Creating Store Ambiance Through Sound

Dear Audio Clients,

Have you ever wondered why you have your favorite retail stores, restaurants, cafe's and malls?  Aside from their great products and services, you feel at home shopping or eating there.  The answer is - Store ambience.  To truly create a vivid experience for shoppers, retailers invest a lot to take their brand to the shoppers senses.

According to a survey of 1,000 female shoppers in UK, store ambiance is more important than location and service.

Let's zoom in on one of the most overlooked senses that makes an excellent store ambiance - Sound.  Nowadays,  I'm happy to see that a lot of retail store owners are now becoming aware that Sound is key to stimulate purchasing behavior.  It calms and makes shoppers stay longer for a pleasant buying experience.

Let me introduce to you one of my clients - Donna Pacho, VP of Townes Inc.  A second generation executive, she sure knows that store ambience is important for their customers. Townes Inc. is a 45 year old company in Pasay road, Makati City.  They offer quality designer fabrics and home accessories sourced around the globe.  It's also the go-to store of the country's top interior designers for their big projects.

From left to right:  Mrs. Elita Pacho (President),  Mickey Villa (Audio Artist Manila) and

Donna Pacho (Vice President)

Donna approached me to upgrade their sound system.  The old system consisted of different home/commercial speakers put together by an electrician (not an audio specialist) that resulted in uneven sound levels through out the shop floor.   

Because it had home audio speakers, they were limited to put speakers on some corners only, which resulted to some spaces not receiving any music at all.  She wanted to make sure that the new store's audio was heard in every zone of the shop floor (two floors) as well as the basement parking.

Quad speakers (UK brand) were used on this project

Almost all subspaces have a dedicated speaker

A 70-volt line power amplifier (57 lbs.) were used to power 16 speakers.

We also integrated their existing paging mic for easier communication through out the shop floor. 

Donna wanted to add a modern touch by infusing a playlist that reflects the time of day.  From Diana Krall to the upbeat music of D'Sound that will surely fill in a lazy afternoon.

Donna wanted the convenience of an Apple Ipod source to their advantage.  We used Apple Lossless files (ALAC) over compressed MP3 files for better sound quality.  She also made sure that her mom, Mrs. Elita Pacho, President of Townes Inc., could still pop a CD from her huge collection garnered through the years.  Her mom knows the sound quality of original CDs.  It was so cool that she has a CD of Tony Bennett's duet with Lady Gaga (Cheek to Cheek album) playing whenever she has a meeting with her loyal clients.  For this one, an Onkyo 6 disc changer was also installed.

Now, their clients feel more relaxed finding their perfect designer fabrics for their dream projects.  Even the whole staff of Townes feel great working everyday.  Thanks to their passionate VP of Townes Inc., Donna Pacho, who constantly thinks of clients as well as their loyal staff.

If you need help in creating the proper sound ambiance on the following:

• Retail stores
• Malls
• Cafés
• Restaurants
• Bars
• Hotels
• Resorts
• Spas
• Salons

Or any other business that requires a quality sound system installation,  just send me an email at: audioartistmanila@gmail.com

Welcome to Audio Artist Manila!

I’m Mickey Villa, a home entertainment systems specialist.  I help music and movie enthusiasts set up their dream audio systems so they can experience the finest moments in music and movies.   To enjoy, for instance, David Bowie sing Heroes and watch Tom Cruise maneuver his F-14 Tomcat to Mach 1 in Top Gun.

My love for music started very early.  At age 8, I spent hours playing my brothers’ ‘80s vinyl collection on our Kenwood and Technics stereo system.  Influenced by The Border by Modern English, at age 11, I made my own drums out of ice cream tubs and created cymbals from can lids.  Later, I took formal drum lessons at the extension program of the U.P. College of Music and played the drums in high school and college with a band that I had co-founded.

My exposure to the ‘90s band scene trained my ears on live music.  Having been guided by my professor on how to consistently produce good sound and timekeeping from the kit, I became obsessed with the quality of my sound, which is integral to my band’s music. 

As a musician myself, I searched for sound systems that would not add to or detract anything from the music that I was listening to.  I auditioned and listened to all sorts of equipment.  I learned which ones—with different price ranges—passed my exacting standards and began recommending to friends and family those that best suited their preferences and resources.  Soon after, I became their go-to guy when buying audio equipment.  As an audiophile, I was often more excited than the person whom I was helping to appreciate and live out the audio experience.

The turning point was when my friend Francis asked me to design the audio system for his home, which was fashioned like a bar.  The motif was mid-century modern, highlighted by a classic red Smeg refrigerator in the kitchen.  Francis wanted a red, brand-new turntable to complete his home’s bar vibe. I quickly emailed him a list of the components that we could put together.  He liked the design so much that he encouraged me to follow my passion for high-quality audio.  

In my 15 years as a Sales/Channel Development Manager for different multinational companies, I was passionate about satisfying my customer’s needs.  It is that same attentiveness and hard-won skills that I commit to as a home entertainment specialist.

Recording engineers and movie directors have brought us exquisitely produced material. It is my privilege to bring that professional studio sound within your reach, for you to enjoy music and movies the way they were intended to be.