Quick summary
- Trophy Lounge had a high-end professional lighting console — the kind built for large touring productions — running simple dance floor lighting
- The board was overcomplicated for day-to-day use, and staff weren't comfortable operating it
- Ready AV evaluated the existing rig, salvaged the fixtures that still worked, and added new lighting fixtures to complete the setup — keeping costs down without cutting corners
- Replaced the control layer with a simple touchscreen-driven system, using the client's existing PC instead of new hardware
- Set up ShowXpress show-control software configured for straightforward touchscreen operation
- Also redesigned and re-cabled the venue's full audio system as part of the same project
- Staff can now run lighting themselves from a touchscreen — no specialized programming knowledge required
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The situation
Trophy Lounge already owned a professional-grade lighting console — powerful enough for a concert tour, running lights over a bar dance floor. It's a capable piece of gear, but it's built for lighting designers who program complex cue lists, not for restaurant staff trying to turn on dance floor lighting during a Friday night rush. The client wasn't happy with it, and understandably so: it was overkill for what they actually needed, and nobody on staff wanted to touch it.
On top of that, the venue's audio system had grown inconsistent over time — cabling that had been added to and adjusted piecemeal over the years, with coverage that no longer matched how the space was actually being used.
Our approach
Ready AV's network of professionals started with a full evaluation of what was already on-site, rather than assuming everything needed to be replaced. From there:
- Rebuilt the lighting rig — salvaged the existing fixtures that still worked and added new fixtures to complete the setup, balancing cost savings with a fresh, reliable result
- Simplified the control layer — replaced the complex console with a straightforward touchscreen-driven system, using the client's own existing PC instead of requiring new hardware
- Set up ShowXpress — configured lighting scenes and cues in ShowXpress, a show-control software built around simple touchscreen operation rather than a professional programmer's cue sheet
- Re-cabled the audio system — removed unreliable, piecemeal cabling and re-ran clean lines throughout the venue
- Redesigned audio coverage — remapped speaker placement and levels for even sound across the actual room
- Tested and trained — walked Trophy Lounge's staff through the new touchscreen system so they could run it confidently on their own
The result
Trophy Lounge ended up with dance floor lighting that any staff member can run from a simple touchscreen — no lighting designer required — built on a mix of salvaged fixtures and new additions that kept costs down without sacrificing the final look. Paired with the re-cabled, redesigned audio system, the venue now has reliable sound and lighting they can actually operate themselves.
Why this matters beyond one bar in Tempe
This is the same philosophy behind everything Ready AV does: give you what you need, nothing more. Sometimes that means bringing in a 24-panel LED wall for a general session. Sometimes it means looking at what a client already owns, keeping what still works, and adding only what's actually needed to finish the job right.
The finished space
Working with equipment that's overcomplicated for what you need?
Sometimes the fix isn't more gear — it's the right gear, set up the right way. Tell us what you're working with and what you're trying to do.
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