d&b audiotechnik loudspeaker systems were chosen for installations in Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. One of Ireland’s leading visitor attractions it has welcomed 25m visitors to date. The Storehouse’s goal was to create a new stop-off on the tour, a live entertainment hub that would offer traditional Irish music and dance.
Guinness owner Diageo’s regular entertainments consultancy, John Brady Events (JBE), planned three separate installations. But the principal one was for the second floor’s Arrol Suite, previously reserved for private events and functions. The room was reimagined in March this year to keep up to 400 visitors entertained for 15 minutes before moving on to the next feature in the Storehouse experience.
d&b audiotechnik partner, Acoustik, took charge of the installations. For the Arrol Suite, d&b’s xS-Series: 6 x 12S speakers make up the main PA, with 4 x 10S used as delays. The low-end is provided by 4 x 18S cabinets flown in the roof.
There were two other refitted spaces were Arthur’s Bar, the main bar space, and Market Street, a repurposed dining area that will also serve as a venue for private and corporate events. They were equipped with 3 x 12S-D cabinets (the ‘D’ signifying the wider dispersion model) and 3 x 12S Subs, and 2 x 10S-D cabinets and 2 x 12S Subs respectively. Amplification throughout was from d&b’s installation-specific, 4-channel 10D amplifiers.
Day-to-day operation of the system is accessible to non-technical staff via an iPad with d&b’s R1 software, offering a selection of orientation presets for the Arrol Suite, as well as the ability to reduce volume levels at the bar areas.
There were acoustic challenges involved in the installations. according to John Brady, managing director of JBE. The building’s industrial roots made for a difficult acoustic environment as there were wooden floors, tiled walls, as well as plenty of glass, steel and concrete. He said: “It’s just about the most acoustically unfriendly space you could come across.”
Will Fitzpatrick, director, Acoustik, who co-designed the system, said: “The controlled directionality of d&b loudspeakers is absolutely key. Using the accurate predictive capabilities of d&b’s ArrayCalc software, we tried variations of different speakers in different positions, until we found the best solution.
“Through multi-source speaker systems, we created spaces where entertainment can happen as desired, without affecting the surrounding areas. ArrayCalc was amazing. It simulated exactly what we actually achieved with the installation.”
