Deliciously Simple Audio & Lighting Control

Biànca is no ordinary Italian restaurant. It was created out of a “desire to bring the captivating and enrapturing effervescence of a classic Italian trattoria to the hub and bub that is Brisbane, Australia’s James Street,” according to Biànca’s website. That’s a tall order, especially when, “it’s no longer good enough to just have good food and wine or cocktails; you also have to have great lighting and great sound,” said Tyron Simon, Biànca’s director. Turning to integrator Soho Sound Design, the company was able to cook up a complete digital audio and lighting recipe to capture the 2022 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Award-winning chef’s vision.

Recognising that audio and lighting are only as good as the ability to effortlessly control them, RTI controls delivered the perfect ecosystem. What’s more, busy staff can’t afford to take their attention off the food or their guests, necessitating the ability to control the separate systems easily and effortlessly at the touch of button or even autonomously.

“User-friendly, reliable, and familiar,” said Jason Roesler, director of Soho Sound Design, when describing what Simon was looking for in a control system. RTI was built for exactly that, and all the proof the restaurant needed for the control company was right outside its doorstep. Biànca is part of same precinct as the Calile Hotel, which uses RTI control for managing its audio and lighting control experience. RTI’s intuitiveness in control is at work throughout the sizeable building.

For Biànca, a BSS Soundweb London BSS BLU-100 with a BLU-BOB DSP network carries and manages all the audio feeds for the Meyer Sound MM-4XP loudspeakers hidden laterally around the main dining room and bar along with MM-10XP subwoofers tucked inconspicuously under beach seats and cabinetry as well as integrated into bulkheads. For lighting, a Philips Dynalite lighting system was installed.

The brains for controlling the source selection, levels, and scenes for the audio and lighting system is RTI’s XP-6s Control Processor. The XP-6s leverages RTI’s extensive driver database to integrate third-party devices, which included drivers for the BSS Soundweb and Philips Dynalite system. It also features an astronomical clock that’s programmed to automatically schedule evening lighting scenes for the restaurant.

Staff never need to worry about having to change anything within the system. Soho Sound Design installed a KX7 7-inch in-wall touch-panel with a vivid LCD that is custom tailored for intuitive control, while the multi-touch capacitive touchscreen allows screen swiping for page navigation. In this case, Soho Sound Design was able to match another defining element of the restaurant — its peach colour that’s used from floor to ceiling to accessories. 

RTI Products Used:

• 1x XP-6s Control Processor
• 1x KX7 7-Inch In-Wall Touch-panel
• RTI App for iPad

Whether using the touch-panel or the RTI Control app for mobile devices, staff can quickly and easily make changes at a glance with essentially zero training. A final ingredient for a successful control recipe was using RTI’s lock code driver with access levels to avoid patrons accidentally changing lights and audio in other zones outside of the private dining area.