INDIA: Odiin Experiences in Guwahati has been named Nightclub of the Year 2026 (East) at the ET Hospitality World Restaurant & Nightlife Awards in New Delhi. Supporting the venue’s programme of DJ nights, live performances and private events is a newly installed Outline https://outline.it/ sound system, designed and installed by Jagjeet S. Bhatti of Singhpandit Electronics https://singhpandit.com/, who also acted as system consultant.

Spread across several levels in central Guwahati, Odiin Experiences brings together dining, hospitality and entertainment. The venue accommodates around 250 seated guests, with an overall capacity exceeding 700. Its varied programme places different demands on the sound system, from the energy and low-frequency impact expected on a nightclub dance floor to the clarity required for live performances, private parties and corporate functions.

“The brief was to create a system that could deliver the energy and impact expected on a busy nightclub dance floor, while maintaining clarity and comfort across a venue that also hosts dining, live performances, private parties and corporate events. The different levels, high ceilings and glass surfaces around the alfresco areas made loudspeaker positioning especially important. We had to consider how sound would carry through the space and avoid relying on a single area to do all the work,” explains Bhatti.

The installation centres on two Outline Vegas 15 and six Vegas 12 loudspeakers, with the latter also serving as delay fills. Low-frequency reinforcement comes from two SUB 118 and three SUB 218 subwoofers, while six Ki10 loudspeakers complete the system.

Rather than concentrating all the subwoofers around front of house, the design distributes the SUB 218 units around the venue to help achieve an even low-frequency coverage across its different areas. This approach was particularly important given the venue’s multi-level layout and the need to deliver impact in the high-energy zones without upsetting the overall balance.

“The Vegas 15 and Vegas 12 loudspeakers provide the main system and delay coverage, with the Ki10 units completing the setup. One of the key decisions was to distribute the SUB 218s around the venue rather than cluster them at front of house. This helps create more even low-frequency coverage and brings impact to the high-energy areas without compromising the overall balance. The acoustically treated space helped the system, while careful positioning addressed the additional reflections that can come from the glass surfaces. A nightclub system also has to do its job consistently, night after night, across different events and operating levels. The aim here was powerful, controlled sound with tight, articulate bass and clear reproduction, without making the experience fatiguing for guests. Installation and tuning were efficient, and the system required minimal equalisation to achieve the balance we were looking for,” he adds.

For Outline, the project also reflects the growing opportunities in India’s hospitality and nightlife market. Aritra Sarkar, Outline’s Country Manager for India, comments: “This project has been particularly important to us from the very beginning. With Guwahati’s bar and nightclub market growing rapidly, we saw an opportunity to create a distinctive sound experience that would bring stories to life and set a new benchmark for the hospitality segment. Odiin was an important step in realising that vision.”

The three partners behind Odiin Experiences – Govind, Vinay and Nikhil – say the design process began with the room itself and the demands its size and varied programme would place on the system. “When we started planning the sound for Odiin Experiences, the conversation began with the room. A large space has a way of humbling you – it doesn’t forgive lazy decisions. So we took our time. We wanted a system that could genuinely keep up with the range of music we intended to programme. Not just volume, but texture. The Outline system does that. It moves between styles without losing itself, which is rarer than people think. You feel it in the way the room responds – there’s a consistency to it that gives artists the confidence to perform and gives the audience permission to let go.”

The partners also emphasise the importance of the people operating the system, with the venue bringing together a team of experienced local engineers alongside the new equipment. “We also care a great deal about the people running the sound. So alongside the system, we brought together some of the best engineers in the city. People who know how to listen, not just operate. That combination – good equipment in the right hands – is where the real work happens. For us, sound isn’t a technical checkbox. It’s probably the first thing you feel when you walk into a space like ours, even before you consciously register it. We wanted Odiin to reflect our respect for both the artists who perform here and the people who come to experience it. Getting the sound right was the clearest way we knew how to say that. The Outline system has been central to that. We’re proud of what the room sounds like.”