Sydney has opened thr doors on its new Bella Live music and events venue in the City’s Hills district. Following a multi-million-dollar transformation of a 1,029m² storage warehouse space by operator Momento Hospitality, Bella Live aims to become a cultural hub for Sydney’s Northwest region with Martin Audio’s WPC line arrays lending sound support.
Supplied by Australian distributor Total Audio Group (TAG) and installed by Vestec Electro, who were responsible for the entire A/V integration, the venue’s technical installation reflects the operators’ desire to host major national and international tours, as well as emerging and local talent. The scope of audio coverage extends from the 10m x 8m stage across a 17.5m bar, and into VIP booths, while two fully appointed green rooms also meet rider standards.
With 8m-high ceilings and a capacity approaching nearly 2,000 the venue has been designed by Archebiosis Architects to blend sleek, modern style with an industrial warehouse vibe, and can flex between a headline DJ set, stand-up comedy night, major sporting event and corporate events.
Vestec Electro conducted the site-wide installation under the project management of Mark Vesic and Nev Hanna, while TAG – under the guidance of Technical Director Anthony Russo – played a significant role in the audio design, with the System Solutions & Engineering (SSE) team using Martin Audio’s Display visualisation software and Ease modelling. Russo, in turn, engaged leading acousticians Gilfillan Soundwork, whose team conducted on-site measurements and computer modelling to optimise the room acoustics and reduce the long reverberation time, which led to a system of 36 massive bass traps throughout the room.
Challenged with meeting the operators’ exacting, rider-compliant sound reinforcement requirements, TAG’s design team developed a solution based around hangs of 12 Martin Audio WPC line arrays (six per side) with eight SX 218 dual 18-inch subwoofers, all powered by Martin Audio iKon iK42 DSP four-channel amplifiers in two-box resolution. The hangs were flown using custom rigging frames from the trusses, enabling the factory-fit fly frame to be deployed with ease.
Russo recognised that WPC would provide sufficient SPL and headroom to handle full-house nights, supported by Martin Audio’s electronic steering and pattern control to mitigate the reverberant environment.
Extensive CAD modelling made bass control crucial. Traditional left and right stacked set-ups would cause the usual power-alley issue, and so the final configuration was a horizontal arrangement of the subs in a continuous line beneath the stage. This enables individual steering of each cabinet, leading to better low-frequency summation and overall performance. To minimise energy emission from the subs at the rear, top, and sides, 100 30kg sandbags were placed on top (and around) the cabinets.
To reinforce the main system and VIP booth areas, a delay system comprising ten Martin X15s and six SX212 subs was installed. And to further meet rider requirements, a foldback system comprising seven Martin Audio LE 200 high-powered wedges and an SX118 subwoofer was supplied with two iKon iK42 amps with an eight-send monitor mix for the main stage.
This is networked and processed over a Dante network with analogue backup to a Q-Sys system backbone and is complemented by an equally high-spec performance lighting and video array as part of this highly advanced A/V package.
Consistent with top performance spaces, Vestec installed a comprehensive house and stage data and analogue patching system, including a 48-channel concert splitter and multiple tie lines. This set-up enables the space to manage live events and any broadcast or recording needs.
The venue has already hosted major global acts, including Snoop Dogg, Will Sparks, Ne-Yo, Lil Jon and Wiz Khalifa as testament to its on-site team and cutting-edge sound systerm design.
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