When it comes to showmanship and energy, very few musical artists can keep up with Bruno Mars, a man who quickly gets a massive stadium full of fans up on their feet and dancing for an entire show. Although he’s also proven to be a top Las Vegas residency draw with his dynamic nine-year run at Dolby Live at Park MGM, home to a K2 loudspeaker system, the global superstar has now brought his signature sound and chic retro style to The Pinky Ring, an intimate new venue inside the Bellagio Resort & Casino, which also features an L-Acoustics system—this one built upon the manufacturer’s A Series line.
Every element of The Pinky Ring—from its swanky, old-school interior design to its imaginative cocktail creations to its electrifying live performances from emerging and established talent—has been personally curated by Mars, who inaugurated the venue in February with a two-week residency with his longtime group, The Hooligans.
“Music is undoubtedly at the heart of The Pinky Ring experience,” says freelance engineer Brandon Andreasen, who has mixed The Hooligans at the intimate, 200-capacity space. “When Bruno gets onstage, as he’s still known to do from time to time, the screaming crowd can clock in at over 100 dBA, so we needed a speaker system that could compete with that while still preserving the fidelity and nuance of the performance. I’m so impressed by the amount of power that such a small L-Acoustics A15i array can produce; I feel like we get an arena-sized sound out of the discrete two-box arrays that we have here at The Pinky Ring.”
Integrated by PSX, the sound system was specified by the acoustics firm Designtechnik, assisted by former Mars SE and current L-Acoustics Applications Engineer Sully Sullivan, to assist with the design. Using L-Acoustics Soundvision acoustical modeling software, they created a system featuring ceiling-flown main arrays of one A15i Focus over one A15i Wide above each side of the stage. For low end, four Syva Sub enclosures are horizontally lined and pocketed in concrete under the deck and flanked by a single end-stacked KS28 sub on either side, each topped with a coaxial X12 for front-fill. A pair of X15 HiQ wedges sit in front of the stage for monitoring.
The back of The Pinky Ring’s “living room” and dance floor area sports three ceiling-mounted X8 delay speakers paired with two low-profile SB10i subs, with additional X8 and SB10i deployed throughout the two primary VIP areas. The plush and much sought-after rear seating banquettes feature a combined total of six X4i and three SB10i to allow the patrons in the most expensive seats to experience the most intimate of shows. Six ultra-compact X4i speakers plus four SB6i subs are flown overhead along the main entrance hallway, which is lined with Grammy Awards. Power for the Syva Subs and KS28 are provided by an LA12X amplified controller, with the rest of the setup driven by an LA7.16i. An L-Acoustics P1 on the front end of the system handles Milan-AVB conversion.
Sully points out that the system is purposefully over-delayed to the front of the room to foster visual fusion, per Mars’ request. “Everything is over-delayed, but filled in so that the image perceived as coming directly from the stage,” he describes. “For example, the under-banquette speakers are dialed down almost 10 dB; they’re primarily used to pull the image, rather than to be impactful. It’s a subtle effect and the only way to realize that they’re doing something is to shut everything off back there, at which point it sounds really flat and empty. But when you turn them on, the sound suddenly feels nice and round and like it’s coming straight off the stage.”
Major celebrity and musician sightings—including Mars himself—are a regular occurrence at The Pinky Ring, and the venue’s system is putting smiles on everyone’s faces. “The operational level here is A-level arena pop star; that’s the ‘temperature’ and really what Bruno was expecting. When we turned on the system and did a soundcheck for the first time, Bruno was beyond pleased.”
That satisfaction extends to the engineers found behind the mixing console. “This has been my first time mixing on the A Series and it’s so much fun,” Andreasen enthuses. “Part of what makes it so fun is the live entertainment that Bruno put together. The sources coming from the stage are so good and this system is the perfect complement to their performance.”
Despite the intimate setting, The Pinky Ring can generate significant energy. “In some other venues you might be forced to compromise and not be able to get the sound you want. But this system really allows Ross Black, who now mixes all of the live music there, to deliver a complete mix every time.”
The result is a unique audio experience that sets The Pinky Ring apart in a city known for its entertainment venues. As Andreasen puts it, “Las Vegas has so many great venues, but the experience at The Pinky Ring is unmatched. There is a reason why you find L-Acoustics in so many top venues and tours: they make great products, which are supported by great people, and The Pinky Ring is a perfect example of that.”
For more details on Bruno Mars’ new venue, The Pinky Ring at the Bellagio Resort & Casino, visit www.bellagio.mgmresorts.com/en/nightlife/the-pinky-ring.html.
