Part of the burgeoning 50-plus portfolio of the Laine Pub Company, three central Brighton pubs have recently received a technical overhaul from Penguin Media Solutions – each getting individual treatment from the Martin Audio partner.
With both organisations headquartered in Brighton, Penguin’s Technical Project Manager Dylan Thompson says that since all three pubs have their own identity and autonomy, requiring an individual approach to specifying audio. Penguin’s latest implementation was the Black Lion, a popular music pub nestled in Brighton’s famous Lanes.
Here, the client required better traffic flow to draw its clientele towards the rear of the room – where the intensity would increase – and avoid the current pinch point at the front. ‘The previous design was a bit lazy, with lots of mismatched 8-inch boxes scattered around and a sub that wasn’t doing much,’ Thompson says. ‘It all sounded a bit samey and thin, and we were asked to give it personality.’
Placing both the acoustic and visual focus on the DJ, Penguin designed a new cast concrete booth, equipping the compact domain with a Blackline X12 as reference monitor and powerful SX215 subwoofer on anti-vibration mounts. This is flanked by a pair of Martin Audio FlexPoint FP12s and eight Blackline X8 for general room fill.
‘I didn’t want to go much smaller because I wanted to keep a warm mid-bass running through and we didn’t have many options for sub placement,’ Thompson explains. ‘I really like the whole FlexPoint range, Martin Audio have absolutely smashed that one.’
To this he added a pair of Blackline of X210 subs – one flown to place it in the required location, and another under the banquette seating at the front – all driven by two sister brand Linea Research 88C10 amplifiers. Audio is routed via an existing Soundweb venue matrix, with DSP handled within the Linea environment.
Another of Martin Audio’s sister brands, Optimal Audio, comes into play outdoors where 16 Cuboid 3T (with IP kit) are installed – described by Dylan Thompson as ‘great little boxes’.
The entire venue is then controlled via Penguin’s bespoke app, developed in-house. ‘By using third party control with a web app – and not platform specific – the supervisor, manager and DJs can control the lighting. There is a little tablet in the booth to trigger the presets, and levels and source for each zone can be controlled for on the same app.’
This was part of a larger project in which the integrators designed and installed pixel lighting – industrial looking tubes behind and above the DJ, with flush plastered profiles for the arches, and recessed profiles for wall washing.
Penguin Media Systems had earlier carried out their first installation contract for Laine, after being recommended. This was The Hope & Ruin, a much-loved grassroots live music venue, known for championing new bands. Penguin’s recommendation was the super-powerful Martin THS 15-inch triaxial point source loudspeaker, and pair of SX215 subwoofers now feature at the front of the stage, replacing an ageing system that had become unreliable. At the same time the venue added four LE100 artist reference monitors.
‘THS is a perfect box for this application,’ Thompson says. ‘Because it doesn’t take up much room visually, they now have better sightlines.’
Having passed their induction, Penguin was then offered the Dead Wax Social, another city centre pub that’s a modern re-take on an audiophile’s dream. Here Thompson made the inspired decision to roam quirkily off grid, specifying a pair of Martin Audio Screen 4s, originally designed as a cinema system, in newly fabricated custom flying frames.
His rationale in recreating a 1970s listening bar theme was entirely logical: ‘We played about with them and did a bit of voicing change to suit the creative brief and aesthetic from Rob Hall at Laine; we also turned them horizontally in their new frames to make them look more eye-catching as well as gaining space.’
He also painted the baffles and, in their new hammered green finish, the loudspeakers have now become a visual focal point as well.
‘Penguin’s choice of different Martin Audio sound systems has totally energised these pubs,’ says Laines Pub Co MD, Russ Danks. ‘At Laine we are driven by re-imagining our spaces for a younger generation, and all those that share the spirit and energy of youth, The content in our businesses, whether DJ led, vinyl, bands or drag artists, need to sound bloody good, and Dylan and the team at Penguin help us nail this every time.’