Open air, sky-high views, amazing food, and incredible audio are being served up at Soko Rooftop in Brisbane, Australia. Everything about the restaurant is customized to deliver a memorable fine dining and lounge experience, including the RTI control system. AV integrator Electronic Living was tasked with creating an audio and control solution for the Soko that matched the restaurant’s Amazonian vibe while offering the same exceptional control experience the staff enjoy at sister location, Lina Rooftop.
“The staff members work at other venues within the owner’s portfolio, including Lina,” said Dane Sandilands, of Electronic Living. “The control system needed to provide ease-of-use and a consistent feel so staff can move between venues and have the same user interface and understanding of how the system works without additional training.”
Electronic Living once again selected and installed an RTI control system, a system that has been paramount for the daily operations at Lina. On the backend is the RTI XP-6s control processor. It handles complex control and automation tasks with ease, leveraging the extensive RTI driver database to integrate third-party devices for smart businesses such as Soko—including lighting, shades, security, audio/video distribution, and HVAC. Like Lina, the audio experience is an essential ingredient of Soko. Electronic Living selected a Martin Audio speaker package, powered by QSC and processed by Q-SYS, leveraging the RTI Q-SYS driver for control integration.
“The RTI driver for Q-SYS works extremely well and reliably — all the things you want for a busy bar and restaurant,” said Sandilands. “With the drivers, we were able to schedule control of limiters in the audio DSP to allow the system to operate at its best whilst not creating any audio level issues to adjacent properties.”
“With RTI, we were able to design a system that allows the client to be completely hands-off — letting the system automate control, or they can choose to manually control, such as when there’s a DJ, which is incredibly simple. It’s a key part of achieving just the right levels and a consistent control experience from venue to venue. Plus, it frees up the staff to concentrate on serving their patrons, not worrying about audio.”
Damian Cavanagh
Managing Director, Electronic Living
While the XP-6s is working behind the scenes, the RTI Control App running on iPads has been customized for the staff, making control intuitive, mobile, and simple. Each page of the app is custom designed around Soko’s sleek signature emerald green colour palette and Soko brand icon using RTI’s award-winning and 100% customizable Integration Designer programming software.
For example, on Soko’s Audio System Control page, staff can quickly select the zone — restaurant, terrace, or both — and the source they wish to play. Sources include Yamaha’s
MusicCast, two DJ inputs, or off. The staff can adjust volume by simply tapping the volume control buttons as needed. But for more ease, Electronic Living programmed the system to automate volume changes throughout the day, from opening to evening, late evening, and closing, with changes triggered by a schedule.
“With RTI, we were able to design a system that allows the client to be completely hands off — letting the system automate control, or they can choose to manually control, such as when there’s a DJ, which is incredibly simple,” said Sandilands. “It’s a key part of achieving just the right levels and a consistent control experience from venue to venue. Plus, it frees up the staff to concentrate on serving their patrons, not worrying about audio.”
The system is worry-free indeed. Electronic Living showed them the system and how to operate it and the staff were ready to go — no further training necessary.
