Lotus Leaf with the flexibility of being able to separately operate the two main configurations.
Following completion, the system was handed over to the restaurant owner, who praised the work carried out by Soundworks, with the comment, "Thank you for suggesting this system which is a very wise choice, offering a lot of flexibility and extremely high quality music at a modest budget."
(Jim Evans)
