Mareel - Cinema & Music Venue

[JustMe]

OK so I write as someone who is mainly in favour of Mareel and I really hope it does well in the future.  But I think one thing that tends to get brushed aside in this forum is that the views of people who have not been to a single event are just as important as the views of those who go to something every week.  Long term Mareel is going to need both to spend money their for the place to reach its full potential. So if Ghostrider says the cinema is too steep for some people, if I (and others) say we cannot get home from a lot of Mareel events and if the poster formerly known as Unlinkedstudent says there is nothing to tempt her to go then these things do need to be considered.

 

Of course there are limits.  Ghostie cannot expect the rake of cinema seating to be changed (but perhaps he can expect to be able to book an easy access seat), I cannot expect transport home from every obscure late night movie (but maybe Mareel and Zettrans could work something out for major events) and Unlinkedstudent cannot expect Mareel to put on every obscure Transylvanian band she happens to like (but maybe the new manager could start some sort of "wants" list where people could say what they want in the knowledge that the manager would at least see the request). 

 

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

But we're getting "obscure" at the moment, given some of the artists who have performed peeps have never heard of 'em, are we not?

[JustMe]

But we're getting "obscure" at the moment, given some of the artists who have performed peeps have never heard of 'em, are we not?

OK fair enough, let's have more "heard of" performers at Mareel.  Obviously size limits and transport logistics mean the really biggest "names" are unlikely to reach Shetland unless they are doing some sort of "small venues" tour but it would not hurt for Shetland Arts to ask people what they want.  Same goes with cinema.  Nothing to stop someone asking for a week of "Bollywood" musicals if that is what they want.

[hjasga]

Regarding the public transport issue, I was under the impression Mareel / Shetland Arts had worked with Zettrans and had been consulted on recent timetable changes. There does seem to be attempt made to tie films in with bus times where possible. The late buses on most routes on Friday and Saturday nights should link up with the end times of most films. 

 

Obviously it's very difficult to cater precisely to a changing schedule though. If they're showing a particularly long film, it's difficult to have it end before near closing time. We also have to accept that Shetland's most rural areas simply do not have sufficient demand to justify much more of a bus service than they already receive, and at some point folk have to take personal responsibility. The rota idea above is a good one, but that is not something Shetland Arts should be tasked with providing - if folk want that they should organise something within their community. 

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

Ah, discovered Santa is attending for a couple of hours on one day (1pm - 3pm?).

 

Ghostie suggests all night porn/adult themes every now and again, to which I replied bingo brings in the punters (many a large bingo hall is sited on industrial estates these days and provides mini-buses to pick folk up) ... granted, both might be responsible for breaking up marriages.

[Spinner72]

 

In the two and a half years since Mareel opened, no musician, band, sound engineer, promoter or anyone else has ever asked for specific information on the capabilities of the sound system. The only times it has ever come up is on this thread.

 

This surprises me, especially given that, I believe, one or two dance acts and metal acts have used the facility. That said, I can only presume that dB output wasn't critical to their particular styles, so not really a relevant issue of discussion for them.

 

 

I suspect this is because bands provide a specification detailing what they require, as opposed to asking what any particular system can do. (unless they bring their own in which case they will know)

 

Just a general comment, on the "Shetland arts should do.." type of posts, remember Mareel is a public building, so if you have something you want to see there, don't hang around hoping someone else will organise it, get stuck in! You will find many people more than willing to help

[riskassessed]

After reading many of the posts on this thread I was expecting the worst but having visited Mareel recently to see a film I can only say I was well impressed.  I managed to get a car parking space right outside, the prices were reasonable and the staff friendly, the ambience in the Cafe area was good and it was a pleasure to sit and have a decent cup of fresh coffee whilst enjoying the view.  The film was lengthy but I found the seats in the cinema very comfortable, sound was excellent and the screen well big enough.  

 

Overall an excellent experience which I will no doubt repeat in the near future.  I wonder how many more people have been put off as I was after reading some of the drivel on here.

[Ghostrider]

 

 

In the two and a half years since Mareel opened, no musician, band, sound engineer, promoter or anyone else has ever asked for specific information on the capabilities of the sound system. The only times it has ever come up is on this thread.

 

This surprises me, especially given that, I believe, one or two dance acts and metal acts have used the facility. That said, I can only presume that dB output wasn't critical to their particular styles, so not really a relevant issue of discussion for them.

 

 

I suspect this is because bands provide a specification detailing what they require, as opposed to asking what any particular system can do. (unless they bring their own in which case they will know)

 

Yes, but. If you already have a specific performer or style in mind that needs a certain spec to do what they do the way they want to do it, surely it makes sense to ascertain if a specific venue can comfortably cope with those levels before starting to make enquiries about who might be available/viable to consider possibly organising.

 

The original question way back when it was first asked, wasn't particularly about the capabilities of the in house sound system, it was about the capabilities of the sound insulation, which covers both the in house system and an outfit bringing their own rig with them. Not a lot of point someone bringing their own and expecting to be able to use it as they want to use it, only to find out once they're there that they're only going to be allowed to perform if they keep it wound back on account of the sound insulation's maximum realistic effectiveness.

