Rock City

Rock City, opened in 1980, is a favourite music venue on the country’s touring circuit. Owned and run by the DHP Family, this 2,000-capacity space has hosted some of the biggest names in music, as well as being a vital grass-roots venue for emerging talent.

In 2018, its smaller, basement space, BETA, had been upgraded with an xS-Series PA from d&b, installed by SSE Audio (now Solotech). DHP’s in-house technicians also benefited from system training from d&b’s Education & Application Support (EAS) team. This positive experience led, in 2024, to the choice of a brand-new system from d&b for the upgrade of the main room.

The new PA needed to be able to meet Rock City’s growing programme demands, and also be ‘rider friendly’ for touring guest engineers. DHP also required longevity to maximise the return on the investment, and – importantly – be power efficient.

Building on the relationship established with Solotech and d&b, the team was confident that d&b could meet every need: d&b loudspeakers are engineered to provide a positive power-to-weight ratio, delivering high performance from an efficient, compact and lightweight design.

They chose a system based around the new XSL. The smallest system in d&b’s ground-breaking SL-Series, XSL boasts unprecedented cardioid performance with full-bandwidth directionality control. It reduces unwanted spill and reflection, creating an audible improvement in clarity, and offering a much sought-after level of sound performance for venues in this class. And it was a brand-new product, promising maximum return-on-investment for DHP.

The new system consists of hangs of eight XSL8 and four XSL12 plus three KSL-SUBs per side and five E8 loudspeakers as front-fills. Delays extend coverage deeper into the balcony area, while outer hangs (V-SUB, AL60, AL90, V7P and two V10Ps), cover the bar areas to either side: importantly, these can be controlled separately, allowing the bar-staff to hear drinks orders.

The KSL-SUBS fitted within the existing sub enclosures. Powering the system are 10 installation-specific, 4-channel 40D amplifiers. An M4 monitor package was added to upgrade the venue’s monitoring, again the industry standard for venues and festival stages around the world.

The new PA system design had to be able to flexibly serve Rock City’s live music programme, including its wide range of live music performances and its series of nightclub events.

It also had to be ‘rider-friendly’ – a familiar and respected brand, immediately acceptable to visiting sound engineers.

As well as flexibility in delivering the venue’s variety of programme material, it need to have the control necessary to reduce spill into adjacent areas – e.g. the bar areas.

Also, it had to offer all this with longevity in mind.

Another area where d&b strove to maximise return on investment was in its support of the client. To ensure clients get the full benefits from its products, systems and workflows, d&b takes an active role in providing education and training support. Since the upgrade to BETA in 2018, the d&b’s EAS team had maintained regular contact with DHP’s sound technicians, keeping them up to date with new developments, and a strong relationship has formed.

The installation was carried out by Solotech, led by Solotech UK’s Senior Sales Executive, Mark Day. d&b’s Adam Hockley, Global Segment Development Manager for the Performing Arts & Musical Theatre, led support from the manufacturer, assisted by Richard McLean, d&b audiotechnik’s Commercial Manager for the UK and Ireland, working closely with Day and the DHP Family’s Head of Production, Sam Joynes.

d&b’s SL-Series, with its unprecedented rear rejection and directionality, delivers a significant advantage to entertainment venues of all kinds. Like its larger siblings in the SL family, the XSL boasts an impressive cardioid dispersion, meaning quieter stages for artists, greater clarity and power for the audience, and less noise nuisance for the neighbours. Rock City’s in-house team are bound by license conditions to monitor off-site sound levels, and have noticed a significant reduction in the levels since the installation of the XSL.

McLean says, “With the inherent directivity control of the XSL, we were able to reduce the spill onto the stage, whilst delivering the clarity, coverage and SPL expected in the venue, all from fewer loudspeaker cabinets than they had been accustomed to.”

Venues of this type are a vital but increasingly rare part of the UK’s cultural scene. With its remarkable history, Rock City serves as both inspiration and opportunity for the artists of tomorrow. To compete and remain viable in today’s world, these venues have to strive to offer a great customer experience, and sound is central to that. Great sound brings happy artists and engineers, memorable performances, powerful reputations and returning crowds.

For these venues, financial pressures are more extreme than ever. Sound is an essential part of their being, so a sound system that offers a true return on investment, while meeting the demands of quality, flexibility, rider-friendliness, power efficiency and reliability that underpin a successful future, has an important role to play.

d&b audiotechnik and Solotech have enjoyed a long and productive history with Rock City. Their combined teams understands the needs of this business, and how to provide a solution that will take it forward and ensure that magical history continues for years to come.

As one of d&b audiotechnik’s latest developments, the SL-Series products are truly ground-breaking achievements, with unprecedented cardioid performance and full bandwidth control. In partnership with Solotech, d&b has successfully delivered the benefits of this unique technology at the cutting-edge of live music and shared listening experience.

As the DHP Family’s Head of Production, Sam Joynes, comments, “We knew that an improvement to the sound would be a big ask because that first permanent install was such a huge leap forward and despite its age, still sounded great. But this new system from d&b sounds fantastic.”