d&b GSL System pumps up Chroma Club in South Korea.

South Korea’s new Chroma nightclub in Incheon, 30km from the capital Seoul, is one of DJ Mag’s Top 100 clubs, boasting state of the art lighting and a brand-new d&b audiotechnik GSL System.

Chroma is one of the latest superclubs to emerge in Asia, joining an ever-growing group of venues designed to set new benchmarks for technologically advanced entertainment experiences. Based in the Paradise City resort just outside South Korea’s Incheon International Airport – less than 30km from the capital city, Seoul – it’s an architecturally stunning, windowless cube, housing a 3,000-capacity nightclub. Inside, the main dancefloor boasts laser globes, state-of-the-art lighting and now, a brand-new d&b audiotechnik GSL System.

Chroma’s four floors play a mixture of EDM, house, pop, hip-hop and techno. The first floor Music Lounge is mainly a standing bar, designed to whet the appetite for the main stage and dance floor situated on level two. The VIP area is on the third floor, beneath the indoor tropical swimming pool and beach bar in the eaves of the venue on level four.

Jun Han from d&b audiotechnik Korea oversaw the installation of the new sound systems at Chroma. “The brief was clear: the Paradise City team wanted to make Chroma the best-sounding high-end club in South Korea,” says Han. “They had visited famous clubs and well-known EDM festivals in other countries and knew what they wanted to achieve. They were impressed with the sound image created by the GSL System and the clarity for the audience, regardless of where they were situated in the space.”

In the main dancefloor and stage area, Han and his team installed GSL8 and GSL12 cabinets in a left-right array, matched with SL-SUBs in horizontal ground arrays, all driven by d&b D80 amplifiers. 

“Consistency of sound dispersion throughout the dancefloor and main stage area was vital, and the GSL System’s full-bandwidth constant directivity pattern control and cardioid technology immediately filled the room with even, rich sound, exactly where it was wanted,” Han continues. “The fact that GSL provides equal sound pressure levels and equal frequency response to all of the listening area with powerful sounds, yet with sufficient headroom on the system, made it work perfectly for the space. Partygoers can enjoy the DJ set without any interruption, and without tiring of the sound when listening for a long time.”

Han utilised d&b ArrayProcessing software to determine tailored filters to help control the behaviour of the GSL line array system across the entire listening area. “We set the ArrayProcessing parameters in a wide range to perform various types of genre like EDM, pop, hip hop and more,” he says. “Before applying ArrayProcessing to the systems, different frequency responses between the front and the rear presented an issue, but using the software, we found a straightforward solution that provided equal frequency response for the entire listening area.”

In the first floor Music Lounge, below the main dancefloor level, Han specified a d&b solution comprising Yi8 line array loudspeakers, matched with Yi-SUB subwoofers. On the fourth-floor top level, where a DJ booth at the centre of the room is surrounded by pool and bar areas, further Yi8 loudspeakers with Yi-SUB subwoofers were installed at the front of the cocktail bar and decks.

Despite being open for less than one year, Chroma is already recognised as one to watch, entering at #73 in DJ Magazine’s Top 100 Clubs chart.

“Artists and DJs can now perform at Chroma with high-class sound in all listening areas, backed by powerful energy,” Han concludes. “There’s no doubt that the d&b installation has helped Chroma become one of the world’s leading nightclubs.”