Spatial Sound Tools Enhance Research, Learning, and Creative Expression
Meyer Sound has collaborated with Sonitus to design and oversee installation of a state-of-the-art immersive sound system at the Media Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center at Arizona State University (ASU). Powered by Meyer Sound’s Spacemap® Go spatial sound design and mixing tool, the system supports a range of academic, artistic, and research initiatives in immersive sound and sound art, furthering ASU’s mission to inspire innovation and creativity across disciplines.
A new frontier in immersive media education
The MIX Center, which opened in 2022, is a world-class facility for film, media arts, design, and emerging technology programs. Located in Mesa’s Innovation District, the 118,000-square-foot complex provides students with extensive resources to experiment with advanced media technologies, including two theatrical Dolby Atmos rooms (equipped with Meyer Sound systems), sound stages, editing rooms, a screening theater, VR education and experiences, and more.
A highlight of the MIX Center is the Enhanced Immersion Studio (EIS), a four-story, 3,200-square-foot, 150-person capacity facility that serves as both a performance venue and an experimental media space. The EIS joins an elite group of schools with sound design facilities, such as University of Virginia’s HYPERCUBE, Stanford University’s CCRMA and University of California San Diego’s Conrad Prebys Music Center Experimental Theater. The EIS is outfitted with cutting-edge rigging, lighting, and audiovisual systems, centered around Meyer Sound ULTRA™ family loudspeakers.
The Meyer Sound system comprises 49 ULTRA-X20, ULTRA-X22, and ULTRA-X23 compact point source loudspeakers, along with six USW-210P™ subwoofers. Speakers are configured in four vertical layers, including in catwalks, to project immersive sound from every angle. The system is supported by the NADIA-CP™ integrated digital audio platform and the Galileo® GALAXY Network Platform. Milan networking ensures connectivity and scalability throughout the MIX Center.
The installation supports a wide array of academic and artistic initiatives, including immersive audio classes, research projects, and a powerful sonic installation,Lamentation at the Liesbeek, all led by ASU Assistant Professor of Sound at the Sidney Poitier New American Film School Rodrigo Meirelles, an accomplished audio engineer and sonic artist whose interdisciplinary work combines spatial audio technology with storytelling, cultural resonance, and social impact.
Meirelles says Spacemap Go is redefining how he and his students approach immersive sound, thanks to its intuitive interface that simplifies complex spatial sound design: “Students can design complex soundscapes with ease, whether for installations, cinematic storytelling, or other diverse creative projects.”
Meirelles adds that Meyer Sound’s commitment to education and fostering exploration in spatial audio has had a significant impact on his work. “It’s not just about the technology itself but about how Meyer Sound fosters innovation, providing a platform for academic and creative exploration. Their support has enabled us to experiment with new ideas and push the boundaries of immersive and spatial audio in ways that enhance both research and artistry.”
Technical and creative collaboration
The design and integration of Meyer Sound technology was guided by Sonitus, a Los Angeles-based consultancy company specializing in acoustic theatrical sound design and high-performance audio and video presentation and broadcast systems. Phil Kearney and Mike Riordan of Sound Image/Clair Global were the integrators for the project.
“I learned that Arizona State University was looking for an exploratory sound room—a space where you could move sound forward, backward, all around, up and down,” explains Sonitus Principal Fred Vogler, a Grammy-winning engineer, sound designer, and mixer at the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall. “Of course, I reached out to Meyer Sound, because Meyer Sound has as great a commitment to those types of pursuits as any company I know. One of the things I love about Meyer Sound is the company’s ongoing exploration of sonic environments while always focusing on high-quality sound—‘What do you want to do? Let’s try to do it.’ That’s been my experience with Meyer Sound all along.”
“Spacemap Go is very user friendly,” he adds. “That democratization of immersive technology is wonderful. You don’t have to be an MIT grad to figure out how to put all the numbers together to move something around a very complex sound web. The idea that students can play with this using their iPad or laptop means the sky’s the limit.”
Empowering sonic activism: Lamentation at the Liesbeek
The system’s first public showcase was the interdisciplinary project Lamentation at the Liesbeek. Meirelles led the sound for the project, which he worked on in collaboration with ASU faculty, including Creative Director Micha Espinosa and Cinematographer Janaki Cedanna, sound-focused students Celia Yang and Masaran Keita, and international partners. The installation explored themes of colonial violence and ecological justice, focusing on Cape Town’s sacred Liesbeek River. Combining field recordings and ambient soundscapes, the installation transformed the story into a multidimensional experience.
A highlight of the installation was what Meirelles describes as a “click symphony,” a powerful sonic element derived from an endangered Khoisan language characterized by its use of click consonants. The clicks were recorded by members of the Khoisan community, thoughtfully arranged, and spatially distributed across the Meyer Sound loudspeaker system. This approach allowed the audience to be fully immersed in the sound, transforming the narrative into a deeply moving, multidimensional experience.
Inspiring future generations
Meirelles says that the Meyer Sound system’s potential is just beginning to unfold, with new opportunities for live performances, interactive sound art, and amplifying underrepresented voices. “It’s very important to have this system as one of the many ways that students can tell stories with immersive and spatial audio,” he explains. “I’m excited for the future, to investigate how these immersive formats can play that role when it comes to the listener’s perception.”
