L-Acoustics Is The "Sonic Gem" In Bruno Mars’ New The Pinky Ring In Las Vegas - ProSoundWeb (2024)

Although he’s proven to be a top Las Vegas residency draw with his nine-year run at Dolby Live at Park MGM, Bruno Mars has now brought his signature sound to The Pinky Ring, a new venue inside the Bellagio Resort & Casino that’s outfitted with a sound reinforcement system headed by L-Acoustics A Series loudspeakers and supporting components.

“Music is undoubtedly at the heart of The Pinky Ring experience,” says freelance engineer Brandon Andreasen, who has mixed Mars’ long-time group 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 applicationsngineer Sully Sullivan, to assist with the design. Using L-Acoustics Soundvision acoustical modeling software, they created a system with 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 rear-seating banquettes are covered by a combined total of six X4i and three SB10i in serving the patrons in the most expensive seats.

Six compact X4i loudspeakers 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.

“Everything is over-delayed, but filled in so that the image perceived as coming directly from the stage,” Sullivan explains. “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.”

“This has been my first time mixing on the A Series and it’s so much fun,” Andreasen adds. “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.”

L-Acoustics