Amber’s Manchester

We have been working with Amber’s since the concept stages in early 2024. The new venue team took over the basement site on the Oxford Road corridor in early summer, with an initial launch planned for December 2024. The venue had some existing infrastructure from the previous operator, and we were there to advise on how best to adapt and bolster this to suit the needs of the new concept.

The focus of the first phase of the project was the main room. With plans for a mixed-use space, primarily with a club focus, but also ensuring it was able to accommodate live and corporate events. An L’Acoustics A Series PA of three A15s per side, complemented by four KS21s, was chosen as ideal for this application. This setup fills the space with ample headroom and even coverage, while also being rider-friendly, making the venue attractive to live promoters.

With club events allowing guests on stage, we added some Renkus Heinz CX28 dual 8” cabinets as side fills for the stage area. DJ monitoring is Martin Audio LE200 over X115 with eight channels of Powersoft Unica amplification patched into a stage box to make it simple to add in additional live production on a rental basis.

The in-house production package included Allen & Heath SQ6 with GX4816 stagebox, featuring a data patch for multiple locations to suit different use cases. It also included an industry-standard DJ production package and a custom, moveable DJ booth with built-in power and LED. FOH also features a powerful PC for recording all sets for the venue’s mix series and providing amp control and monitoring for engineers.

For lighting, the venue had some existing Chauvet Hybrid fixtures that we serviced and re-purposed into a new design alongside some FX strobes, blinders and a 17-universe custom LED installation. All run from an Avolites T3 and Wing with dual touchscreens in a custom Santosom case, with the PC also running Madrix software integrated into the Avolites show.

With the venue opening to incredible demand and seeking to operate both rooms, phase one of the project also included a rental system for Room 2 from our Danley Sound Labs rental stock of a pair of SH96HO over six TH118XL subwoofers. This allowed the venue to maximise its income potential while keeping within its phase one budget.

After a few months of successful operation, the venue sought a permanent solution for room 2, and we were able to propose a unique and exciting alternative. Launched on the 2nd of August, we are proud to bring the first NNNN x OJAS system to the UK alongside a further custom Madrix-based audio-reactive LED installation. Having followed their work for several years, we built a relationship with Rune and the team, and we were waiting for the ideal opportunity to bring one of their systems to the UK.

The new system is based on their new M range, featuring a pair of M1 flown 21” subs over OJAS made multicell horns with BMS coaxial mid and high frequency drivers. The setup includes their 8” coaxial Gage 60 as rears in a four-point configuration and their flat panel Comium 30 studio monitor as a front fill. The low end is taken care of by a monster double 21” Devor 16 sub. We also added some Martin Audio CDD8 fills for the balcony chill-out area. All run from Powersoft Unica amplification with the same Martin Audio LE200 over X115 DJ monitors. To keep the production consistent, we chose the new Allen & Heath SQ rack model for the second room. This provided the ideal number of outputs and matrices to offer engineers control, and the built-in sound card is patched to the lighting PC for audio-reactive effects and recording.

Both rooms have DJ monitor systems installed to track music played in DJs’ sets to support PRS payments for artists.