Interior features of the old theatre, such as neo-Egyptian mouldings dating back to the 1930s, have been retained and incorporated into a new design that can accommodate dining, dancing, live performances and even conferences. Bars and dancefloors have been added, and the balcony turned into a VIP bar and restaurant. Stage facilities have been set up for live acts as well as DJs, and the spec includes an aesthetically pleasing installation of EV EVA line array modules, with X-Subs built into the stage.
Shuttlesound's Neal Allen advised Club Neo on the configuration of their new system, which was actually installed by Knight Sound & Light (Guildford). Allen identifies the club's 12m ceiling height as one of the key factors in the design. "We couldn't have done it with multiple speakers," says Allen, who used the new EVADA (EVA Design Assistant) software package to plot the desired output from the different speaker options, and to tweak the results.
As part of its sophisticated internal passive network, each EVA module enables 3 dB of shading to be applied to one HF element, if required (top or bottom). "With the addition of the EVA-AM Attenuation Modules, we can put the sound exactly where we want it," says Allen. "We can keep the box at zero or tailor it in steps of 3dB attenuation up to 9dB. This means you're not killing people at the front yet the sound is clear as a bell at the back."
Club Neo's six-module arrays are powered by just one EV TG7 amplifier, with a second TG7 to drive the four X-Subs under the stage. There are also a number of EV ZX3s on stage for in-fill, powered by an EV CP3000.
(Jim Evans)
