The Forum, an independent music venue situated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, England that hosts an eclectic mix of genres, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with an upgrade of its existing sound system, working closely with sound designer Dan Roncoroni and British loudspeaker manufacturer EM Acoustics.
“I became involved with The Forum around 18 months ago, through a project at the nearby Assembly Hall Theatre,” says Roncoroni. “Impressed with the results, the Assembly Hall recommended my services to The Forum, which eventually led to the system PA upgrade project.”
On hearing the existing system, which was largely as old as the venue itself, Roncoroni suggested an update. “We set up a demo of the EM Acoustics system at their factory to showcase the entire product line-up to The Forum team,” Roncoroni says. “They were impressed by the power and slim form factor of the boxes and decided to invest in a couple of EMS-81X’s as small front fills for the existing PA system before committing to a full EM system.”
Further, R10 loudspeakers, with a slim form factor, play an important role in navigating the challenges presented by the venue’s unique space, which was once a public facilities building before being renovated. “The R10s are rigged horizontally against the ceiling, one unit per side, and provide generous headroom for the heavier rock and metal acts that play at The Forum,” says Roncoroni. “These are supplemented by EMS61s, which match the tonality of the R10s perfectly, plus EMS-81s as delays and an S-218 subwoofer, which is installed beneath the stage.”
“Opting for an EM system was an easy choice,” adds James Wilson, production manager at The Forum. “The Reference Series combined with the S-218 sub is an incredibly powerful combination within a small footprint. The ease of rigging, lightweight design of the boxes and interchangeable waveguides made installation and tuning easy, something that we managed entirely in-house.”
