d&b shining White into the dark
There's something about small dark rooms with low ceilings; ever since The Beatles first graced the stage, if we can call it that, at The Cavern in Liverpool, music lovers have been attracted to the visceral combination of hot, sweaty, atmospheric venues where the rhythms of the night can insinuate themselves into the very pores of your soul. A cauldron of passion and perspiration, Club Subterraneo at the heart of Providencia, the entertainment sector of downtown Santiago, Chile, is just such a place. A place where international acts like DJ Shadow (USA) or Los Amigos Invisibles (Venezuela) rub shoulders with local talent such as Fulano or Villa Carino.
Just eight hundred square meters, with a capacity for eight hundred people, the club has recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. The celebrations called for a new PA system and owner Sebastián Menichetti knew just who to contact. "I had been hearing good things about Audiomusica, they had some German system everybody was talking about, d&b audiotechnik. I asked Erickson Cardona to come down and give me a demonstration."
"I saw straight away what the Subterraneo needed," said Erickson, Head of Technical and Commercial Support in Audiomusica. "The acoustic environment is actually not that bad, even with the low ceiling; it was just a matter of selecting the right tools: a small line array system with something less than 90 degrees dispersion, properly installed, would be ideal." Erickson had one slightly pressing problem, "Sebastián's need was immediate; the anniversary was just days away. Fortunately we had a good selection from the d&b White range in stock and the 10AL cabinet with a seventy five degree horizontal dispersion angle and a good range between 110 Hz and
18 kHz was just the thing. Those ten inch drivers in such a small loudspeaker cabinet are a real surprise to everyone that hears them."
The installation was completed in time for the September anniversary, Mr Menichetti was delighted, "The acceptance from the bands and technicians since has been excellent, and many of these people know the venue well. Even the audience perceives the difference; top quality spectacle increases revenues and margins. The new d&b system makes the old PA sound almost rustic. Club Subterraneo now has a quality of sound at world class level."
