Hosted at the 5,000 capacity Tobacco Dock in London's Wapping district, the five-year-old event was an opportunity for clubbers to dress up and party to leading edge techno by both established and up-and-coming artists.
Located in a residential area, a stone's throw from Shadwell Railway Station, the Grade 1 listed venue, with a problematic glass roof apex, is subject to strict sound containment conditions. Consequently, Flare had to provide an immaculate quality, all-embracing sound experience for the audience, without audio spillage into the neighbourhood beyond.
"The greatest challenge was to deliver the music at a level that the dance audience demands, without breaching the very strict noise levels at our event perimeter and at the nearest residence, 120m away," says 'Waq' of sound rental company and Flare Audio dealer Mustt Audio. The company installed a ground-stacked, four-point system consisting of four Flare Q18 units, two X5A units and one X5A as out-fill per side in the 3,000 capacity main room.
Flare also provided systems in two smaller rooms of 1,250 capacity and 750 capacity. In Room 2 of Drumcode Halloween, an underground car park converted for the occasion, Flare provided six Q18 and two X5A cabinets per side, plus a mono delay stack 50m from the FOH system, consisting of two Q18sand an X5A.
"We tuned the system precisely," Waq explains. "Using the minimal amount possible of FIR filters, small gain adjustments and physical positioning of the system, as well exactly time aligning the rear stacks to the FOH system for seamless audio between the two, I chose not to use my preferred audio analysis software. Instead I trusted the ear for the entire process. The linearity of Flare speakers yields accurate dispersion patterns, no box resonance or distortion, which greatly helps noise containment. Our target at FOH, 35m from the stacks, is 102dBA and 55dBA at the nearest residence."
"We have always enjoyed using Flare Audio products," says Alice Favre, director of operations at LWE. "They delivered an impressive result for us at Tobacco Dock in a very noise sensitive venue. There is great clarity in the system and it's nice to be able to offer our customers something innovative."
Will Harold director of bookings at LWE adds: "The artists loved the clarity of sound provided by Flare, while it was clear that the audience really enjoyed it too. Flare's sound systems fulfilled the needs of everyone involved with Drumcode Halloween, even the sound control authorities who were monitoring levels outside the venue. We look forward to using Flare again on future shows."
(Jim Evans)
