There was a need for a new audio system at the D&A – one that could meet the owner’s expectation in terms of sound, whether it was to enhance the atmosphere for sports fans or provide the perfect ambience for the restaurant. In line with this, it was vital that the staff were able to control the new audio system intuitively and wirelessly via an iPad. This had to include controlling the video source selection for each of the display monitors populated across the restaurant, as well as adjusting the levels on each zone.
Not only that, but live acoustic performances are part of the experience at the D&A, too, with artists creating a relaxed atmosphere for visitors. So, it was important that the new audio system had different sources and was able to produce foreground music with extended bass support.
To assist with this project, SONIDO Technology were enlisted to help provide a zonal audio solution for bands and DJs, as well as every day media server playback. Gareth Armstrong of Sonido explained why his team decided to opt for a QSC system: “This was to suit the refurbishment of the Dhow & Anchor, which is widely known amongst expats in the UAE. Together with audio came the distribution of video where QSYS was highly favoured to manage the audio and video distribution seamlessly.
“The design was kept ‘open’ per se, however, the strictest regard to controllability, quality, ease of use, flexibility and price point were absolutely to remain key in the overall design. SONIDO Technology approached QSC with the challenges, as their thoughts and ideas to the Project and a solution was found between QSC, Atterotech and Visionary Solutions to ensure design intent was kept and delivered and design benchmarks were met.”
The QSC system was provided for the D&A by GSL Professional, an exclusive distribution partner for many industry-leading brands. Established over 20 years ago, GSL Professional – whose head office, service centre, training facility and showroom are based in Dubai – has become a regional leader in distribution. With a strong reputation for supplying solutions across the GCC region, GSL Professional were best placed to ensure the venue had a state-of-the-art system.
The new setup includes the QSC QSYS Core110f DSP that can receive analog audio and AES67 network streams. The sources from the IPTV are connected to a network video encoder that converts it to an AV stream via Visionary Solutions. It is then being received and converted by a network video decoder and being fed to the display monitors. Atterotech wall mounted Dante/AES67 devices are also strategically placed for the live acoustic performances and DJ locations.
The benefit of using the QSC QSYS is that it is not only an audio DSP – it is also being used for control and configuration for the devices that are connected to the network. It is responsible for controlling the Visionary Solution AV network devices video routing to the display monitors and, since the network video encoder has Dante/AES67 audio streams, the Core110f is receiving all audio streams from the IPTV, Bluray player, and the live mixer, local input sources and DJ sources.
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