A ShowCAD 2005 Artist show control system was specified by Essex Sound & Light as the integrated visual systems controller for Southend's newest and coolest 1200 capacity nightspot, Mayhem.The 2048 DMX channel Artist, complete with video input capture card and 9 serial ports, is the visual control hub for the entire club. It runs all dancefloor lighting and the substantial amount of environmental and architectural lighting, plus two white light lasers, a Hippotizer digital media server and audio and video sources – in addition to lighting - in the VIP pods via BSS Soundweb London controllers. The ShowCAD also handles video input switching to all the various LED light sources via the Hippotizer.
Mayhem, a new independently owned purpose built venue features a stunning interior design created by Sampson Associates, which seamlessly combines the contemporary lust for chrome and steel, with a glorious feel of bulbous retro 1960's disco and neon decadence.
It's savvy blend of commercial dance, club classics and funky house, with live music on Mondays is already proving a big hit.
ESL won the contract having supplied sound, lighting, AV and technical infrastructure at various other venues for their client, Shey Properties. Mayhem's design and presentation has been thoroughly thought-through, and pays attention to detail in every respect, clearly indicating the intentions to make it the top night out destination of the area.
As part of this brief, they also wanted to incorporate the latest, most appropriate and best technology for the project in all areas.
The ShowCAD system was vital to the technical integration element of the project. It was chosen as the best and most versatile multi-protocol control solution by Bob Calvert, who worked closely with ESL's Mike Glover to design, specify and commission sound, lighting and AV for the gleaming new space.
"We've focussed on looking at the whole club as a complete integrated sound, lighting and visual environment" explains Calvert "Rather than lighting-video- sound, etc., as separate entities. That's why I picked ShowCAD. I have used it constantly for the last 12 years or so, and it's still the only controller on the market that will do what we needed for a reasonable price".
The Artist 2005 was officially launched at PLASA this year, and Mayhem is the first official installation. Consuming over 2000 DMX channels, it's certainly putting the system through its paces.
Mayhem is entered through a sweeping staircase that plunges downwards into the basement of the building. Each step is constructed from 30 mm toughened glass and under-lit with two 900 mm Pulsar Chroma Strips - 120 in total.
Once inside, the club's structural pillars have been clad in a frosted polycarbonate material and then clad with metal mesh, and are each internally lit with 8 pieces of single colour neon. There's infinity mirrors at the top of each pillar, and several others dotted around the club, tastefully expanding the optical illusion concept, making it seem that Mayhem has an even larger collection of visual surprises around each corner.
There's plenty more neon in the house as well! Making up the 96 channels being fed into the ShowCAD are long cool blue strips denoting the 3 bar tops and fronts, and electric pink for the staircase edges down onto the dancefloor, plus lots more low level blue, purple or pink strips around the edges of the dancefloor.
The circular Cocktail Bar is lit from above with 12 ChromaFlush fixtures in the ceiling, interrupted by a giant metal propeller that whirrs around, slicing through the beams.
Another major architectural effect is 6 Barrisol 'skin' false ceilings, concealing various plant. It was ESL's idea to light these from above and turn them into a feature, achieved with a total of 154 Pulsar ChromaHearts lighting four skins, and Martin Mania SCX500 scanners lighting the other two - for variation.
The four spherical padded-cell style VIP pods are clad in white leather and resemble igloos. They literally begged to be lit! ESL suggested six separate systems of colour-changing Tryka LinkLEDs per pod, which are recessed in a narrow crevice down behind the back of the seats, diffused by a strip of frosted Perspex over the top.
Each pod also has two 20 inch LCD screens supplied by ESL, complete with independently selectable video (5 options) and sound control from within the pod – all running via the ShowCAD.
"Having that much environmental lighting to control is a challenge in itself" states Mike Glover "And it was essential we did all that and the effects lighting through the one user interface".
The dancefloor moving lights are primarily Robe – chosen for their reliability, features and functionality. This includes 8 Robe ColorSpot 250 ATs, 8 Robe Scan 575 XTs, 4 Robe Wash 250 XTs, 8 Robe Spot 150 XTs and 8 Robe ColorMix 150 XTs, together making an extremely versatile scheme.
There's also 4 Martin Wizards, 2 Atomic strobes and 2 exterior 600 colour changers, plus 8 Pulsar Demon strobes and a Jem Club smoke machine on the dancefloor
The lasers were supplied to ESL by Laser Electronics. They are Orion white diode systems and came with their own Zion 3D PC-based controller which is triggered via the ShowCAD Artist.
The Hippotizer is used to create video animations that are fed into the screen outputs and then to the ShowCAD via a video capture card, where the same video sources are used to run the LED light sources.
For the lighting and video switching in the VIP pods, the triggers from the Soundwebs are sent to the Artist, which in turn sends out commands to the video switcher via its RS232 port.
"There's currently no other show controller that unites all three sources – lighting, video and audio – in such a coherent way" enthuses Calvert. He adds that the service and back up from ShowCAD is excellent – "They benefit from the agility of being a relatively small company, with the ability to react instantly where and when needed".
In addition to lighting and visuals, ESL also supplied a 35K Kv2 sound system and kitted out the DJ booth with the latest gadgets including Pioneer DVJ X1 DVD players and an Edirol V4 video mixer.
The system is looked after day-to-day by house engineer and VJ, Nick Bailey.
Other current ShowCAD Artist 2005 installations in the UK include McClusky's Kingston, Zanzibar's in Stafford and Leicester (via Tech Liaison), Time in Norwich, Liquid, Wrexham & Ikon, Coventry (via Ivor Green & Associates), Ocean in Nottingham (via Scan Warehouse), H20 in Bishop's Stortford (also via Essex Sound & Light), Event2 in Brighton, Illusions in Mansfield, Mecca Bingo venues in Crewe & Edinburgh (via LIS) plus Oceana in Leeds (via Design Intervention), Liquid in Redhill and Vita in Sudbury.
