At Ace of Spades, a 1,000-person music club in Sacramento, CA, a Bose RoomMatch DeltaQ Array Loudspeaker system has been in place for two years. Ace of Spades has hosted scores of musical acts (including such top artists as Snoop Dogg and Jimmy Eat World) and is now part of Live Nation’s House of Blues Entertainment division.
The Bose setup is composed of eight symmetrical and asymmetrical modules (four per side), and a combination of six RoomMatch RMS215 and four RMS218 subwoofers for the low end. The system is bolstered with six RoomMatch Utility RMU208 speakers to cover the upstairs mezzanine and a pair of Bose F1 Model 812 Flexible Array loudspeaker systems as front fills on either side of the stage. The system is powered by 12 Bose PowerMatch PM8500N network-enabled amplifiers, providing 16,000 watts for the mains and 28,000 watts for the subs, all managed by Bose ControlSpace DSP processing.
“Ace of Spades can be a challenging room,” said Kelly Cronan, the club’s FOH mixer. “The stage is closer to one side of the club than the other, and each side of the club has a bar where they wanted to keep the sound level lower for conversations, so we put the waveguides in place to keep the noise level down. We have a split-level floor and the stage closer to one wall than the other, so we need to have the sound accommodate that, and the combination of modules gives us a system that is clear, clean and articulate.”
Bose DeltaQ Arrays improve sound quality and vocal clarity by allowing directivity, or “Q,” to vary with each array module, directing more sound to the audience and less to walls and floors. Array modules come with a choice of horizontal coverages, and are available with up to four different horizontal and up to five different vertical patterns. These configuration options help reduce unwanted wall reflections and increase projection to back-row seats, and allow large coverage angles with fewer modules and help equalize front-to-back sound levels.
Ace of Spades patrons have noticed — the venue regularly draws large lines of people and is credited with contributing to the revival of the city’s downtown R Street district. The artists who perform there (recent/upcoming shows include The English Beat, Los Lobos and Candlebox) have noticed the Bose system, too. “When I tell visiting sound mixers that it’s Bose PA, I sometimes get funny looks,” Cronan said. “But once they work with it, most engineers are pleasantly surprised and enjoy the system.”