[riskassessed]

Just been having a chat with a nephew of mine that plays in a band (a very loud band).  In every venue they go to they do a sound check and also check if there any local restrictions/byelaws etc. and adjust as necessary.  The operators of the venue also have legal responsibilities regarding noise nuisance etc.

 

Some pretty full on bands have played up here in public halls etc. with no soundproofing at all. (some within a short distance of residential properties) and I haven't heard of many, if any, complaints.  A state of the art, purpose built music venue such as Mareel must be the exception rather than the rule to some of the lesser known bands and a pleasure to play in.

 

I mentioned earlier that I had been to the cinema recently and to be honest I wouldn't want the sound to be any louder, in fact it was perhaps even a little too loud for my "mature" ears.  Having said that, it couldn't be heard outside of the room itself.

Edited December 18, 2014 by riskassessed

[Twerto]

 Having left Mareel/Cinema while music events are going on, you cant hear a thing leaking out of the auditorium, even sitting in the bar area with the doors into the auditorium open you aren't deafened if anything it is to muffled.

It has to be said the only annoying sound at Mareel is the popcorn/packet rustling munchers at the movies 

[Ghostrider]

The operators of the venue also have legal responsibilities regarding noise nuisance etc.

 

Yes, hence the query as whether or not Mareel would be likely to have to enforce a maximum audio output limit to avoid creating one, and approx what that limit might be likely to be.

 

 

Some pretty full on bands have played up here in public halls etc. with no soundproofing at all. (some within a short distance of residential properties) and I haven't heard of many, if any, complaints.  A state of the art, purpose built music venue such as Mareel must be the exception rather than the rule to some of the lesser known bands and a pleasure to play in.

 

I already addressed this a few posts back. My original interest had absolutely nothing to do with noise escaping from the building, so how whoever performed in a hall was of no relevance.

 

The Mareel building is a complicated design, if audio leaking from one space within it was going to be a problem to anyone, it would affect other users in other parts of the building first and the greatest amount. At the time I asked, now almost three years ago, the building was still incomplete, no information was known about what construction techniques were being employed to eliminate audio leakage, no information was known about what sound insulation products were being fitted, no information was known about what maximum limitations the design was calculated to comply with, and it quickly became apparent back then that either nobody did know these things, or if they did they weren't prepared to divulge it for whatever reason, so the subject died a death.

 

Now, after over two years in use later, the passage of that time and what has occured during it has answered the initial question to some degree, and probably will answer it completely in the fullness of time.

 

If someone is building a ship, and someone asks what tonnage she's designed to carry, its usually a question that is easily answered, and thought to be a quite reasonable one. However, if someone is building a music venue, and someone asks what the maximum audio output is that the building is designed to contain securely, its apparently thought to be a highly unusual if not an inappropriate question, and the answer is harder to find than pulling hen's teeth. I don't get why the difference in reaction between those two questions.

[Ghostrider]

 Having left Mareel/Cinema while music events are going on, you cant hear a thing leaking out of the auditorium, even sitting in the bar area with the doors into the auditorium open you aren't deafened if anything it is to muffled.

 

Great to hear that. Excellent.

 

What confuses the living sh*t outta me though, is why it was so difficult for someone to say three years ago that the auditorium was designed for those kinds of levels of audio security.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Ghostrider

[riskassessed]

Just adding my two penneth and i'll now call it a day and sign out.  I can only suggest that spending three years worrying about not knowing the answer to a question that doesn't really affect my life is not the thing to do.  Mareel is up and running, doesn't appear to be leaking noise and all is well.  Have a lovely Xmas and a great New Year all.

[Ghostrider]

I can only suggest that spending three years worrying about not knowing the answer to a question that doesn't really affect my life is not the thing to do.

 

That must be this poster you're referring to then, as they were the one that first mentioned it again with their misquote, after over two years of silence on the subject from everyone else. As I've also already said, when the place opened, I said "Time will tell...." and dropped the subject.

 

 

 

Only the cinema part getting any positive comment so far. Hmmmm......

 

 

Meanwhile, awaiting the release of the trading figures for the second full year of operation, now that the facility has (presumably) settled in to a more routine usage pattern that the 'novelty' value has largely waned.

I assume you're using the same cutting-edge deductive processes (i.e. completely made-up bo||ocks) that you and the other half of the gruesome twosome were using when you were informing us that the car park was nowhere near big enough, that the soundproofing wouldn't be up to the job, that disabled people wouldn't be able to use the venue because the seating rake was too high, etc, etc, along with all the other crap that you've spewed forth on the subject?

 

[hjasga]

 

Nobody ever said the soundproofing wouldn't be adequate, as nobody would ever divulge what the soundproofing system(s) were. The best anyone would say was, "Trust us, we've had experts design it", which isn't reassuring anyone, given the number of f**k ups so called 'experts' have created and presided over in public works. Whether they're adequate or not, who knows? As there's been next to nothing on that stage so far to test its limitations.

 

 

You then continued to speak about the lack of testing, rather than just the lack of communication in the design stage. It is disingenuous to make out that it is other people misrepresenting you, people are just responding to what you said, and given several people have now apparently had the same misunderstanding perhaps it is a sign you did not communicate it well.