Andrew Bentley is a concert pianist and local show promoter, so he knew the importance of sound as a creative element of making the right ambience, he said: "I chose ADLIB because I have known them for many years. Apart from getting an excellent sound for the room, they've always been straightforward to deal with."
ADLIB's Andy Dockerty was asked to design a system sympathetic to the vision and aesthetics of the building. This had to be as unobtrusive as possible in the restaurant, and loud-and-proud in the bar, Dockerty commented: "It was a challenging project. Everything had to be absolutely spot-on. The audio system also had to be flexible, accommodating background music in the restaurant and capable of being pumped up for DJ's downstairs or for hosting live performances including piano playing on the Steinway in the bar."
Additionally, the system needed to be vocally transparent to cater for the conference-style speaking applications, planned to become a regular feature of the downstairs areas. The system is a mix of ADLIB's own AA81 installation speakers with 15BP sub cabinets and JBL Control 23 cabinets, some of which are sprayed white to remain unobtrusive. Dockerty designed the audio zoning and the system access points throughout the bar and ground floor with potential conference use in mind. ADLIB has an ongoing relationship with the Hope Street Hotel, supplying additional sound equipment as-and-when needed for special events. Recent examples include a Katie Melua recording in the bar for Granada TV, and an appearance by Chris de Burgh.
The Hope Street Hotel has already become intensely popular as an 'IT' place to be in Liverpool, for both locals and visitors to the City, which is European Capital of Culture in 2008. The London Carriage Works is also proving a great hit, with weekend bookings now filling up two months in advance.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
