A favourite spot for weddings and other celebrations, windswept views of the Chesapeake Bay provide the Chesapeake Inn with a great location – but a hostile one for its sound system. In addition, the inn faces an ongoing challenge be a good neighbour as sound reflecting off the water had reulted in complaints from homes in the area.
The US venue includes an outdoor deck and Tiki Bar, both of which are popular in warm weather. But as Design Consultant Mike Rapp explains, issues arose even with quieter events: ‘For the most part, they only had smaller two and three-piece combos playing outside, while the larger and louder bands played indoors, with the music piped outside via the sound system. But there are a number of homes just across the narrow channel, and reflections off the water actually made the sound seem louder. They were forced to keep the volume down on the deck to a point where the music just wasn’t enjoyable anymore.’
Rapp’s advised using 14 Community Wet W2-2W8 two-way loudspeakers and four Wet W2-112 Subs for the outdoor areas, aimed to contain the sound and direct it inward. ‘The Wet-Series loudspeakers offered a tight enough focus that we were able to point them in certain directions to keep the sound off the water,’ he says.
While the weather resistance of the Wet Series was a factor, Rapp points to their performance as foremost in their selection: ‘Needless to say, we wanted something that would stand up to the elements, but the sound of the Wet Series is great – very musical, with a lot of punch and good dynamic range. We were able to reduce the outdoor overall volume by 8dB and improve the clarity at the same time.’
He adds that support from Community really helped to seal the deal, which also included QSC amplification and a 32-channel Allen & Heath mixing console.
Inside the restaurant, a six Community iBox i2W8 two-way systems serve both DJ and live performances. ‘The indoor system’s pretty powerful,’ says Rapp. ‘It’s more of an after-hours type of atmosphere, and we had a bit more freedom in terms of not having to worry as much about disturbing the neighbours.’
Rapp reports that the client is more than pleased with the results of both the indoor and outdoor systems: ‘The coverage is great,’ he says. ‘You can hear the music from pretty much anywhere on the property, and it sounds good no matter where you’re sitting. Now you can actually hear the difference between the good bands and the bad ones.’
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