Tan’s TAB treats Singapore senses
With the ever increasing demand for a genuine live music experience the club and dance market has been looking at ways to integrate this element into its client offerings for some time now. A good model that confronts this issue full on and with great success is the newly opened (Aug 2010) TAB club. Situated down the buzzing thoroughfare of Orchard Ave, the heart of Singapore’s thriving club scene, TAB is founded on the concept of presenting original live music in a high quality audio environment. “For us in Singapore, and possibly even South East Asia, there isn’t another venue like this yet,” said Co’ owner Keith Tan.
Tan and his two partners have invested heart and soul into TAB. This is no cautious dip in the waters of live music; at capacity with standing room only the club can hold six hundred people including the balcony level, “this required proper attention to the audio installation.” The PA system is from d&b audiotechnik, a point source system based on flown left/right Ci7 loudspeakers with B2 subwoofers for low end built in under the stage. Design is by TAB’s resident sound engineer Ashton Pereira in collaboration with Tan and H3 AV Consultancy, the system integrator. “We needed something to have intelligent control over,” said Pereira. “It needed to be tech’ rider friendly as the venue will also showcase foreign touring acts.” Tan in particular recognised the d&b system presented that all important tech’ rider familiarity, which is why d&b MAX12 and MAX15 cabinets were included for monitoring.
With live bands from all avenues of the music map on offer every day of the week, the design team was at pains to reduce the need for attention to system EQ to a minimum, “Every day I am doing a sound check for a new band set-up; it’s very challenging.” Said Pereira. “We also looked at the d&b Q-Series but decided in the interests of intimacy the Ci7 presented the better choice. The venue is hard and there is potential for slap-back on stage, especially from the low end, but we’re not ramming the system, 90 to 100 dB peak is typical.” Thus the DSP within the D12 amplifiers used to drive the system are run on their factory pre-set EQs, “delay to pull the image back towards the drums is done through the desk. When we do boost levels the imaging comes out just right.”
Just right seems to be the order of the day; the TAB experience is already causing heads to turn on Orchard Avenue. This is a chic, upscale bistro style venue with a very sensual live music lounge; what’s keeping people coming through the doors is quality and variety. Something different every night is a very potent draw.
With acknowledgement to Pro Audio Asia and Clarence Anthony for parts of the editorial and the photographs.
