Zouk nightclub turns to CABS
Published: MEA
OMAN: The audio project at the newly constructed Zouk nightclub in Oman has seen the use of a technique typically employed in recording studios and critical listening rooms to achieve the best possible sound in the room.
Sabri Al-Busaidi of Bright Lights LLC together with Akshay Khanna from Acoustics and Engineering Pty Ltd were contracted for the club’s A/V and acoustic requirements. ‘The main criteria when I was initially approached by Bright Lights LLC in conjunction with the client, Elite Hospitality, was to afford uniform sound propagation along the entire audible frequency bandwidth,’ explained Mr Khanna.
The sound field produced by loudspeakers in enclosed auditoria is highly non-uniform owing to the multiple reflections and diffractions caused by different surfaces and objects. After careful simulations and measurements at the club, the pair turned to a new method called Controlled Acoustic Bass System (CABS). This technique was conceived by Dr A Celestinos and Dr SB Nielsen, and had previously been applied to recording studios and critical listening rooms.
In addition, techniques based on the modal analysis of the effective advantage of passive EQ and placement optimisation were employed.
The 25m x 10.6m x 4.3m venue had an initial acoustic composition of concrete walls and ceiling, and a marble floor. ‘During the initial stages of the exercises, a modal analysis as well as RT60 and speech intelligibility measurements were carried out using algorithms written purely in Matlab,’ explained Mr Khanna. ‘Based on the acoustic profile of the venue, acoustic material composition was suggested and applied.’ 130 sq-m of acoustic dampening was applied to the venue to achieve the desired reverberation time. Absorbers and diffusers were placed on the walls and ceiling, and bass traps in the ceiling corners. The material was tailor-made in Oman by Bright Lights together with A&E, and Mr Khanna recalls constructing reverberation conditions to test absorption coefficients.
In order to achieve the desired effect the system was designed employing four Ohm Moon Subwoofers. The placement of the subs was both integral and critical in order to obtain the desired positive cancellations from the rear-wall reflections, to deliver a linear sound field.
The system adopted by the Zouk nightclub boasts one Dynacord P64 for DSP, alongside Ohm Moon FR loudspeakers, four BR6 cabinets and four Moon Subs powered by Lab.gruppen C10:8X, C28:4 and C48:4 amplifiers respectively. At the heart of the system sits a Pioneer video mixer SVM 1000 with two DVJ-1000 DJ mixers.