MANCHESTER, UK – Rebellion Club, the largest independent venue of its type in Greater Manchester, has upgraded its P.A. to an Electro-Voice point-source solution, solving the acoustic problems. The new system, driven by Dynacord amplifiers, has added clarity and improved the audio experience in an acoustically challenging environment.
More details from Electro-Voice (www.electrovoice.com) and Dynacord (www.dynacord.com):
The Manchester city centre venue has been a mainstay of the UK’s metal, rock and punk scene for more than a decade, regularly hosting headline performances from a variety of international acts. However, the physical makeup of the 520-person capacity venue has always made sound quality an issue.
“It’s a horrible space to put a PA into,” states Jason Hartley-Smith, Technical Director at Rebellion. “It’s a brick building shaped like a boot, so you’ve got a lot of reflections from the wall in front of the PA and slapback from the monitors from the wall behind. Added to this, there are high beams in front of the stage providing another hard surface.”
The ceiling height is too low to get consistent sound from a line array solution, so Rebellion opted to stick with point-source loudspeakers for the upgrade. When it came to finding the right solution, there was plenty of debate about which brand to choose, but eventually Electro-Voice was the best fit. “I’ve always thought Electro-Voice was good quality,” says Hartley-Smith. “I’ve always been a fan of EV equipment, so it seemed natural.”
Using the existing hanging points, Rebellion now features clusters of two EVF-1152D either side of the stage as the main tops supported by four X12-128 dual-18” subwoofers in cardioid mode for the low frequencies. A further EVF-1122D provides rear fill while three EVU-1062s deliver front fill. The Electro-Voice solution continues onstage with six MFX-15MC wedges serving as monitors.
Power for the system is from Dynacord L Series amplifiers. Eight L3600FD dual-channel 1800 W DSP amplifiers provide the optimum acoustic performance and reliability for Rebellion. Further enhancing the solution is full control via SONICUE. The sound system software offers intuitive set-up, control and operation for the system to get the best sound possible in the venue.
With the new system in place, Rebellion is now sounding better than ever, thanks to the added clarity provided by the Electro-Voice equipment. “There was a clarity issue with the old system, but it’s really clear now,” says Hartley-Smith. “We’ve been able to put in enough sound and clarity to overwhelm the reverb. I’m absolutely made up with it and all my engineers are super-happy with it.”
The Electro-Voice solution has also had a positive reaction from those who have taken to the stage and played the club. “The bands coming through see an EV point-source system and they’re happy as Larry, especially the American bands,” states Hartley-Smith. “We’ve had some great feedback on the PA from everyone who’s come through.”
Reflecting on the difference the new system has made to Rebellion, Hartley-Smith is full of praise for the solution. “For me as a sound engineer, it is lightyears different; it’s such a nice thing to listen to now,” he explains. “We used to run at about 105 dB, but now I tend to run at about 102 dB and it feels louder – it feels like there’s more there than the SPL meter is telling me. It’s to do with the clarity of the top end. I like it a lot.”
