UNDERBANK E M EA
STOCKPORT / UK
A cus tom VO I D Ac o u s t i c s s e t - up g rants a n ol d b a n k a s e c o n d l if e i n th e l a unc h o f t h i s q u i r k y b ar an d s ocia l s p a c e . Within the UK, Stockport is perhaps best known for its unique musical legacy. Legendary names like 10cc, Joy Division, Inspiral Carpets, and New Order produced some of their greatest hits in the town’s recording facility, Strawberry Studios, a building that today is home to the MONDO-DR office. Therefore, when Des and Nina O’Malley took over a disused bank in the area’s underbank, they set out to create a venue that would honour Stockport’s rich history of sound and encourage residents from all over the Greater Manchester region to do the same. Aptly named Underbank, this new spot is the town’s first beer hall and margarita bar and will host all manner of DJ sets, live bands, and the like. To support this, a flexible and robust audio solution needed to be integrated – which is when Hollowsphere AV, an installer well-known in the area, entered the project. A business that has continued to steadily grow over the past few years, Hollowsphere AV is a team made up of people with experience in DJing, graphic design, tour management, and all manner of musical instruments. Adrian Ball, Director of Hollowsphere, commented: “Everyone’s been in theatre or sound. This means we are really passionate about the work that we do.” Underbank was created with a clear atmospheric goal in mind. Des and Nina O’Malley explained to Hollowsphere that they wanted to build a vibrant place where people could have a beer or a cocktail whilst dance music and DJs played, but also somewhere that could, albeit less frequently, be transformed into a more relaxed venue for a casual bar vibe. Ball added: “They needed to be able to ramp the sound system up for a dance event, which will be a huge selling point for Underbank, or tone it down for calmer evenings.” Consequently, Hollowsphere chose to base their solution around VOID Acoustics’ offerings, which Ball says he thinks are “built for dance music but work great for all genres.” He added: “You’ve always got to pick the right products for the right application. Simple. It varies from project to project – for Underbank, VOID Acoustics really fit our needs.” Figuring out placement for this equipment, however, was not completely straightforward. Being an old bank means that the building was not constructed with sound in mind. The space is unconventionally structured, with the stage sitting at the tail end of an L-shaped room. Hollowsphere AV had to ensure that audio did not get trapped in this corner, creating a large dead zone throughout the rest of the venue. Two of VOID Acoustics’ Venu 12 speakers were horizontally mounted, pointing out of the corner and towards the audience. Then, five Venu 6 were deployed in the quieter areas, products
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TECHNICAL INFORMATION AUDIO 2 x VOID Acoustics Venu 12 speakers 5 x VOID Acoustics Venu 6 V2 speakers 2 x VOID Acoustics Venu 212 V2 subwoofers 1 x VOID Acoustics Bias Q1.5+ amplifier 1 x Powersoft Duecanali 4804 DSP amplifier 1 x Cloud Electronics CX242 mixer www.hollowsphere.org