FABRIC E ME A
LONDON / UK
I conic n i g h t c l u b u p g r a de s its Ma r tin Au d i o s o u n d s ys t em with new a m p l i f i c a t i o n , a n e n h anc e d sub p a cka ge , r e p u r p o s e d l o u d spe a ke rs a nd boost e d l e g a c y b o xe s , with ne w dr iv er s i n s t a l l e d i n i t s 2 0 - ye ar-old l ine a r r a y t o a d d c l a r i t y a nd boost p er for m an c e . M a r t i n Au d i o Ma na g ing Dir ecto r D o m Ha r t e r a n d f abric Tech nica l M a n a g e r M a t t S m ith disc uss the project. Ph ot o: S op h ie H oul t
As revered London nightclub fabric celebrates its 25th birthday this year, the club has other reasons to celebrate having substantially upgraded its sound system in Room 1 with assistance from Martin Audio. The club’s relationship with Martin Audio dates back to the start of the millennium, and since that first install the club has maintained its faith in the manufacturer’s sound systems. Having noticed a slight dip in performance in recent years, and realising that professional audio technology is ever-improving, fabric’s Technical Manager Matt Smith saw fit to refresh the system. “Having been around different venues and touring events, I’d noticed that the performance of our amplifiers and overall setup wasn’t really cutting it,” stated Smith. “It was a really long process before we sit here with what we have today, but that’s because we wanted to be as diligent as possible and find the best possible solution.” Smith was nervous of losing what he describes as “that distinctive Room 1 sound” and after trying out several high-end systems from various manufacturers, Smith asked Martin Audio if they would overhaul the existing 20-year-old W8C and W8L systems by replacing their drivers, and add in new sub woofers and amplifiers. “The systems we tested were all amazing, but the consensus among our team and DJs was that we needed to keep the room on character,” said Smith. “This room has its own sound, and I’m not sure that if we took this system to another room it would sound the same. It’s a combination of the room and the performance of the system that makes it what it is – they both come together to get that character.” With the relationship between fabric and Martin Audio already established, the manufacturer was open to all suggestions, with Managing Director Dom Harter taking up the story. “Once we started down this path of the venue wanting to upgrade and overhaul the system we took a number of visits to the room to listen to what was there already and discuss the project with Matt and the team,” said Harter.
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