Lighting and Sound Do's and Don'ts Manufacturer Tips for Supreme Success
By Taylor Rau
Why take advice from amateurs when you can get words of wisdom straight
from the pros? Whether operations, promotions, marketing — or in this
case, sound and lighting — sage suggestions ultimately lead to
increased success, right?
Today’s on-premise marketplace often can be tough to navigate. It takes
due diligence, selective persistence and often time-permitting patience
to come to a true decision on what product (or products) will be best
to meet your needs. Rest assured, though, the pros in this industry
have experienced the trial and error, and now they’re here to help. See
what manufacturers observe as the key do’s and don’ts to getting your
venue’s setup up to speed, and don’t miss out on the chance to turn up
your environment’s appeal to patrons.
Think Ahead
Kurt Kieslich, system design specialist and vice president of Sound
Stage Systems, a 27-year-old sound/lighting/video installation company,
offers the following suggestions for both audio and video.
“With the widespread use of DSP (digital signal processing), we feel
that it would be easier for the operators to trust their sound
contractors when we recommend installing or upgrading to DSP
technology. This technology is becoming commonplace in the nightclub
industry, and we still find operators either fearful of its features or
hesitant to make the monetary commitment to it,” Kieslich says. “The
benefits are far superior to analog system processing, and provide
improved sound quality, improved system reliability and functionality
not found in years past. This is by far the one improvement any club
owner can make to his/her sound system and realize immediate
improvements which will be well worth the expense.”
DO: “Do contact a SLV (sound/ light/video) contractor at the planning
stage of your project,” Kieslich says. “Their insight and experience
can help prevent costly mistakes in this stage, such as proper DJ booth
design, proper electrical planning, structural concerns over dance
floor area or equipment leasing. (Contractors) also work closely with
your architect to assist with architectural lighting such as step
lighting, bottle-rack-up lighting, VIP room LED lighting, exterior
building, LED lighting, etc.”
DON’T: “Don’t buy your club systems off of Web sites alone. Web sites
are good for Christmas gifts, but a proper sound/lighting/video system
is in fact a system as its individual components are chosen for a
reason, and that reason is not necessarily price. All of the components
must be able to maintain the integrity of the system design and not
become the weak link.”
Kieslich says quality contractors personally visit every client’s venue
— no matter where it is located — so they can design the proper systems
for that owner’s individual space. “There is no universal system design
that works everywhere,” he says, “and purchasing these systems online
or cash-and-carry from a music store is what we refer to as ‘tripping
over dimes getting to the dollars.’”
Illuminating Insights
Robert Mongiardini, VP of sales and marketing for lighting manufacturer
Leucos USA Inc., also sat down with Nightclub & Bar to address
several of today’s most pertinent issues regarding proper lighting
selection, installation and environmental improvement.
Regarding current trends, Mongiardini says, “Color is definitely being
used quite boldly to set theatrical stages in
many hospitality scenarios, particularly clubs. Many
are making statements, be it with color, or in our case, lighting
sculptures and other ‘gimmicky’ tricks to differentiate
themselves from their competitors. They are fine in
spending for that special look.
“To counter that, behind-the-scenes locations are utilizing the most
energy-efficient sources to keep operating costs down,” he says.
What styles of lighting are newest to the industry? “I
think the innovations have come and will continue to come with
technology — not necessarily styles,” Mongiardini says. “LEDs
have taken the architectural lighting designs to incredibly
creative places, and as the technological
advances continue, so will the design possibilities.”
Keys to Optimizing Your Sound System
Mark Terry, president of the Harman Pro Group, the world’s leading
manufacturer of integrated professional audio system solutions,
shares his important notes for operators to gain the most ground with
their sound. Harman Pro Group companies include AKG Acoustics, BSS
Audio, Crown International, dbx, DigiTech, JBL Professional, Lexicon,
Soundcraft and Studer.
1. Work With a Professional
“The sophistication of today’s systems has created the need for
experienced industry veterans who can save labor hours and equipment in
the future. A dedicated sound engineer on staff may be capable of
operating the system, but a professional audio consultant brings
knowledge of technologies and designs best suited for venues of all
varieties. Note that some sound system installation contractors also
have qualified system and acoustical design personnel on staff,” Terry
says.
“The driving force in selecting a consultant or design/build contractor
should be applicable experience with your venue’s style, not the size
or prestige of that person’s previous installs ... a consultant will
help you answer vital, project-defining questions, such as long-term
usage needs, aesthetics, scalability and acoustical challenges.”
2. Think Long-Term
“Defining your venue’s needs for the next five years is crucial to
audio system design. Installing an audio system is no small
endeavor — you do not want to completely rebuild a system two
years down the road because your needs have changed. If you own a dance
club with aspirations of hosting live music someday, you must take that
into consideration now. Specific uses require specific configurations,
but a flexible system can eliminate costly retrofits down the road.“
3. Control and Networkability
“Gone are the days of a simple jukebox for the entire venue,” Terry
says. “Today’s nightclubs and bars have audio systems distributed
through every square foot of the facility. Controlling this network of
zones, speakers and component levels requires a powerful solution.
Third-party manufacturers of network interfaces have found a
niche in the industry, while others companies have built stand-alone
control functions within their products. One advantage to these
networked systems is complex settings can be stored as presets and
recalled with a single menu click. So, you won’t need a system operator
to just set up the background music for your lunch business.” NCB
