CHALLANGES

Introduced to the complete re-fit project by management company Gardiner & Theobald, Richmond-based technology specialist KNEKTD took on Ghazal’s very specific brief for a highly flexible, high quality audio system with minimal visual presence throughout the restaurant. For the focal Brasserie dining space Ghazal wanted to feature a high SPL but intimate central live performance space with the atmosphere of a private nightclub.

Having been impressed by the K-array audio system at a private members club in South London, KNEKTD director Shaun Wilson called upon 2B Heard to fulfil the restaurateur’s vision: “With aesthetics and performance firmly at the top of the list we looked for a speaker brand that would help us create the atmospheric mood that Joey had envisaged. I knew from experience that K-array speakers would really suit the space in a way that few other brands could.”

Crucially, a prime objective was creating the right aesthetic – making sure that the speakers fitted in well and suited the environment, making them disappear into the room and feel a part of the room so you don’t even notice that they’re there.

Finding suitable loudspeaker locations required extensive research, but Dave Wooster’s KF3D K-framework acoustic simulations predicted accurate audio coverage of all areas with a specification based on Kayman, Python, and Vyper line arrays, supplemented with Rumble and Thunder subwoofers. As live music is such a prominent and integral feature of the restaurant experience, a high degree of functionality and interactivity was also necessary to allow sound techs to take full control of the system.

THE SOLUTION

The Brasserie features a full-on live performance rig with a Yamaha audio console and stage-box augmenting the acoustic drum kit and full complement of Sennheiser microphones and IEMs. All the live and BGM sources play through Kayman-KY102 and Python-KP52 line arrays on custom low-profile wall mounts designed to maintain accurate alignment while being visually discreet. Vyper-KV25 mini line arrays are deployed as in-fills in subtle corner locations. All the speakers are reinforced on the low end by Thunder-KMT218P subwoofers hidden in custom enclosures and an array of Rumble-KU210 subwoofers hidden in the ceiling.

In the ground floor Tavern, twin decks and a Pioneer desk are at the front end of the mostly hidden K-array sound system, with the Vyper-KV25 mini line arrays located behind custom fabricated wall grilles and Rumble-KU26 subwoofers providing low end grunt from bespoke floor-mounted cabinets.

Downstairs in the secret VIP lounge on the lowest level, accessed only through a mirrored door so you wouldn’t even know it’s there, is an opulent hide-away equipped with a high-SPL DJ system consisting of Python-KP52 line arrays on custom low-profile mounts and under-seating Rumble-KU212 subwoofers that just disappear into the subtly lit highly plush environment. For those with the right credentials and a strong desire for a party scene, it’s a thumping nightclub down there.

Even the toilet lobby has been given the full sonic treatment, with custom finish Tornado-KT2 point source satellites covering the space supplemented by Rumble-KU44 subwoofers concealed in the central island. The main speaker systems are mostly powered by Kommander-KA84 Dante-equipped DSP amplifiers located in the lower ground floor rack room, together with an Innosonix MA32/D multi-channel DSP-amplifier with Dante providing power for some of the BGM systems