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Vestax for Monkey Bar
Somerset-based Opus Audio recently designed and specified a complete audio revamp of the Monkey Club club/bar/restaurant venue in Swansea.
Monkey - founded eight years ago by Paul Dyke and Annabel Davey - is a funky bar/café/club with a relaxed bohemian atmosphere and an action-packed live entertainment programme embracing a wide range of music and styles from around the world. The 400-capacity venue is spread across three storeys and includes two dancefloors, a chill-out room and a roof terrace bar. It has become a hugely popular off-high street phenomena in the city.
Opus Audio’s Andy Fox worked closely with Monkey's owner Paul Dyke and sound engineer Paul Cunningham to devise exactly the right audio feel and package for the friendly, lively and multi-layered environment at Monkey, consulting with Leisuretec Distribution’s Andy Duffield.
Duffield assisted with the specification of the front-end equipment, which included utilising two Vestax PMC500 Club / DJ Installation mixers, a Vestax PMC007 Battle mixer and two Technics SL1200 turntables.
Andy Duffield commented: “The Vestax PMC500 is quickly becoming the weapon of choice for many installation companies in this area of the market, and it’s great to work with a company like Opus Audio who have for a long time been great advocates of the Vestax installed solution.”
The Vestax PMC500’s reside in the ground floor and first floor DJ booths and the Vestax PMC007 is made available when required for scratch and hip-hop DJ's, ensuring they can maximize their style without compromising the overall sound quality - always an overriding priority at Monkey.
The PMC500 is "without doubt the best conventional-format mixer available," states Opus’ Andy Fox without hesitation. “It's the only one that Opus Audio is currently specifying on install projects requiring a professionally specified mixer.”
“The service from Leisuretec was excellent "as always" says Andy Fox. "Sales support was brilliant throughout and they couldn't have been more helpful and efficient in delivering the product on time.”
Paul Cunningham thinks that the assignable attenuation on the PMC500, which allows pre-setting, non-tamper adjustment to the gain structure, is extremely useful in any club situation. This can prevent damage to the overall system and reduce unpleasant sound distortion caused by over-enthusiastic use of the gain control.
For Paul Dyke, producing good, clear, audible sound for their audiences greatly enhances the enjoyment factor that’s at the core of Monkey's entertainment policy. "Having top quality kit and the Vestax mixers installed has made a massive difference," he maintains. "We're delighted with the results."
“The whole ethos of the place is to provide something different, slightly more off beat and with wider musical appeal than the homogenized High Street entertainment experience.”
After eight years and steady expansion Monkey (which serves food and is a café/bar during the day) now has a regular and dedicated following who can enjoy one of the best sound systems in Swansea.
In picture: Paul Cunningham (sound engineer), Andy Fox (Opus Audio) and Monkey Bar owner Paul Dyke.
6th September 2006
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