d&b audiotechnik loudspeaker systems have been chosen for installation in Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse, Ireland’s leading visitor attraction.
Three systems, designed and installed by d&b partner Acoustik to meet a new live music concept from John Brady Events plus new installations in two other visitor zones, were planned and predicted using d&b’s ArrayCalc software, and employ d&b’s installation-specific xS-Series cabinets.
Ireland’s top visitor attraction, Guinness Storehouse, is celebrating its 25th anniversary as an attraction this year, having pulled in over 25 million visitors in that time.
In 2024, Guinness Storehouse was looking for innovative ways to further enhance that visitor experience. Their aim was to introduce a lively new element of culturally relevant activities. The question was, how could they add to the mix on offer, while maintaining the same high quality of experience and avoiding the creation of frustrating bottlenecks?
The answer, provided by Diageo’s regular entertainments consultancy, John Brady Events (JBE), was to create a new stop-off on the tour – a live entertainment hub that would offer a vibrant mix of traditional Irish music and dance, blended with new talent from home and beyond.
The chosen setting was the second floor’s Arrol Suite, previously reserved for private events and functions. Reimagined, this room could keep up to 400 visitors entertained for 15 minutes before moving on to the next highlight of the Guinness Storehouse experience.
A d&b audiotechnik partner, Acoustik has worked with JBE on many projects, including a lengthy collaboration with Guinness Storehouse.
“In our brief for Acoustik,” Brady explains, “we wanted the guests, no matter where they were in the room, to have an even sound quality, to help bring people in to engage more closely with the performance areas.” This itself was a challenge. The building’s industrial roots made for a difficult acoustic environment, with wooden floor, tiled walls, plenty of glass, steel and concrete. “It’s just about the most acoustically unfriendly space you could come across,” says Brady.
JBE’s vision was to have smaller, central performance platforms rather than the traditional end- or side-on stage, to create a more immersive engagement with the audience. Also, the hardware would have to be discreet, while still providing the desired performance impact.
For the largest space, the Arrol Suite, Acoustik chose d&b’s xS-Series: 6 x 12S speakers make up the main PA, with 4 x 10S used as delays. The low-end is provided by 4 x 18S cabinets flown in the roof, in all three spaces.
The other two refit spaces, Arthur’s Bar and Market Street, are equipped with 3 x 12S-D cabinets (the ‘D’ signifying the wider dispersion model) and 3 x 12S Subs, and 2 x 10S-D cabinets and 2 x 12S Subs respectively. Amplification throughout is from d&b’s installation-specific, 4-channel 10D amplifiers. Day-to-day operation of the system is accessible to non-technical staff via an iPad with d&b’s R1 software, offering a selection of orientation presets for the Arrol Suite, as well as a welcome reduction in level at the bar areas, allowing the staff to serve customers in a less loud environment.
all pix: Hannah Rowe