So it looks like Spectrum is the latest venue having problems with noise complaints.
Please note I'm not an official spokesperson for the venue but this is what I've heard.
After recieving complaints the council came out last week and did noise testing in the apartments next door to the venue and found sound levels to be too high. The venue is not permitted to trade until niose proofing work is carried out.
All the shows currently booked are being relocated to other rooms in The Exchange (mostly they'll be upstairs in 34B but a few will be donnstairs in Phoenix). No shows have been cancelled.
Management has assured us they are committed to keeping Spectrum as a live music venue. They recently purchased a new PA for the room and are looking at doing some other renovations unrelated to the noise complaints. Nobody can say how long the venue will be closed but I'm hearing it will be a few weeks.
Far out! Did all the rennos do anything to help, like the walls around the stair case?
WTF is with noise complaints from people living on fkn OXFORD STREET
''man i never knew grand central station would be so busy!''
wow. i went in there like 2 weeks ago and was impressed that the slate bourbon shit on the walls are gone. new paint job is a lot better
The wall around the staircase was only a minor renovation in preperation for future work. It was done a few weeks ago before the noise testing was carried out and wasn't done for sound reasons.
To be fair on the neighbours, apparently their apartment shares a common wall with the venue and it is really loud when a band is playing. The venue wants to have good relations with the neighbours and from what I've heard is taking all the steps it can soundproof the room.
^ but surely this isn't a new thing?
i can dig that they want to have good relationships and that it is loud - not denying that...
but nevertheless - how long has spectrum been going for now? this is arising now?
seems a bit strange to me
I came into this thread to say exactly the same thing. Anyone who lives on Oxford Street automatically gives up all complaining rights when it comes to noise.
Yeah, the venue has been running for over six years so I don't why this is happening now. Maybe it's taken this long for the council to actually do anything about it.
i always thought Spectrum was too loud and always have to bring ear plugs.
i swear i wasn't the snitch that dobbed you into the council though.
wow, who'd have thought living in the inner city would be noisy? certainly not me.
In the meantime, book more mellow, acoustic shows? Abby Dobson play Spectrum.
don't tell me the new PA is even louder than the old one (is that possible?!?!?!)..
Sucks to hear.. i've had some good times at spectrum.. well, outside of the load in/out.
Hey guys,
I'm the marketing manager at Spectrum and the Exchange Hotel.
Just to clarify. Council nor residents force us to cease trading, we did so voluntarily after the extent of the noise problem came to our attention. After we had some sound testing done, we realised that there was indeed an issue that needed rectifying. The timing worked out pretty well as we had scheduled renovations in the works anyway, involving moving the stage and the installation of a new soundsytem. So it seemed like a good opportunity to address the sound leakage issues along with the other works.
We've done our best to insure that all live music bookings have been able to go ahead as planned, although we've had to move them into different venues within the Exchange Hotel.
But never fear with in a matter of weeks we intend Spectrum will be back, better, brighter... and probably louder than ever :P and always dedicated to live music!
Cheers
Ben-
where's the stage going?
On the ceiling!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdQDXs75Ulo
Nah, above the stairs oposite the bar. It should make the room work a lot better. Easier to get to the bar, smoking balcony and with what we have planned, will have better viewing lines.
great plan.
looking forward to seeing it Ben! thanks for the update, it's great to hear that everyone's being decent and reasonable in this situation.
but what about the mirror balls?
Heh. Hahaha. Heh.
FIRST OCCUPANCY LAWS NOW!!!
Tidy work Benny.
So great that you guys are getting it done so politely and without fuss!
glad to hear that this won't shut down the venue.
having said that however, there is one bandroom, and only one bandroom, in this country that i can think of that is way too loud for its own good (i.e. given its size the sound is way too loud to really hear what is going on in the music).
that bandroom is spectrum.
this could be a blessing in disguise. soundproofing = good. turn it down a notch = also good.
Dunno about that one. I've seen shows at Oxford Arts and the Annandale that were too loud to hear what was going on to name just a couple.
Annandale is definitely worse for volume
Time to call in the sook exterminator:
waaaah its too loud
The mirror balls are actually the most prized posetions of the venue ;) We would never get rid of them!!!
Too loud? Don't know what you guys are talking about? Nah, seriously... I think it comes down the the style of music being played, and also keeping bands amp levels to a decent level on stage so that the PA does the work and you get a performance that is mixed at the sound desk, not being blasted out of quad boxes on stage. But that is a topic for another thread...
Cheers for your understanding/interest guys.
Ben-
spell check before post in future
Spectrum to become Sydney's first full time indi acoustic folk club!… ???
New layout sounds very good.. the stage was always a bit weirdly close to the back of the room..
Is the mix position staying the same in the new layout? The room was always really loud to mix in because you're so high above the audience, with the speakers pointed right at you (Good!) but a bass trap directly where you are thanks to the lowered ceiling..
in the mix pos the bass would be absolutely thumping.. step one foot down from the mix pos and the bass is gone completely.. pretty much had to mix to painful levels at the mix pos to get a good level for the punters.. eek!
Excited to hear of positive changes to the room!
The Old Mixer location, technically, was meant to be the perfect spot, but yeah... bass trap something chronic as I understand it. It will be moved to a new spot with the changes.
Good on you BenLucid. Also, fucked up last name. But good work.
Ouch... my poor family :P
It's okay. Adversity (poverty, drug abuse, bad last name) makes for good creative outcomes. Trust me, I know.
hey BL do you have any UPDATES
I saw a gig poster on oxford st in paddo for a gig at spectrum last week. Does this mean it is open again? Or was the poster for july last year?
Not open yet but it's not that far off. At the moment bands are playing upstairs in 34b.
I stuck my head in Spectrum last night & the space is starting to look good.
Yeah, I had a look at it the other week. All the major building work is done. They've built new internal brick walls around the whole room and filled the cavity with sound insulation. There's a new ceiling as well with extra soundproofing and new doors at the top of the stairs. Apparently the floor is being sanded and repolished this week and then all that's left is to move the stage and do the finishing touches. Shouldn't be too much longer.