The challenge presented to Sonance by this social space required a multizone sound system solution, that would lend individual atmospheres to the different environments within the restaurant. Here’s how it was done…
Famous for fine wine, whisky and excellence in Scottish cuisine, Ubiquitous Chip is one of the longest serving restaurants in Glasgow today. Situated within a fantastic setting on Ashton Lane in Glasgow’s West End since 1971, the restaurant uses an extraordinary mix of room design, subtle artificial lighting and cascading natural light amid islands of lush foliage to create the setting for customers to share intimate (or rowdy) dining experiences in a range of individual environments day and night.
Image credit: Habitech /The Ubiquitious Chip
The challenge for installer Lairds of Troon was to design a multizone sound system that would lend individual atmospheres to the different environments within the restaurant, enhancing the customer experience without imposing on conversations or detracting from the room design.
“We wanted to build upon the vitality, freshness and colour of the spaces with excellent full-range audio quality that would blend in and be easy to control zonally by the restaurant staff,” said Tom Watson, Lairds.
The solution selected for the project was Sonance Mariner 54 speakers, driven and tablet-controlled by Yamaha’s super compact MusicCast WXC-50 pre and WXA-50 power amplifiers.
“We placed the Mariners strategically and discreetly throughout the levels of the restaurant,” explained Watson .“They blend perfectly with the interior and, via their Fastmount brackets, are easily directable for optimum coverage, and they can work at high volumes without distortion, helping to create a high quality musical backdrop even on a jumping Saturday night. The performance of the Mariners is such that intelligibility and audio dynamics are excellent at lower volumes as well, and this offers more scope to get the sound just right.”
Independent music selection and volume in the different spaces can easily be achieved through the MusicCast system (which is linked to the restaurant’s cloud server), so that each has a unique full range sound, custom curated for the mood in the room. The MusicCast system is perfect for the job, as it is easy to use and set up, with a simple touch-control over zone, volume and virtually any streaming service, ensuring that the music fits perfectly with any occasion in the venue. This ease of control also includes a One Push Play feature, which turns the system on and initiates playback of the previously selected source by pressing any button on a WXC/WXA-50 front panel. The entire system has been strategically and discreetly placed throughout the levels of the restaurant.
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Main image credit: Habitech / The Ubiquitious Chip
