Your browser is out-of-date!

Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now

×

­Whisky a Go Go Nets New P.A.

The famed L.A. musical launch pad has updated its audio system.

West Hollywood, CA (June 6, 2019)—The Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip is world famous for the artists who played there before making it big—acts ranging from the Doors to Van Halen to No Doubt—but while it might be known for rock stars of years past, the only way to stay relevant is to keep looking forward. With that in mind, the venue recently updated its audio system to ensure it is sonically up to date.

In September, RCF vice president of sales and marketing Tarik Solangi visited the club at the behest of the Whisky’s Ultimate Jam Night host Paulie Z (Zablidowsky, formerly of Z02 and currently fronting a re-formed Sweet),

The previous system was old and outdated, and additionally had sightline issues, as it was hung low, blocking much of the stage view for people on the second floor. Today, it sports RCF’s HDL 30-A Active Two-Way Line Array Modules, a compact bi-amped system designed for medium to large venues, that now covers the room while no longer blocking the stage.

Acquisitions Bolster RCF Group

Ryan Ainsworth, who has been engineering at the Whisky for the last six and a half years, noted, “The little, tiny HDL 30-A boxes directly compete with the previous system, which was much, much larger in size and that’s the thing that most surprised me—it’s cool to hear those HDL 30-As put out massive sound.”

“Tarik [Solangi, RCF vice president of sales and marketing] came down to the room and looked at everything,” recalled venue senior engineer Eddie Oertell. “Then we talked, and he gave me his opinion on what he thought would be right for the room. It only took him like 10 minutes. His vision for it was unbelievable.”

Part of that vision included cleaning up the low-end, so, in order to do that, Solangi suggested the subwoofers go underneath the stage in a cardioid configuration. They installed RCF’s SUB 9006-AS Active High-Power Subwoofers in a cardioid configuration under the stage, cleaning up the low frequency by projecting the low end into the center of the room. “The low-end is rounder and fatter,” said Oertell. “I was blown away by the clarity and tightness of the low-end—it is pretty impressive.”

RCF worked with the Whisky’s in-house team and RCF’s pro partner, Above The Ground Productions, on the day-long installation. RCF product specialist Steven Cochran tuned and aligned the system using network controlled RDNET software. Additionally, knowing the volume that most bands who play the Whisky perform at, they added RCF’s TT45-CXA Active High-Output Stage Monitors to even out the stage volume.

“The monitors are very in your face and punchy and they really allow the musicians to hear themselves better on stage, without having to crank the volume,” explains Ainsworth, who is usually FOH for Ultimate Jam Night. “The thing about those shows [Ultimate Jam Night] is that you never know what you’re going to get. Things can change completely from song to song, from a rotating cast of musicians to multiple genres to different types of instrumentation and the RCF system allows me to have continuity—I know what the system is going to put out, even if I don’t necessarily know what’s going to come off the stage.”

Ainsworth says all of the engineers coming through the Whisky now are just completely blown away. “They’re all like, ‘Wow,’” he attests. “The room sounds amazing, and that’s what we strive for—it’s to have every engineer that comes through, walk away with a good feeling, knowing that it was a good time, a great show and that the PA sounded amazing—and it’s all due to RCF.”

RCF • www.rcf-usa.com

Close