“These experimental rooms are opportunities for manufacturers to think outside the box and create products that future generations and future productions will enjoy,” adds Vogler. “And it’s a great thing to have a company like Meyer Sound participating, because they will take this experience and continue to upgrade and improve the technology to make it even more accessible. I think that’s wonderful.”
New 21-inch Driver Is Paired with the Innovative Technology of the PANTHER Line Array Loudspeaker
Meyer Sound announces the 2100‑LFC low-frequency control element, a powerful new loudspeaker that extends the advanced technology of the PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeaker down to the lowest limits of audibility.
By pairing a potent Class D amplifier with a single, all-new 21-inch driver with four voice coils, the 2100-LFC produces a linear acoustic output suitable for the most demanding applications. With an extended frequency response from 30 – 125 Hz, this class-leading performance is achieved in a loudspeaker that is more than one foot (30 cm) narrower and about 20 percent lighter than the 1100‑LFC product.
“The 2100-LFC shares the core design philosophy behind our breakthrough PANTHER line array,” says Meyer Sound Senior Product Manager Andy Davies. “With the 2100-LFC we’ve had the same goal of making a lighter and slimmer self-powered cabinet with all the performance the industry has asked us for while bringing it to the market at a lower initial cost than the previous generation. With PANTHER and the 2100-LFC we now have a complete, full-bandwidth solution for high-impact sound reinforcement in large-scale portable and installed applications that meets the practical and budgetary demands of the modern industry.”
NEW DRIVER, CLASS D AMPLIFIER, AND FOUR VOICE COILS
Achieving the ambitious performance goals of the 2100-LFC required the development of a new 21-inch cone driver and a new high-power Class D amplifier. For the driver, the Meyer Sound engineering team built on the experience gained from the dual voice coil 18-inch driver in the 900‑LFC, but here stepping up to four voice coils. The new driver benefits from an all-new Class D amplifier rated at 1200 watts maximum continuous power, with peak power of 8000 watts.
“Like all sub-bass loudspeakers producing very high levels over hours of use, the magnets and voice coils can get very warm and that affects the linearity of the output,” notes Davies. “But since we have AC power on board, we are able to engineer cooling systems not just for the amplifier but also for the magnet and voice coil assembly. So, the output of the 2100-LFC maintains a linear response no matter how hard you drive it.”
The frequency and phase response of the 2100-LFC is tailored to complement not only PANTHER but the entirety of Meyer Sound’s linear line array products. This makes the 2100-LFC a great fit for customers who already own 900-LFC or 750‑LFC products and want to expand their inventory.
REDUCED WEIGHT AND SIZE
Reducing the weight and size of the cabinet ensures flexibility, giving greater freedom to fly arrays using fewer or smaller motors. When coupled with the weight savings already achieved by PANTHER, this means productions are faster to rig and easier to fly in a wider range of venues. This flexibility also allows users to bring the highest levels of low-end performance to even the smallest venues, and do so with a product that could be touring into stadiums the next day.
Like the 1100-LFC, the 2100-LFC has symmetrical rigging hardware, allowing easy mixing of front and rear orientation in cardioid arrays. However, the narrower cabinet profile of the 2100-LFC allows for a much more efficient truck pack, with three-high stacks fitting three across in USA or European semi-trailers. “The stacks are a bit higher than other models in the LFC family, but that’s usually wasted space up at the top,” observes Davies. “Overall, it’s a far more efficient use of truck space, and when you add the savings in space PANTHER has already contributed, we are dramatically reducing the cost of touring logistics.”
Preliminary specifications for the 2100-LFC low-frequency control element give measurements of 42 inches (107 cm) wide, 24 inches (61 cm) high and 26.5 inches (67 cm) deep. The enclosure is premium multi-ply birch with a textured finish. The grill is powder-coated stamped steel.
SEAMLESS SYSTEM MONITORING AND CONNECTIVITY
The 2100-LFC also incorporates the same standard dual input module as PANTHER, offering both a Milan AVB endpoint for digital audio and monitoring telemetry, plus an analog input for backward compatibility with existing systems. System monitoring and connectivity is handled by Meyer Sound’s acclaimed Nebra software package. The 2100-LFC will also benefit from the product integration functionality in the Galileo GALAXY series of processors, ensuring seamless audio integration with all generations of Meyer Sound self-powered systems. All connections on the module — network, AC power, and analog XLR input — are via Neutrik TOP (True Outdoor Protection) connectors with an IP55 rating, making weather protection a standard feature.
“A sub-bass unit with a single 21-inch driver is something we’ve wanted to offer for a number of years because of the size and weight advantages as well as the sonic benefits,” says Davies. “Finally, technology and engineering have caught up with our ambitions. We set a high bar with the 1100-LFC, which set a new standard for power paired with accuracy and musicality. We expect the 2100-LFC will deliver a level of open, transparent, and linear low-frequency power that will again raise the bar for the industry and redefine what is possible.”
