Kings entertainment management is a fast growing company, bringing new life and fresh ideas to the old run down pubs and social venues in the old town of Barking on the South East outskirts of London, with a large dose of African flare bringing with it enthusiasm and a strong sense of focus.
The Job
The SC team were approached in May 2017 by the owners of the popular and well established Kings Lounge in Barking, South East London.
Their newest venture, also an old pub in Barking, was starting to take shape and would require an impressive sound system for its new start as a nightclub venue catering predominantly to the large African community in and around the Barking and Newham areas.
The Building
The Bull pub has sat vacant in Barking town centre since closure in 2010. It’s a landmark building, dating back to the 1400’s in its original guest house form, being rebuilt fully in 1925 when it became a pub, and stayed so until its closure.
It takes a strong vision, good planning, and decent funds to rescue these historic spaces from the past and bring them into the present.
The listed nature of a building like this often means they will sit forever unused once repair costs or upkeep become too much, with prospective owners that come and go but rarely settle due to the investment required.
Kings
After successfully renovating Barkings old Brewery Tap Pub into a bar and eatery venue in 2015, the Kings team decided to focus on providing their loyal customers with an evening venue for dancing and social events. The large ground floor area available at the Bull pub made it a great choice, with a solid structure, high ceilings, storage areas and basement, along with its main road, non residential location keeping it away from being a nuisance to locals at turning out time.
This would be a no expense spared remodel of the building, with bars, seating areas, vip lounge and dancefloor with Dj booth, with a top specification of lighting and sound systems being installed into the venue with the aim to create a totally immersive experience.
Sound Requirements
African clubs playing hip hop and dancehall music have two specific requirements, volume and bass, and both must be available in what are fairly obscene amounts. Its part of the music culture and is seen as a real measure of a venue’s quality and seriousness if it can provide them both effortlessly.
The sound system for the Bull was to be a showcase for the club and its brand, so we were asked by the owners to specify for them an installation package that would impress guests on a weekly basis and be able to cope with the high SPL and frequency demands placed upon it.
Sound Solution
A high performance system from the Amate Audio Joker range was chosen, featuring subwoofers, main fill speakers and small fill units located in strategic points around the dancefloor and the rest of the venue to give maximum coverage and impact, minimising dead spots and maximising clarity.
The system utilises a traditional passive speaker and external amplifier configuration which is a much better option than individual active units when in an install situation such as this. It allows proper cooling, monitoring and adjustment of the amplifiers and crossover systems from a single location which is so much more practical. Also in the case of the system requirements here it allowed us to provide a level of amplifier reserve power to the system that simply isn’t possible on self powered units, with an Amate 608 DSP limiter management unit controlling everything through a custom designed program.
Bottom End
Kings wanted bass, and they wanted it in excess, so we were happy to oblige them. For the dancefloor, a pair (yes a pair!) of Amate JK218W4 subwoofers, which are dual 18” units with a 4000 W, 141 dB peak available down to 28 Hz. They are truly staggering in performance, with each being supplied in this case by its own dedicated Amate HD4000 power amplifier.
For the bar area and the VIP lounge, each were allocated their own JK18W2 single 18” 2000 W sub unit, themselves with a huge 135 dB peak SPL output, powered together using a bridged HD3200 power amplifier to ensure they are never underpowered when being driven hard.
It’s difficult to put into words the level of bass pressure this 6 x 18” driver system can deliver into what is a fairly modest space.
The DSP unit sets the crossover and drop off curve to deliver full power across the entire bass frequency sweep, something most amplifiers cannot output but the HD range can, and it provides just an incredible audible and physical experience.
The main dancefloor sound is taken care of by four 15”JK15N point source boxes powered by another HD3200, joined by four 12” JK12’s at the bar and VIP areas, and with fill duties in the remaining seating and rest areas taken care of with six 10” JK10 units, fed via three HD2000 amplifiers bridged together via the DSP.
The club opened on August 25th 2017 to a fantastic reception. Kings Bull are thrilled with the effortless and dynamic performance of the system, as it has the type of power and clarity that leaves club goers longing for a return visit. So impressed in fact that a similar (though not as extreme) Amate Audio system is in the plans for the Kings Lounge venue.
The SC team couldn’t be happier to have been involved in giving this lovely old building a new lease of life, and to supply Kings Bull with a sound system they are proud to own.
2x Amate Audio Joker JK218W4 Subwoofer, 4000W, 138 dB cont. 141 peak, 28Hz – 110 Hz
2x Amate Audio Joker JK18W2 Subwoofer, 2000W, 132 dB cont. 135 peak, 34Hz – 190 Hz
4x Amate Audio Joker JK15N Point Source, 800W, 128 dB cont. 131 peak, 45 Hz – 19 kHz
4x Amate Audio Joker JK12 Point Source, 700W, 126 dB cont. 129 peak , 48 Hz- 19kHz
6x Amate Audio Joker JK10 Point Source, 500W, 124 dB cont . 127 peak, 52 Hz – 18kHz
2x Amate Audio HD4000 Amplifier – 1200 + 1200W 4 Ohm Stereo / 4200W Bridged Mode 4 Ohm
2x Amate Audio HD3200 Amplifier – 1750 + 1750W 4 Ohm Stereo / 5000W Bridged Mode 4 Ohm
3x Amate Audio HD2000 Amplifier – 1000 + 1000W 4 Ohm Stereo / 3000W Bridged Mode 4 Ohm
1x Amate Audio DSP608 – Digital Speaker Management System
1x Penn Elcom 2u CoolRac Exhaust Silent Fan.
1x Penn Elcom 16u Steel Contractor Rack Cabinet
