12th Knot, the rooftop bar at London’s Sea Containers hotel, has a new sound to match its chic, scenic views. Working with 1 SOUND’s U.K. distributor CUK Group, London-based integrator Tateside brought in a full 1 SOUND audio system to enhance the venue’s energy—from relaxed afternoon lounging to busy weekend DJ nights.
[Pro AV Takes Center Stage in Bars and Live Music Venues]
The motivation for 12th Knot was that the audio system was no longer meeting the evolving needs of the space. Over time, audio coverage and speaker placement had become inconsistent. The goal for this project was to update the system with an evenly distributed audio design and respect the interior’s sleek aesthetic while upgrading the system’s performance. “It was time for a proper upgrade, and 1 SOUND stood out as an ideal solution,” explained Jack Cornish, technical director at Tateside.
Tateside chose Cannon C8s with Cannon C4s as support in smaller areas because of their sound clarity and output with a small form factor. These coaxial loudspeakers offer even distribution and a warm, full sound—ideal for a venue like this where the vibe changes throughout the day. Their compact profile and Tateside’s tailored mounting approach for a room that had walls of glass windows allowed them to place the Cannons in optimal speaker positions without disrupting the space visually.
To round out the system, SUB310 subwoofers were installed for deep, clean low-end support. With the right amount of power and precision, the SUB310s add the kind of bass you can feel—while being implemented in a way to not overwhelm the room.
Tateside used Powersoft Unica amplifiers to power this system with scalable amplification and included a Q-SYS Core processor for signal processing and audio networking with Dante.
As part of the design, the system was tuned to handle the varied needs of the venue: background music during quieter hours, DJ sets during events, and everything in between. Thanks to the combination of compact Cannons and powerful subs, the result is an audio experience that flows with the space, not against it.
“It was important for us to commission something that just works, something high-fidelity with great coverage and a system that is intuitive for the team to use day in, day out,” concluded Cornish. “This wasn’t a small job. It was a fair investment from the client, and we needed to get it right, visually, sonically, and operationally. We wanted to give them the best system they could have."