Housed in a fully refurbished 19th century bluestone warehouse, the Bluestone is a locally owned and built ‘total entertainment’ venue.  The three individually styled levels accommodate touring bands, world class DJ acts and medium to large scale functions.

Located on the ground floor is the Bar which features a long marble bar with ample group seating. Located on the top floor, The Lounge is a premium style function room available for hire. Catering for medium to large scale functions and events, the Lounge features a large central bar, stage area and dance floor, enclosed beer garden and specialised PA system. Located in the basement of the Bluestone, the 101 club is a nightclub with easy bar access, booth seating, and spacious bathroom facilities.

Each level exudes its own flavour whilst following a modern and moody lighting theme compounded with stunning modern decor and an exceptional sound system.

Melbourne’s Pro Light and Sound team were asked to come in and design a solution that would really get the punters talking. Pro Light’s Systems Designer Jonathan Sinclair designed three systems, one for each level whilst being mindful of the strict constraints due to the building’s heritage status.

The owners of the venue were also very particular in terms of what they required sonically as Project Manager Stav Hatzipantelis notes: “Nexo and Quest components were chosen for their ability to deliver high quality audio levels without leaking out of the venue. Quality was paramount as the venue is in a regional area and can’t afford to have any down time.”

The system on the basement level was comprised of 4 x Nexo PS10’s (2 flown per side), 2 x Quest QM108’s, 2 x LS600’s all powered by CamcoDPower amplifiers.

The middle and top levels were each fitted with their own system; each including 2 x Nexo PS10’s (1 flown per side), 8 x Quest QM108’s and 2 x QM212S subs; all driven by QM100P amplifiers.

Bluestone Bar owner Gary Browning was extremely pleased with the final result as he remarked on the sound of the venue. “It sounds excellent on each of the three levels. The sound is very even and clear, I am really happy with it.”

The venue is heritage listed so there were numerous constraints that we had to work within. The actual building and the materials were not to be drilled into or touched in any way which made for interesting solutions for hanging audio and lighting fixtures.

“We can safely say we are now masters at dealing with Heritage Listed venues!” commented Stav. “Audio and EPA restrictions was another hurdle as the SPL level needed to range from background restaurant bar to full throttled nightclub. To this end we used the new Nexo PS10 and LS600 as the main System for each level - these deliver great audio quality without generating energy levels that “leak” out to neighboring residential areas.”

The Audio System is fully processed, zoned and protected.  The audio from the DJs and Bands from each of the levels as well asNightlife and Free to Air TV is integrated so that on any level the Bar Managers can select the source and control the levels in either the booths, dancefloors or public areas.

When Brian Taylor was developing Bluestone he also involved Michael Hickey from Nightlife Music to help complete the vision for a ‘total entertainment venue’. Knowing Nightlife well (and having used it in his other sites for over 10 years), there was no question about the music content or its ability to be individually styled to enhance the customer experience for each space. What was extra special here, was that Bluestone was able to use all the familiar features of Nightlife but also incorporate latest technologies.

Standard to all Nightlife systems now is the ability to integrate with any remote touch screen device to control the music, advertising and visuals that are driven by Nightlife’s Hard Drive Music System (HDMS). In this case, Nightlife is controllable through a MediaMatrix system (particularly NWare’s Kiosk software) with control pads on each level of the venue making it possible for Managers to pick music lists, schedule advertising and most importantly quickly react to changes in the room - and all at the push of a button. With the HDMS also being online, Bluestone are able to control and schedule their advertising weeks in advance, which gives them peace of mind when running the marketing side of things for this busy venue.

When it came to implementation, Nightlife’s Relationship Manager Ben Wighton and IT Manager Colin Clarke, worked closely with Pro Light & Sound on behalf of the venue to co-ordinate a smooth, smart installation that Bluestone’s management could easily control.