Though its namesake is rarer in Las Vegas than a nightclub, 2005 Club World Award–winner for Best Sound System Rain (at the Palms’) sound system was recently updated by Miami/Las Vegas-based Infinite Audio Systems Inc., led by president Lord Toussaint with assistance from Rain’s technical director, Adam Wuertz. The recent install included a Biamp Systems Audia Digital Audio Platform in conjunction with E-V IRIS (Intelligent Remote Integrated Supervision) V.1 software, which controls amps and a host of Dynacord speakers.
Rain’s 28,000 square-foot space hosts dance nights on a weekly basis, as well as monthly concert events: Past performers include Seal, Nelly, No Doubt and more. The club’s signature features include AV racks encased in glass for patrons to see, as well as 6×4-foot (WxH) speakers that double as platforms for dancers.
The Biamp systems—two AudiaFLEX units—manage digital signal processing, volume control and signal routing to the club’s 36 amps (comprising Dynacord 900 RL, 1200 RL and 3000 RL models). The system is networked for optimal sound distribution. In addition, patrons in VIP rooms individually control the volume in their private room via a panel, using Biamp VS8 Control Panel for Audia.
One of the goals for the installation was to keep the coverage consistent between the dance floor and the rest of the club. Says technical director Wuertz, “One of the things that really sets Rain apart from other clubs is the coverage: Even the hallway up on skybox level has speakers. One my pet peeves when I go to a club is when it sounds great on the dance floor, but as soon as you get off-axis of the array, the sound goes south quickly—let alone any VIP area on another level.”
According to Toussaint, “The main dance floor itself has three zones: front, center and rear. Those zones were broken down into the full range of packages, including the very low frequency extension of those packages, and that is in turn broken down into stereo. [Therefore] you have stereo, frontal mid-high, center mid-high, rear mid-high, left and right, and the front and middle and center very low-frequency systems, which are monophonic but grouped together.”
In addition to the nine total zones/subzones on the dance floor, there are additional distribution zones, including those in the lounge downstairs (2 channels); a rear-filled delay arc (6 channels); three zones per side to accommodate six skyboxes; and the skybar, totaling between 32 and 34 output channels. Toussaint’s reason for choosing the system was adaptability: One AudiaFLEX can be customized with up to 24 ins/outs.
Though transformed into a VIP area for weekly dance nights, the stage changes back to accommodate monthly special events. No longer able to rely on frontals, which cover the stage, Rain adapts its main SR system and enables a preset for the delay arc. The delay arc is a semi-circular fill found in AudiaFLEX.
Wuertz explains that the DJ booth can accommodate any DJ’s setup; the house system comprises two halves: a Pioneer DJM-600 mixer with two Technic 1200 turntables, one Serato Scratch Live by Rane, with the other half using a Pioneer DJM 3000 and two Pioneer CDJ-1000 CD players and one Serato Scratch Live. All are run through DSP. A Midas Venice console is used for wireless mics and special events to facilitate roaming DJs—-“It’s how we handle extra inputs on the fly,” says Wuertz, adding that, “Although the quality of audio [at the club] has improved 1,000-fold, my favorite part about the install is that it’s stress free. The compressors and limiters work so well that we never have to worry about blowing the speakers. That’s important for anyone who has ever worked with a DJ.“
A similar system will be installed in Rain’s upcoming Dallas location, which is still under construction. For more information about this installation, please go to Infinite Audio Systems Inc.’s Website at www.goinfinite.com and Rain’s Website at www.n9negroup.com/http_docs/rain/rain.asp.
