Oasis in San Francisco, which has been a staple of the city’s LGBTQ nightlife scene since the late 1970s, took the opportunity during the pandemic shutdown to refurbish the Champagne Lounge, one of the club’s ancillary spaces, and later stated a production of “The Rocky Horror Show” that was supported by a system incorporating CODA Audio loudspeakers.
The club, operated by actor, writer, musician, director and producer D’Arcy Drollinger and three partners, has two different modes. A variety of cabaret entertainment, including music, theater, comedy, storytelling and burlesque take place during the evening before the venue transforms into a full nightclub setup that often features additional live performances.
In order to support what would be an immersive event staged in multiple spaces across the venue, Drollinger made the decision to bring a quality audio system into the lounge for the show’s run with a view to a permanent install in the future, and consulted with CODA Audio USA’s Sarah Phykitt, a long-time associate and former production manager at Oasis.
The CODA team, including technical director Michael Creason, set about designing a system that could meet the specific requirements of production as well as the wider demands of the club. Spoken word events and high-energy music reinforcement both play an important part at Oasis.
The team chose CODA G512-Pro two-way loudspeakers for the mains complemented by two compact G15-Sub extensions positioned under the stage, while two HOPS8 loudspeakers are deployed as stage foldback. Consistent coverage was achieved across the room while energy was kept away from the bar to enable orders to be made effectively. In addition, given that the performers are in front of mains or monitors at all times, the system needed to be feedback resistant as well as having powerful sub-bass for the “club” elements of the venue.
“Nightclubs are always a little tricky,” Phykitt says. “Being sure that the loudspeakers are positioned for optimal coverage while keeping them out of reach of enthusiastic patrons is a must. In this case, being able to tuck the subs under the stage worked well for providing some protection — the compact nature of the G15 subs enabled us to achieve this in a very limited space. We also chose to hang the stage fills on off-stage columns rather than at the lip of the stage, keeping them safely away from spilled drinks, while still being really present for vocalists. Those HOPS8 sometimes have some very hot microphones only inches away without any danger of feedback.”
Once the run of the production was complete, D’Arcy and the Oasis team had a decision to make about whether to purchase the system as a permanent install. Following positive discussions with local CODA supplier Some More Sound, Oasis elected to purchase the system.
“Our CODA sound system has completely transformed our ancillary space at the club for the better in ways that I had not anticipated,” Drollinger says. “The impressive quality of the sound has made a huge difference, not only for our performers and DJs, but for our audience as well. It has revolutionized what had essentially been a pass-through into a performance space in its own right.”
