AV Case Study: Orange Ex-Services Club Coral Sea Room
JBL’s compact VTX A6 system breathes new life into a regional RSL’s live music and events offering.
7 July 2025
Interviews:/ Christopher Holder
We’re accustomed to reading about city RSLs throwing blank cheques at big redevelopments. Things are a little different in the regions. Orange Ex-Services Club serves the Central Tablelands region, providing a venue for events and special occasions. Few in the area won’t have experienced something in its Coral Sea Room, such as a wedding reception, deb ball or a conference.
Live music? Occasionally. But with the PA in terminal decline, the club’s ambitions had been muted. Until now.
PAST IMPERFECT
Centrestate Sound & Lighting’s Allan Brown has a long history with the venue. “I used to play in that room myself, back in the day. In recent years it had become unreliable. The subs didn’t work. One side had no high end. I’d patched up the amp a few times until it couldn’t be saved.”
Allan had suggested upgrades over the years, but nothing stuck. That changed with the arrival of a new CEO — Nathan Kelly.
“I’m a JBL guy,” admits Nathan. “When Allan said he could deliver a JBL solution, I was immediately interested. We reviewed the issues with the old system, got competing quotes and decided to go with the JBL VTX system through Centrestate.”
SMALL FORMAT, BIG IMPACT
The new system is centred on JBL’s compact VTX A Series line array. Each side features six A6 array elements supported by two VTX B15 subs. It’s a deceptively muscular rig for such a modest footprint.
Peter Kubow, Head of Tour Sound for JBL Pro at MadisonAV, did the system design. “It’s a fairly conventional room in terms of shape and acoustics. Nothing weird. But we still wanted to extract every ounce of performance without overcapitalising,” he explains. “The A6 system made the most sense. They didn’t need the SPL of an A8 or ground-stacked 18s. This wasn’t about rock concert levels — it was about life and clarity.”
JBL’s Venue Synthesis software gave Pete the precision he needed. “I took measurements, dropped it into the software, did the array design, and calculated amp power via Performance Manager. We had a full predictive EQ and delay map before even arriving on site. That’s the beauty of the VTX ecosystem.”
LIVE & LET CONFERENCE
The Coral Sea Room serves a broad clientele. “Events are our bread and butter,” says Nathan. “Balls, weddings, expos. But we’ve always aspired to host more live music and now we have the premier live music venue in town.”
With that in mind, the installation supports dual operation modes. Allan Brown explains: “There’s an in-house rack for day-to-day use, and a separate rack for live shows. When a band comes in, they just plug in left and right — classic ‘racks and stacks’. It’s independent of the conferencing gear.”
The rear third of the room can be divided off and run separately — or opened up to form a single large space. A ceiling-mounted delay system, time-aligned to the main PA, takes care of coverage at the back. “We used to get complaints,” Allan recalls. “People couldn’t hear anything over the noise of cutlery and conversation. That’s sorted now.”
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There’s a cost to just standing still
REGIONAL ROYALE
Veteran FOH engineer Jeff White had the chance to mix a live show (Original Sin INXS Tribute Show) through the new system and came away impressed. “The coverage was crystal clear wherever I walked,” he reports. “I pulled the highs back a touch — they were a bit forward in the room for my taste — but there was loads of headroom and plenty of bottom end. Six boxes a side with subs — perfect for the room.”
Jeff, who operates his own PA rental business, Whitenoise Pro Audio, out of Goulburn, ran his usual system check routine — a couple of reggae tracks from UB40. “That low-end gives me a feel for how the system breathes,” he says. “There was a bit of slapback on the kick from the back wall, but nothing gating couldn’t handle.”
For a touring engineer, the integration is a dream. “Just plug into the Cat5 at the back wall and patch to the stage,” Jeff says. “I’ve done my share of regional RSL gigs where I had to bring everything, stack it, and be packed down by midnight. This was a breath of fresh air. You rarely find systems of this quality in your average RSL. ”
MONEY TALKS
“A full AV upgrade wasn’t even in the capex budget,” Nathan concedes. “It became an emergency purchase when the old system collapsed. But there’s a cost to just standing still.”
For a regional club already managing three venues (including a golf club) and a motel, the upgrade is part of a bigger picture. “The Coral Sea Room is one of the largest venues in Orange (~700 cap). Our goal is to make it the venue of choice for major functions, conferences, and concerts in the Central West. This new system gets us there.”
And it’s a long-term play. “We’ve upgraded the rear section’s speakers too — everything’s integrated. I don’t expect we’ll need to spend another cent on audio in that room. Hopefully I’ll be retired before we do!”
FINAL TUNE-UP
Peter Kubow attended the final bedding in of the system to commission and tune the rig. “But honestly,” he says, “Venue Synthesis means it’s 90% there before you even plug in a mic. The coverage predictions were bang-on. It’s a clean room and the system’s already singing.”
Orange Ex-Services Club now has the pre-eminent live venue in the area, and bookers are beginning to respond. More than that, it has a flexible space that can respond to function organisers’ requirements and a PA that’s more than up to the challenge. As CEO Nathan Kelly puts it: “If you can deliver a premium experience… then it justifies investments like this.”
Centrestate Sound & Lighting: 0419 917 322 or [email protected]
Whitenoise Pro Audio: www.whitenoiseproaudio.com.au or 0409 203 761
MadisonAV (JBL VTX): madisonav.com.au
Orange Ex-Services Club: www.oesc.com.au
The system comprises: 12 x JBL VTX-A6; 4 x JBL VTX-B15 Subs and 2 x Crown IT4x3500HD amps.
RESPONSES