Largest Hard Rock Café in South East Asia turns to E&E
Published: ASIA
MALAYSIA: Built in the middle of the World Heritage Site Melaka in the Jonker Walk, Hard Rock Cafe Melaka recently opened with an audio installation described by general manager Anderson K Selva as ‘the best sound system that money can buy’. The entire project was delivered by Singapore-based Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd (E&E).
Owned and managed by Tan Sri Syed Yusoff Syed Nassir under the Hard Rock Cafe Enterprise (M) Sdn Bhd, Hard Rock Cafe Melaka is the third Hard Rock franchise in Malaysia, following Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Built at a cost of RM17 million (US$5.2 million), the venue is thinking big – as the largest Hard Rock Cafe in South East Asia, it is projected to attract some half a million patrons annually.
Electronics & Engineering (E&E) was called upon to design, supply and install the A/V and lighting systems into the 900 sq-m iconic restaurant in a project that lasted approximately eight months. From Beijing to Bali, E&E has been outfitting HRC venues for over two decades. Given the company’s expertise, Mr Selva was convinced it was the right choice for the job.
‘E&E knows the requirements of Hard Rock Cafes as we have worked with them on many projects in the past and, I’m sure, more projects in the future,’ Mr Selva explained. ‘E&E have a proven track record and they understand the needs and wants of HRC as we meet ever evolving customer tastes.’
Regarding the Melaka restaurant’s specific requirements, he added: ‘Foreground music is played in all the Hard Rock Cafe’s worldwide but in Asia, especially, live music is preferred. We have live music performed every day.’
Making that possible is a high-end sound reinforcement and background music system including brands such as EAW, Powersoft, Symetrix, Shure and Soundcraft. The main dance floor is covered by a front of house system comprising four EAW JFL210 line array elements suspended in an L-R configuration, augmented by four ground-stacked EAW JFL118 single 18-inch subwoofers. In addition, four self-powered Mackie HD1221 speakers provide additional coverage. An EAW UX8800 4-in 8-out digital processor handles speaker management for both systems.
The BGM system in the peripheral areas such as the dining booths, bar areas and rock shop consists of 37 EAW SMS5 5-inch speakers augmented by six EAW SB48ZP dual 8-inch subwoofers concealed in the ceilings. All of the power, meanwhile, is regulated by Furman PL-8 power conditioners/sequencers and is supplied courtesy of four M50Q, two Duecanali 3904 and single M28Q and M14D 1U Powersoft amplifiers.
Whilst the DJs are furnished with a Rane Serato SL3 three-deck interface together with a Pioneer DJM850k DJ mixer and twin Pioneer CDJ-2000 turntables, live engineers are invited to mix the bands on a Soundcraft Live 8 40-channel console. In addition to the eight Powersoft amplifiers, UX8800 processor and Furman power conditioning the control room houses a single Symetrix 8x8 DSP Symnet processor for managing the EQ, compression and limiting in all the various zones. A Rane SM26 6-in 2-out combiner / 2-in 6-out splitter assists in routing the live signals from the stage to the mixer. On stage, the musicians and singers rely on a Shure SLX24 wireless system together with a selection of wired PG and SM Beta models.
For the video needs of Hard Rock Café Melaka, a Ramaco PRO-L4030V/SL2- motorised screen receives its images from an EIKI XB43 3LCD XGA 4,500 lumens projector. Inputs include Sony EVI-D80P 18x optical and RM-BR300 CE3 remote control cameras, which are fed through an Extron MVX 88 VGA 8x8 stereo audio matrix switcher, whilst two DA4xi single input, 4-output VGA distribution amplifiers and five IN1508 RGB scalers ensure that the digital video signals are projected clearly. Sharp LCDs including eight 40-inch models plus a single 60-inch screen constitute the video distribution system elsewhere.
All of the lighting has been sourced from Martin, with 10 par cans, six Mac 250 moving heads, an RDM 5.5 Opto splitter and PC-based control via LightJockey 2.
Reflecting on the completed venue, Mr Selva was delighted with the installation and the company who provided it. ‘The systems provided in HRC Melaka are user friendly, and proper training, support and guidance have been provided to us,’ he declared, adding of Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd: ‘They are ready and available to us at any time’.