40 RETAIL & HOSPITALITY
opening into vocal jam sessions for emerging and established singers alike – while the club’s long-running Friday Cuban nights continue a tradition that stretches back further than a decade. INVISIBLE YET CAPABLE For the audio team, the goal wasn’t only about delivering high SPL or impressive specifications. Instead, it was about building a system capable of disappearing entirely when required. “The quality of the audio for both audiences and musicians on stage was of utmost importance to us when designing the venue,” explains Dale. “For many of the shows, our goal is to make the PA as audibly invisible as possible, while also needing the ability to have a more vibey and in-your-face sound for shows that require it.” To achieve this, Ronnie Scott’s standardised with a fully digital Shure wireless workflow, deploying SLX-D+ digital wireless microphone systems alongside the new Axient Digital PSM wireless personal monitoring system. The mix provides an end-to-end digital signal path from microphone to in-ear monitors while simplifying day-to-day operation inside a venue that rarely gets a day off. Reliability was just as important as sound quality. Ronnie Scott’s operates a whopping 362 days a year, and it puts on between two and four performances most of those days, leaving little room for technical compromise. “Working with trusted brands within the industry such as Shure, d&b and Yamaha was essential to achieve these goals,” adds Dale. “All these brands have proven track records of providing high- quality gear that is built for the rigours of everyday use, in a small footprint but powerful enough package for a
For the audio team, the goal wasn’t only about delivering high SPL or impressive specifications, it was about building a system capable of disappearing entirely when required
140-capacity room with as varied a line- up of acts as we get upstairs.” The Shure installation also shows how modern networking continues to impact venue workflows. “Using SLX-D+ and Axient Digital PSM for mics and monitoring allows us to have a high-quality, completely digital
signal chain from mic to monitor, while also allowing us to monitor the RF quality and settings of the mics in our console over the Dante network. When you’re in a sound booth with limited space, having a laptop with Wireless Workbench open all the time is an absolute must,” highlights Dale. The installation also benefits from Shure’s latest Axient Digital PSM firmware, introducing Single Carrier Narrowband operation, which provides a simpler and more familiar RF workflow that’s particularly valuable in a venue where multiple productions are rotating through the room every day without lengthy set-up windows. It’s clear that familiarity is still important, regardless of how sophisticated wireless technology becomes. LIGHTING UP LEGENDS While pristine audio plays a leading role at any jazz space, lighting also presented an equally nuanced challenge. Having overseen a major lighting upgrade to the Ronnie Scott’s downstairs venue in 2018, Dale approached the upstairs project with years of operational experience. The brief was deceptively demanding. Fixtures needed to be exceptionally compact to suit the room’s limited trim height, virtually silent during acoustic performances, capable of beautiful colour rendering at extremely low output levels,
With the venue operating 362 days a year, the equipment needs to be top quality
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