Funktion One and last H3000 installed in high-profile Tokyo live venue
Published: ASIA
JAPAN: A new TV station-affiliated live music venue in the highly fashionable Shibuya district of Tokyo has been installed with a substantial Funktion One FOH system alongside what the installer describes as the last Midas Heritage 3000 analogue console.
Named WWW, the venue is owned by Japanese music television channel Space Shower TV, and is housed in the premises of the former CinemaLive theatre in Shibuya, one of Tokyo’s busiest wards. Due to host live performances which will be broadcasted to the pay-TV stations seven million viewers across Japan, the venue comprises a main auditorium in which the concrete tiers for the now removed seating are still visible, plus a secondary lounge area in which DVDs are projected onto the stone walls.
It is described by Masaaki Azuma, president of Funktion One Japan and the man behind the installation, as representing ‘a mixture of new culture and old culture – it’s a fusion of old and new. For example – a TV show and live music, there’s a big difference. Everything in WWW, from the benches to the sound equipment, is about fusion.’
Crucially, WWW has been designed with an obvious love for analogue audio, with the Heritage 3000 proudly sat at front of house while a Midas Sienna serves monitor duties. Mr Azuma explained that the venue’s manager, Tatsutoshi Natori specifically wanted an H3000 for the position: ‘Mr Natori wanted the Heritage 3000 because he doesn’t like digital consoles - he doesn’t think they have a good sound. But the Heritage 3000 was already discontinued so I asked Midas to make this one. It’s very impressive.’
Mr Natori was equally discerning in his choice of front of house system, having sought out Mr Azuuma’s involvement in the project specifically to acquire a Funktion One installation. Despite budget constraints forcing Mr Azuuma to shelve plans for a flown solution, the final install comprises three Resolution 5 loudspeakers per side ground-stacked atop three Resolution 218 mk 2 subwoofers. Additional Resolution 2 boxes are included at either side of the stage for side-fill. Powering the system meanwhile are MC2 amplifiers, with one E15, an E25 and four E45s.
Budget difficulties also spurred Mr Azuuma to be creative in the design of the venue’s foldback system, which comprises wedge monitors that he custom-designed in collaboration with Japanese manufacturer Taguchi. ‘This is a custom model designed just for here,’ explained Mr Azuuma. ‘It has a 15-inch woofer and a 3-inch diaphragm with a passive network. Mr Taguchi and I designed these together and they are now making this model. There is a 15-inch, a 12-inch and a double 12-inch. It’s very nice and not expensive. It sounds good and I’m proud.’
In an additional effort to ensure that the audio quality within WWW is as high as possible, Mr Azuuma has also ensured that it is using 240v power to better service the equipment he has installed within it. Included within the rack meanwhile is Klark Teknik signal processing and BSS compression.
He added that despite the budget difficulties ‘Mr Natori never wanted to change the console or the speaker system, or the 240v power. He wanted a good sound and a good image – that was the priority.’