Integrator Combines ELAN g! with Brand New Display Technology to Help Hoboken's Hottest New Nightclub Compete with NYC's Best

Hoboken, New Jersey is the newest unofficial borough of New York City, drawing Manhattan workers to its upscale downtown neighborhood full of trendy restaurants, bars and nightclubs. The owners of Hoboken’s newest nightclub, Reign, knew they needed to crate a unique experience to stand out among the area’s stiff competition. This meant designing an immense AV system using an ELAN g! system for control, Sound Tube Pendant speakers and subwoofers for put-it-anywhere audio and the first North American installation of a new 10-foot by 20-foot PrimeView Smart Film double-sided glass projection surface. 

Integration firm Serious Audio Video knew that their bid would likely be the highest, at nearly $350,000, well above the $200,000 budget requested by the owners, but they also knew that no one else would match their vision and unique style for the club’s AV systems. The core of the lounge’s AV installation is a powerful ELAN g! system that automates the lighting, audio and video, giving the owners fast and easy control of the entire establishment from their smartphones. With more than 90 speakers and subwoofers producing 30,000 watts and a plethora of specialized lighting, tying everything together into a single easy-to-use interface was a crucial factor in the success of this installation.

“The ELAN g! platform allows us to focus on our clients’ needs and without worrying about overwhelming them with complicated interfaces,” said Casey S. Johnston, owner of integration firm Serious Audio Video. “It’s simple to use and can be run entirely from a smartphone or tablet if they choose, so they never have to leave the club floor to make adjustments to volume, lighting intensity or video content. It also gives them the easiest start-up and shut-down procedure for the club’s systems, since they can use a single “Open” or “Close” button that we programmed to turn entire systems on or off.”

According to Johnston, an installation of this caliber also requires special design. In this case, the integration firm created a unique vortex chandelier of Sound Tube pendant speakers that hang just out of guests’ reach on the second floor, and right above guests head on the first floor in an open overhang. “This specialized design took a lot of tinkering to perfect the installation, but the finished product is more than a simple AV system. An eye-catching arrangement of premium quality speakers and subwoofers reflects the lounge’s chic and trendy atmosphere, and when combined with the amazing PrimeView Smart Film projection display it projects an air of exclusivity that guests can’t find anywhere else in Hoboken or Manhattan.” 

In fact, this was the very first installation of the see-through PrimeView Smart Film display in North America. It is so new that the instructions were only available in Cantonese, so they flew in one of PrimeView’s technicians from Hong Kong to help with the installation. The resulting screen sits just above the speaker chandelier on the third floor and can play any manner of digital video effects. With the ability to change the appearance of the glass from clear to frosted with the push of a button, the possibilities are nearly limitless and certainly push the club’s atmosphere to new heights.

“Night club installations regularly involve millions of dollars of equipment and this was our first night club project,” Johnston said. “We hit it out of the park so we are hoping to grow that aspect of our business and bring other owners the same level of functionality and unique design in the future.”