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Socialite Restaurant & Bar, Brighton

DJ nights, dinner conversation, and one panel to run it all

Socialite is a lifestyle restaurant and bar in the heart of Brighton's Lanes, hosting everything from intimate evenings to large-scale music events. Its many zones, including a rooftop terrace, called for high-level audio that bar staff could run themselves. Flipside Soundsystem delivered it with Electro-Voice loudspeakers and Dynacord electronics, all controlled from a single touch panel.

Case Study
Hospitality
Dynacord
Electro-Voice
Europe
Multi-zone
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Venue
Socialite Restaurant & Bar
Location
Brighton, United Kingdom
Install partner
Flipside Soundsystem
Product highlights
Dynacord MXE5, TPC-1, C Series, SONICUE · Electro-Voice EVID-S, ZX-1
The venue

An all-in-one venue in the heart of Brighton's Lanes

Socialite serves as an all-in-one bar and lifestyle restaurant centred in Brighton's Lanes. The venue spreads across a large space with different zones, including a rooftop terrace, and its programme runs from intimate evenings to large-scale music events.

Music sits at the centre of Socialite's appeal, but so does conversation. The main L-shaped seating area places banquettes along the walls with tables placed sporadically, and one of the main briefs was for guests to be able to hold a conversation while the music plays. The venue needed audio that could perform at a high level in as many zones as possible, with room left for expansion.

“We wanted to offer good quality audio that could perform at a high level and that could also be used in as many different zones as possible, while still leaving room for expansion.”
James CooperManaging Director, Flipside Soundsystem
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The challenge

Fill every zone with music and still let guests talk

The system had to carry live and recorded music through every zone of the venue, from the downstairs bar to a rooftop terrace exposed to the weather. DJ nights demanded a proper bass foundation, yet heavy low end pushed through wall-mounted cabinets would intrude on the room.

Control had to stay simple. Bar staff, not engineers, would select sources and set volume levels for each zone during service, so the interface needed to be immediate and clear.

  • High-level audio across multiple zones, including a rooftop terrace

  • Live and recorded music plus DJ nights from one system

  • Conversation-friendly coverage in the main seating area

  • Weather-resistant loudspeakers outdoors

  • Simple source and volume control for bar staff

  • Room for future expansion

The solution

EVID-S in every zone, one Dynacord performance audio matrix behind it

Flipside Soundsystem built the system around a Dynacord MXE5 performance audio matrix, programmed with SONICUE Sound System Software and driven by a pair of Dynacord C series amplifiers with onboard DSP and FIR drive. A TPC-1 touch panel at the bar carries a customized GUI, giving staff control over volume levels and source selection for the different zones around the venue.

Electro-Voice EVID-S surface-mount loudspeakers deliver the music: 8-inch and 5-inch models wall-mounted around the DJ areas, 4-inch models in the downstairs bar, and IP-rated versions on the rooftop terrace. A pair of Electro-Voice ZX-1 subwoofers takes the bottom end out of the tops for DJ nights, so the room gains a surround-sound feeling without intrusive low end on the walls.

“There’s plenty of control, lots of nice little touches woven into it and the TPC-1 is a brilliant wall panel – it looks great in that higher end hospitality setting. I always find myself falling back on the Dynacord C series amplifiers as well, they are just really good value – a reliable, solid, decent sounding amp.”

James CooperManaging Director, Flipside Soundsystem
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The result

Music overhead, conversation at the table

With everything wall-mounted, the sound travels overhead and into the centre of the room. Guests appreciate the music and still stay involved in a discussion, exactly what the seating layout demanded. On DJ nights the ZX-1 subs carry the low end, keeping the wall-mounted tops unobtrusive.

After a few final tweaks and tests, the setup delivered the sound Socialite was after. The reports coming back to Flipside have been encouraging, and the install has strengthened Cooper's confidence in the equipment, particularly the EVID loudspeakers.

  • Staff-run source and volume control from the TPC-1

  • Consistent coverage from the downstairs bar to the rooftop terrace

  • Extended bass for DJ nights without booming wall cabinets

  • Guests hold conversations while the music plays

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