12th Knot, the rooftop cocktail bar at the riverside Sea Containers Hotel, is known for its stunning city views and upscale atmosphere in a prime location on the South Bank. When the time came to upgrade its audio system, the hotel turned to its trusted technology partner, Tateside, who already provides managed AV services across various areas in the hotel. The client envisaged a new audio solution that would complement, rather than compromise, the carefully curated ambience of its popular rooftop destination
“We’ve worked on projects throughout the Sea Containers hotel for a long time, including the cinema, background audio systems and the event space,” says Jack Cornish, technical director at Tateside. “When it came time to upgrade the 12th Knot bar, they trusted us to deliver something special.”
The existing audio system at 12th Knot was no longer meeting the evolving needs of the space. Over time, its coverage had become inconsistent, with components frequently being moved to accommodate different events, ultimately detracting from the overall aesthetics of the venue. The client approached Tateside with a clear goal: to modernize the system, improve coverage across the entire bar and make the setup more discreet and better integrated with the surroundings.
“It was time for a proper upgrade, and 1 Sound stood out as an ideal solution,” says Cornish.
Tateside designed a new sound system from the ground up based around 1 Sound loudspeakers to address both technical and aesthetic concerns. In the interior bar area, the team installed twelve 1 Sound C8i coaxial 8-inch and two C4i 4-inch loudspeakers, chosen for their small form factor and sound clarity. For the low-end, six 10-inch SUB310s, also from 1 Sound, are flown out of immediate sight lines, further preserving the all-important look and feel of the space. With triple 10-inch subwoofers, the SUB310s offer similar performance to larger models, but with a much smaller footprint. Tateside commissioned bespoke metalwork to secure this new loudspeaker system. Two additional 1 Sound C8i loudspeakers for monitoring are installed in the DJ booth, which plays host to DJ sessions every weekend.
A Netgear managed switch takes care of advanced signal management. Day-to-day system control is via a wall-mounted QSC touchscreen controller and simplified Pragma Someo PoE wall controllers, giving 12th Knot staff accessible control of source selection and music volume.
“We’ve been working with Sea Containers as a client for a while now, and this project represented the next evolution in our long-term relationship,” notes Cornish. “We’re really pleased with the result and the opportunity to showcase these high-end audio products along with our own expertise and skills.”
