A brick shell that throws reflections off the front wall
Stage monitor and microphone slapback from the wall behind
A ceiling too low for a line array
Overcoming the room's natural reverb
Rebellion Club, Manchester
Taming a boot-shaped brick club full of reflections
Rebellion Club is the largest independent metal, rock, and punk venue of its type in Greater Manchester, and for more than a decade it has hosted touring acts in a 520-capacity room. The building acoustics work against any PA. The brief was simple to state and hard to meet: bring clarity to a space that fights sound.
Case Study
Cultural / Theater
Electro-Voice
Dynacord
Europe
Rebellion Club, Manchester
Taming a boot-shaped brick club full of reflections
Case Study
Cultural / Theater
Electro-Voice
Dynacord
Europe
Rebellion Club is the largest independent metal, rock, and punk venue of its type in Greater Manchester, and for more than a decade it has hosted touring acts in a 520-capacity room. The building acoustics work against any PA. The brief was simple to state and hard to meet: bring clarity to a space that fights sound.
- Venue
- Rebellion Club
- Location
- Manchester, United Kingdom
- Install partner
- Product highlights
- Electro-Voice EVF-1152D, EVF-1122D, EVU-1062, MFX-15MC, X12-128 · Dynacord L3600FD · SONICUE
The venue
An acoustic trap that fights any sound system
Rebellion Club has been a mainstay of the UK metal, rock, and punk scene for over a decade, regularly hosting headline performances from international acts.
The physical footprint of the venue presents a notoriously hostile environment for live sound reinforcement. Built inside a brick building shaped like a boot, the space suffers from severe acoustic reflections off the wall directly opposite the stage, monitor slapback hitting the rear wall, and massive low-hanging structural beams adding more hard, disruptive surfaces. Furthermore, the ceiling height is too low for a line array.
“It's a horrible space to put a PA into.”
Jason Hartley-SmithTechnical Director, Rebellion
The challenge
Bring clarity to a hard, reflective room
The old sound system left a clarity issue in a space already stacked against it. Reflective brick, monitor slapback, and a low ceiling all worked to muddy the sound before it reached the crowd.
A line array was off the table as there was not enough height for it, so the room called for a point-source approach that could be aimed tightly and kept clean.
The solution
A highly directional point-source PA, precicely tuned to the room
The answer was an Electro-Voice point-source rig built around front-loaded EVF-1152D tops in clusters of two, with EVF-1122D rear fill and three ultra-compact EVU-1062 speakers for front fill. Six MFX-15MC wedges cover the stage, and four dual-18-inch X12-128 subwoofers run in cardioid mode to pull low end off the back wall.
Power comes from Dynacord L Series amplifiers. Eight L3600 dual-channel 1800 W DSP amps. SONICUE Sound System Software handling setup, control and tuning across the system.
Acoustically, engineers found out that they can actually run the venue roughly 3 dB quieter than before, yet the mix feels significantly bigger, fuller, and louder due to the massive increase in high-end definition and the elimination of muddy bass buildup.
- Electro-Voice EVF-1152D tops in clusters of two
- Electro-Voice EVF-1122D rear fill
- Three Electro-Voice EVU-1062 front fill
- Six Electro-Voice MFX-15MC stage wedges
- Four Electro-Voice X12-128 dual-18-inch subwoofers in cardioid mode
- SONICUE Sound System Software
- Eight Dynacord L3600FD amplifiers with SONICUE
“For me as a sound engineer, it is lightyears different; it’s such a nice thing to listen to now. We used to run at about 105 dB, but now I tend to run at about 102 dB and it feels louder – it feels like there’s more there than the SPL meter is telling me. It’s to do with the clarity of the top end.”
Jason Hartley-SmithTechnical Director, Rebellion
The result
Lightyears different - still intense, but with much more clarity
The point-source clusters, cardioid subs, and Dynacord power turned a hostile room into a clear one. The clarity issue that defined the old rig is gone, and the system holds up across a demanding program of touring bands.
The change registers with the visiting engineers too. A recognized EV point-source rig that crews trust the moment they walk in.
Clear, defined sound in an extremely challenging acoustic environment
Pristine vocal and instrument definition that cuts through
A cleaner, higher-impact perceived volume while safely reducing actual SPL levels by 3 dB
Cardioid subs that keep low end off the back wall
Outstanding feedback from local engineers and visiting international touring acts alike
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