Its all about the music at TAB

Three years ago, a trio of friends hatched an ambition to open a venue dedicated to providing a live, original music experience, where local artists could perform their own songs on a regular basis. While that concept may not sound unusual in most parts of the world, in Singapore it’s almost unheard of. Yet the ambition has now become a reality.

Indeed, the opening of TAB in August 2010 saw the dream that had been shared by the three friends take shape in a more than 9,000 sq-ft bar, bistro and concert venue. Nor has the reality proven disappointing – situated along Singapore’s famed shopping and entertainment strip at 442 Orchard Road, TAB stands three storeys tall with an interior defined by handsome wood finishing surrounded by glass windows offering panoramic views of the strip. The interior of the second and third levels are large enough to seat between 250 and 300 people, but in the case of standing-only concerts the headcount can reach as high as 600. Meanwhile, the heart of the TAB experience is an 8m wide purpose-built stage designed to ensure that patrons on the main floor and mezzanine balcony always have a fabulous view of the artists.

Keith Tan, head of programming and one of the owners of TAB, is quick to enthuse over the venue’s potential for staging concerts. ‘I think the concert part is where it gets a bit interesting for us in Singapore and even possibly south east Asia because there isn’t another venue like this just yet,’ he explains. ‘How that works is that TAB aims to showcase and develop artists as well as present concerts by international artists on a regular basis.’

It’s an exciting plan for the region, but developing a venue with as much potential as TAB requires an equally well-conceived audio installation, both for reinforcing live shows and recording them. The ultimate design of the sound system was tasked to Ashton Pereira, the resident audio engineer at TAB, and systems integrator H3 AV Consultancy.

From the very beginning, both Mr Tan and Mr Pereira recognised that the final system design would have to be tech-rider friendly, as the venue will also showcase foreign touring artists. With a sharp eye on the future, the pair decided to go digital.

‘We needed something that we could have intelligent control over,’ explains Mr Pereira. ‘We tried to cut down on the use of copper cables, so we are running a lot of networking, and the stage had to be large to accommodate the rest of the gear. In most clubs it is a fixed band setup, but in TAB, other than the foreign acts, there is a band change every day, so every day I am doing a sound check for a new setup – it’s very challenging.’

After hammering out the venue’s principal requirements with H3 AV, the duo settled on a concept that was network-based but with additional analogue redundancy. One example is TAB’s video distribution, which runs on Cat-5 with a backup on RG-59 coaxial cable.

For the main front of house system meanwhile, Mr Tan and Mr Pereira decided on d&b audiotechnik, with Mr Tan in particular deciding that the German loudspeaker brand is tech-rider friendly. Faced with a choice between a Q-Series line array or the C-Series system, the team opted for the C-Series, as they did not see the need for a medium to long throw system, preferring intimacy over power.

The final design of the front of house system comprises a stereo pair of left-right hangs, each as a four point source per side with a Ci7 full range loudspeaker on the top, two Ci-Series subs in the middle, and another Ci7 full range enclosure at the bottom for the main level audience. Augmenting the low frequencies are a pair of B2-Sub cabinets flushed into alcoves under the stage, while all of the loudspeakers are driven by four D12 dual-channel power amplifiers. Onstage are wedges from the d&b Max Series, including six of the range’s smallest two-way full range Max12 monitors, plus two Max 15-inch cabinets that are intended for the bassist and drummer in visiting acts.

‘We didn’t want to get another sub for the drummer because our calculation is that we are going to have a bit of low-end action at the back,’ explains Mr Pereira. He adds that ‘d&b audioteknik did have an option for a cardioid sub array, but Keith decided not to choose it because we are not ramming at over 90db or 100db. It’s meant to be intimate, hence the choice of those monitors.’

The monitors are driven by four QSC RMX 2450 amplifiers, with Mr Pereira explaining that his past as a live engineer has led him to trust the QSC brand. ‘I have used other amps and they have blown and taken out the highs with them, but I have never had that problem with the QSC RMX series,’ he declares.

Modular near-fill

Of all the innovations that TAB is bringing to the Singapore live circuit, however, Mr Pereira describes himself as most excited about the modular near-fill reinforcement that has been included within the audio system’s design, claiming that no other club within the country uses the concept. Boasting the smallest profile in the QSC K family and offering an ‘amazing output’, two K8 speakers are used for the near-fills. Mounted atop custom poles which are bolt driven into the stage (with Warwick adapters), the enclosures can be deployed in a standing position for standing only events, or laid on the deck for mid- to large-size seated concerts. For more intimate semi-acoustic performances the loudspeakers can also be laid on their sides.

Both Mr Tan and Mr Pereira also decided that the venue would use a K8 show relay rather than delay system. ‘The K8 has got excellent high output and audio clarity, and when we ran it through the RTA it gave us a flat response even without tuning, so that’s something which we really wanted, something that’s just easy to use,’ enthuses Mr Pereira. The decision was taken to use K8s throughout the entire venue, with one in the Level One reception area, three on Level Two for the rear seating areas, and two located upstairs in the mezzanine lounge. ‘We don’t want people to be shouting over the music, so we told Keith that there would be a slight delay so we could avoid slap-backs,’ he continues. ‘But we have got to have that high level of clarity and dependability just in case it gets a little bit loud and we don’t want the speakers to blow.’

At the helm of the audio system is an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system comprising of a T112 control surface together with an iDR10 19-inch Mix-Rack housing the iDR-64 DSP mix engine module. Mr Tan is a self-avowed fan of the iLive, having witnessed its popularity with touring engineers first-hand during a stint working with popular rock band Vertical Horizon. Mr Pereira needed no persuasion, having counted himself among the digital console’s admirers for some time.

‘We’ve got the good British feel to the preamps - even though its digital that is still there, and we’ve got an easy user control surface which works very well for this venue,’ he explains.

Koh Bock Thye, sales executive at Sindo Exports, the distributor for Allen & Heath in Singapore, is delighted with the iLive being used in such a prestigious venue. ‘For the Mix Rack they have chosen the high profile modular iDR10 Mix Rack System to take advantage of the flexibility it allows, and they are using Madi for recording, plus they also have AES in and AES out, so this venue is very different from all the standard setups that we have seen so far,’ he explains.

Interestingly, due to current budget constraints, the loudspeaker system is not running on any external DSP or speaker management system. Instead, the iLive T-Series actually marries into the FOH, the near fills, the monitors and the whole show relay for all the three levels of the venue. Although the D12s have their own propriety DSP, Mr Pereira has thus far left them untouched, instead simply running the program settings on the Ci7s and the B2s.

‘The iLive is bearing the brunt of the load – its actually setting the delays for our show relay speakers, its giving the delay imaging as I delayed the image slightly further towards the drums so that when we do boost the level a bit the appearance of that imaging come out just right,’ he explains.

‘This venue is a bit hard and we calculated with the system integrator that there will be a heavy level of slapback. That’s going to be hell for any rhythm musician. With the iLive, we pulled the image back a bit using its delays, and we’re using its EQ to give real time analysis and to tweak the system as well. I don’t see any mixer that has an interface that works so simply. There are definitely other brands out there that can do the same thing but based on word of mouth and experience, the whole iLive package is really attractive, and that’s why Keith and I decided to go with it,’ he concludes.

In view of TAB’s high audio requirements – just one of the many faculties that make up the TAB experience – the result can best be described as a cosy mix of a chic bar, an upscale bistro, and a sensual live music lounge merging into one. For a venue that began life as a mere ambition between friends, it’s no small achievement that within TAB it feels as if something special is always happening, and every night is different.

www.tab.com.sg

www.sindoexport.com