Electro-Voice

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has been up on stage with the UK’s first full Electro-Voice EVA line array SR system in the newly-opened Club Neo in the Somerset town of Yeovil. The 1,000-capacity venue, a former bingo hall and cinema, has been re-modelled as a modern nightclub but still presented a considerable acoustic challenge, solved by the unique design properties of the EVA (Expandable Vertical Array) Series.

Interior features of the old theatre, such as neo-Egyptian mouldings dating back to the 1930s, have been retained and incorporated into a new design that can accommodate dining, dancing, live performances and even conferences. Bars and dancefloors have been added, and the balcony turned into a VIP bar and restaurant. Stage facilities have been set up for live acts as well as DJs, and the spec includes an aesthetically pleasing installation of EV EVA line array modules, with X-Subs built into the stage.

Shuttlesound’s Neal Allen advised Club Neo on the configuration of their new system, which was actually installed by Knight Sound & Light (Guildford). Allen identifies the club’s 12-metre ceiling height as one of the key factors in the design. “We couldn’t have done it with multiple speakers,” says Neal, who used the new EVADA (EVA Design Assistant) software package to plot the desired output from the different speaker options, and to tweak the results.

The EVA design principle offers precision through choice. Each EVA module is available with either a 90° or 120° horizontal dispersion pattern and is acoustically designed to work with any other EVA module. Two versions are available with 6° vertical dispersion patterns (for longthrow), with another two versions offering 20° vertical dispersion patterns (for nearfield coverage). They may be combined for use as the main building blocks of a typical line array, allowing EVA to address precisely a wide variety of situations, and provide optimum vertical coverage.

As part of its sophisticated internal passive network, each EVA module enables 3 dB of shading to be applied to one HF element, if required (top or bottom). “With the addition of the EVA-AM Attenuation Modules, we can put the sound exactly where we want it,” says Neal Allen. “We can keep the box at zero or tailor it in steps of 3dB attenuation up to 9dB. This means you’re not killing people at the front yet the sound is clear as a bell at the back.”

Club Neo’s 6-module arrays are powered by just one EV TG7 amplifier, with a second TG7 to drive the 4x X-Subs under the stage. There are also a number of EV ZX3s on stage for infill, powered by an EV CP3000.

Club Neo’s private owners are delighted with the result. “Aesthetically, the EVA system was the best fit with the ambience of the club. Technically, this is just what line array was designed to do.”