Live Wire, located in the heart of the entertainment district in Scottsdale, Arizona, is quickly becoming one of the most sought after live performance venues in the Southwest. Since their doors opened, they have hosted an assortment of national touring acts, comedians, artists, DJs and select up-and-coming local bands – all reinforced by a new EAW Anya sound reinforcement system.
The two-level, 14,000 square foot facility has a capacity of 1,100 and features a large dance floor, plenty of VIP booth seating, north and south indoor lounge areas, an outdoor patio and a raised stage a raised concrete stage (15 x 30 feet or 30 x 30 feet with the extension stage) built into the far end of the room. The wrap-around three-sided mezzanine level provides guests with an open, unobstructed view of all of the action on the first floor. The club is owned by Evening Entertainment Group (EEG), also headquartered in Scottsdale. Fyxx Entertainment Inc, located in Canoga Park, California assisted with the installation and tuning of the system.
When the club was in the design process, the owners decided to create a multi-purpose space that could convert from live music to comedy to a dance club. As a result, the room required a versatile sound reinforcement system to meet their demands.
“Our number one priority was sound quality but we also wanted the most current audio technology,” explains Jason Jones (aka LTJ), audio/lighting/video technician for EEG. “Not only does the Anya system sound fantastic, but it was the only system that allowed us to make major system modifications without having to physically adjust the modules. I can use their Resolution software to direct music only to the first floor or just on the dance floor without a problem. Whatever we need can be easily created with a few modifications to the software.”
Jones worked with Fyxx Entertainment’s Adrian de Pamphilis and EAW’s Application Support Group to finalize the design of a complete EAW system. Because EEG wanted maximum flexibility, the system is made up of four Anya columns – two made up of four modules and two made up of two modules. The four-module columns are hung to the left and right of the stage on an “I” beam trolley system that allows the columns to be moved forward when the stage extension is in use. The two-module arrays are hung left-right to the rear of the room. When in club mode they fly down from the ceiling to the mezzanine level to create a club environment.
“I think we have the only four point Anya setup in the world,” Jones adds. “The ultimate club experience involves immersing our customers in sound. We add the two smaller columns to the mix when we are hosting club DJs or EDM artists and people are amazed – it sounds incredible and really adds to the club atmosphere.”
To round out the club system, six EAW SB2001 dual 21-inch subwoofers are located under the stage in a custom built concrete bumper for incredible low end. Jones notes that “even with our efforts to minimize vibration, when the bass kicks in you can see the stage slightly vibrating – those subs really deliver.”
Since the club has opened the sound reinforcement system has received high praise from all of the visiting engineers and artists.
“That was the other deciding factor,” Jones concludes. “We wanted a system that was rider friendly – and everyone we talked to agreed that an EAW system was the way to go. I can’t be happier with our decision.”
