HOLBORN, LONDON

The Laser display in action at the entrance to the gents

After a 3 month restoration period, Studio club unveiled its gargantuan new sound and light system Friday.

Featuring state of the art laser show and full dynamic sound projection coupled with a new fog emission system, strobe effects, mirror balls, and intelligent lighting, the club's toilet is state of the art according to club owner Eddie Jones.

"We want to provide the clubber with the ultimate system to appreciate dance music," he said. "We are confident our ladies and gents areas are unparalleled anywhere in clubland for music, lasers, and spectacular pyrotechnic displays."

Both men's and women's washrooms boast a 18 speaker 40k full surround sound system, with four 1000 watt strobes in each corner of the men's urinals, 4 foot mirror ball combos, fog machine, and feature a 350mW Beam Burst full uni-directional geometric green and red laser system above the hand basins.

Meeting the challenge of tailoring a system to meet the unique acoustic challenges presented by the lavatories was no easy feat, according to system designer Raymond Smith of UberSound Systems London.

A clubber washes his hands at the new men's basins

"We started by running a software diagnostic programme that showed the spread of sound across the restrooms," he said. "Because of the reflective qualities of the hand basins and urinal coupled with the damping properties of the external woodwork, we elected to go with a short throw speaker system to create an epicentre of sound right in the middle of the toilet area."

"With the EQ's set up correctly you get a fantastic spread of low and middle frequencies," said Smith. "Which is important as the doors to the cubicles when closed meant historically anyone in there would miss out on the full sound experience. Obviously not anymore."

"Music is why our customers pay to come here," claimed club owner Jones. "We see no reason why fulfilling basic body functions should mean missing out on the experience."

The fog machine effect in a toilet cubicle.

The giant 4 foot mirror balls add another visual layer and further depth to the overall effect. Daisy chained with 4 MB DMX units with synchronized motor rotation and universal speeds, they create a dramatic rapid spinning light effect in the urinal areas.

Harnessing the toilets full lighting and laser capability required a haze backdrop, met in this instance by a Fog Storm 1700W High Output Fog machine plumbed under the wash basins. Capable of filling 15,000 cubic feet per minute, they blast the urinal area and cubicle rooms simultaneously with intense fog within seconds according to Smith.

"A two second burst of the FG1700's and you can't see your hands in front of your face in there- these units mean business," said Smith. "Add the multi kilowatt strobe effect and you've got one hell of show on your hands."

The club would not comment on future plans to introduce a similar system in the cloakroom collection area.