CoRAY and HOPS on the menu as Public Address meets restaurant challenge in France...
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The recently completed Pirates Paradise is a unique, multi-sensory, gastronomic and entertainment combination near Lille in France, that takes the concept of a themed restaurant to another level. With a wide range of great food, a spectacular pirate-ship interior, hourly pirate shows and 130m2play area, Pirates Paradise in Neuville-en-Ferrain is an outstanding family destination that regularly feeds more than 500 guests at weekends. The swashbuckling entertainment is absolutely central to the success of the concept and in order to ensure that visitors young and old are completely immersed in the experience, the creators placed audio excellence as an essential requirement.
Owner Jérôme Descamps explains:
“My dream was to create the best restaurant I could, offering great decor, furniture, atmosphere and food supported by a fantastic sound system. It was important to me to do everything properly, so I engaged a company that could help spec me the highest quality audio on the market.”
Pirates Paradise reached out to local company, Public Address, with General Manager, Gregory Devilder and Head of Technical, Benjamin Pauwels taking up the challenge. They recommended CODA Audio for the site, knowing it would produce top quality sound across the entire venue. It was a tough assignment in the first instance, since the team had to design the system from drawings whilst the venue was being built. The system needed to cater primarily for background music during dining hours but also for speech reinforcement in what can become a very lively environment.
The main PA comprises two hangs of two CODA Audio CoRAY4i cabinets and a single G18SUB subwoofer flown head-on as the space is entered, L-R above a row of ‘drinking houses’. The pirate ship is housed on the right-hand-side as guests enter the restaurant and two more CoRAY4i cabinets and two G15SUB subwoofers are housed in this area. Opposite this is ‘the jail’ and it’s the same setup from CODA Audio – mirrored from the pirate ship side.
The CoRAY4i is the installation version of the CoRAY4, which has been specifically optimised for permanent applications. It features high power handling of 700W, which is achievable thanks to its dual four-inch high frequency neodymium planar wave drivers and four five-inch ultra-low distortion cone speakers. Unwanted reflections can easily be eliminated with the CoRAY4i by altering the horizontal and asymmetrical coverage, for greater intelligibility. This feature is utilised at Pirates Paradise due to it being a large, tricky space with textured surfaces.
The G18SUB subwoofers are hidden among the scenery throughout the venue, but each one offers powerful and extended low frequency response down 28Hz and a maximum SPL of 139dB. The G15SUB subwoofers used on the wings of the venue, offer a similar spec but with a 15-inch driver.
The system was designed in conjunction with CODA Audio France, in particular Yves Guegan and Philippe Pelmelle who made suggestions for loudspeaker and subwoofer placements. They were also on-hand during installation and assisted with tuning, too. The electricians took about a month to run the cables, before Public Address and CODA Audio France moved in, to complete the fit-out over the course of two weeks. “We carried out a lot of tests ahead of opening,” says Benjamin Pauwels. “There is no delay in this system because we have people everywhere, so it was important that everything was tuned and aligned correctly.”
Aside from the main PA, a combination of CODA Audio HOPS5, HOPS8i and D5’s have been installed to ensure even coverage around the entire room. The D5 two-way coaxial loudspeaker is ultra compact and so sits discreetly within the scenery, while delivering a true one point source output. These are housed in the ‘jail’ area, by the ‘skull volcano’ and next to the pirate ship. Centrally, over the diners are two trusses, each of which comprise four HOPS8i that acts as fills. Up on the mezzanine level, which plays a role in the nightly performance, are two HOPS5 and another G15SUB bass cabinet. And to complete the line-up, four HOPS8i and two U12-SUBs are at home in the bar area.
Seven CODA Audio LiNUS10C amplifiers, which features integrated DSP, power the entire system. The four-channel loudspeaker management amplifiers provide 10,000W of total RMS power output, and incorporate four-in, four-out DSP, network and amplification to deliver maximum flexibility.
The CODA Audio combinations at Pirates Paradise met the challenges posed by this unique venue with great success. Public Address’s patient and thorough approach, along with CODA France’s cooperation, delivered fantastic audio in a tricky environment to the great satisfaction of the client. The team has been informed that no-one will have to walk the plank…
