Birmingham’s latest live venue, Forum, a 3,500 capacity night spot, has been boosted by d&b’s Subscription-Series commercial tool, a secure and flexible way to access a system without the burden or liability of ownership. There are no large down-payments required and no hidden costs, just a refundable sign-on fee and a monthly fee, starting from as little as twenty-four months.
As a result of the subscription sign-up, local d&b partner, DMX installed V-Series line arrays, flown above stage left and right, with six SL-SUBs built into the stage, with D80 amplifiers providing the power.
“By opting to subscribe to the system through the Subscription-Series we were able to manage the risk of starting a new business in the aftermath of a pandemic,” explained Billy Chauhan, founder of global venues and MD at Forum. “As well as having peace of mind in terms of monitoring and servicing the kit.”
SJ Grevett, owner at DMX Productions added: “A lot of people were proposing different systems – bigger systems, but knowing Global Venues we were able to say ‘well actually, listen. Use your ears and you be the judge’. With d&b less is often more.
“But, to some degree, choosing d&b required a leap of faith. It’s not your typical choice for a DJ or dance music venue – it’s essentially just an amazingly good sounding black box. But, actually in terms of attracting bands and being able to accommodate such a diverse program, it’s going to pay dividends.
“It’s about thinking sustainably and part of that is multifunctionality – one system that fits all. Forum’s d&b rig can do a bass rave and knock 23 Hz through peoples’ bodies; they can also have Jimmy Carr in there – a comedy gig – knowing it’ll be crystal clear and deliver the even coverage that’s needed. It’s about being incredibly rider friendly for artists – having an A-list-attractive solution.
“With Subscription-Series now part of this picture, we’re going to see more people in a position to spend the right money on the right product in the first place, alleviating the pressure to upgrade further down the line.”
With support from the team at d&b UK, DMX Productions designed and commissioned the system; with Subscription-Series full maintenance and biannual onsite visits come as standard with simplified upgrade options and decommissioning when it’s time for a change. In the meantime, if anything goes wrong, the system is remotely monitored by d&b, enabling DMX Productions to be onsite and dealing with the situation promptly.
“During these early days, we’ve really enjoyed how much support we’ve had from d&b directly,” says Taylor Godfrey, technical manager at Forum. “If we’ve had a question it’s been really easy just to pick up the phone and talk to somebody who has intimate knowledge of the system.”
Subscription-Series has given Forum exactly what it needs right now, with nothing but total flexibility for the years to come. “We were looking for a system that would do justice to our diverse future program,” concluded Chauhan, “and d&b just ticked all the boxes. The system is so versatile its coped with everything we’ve asked it to do so far. The install has been very, very successful.”
