Christopher Rushbrooke Associates Ltd

The Restaurant

Brief: The client required a powerful but invisible sound system and removable PA system for live performance in his new minimalist-inspired restaurant. The system had to meet building standards, fire regulations and needed to be controllable from several key areas. The budget was tight.

Result: We designed a wiring scheme for this restaurant with extra cabling in case future upgrades became necessary. Flush-mounted high power speakers were built into the ceilings and pitched roof with extra cabling for more speakers if necessary. Control plates were installed at points around the restaurant floor and a master system with CD/CDR and radio built into a cupboard at the bar. The power amplifiers were sited in an upstairs office. We built studio-grade, hand-wired, balanced patchbays to simplify PA set up and keep the restaurant area free of extra cables. The PA system was procured to meet our professional-standard design and commissioned by us. Microphone inputs were hidden in all four corners of the floor to allow client maximum use of his facility. We also provided short guides to setting up and running the PA system to augment our normal back up. This enables guest DJs to be walked gently through the set-up procedure to help understand the PA installation and add their own equipment to the system.

The PA system has been in use each week for four years and the house sound system is only ever turned off when we come in to monitor its performance!