Between water and wine – LD Systems audio installations in Provence

Only 16 kilometres separate the Acampa Plage Beach Club and the Domaine de la Sangliere vineyard in Provence – and yet the two places are worlds apart. The lively beach life on the one hand, immersion in green tranquillity and nature on the other. One unifying element is the good sound in both outdoor locations. The French integrator KFL Location was responsible for this, relying on audio installation solutions from LD Systems in both cases.

Acampa Plage

“The sound system for the Acampa Plage Beach Club is comparatively complex,” explains Kevin Labeste, KFL Location. “The location covers an area of around 1,000 square metres across several areas and audio zones. Acampa is also used as a restaurant during the day and transformed into a club in the evening. We had to find a sound system that could cover different level requirements and, at the same time, cause as little noise emissions as possible in the neighbourhood.” The end customer also wanted flexible signal routing so that each area could be conveniently controlled as an independent audio zone.

For the sound system, KFL Location opted for a combination of speakers from the DQOR and STINGER series. The main part is played by the DQOR models DQOR 8 T and DQOR 3 T, which are controlled as a 100-volt system via two IPA 424 T four-channel DSP installation amplifiers. In the evening, the two-way installation speakers are supported by four STINGER 12 G3 PA loudspeakers and two STINGER SUB 15 G3 15″ bass reflex subwoofers, driven by a powerful DSP 45 K four-channel DSP power amplifier. At the DJ booth, two MON 12 A G3 stage monitors ensure ideal monitoring conditions.

“In my career to date, I’ve worked with numerous manufacturers in the audio sector – none of them combine the key aspects required for an excellent sound system as well as LD Systems,” explains Kevin Labeste. “This ranges from the choice of materials and manufacturing quality to the sound quality itself and the service department, which responds quickly and in detail to every request.”

Using QUESTRA Design & Management Software, KFL Location set up a total of seven audio zones: four zones on the terrace, one zone for the indoor area, one zone for the corridor between the terrace and the indoor area, and one zone for the private beach area. The zones are controlled via QUESTRA touchscreen panels or via the QUESTRA Android app on smartphones and tablets.

Lighting with Cameo

KFL Location installed six FLAT PRO 12 G2 RGBWA LED outdoor spotlights to visually highlight the outdoor areas of Acampa Plage. With their combination of compactness, outdoor capability, and high light intensity, the FLAT PRO 12 G2 are suitable for use in restaurants as well as for evening events. The Q-SPOT 40 RGBW LED spotlights act as a decorative addition, bathing the shrubs around the patio area in atmospheric coloured light.

Domaine de la Sangliere

The gardens of the Domaine de la Sangliere vineyard are a great place to exist. In the summer months, the winery invites its guests to spend several hours among the rows of vines – including a selection of wines, regional products, and live saxophone accompaniment. “As we are located in the middle of nature, the customer attached particular importance to discreet integration of the audio technology,” explains Kevin Labeste. “Like at Acampa Plage, the sound system here was also supposed to be able to generate higher levels if required when the location turns into a dance floor.”

The sound system is based on ten weatherproof LD Systems COGS 52 outdoor garden loudspeakers in two separately controllable 100-volt lines, which were distributed across the site to create a homogeneous sound at every point. To complement this, KFL Location mounted four DQOR 8 two-way installation loudspeakers in a 360° arrangement on a wooden pole, which integrates seamlessly into the surroundings. Both models – the COGS 52 and the DQOR 8 – are powered by a single IPA 424 four-channel DSP amplifier. An active ICOA SUB 15A 15″ subwoofer is used to support the bass.