For 20 years, Cologne’s Bootshaus club has treated partygoers to a mix of electro-house, dubstep, and drum’n’bass accompanied by flamethrowers, fog machines and lasers. The 1,900-capacity club includes three dancefloors, each with a DJ booth, and a large outdoor area overlooking the Rhine. One of the Germany’s first techno-culture hubs, the Bootshaus brand extends beyond its base to festivals throughout the country.
Getting sound to each of the dancefloors has been difficult, and the previous system, installed more than a decade ago, wasn’t reaching the full space.
‘Together with L-Acoustics, we are ushering in a new era at Bootshaus,’ says Bootshaus MD, Tom Thomas.. ‘This new system promises to fill the Bootshaus with an unprecedented sound experience and offer our guests a completely new musical experience.
L-Acoustics Certified Provider Distributor Babbel & Haeger was tasked with specifying the perfect system for the venue in consultation with production company Laserframe, whose relationship with Bootshaus extends over almost two decades. According to Application Delegate Tobias Hemmersbach, L-Acoustics Soundvision mapping software was invaluable in helping the team derive a solution.
‘We only had 20-year-old, 2D files, but things have changed a lot there in that time,’ he explains. ‘Because of all the different areas and heights of the venue – the dancefloor being the lowest point and the VIP decks being on the roof of the building – Soundvision was crucial to simulating all the various heights of the different venue spaces and to achieving Bootshaus’ audio objectives for each one.’
Hemmersbach and his team settled on a design comprising LR hangs of two A15 Focus over one A15 Wide on either side of the DJ booth for the main dancefloor. Seven KS28 subwoofers under the stage provide low-end thump. There are two further hangs of one A15 Focus over one A15 Wide, with nine X12 coaxial enclosures placed throughout the remaining spaces. For the upper VIP Deck, three X12 and two KS21 subwoofers cover the space. DJs are treated to monitoring via one A15 Wide and one KS21 per side.
‘Already, our audience recognises a major quality upgrade in the sound,’ Thomas reports. ‘We’ve achieved everything we wanted – great quality audio throughout, and of course, the excellent low-end that clubgoers expect. The investment underlines our commitment to exceeding guest expectations and to staying at the forefront of the club scene.
‘Upgrading to L-Acoustics helps us keep our coveted position as one of the best clubs in the world. Sound is super important to us.’
