A former warehouse, recently converted into a lounge, restaurant and cocktail club in the heart of the Italian city of Prato, Loft01 can be hired out for any type of event – from birthdays and weddings to art exhibitions and dance parties. Hire includes a full technical infrastructure, including a Martin Audio Wavefront Precision Mini (WPM) PA, installed by CLS Service.
The WPM sysytems is used primarily for special events, such as the venue’s own opening night, where high SPL is required. DJ/producer Nicola Zucchi took full advantage of the WPM system – stacked, four elements per side above a pair of SX218 subs, run in two-box resolution from Martin Audio’s iKon amplifiers. In addition, an LE100 wedge monitor provided his reference sound.
In permanent installation at the venue is a Martin Audio Blackline X10 and S15 subwoofer set-up, which is used for all other occasions. The technical infrastructure is extremely flexible and reconfigurable, with a control app able change the system parameters to serve anything from a restaurant to a club. All audio runs on a Dante network so that the mixing console can be set anywhere to suit the event.
CLS Service founder Duccio Mitola was awarded the contract by owner Jonny Gerges Saad. ‘I first met him when he was playing as a DJ at an event at the Castle Filattiera, playing through a [Martin Audio] ICT300 and WS18X sub. A few days later he joined the large family of CLS Service customers, contacting me for an event on the seafront – and I have supplied many events since.’
Today he is the owner of Concevent Srls, which runs Loft01.
To optimise the system, CLS used Martin Audio’s proprietary Display software, tuning the venue with Smaart and an RTA mic. ‘It was a very complex situation,’ admits Duccio. ‘The Loft has a very rigid, industrial floor, and hence the PA was mounted in a stack configuration. Also the room is very high – around 7m high by 20m long by 9m wide. It is a highly reverberant space but thanks to Display and Smaart we were able to obtain an excellent result.’
He explains that, with video projectors on the wall, the PA had to be set in two towers out wide of the DJ, so as not to intrude on the projection beams. ‘While subs placed right in the corners are never the best option – particularly with an array on top – the enormous control of WPM offset this. In fact, it was really fun to set this system up.’
In order to keep the neighbours onside, Display’s Hard Avoid function was used to its full extent to contain the sound. ‘We made sure they were not disturbed,’ he assures.
As to the owner’s reaction to the new sound reinforcement: ‘He was a bit doubtful at first when he saw how compact the WPM modules were, and the fact that each cluster was only four elements per side,’ Duccio Mitola reports. ‘But when he heard it he was blown away by the cleanliness and crystallinity of the sound.’
‘It’s a really nice set-up,’ Saad agrees, ‘not only producing a very powerful sound but also good on the eye.’
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