The Meyer Sound team responsible for the design, specification, and testing of the 2100-LFC was led by Engineering Director, Acoustical & Mechanical, Katharine Murphy Khulusi. “We are excited to continue to push the boundaries of performance. The 2100-LFC will be in the same performance class as the 1100-LFC in a lighter, more compact package. The extended frequency response gives 35 percent extra usable range. This launch continues to take our new products into the future.”
Direct Connection to Milan AVB Network Launched at 2023 Renewal Festival
The dizzying ascent of bluegrass guitarist Billy Strings from van-and-trailer gigs to A-level arena touring is a testament to his complete mastery of traditional styles as well as his expansion of the genre into new realms of rock-influenced extended improvisations.
On the current leg of his 2023 amphitheater and arena tour, Strings is enveloping his growing legions of jam-band fans through a robust system based on Meyer Sound PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeakers. As with all recent tours, the system supplier on this outing is Nashville, Tennessee-based Major Tom US.
The regular tour schedule took a pause at the end of September for the third annual Billy Strings Renewal Festival in the mountain valley of Buena Vista, Colorado. Here, with the timely arrival of custom cabling and infrastructure from EMG, the tour’s complement of PANTHER loudspeakers became one of the first to connect all audio and telemetry directly to each loudspeaker cabinet via a Milan AVB network.
The manifold advantages of the latest Meyer Sound technologies were acknowledged by Charlie Bryson, who doubles as tour production manager and monitor engineer.
“In June we transitioned from the LEO and LYON system we had for the first part of the tour to the new PANTHER rig and it’s working out great on all fronts,” he reports. “Andy [Lytle], our FOH engineer, mixed on PANTHER at last year’s Peach Festival, and he loved it straight off the bat. Bluegrass is midrange-heavy by nature, which can be challenging with some systems, but with PANTHER the subtle tonal qualities of the instruments easily shine through. It doesn’t color the sound in any way.”
For Lytle, PANTHER hit the right note when he mixed his first set at the Peach Festival. “The main stage was under a tent enclosure, and that can make it really hard to mix instruments like banjo. But I immediately noticed how clean and clear the instruments sounded. Everything was distinct — never washy but cutting through cleanly.”
Walking each new venue during sound checks, Lytle has been impressed with PANTHER’s uniformity of coverage. “I walk up to the top levels and far corners, and the coverage has been awesome. Our systems tech, Jimmy Marsh, says it’s easy to get everything dialed in just right, which then makes it easier for me.”
In a typical arena configuration, the dual main arrays of 12-each PANTHER line array loudspeakers are bolstered on the low end by 12 1100‑LFC low-frequency control elements. Additionally, PANTHER loudspeakers are used as side hangs.
Putting on his production manager’s cap, Charlie Bryson appreciates the logistical advantages of the new PANTHER-based system. “Overall, the system is much smaller and lighter,” he observes. “The truck space for loudspeakers is close to half of what we needed before, and of course, the weight is drastically reduced. We are out on tour almost constantly, so the incremental savings on fuel consumption add up and make a significant difference.
“Also, it’s easier to rig in some challenging rooms, like the older large theaters with structural weight limits. With PANTHER, we can hang more boxes for better overall room coverage.”
The newly inaugurated complete Milan AVB connection incorporates primary and secondary networks using Luminex Gigacore 30i switches linked via Opticore trunk lines.
“The Milan network gives us easy control and information access to and from each box,” says Jimmy Marsh, the tour systems engineer. “And our cable looms are smaller while still having individual box tunings. Also, we are doing a wide range of venues over the year, so not being locked into a fixed number of zones per array really gives us more flexibility in array sizes.”
Billy Strings was just hitting his stride as a top-level touring act in 2019, following the release of his chart-topping album, Home, when the pandemic hit. Strings bridged the gap with a short series of drive-in parking lot concerts in 2020, deploying Meyer Sound LEOPARD systems provided by DBS Audio Systems of Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
For Andy Lytle, who has been mixing FOH for Strings since 2018, the relationship with Meyer Sound has been integral to the success of the band. “I remember in the earlier days when we did one-offs with Meyer Sound it sounded so good,” he recalls, “so it just made sense to continue. Every extended tour at this level has been with Meyer, and recently all from Major Tom US. They have been great not just with the Meyer rigs but the complete packages with console and other front-end gear.”
Bill Orner, Billy Strings’ manager, concurs. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Meyer Sound, Major Tom, and our amazing crew. It’s not every day that manufacturers, vendors, and crew align in such a beneficial way. The shows have never sounded better. It’s like it was all meant to be.”
By blending bluegrass artistry with a range of rock influences, Billy Strings has extended the boundaries of the genre to become the most popular bluegrass artist in a generation. Home won a Grammy award for Best Bluegrass Album, Strings has been named Entertainer of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Awards three times and twice selected as Artist of the Year by the Americana Music Association.
Billy String’s 2023 tour schedule extends through New Year’s Eve, with the final three shows at the Uno Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. In November, the tour jumps the Atlantic for 11 shows in Europe and the UK.
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Yumi Matsutoya — known as Yuming to her fans — has been one of the most popular musical artists in her native country of Japan for nearly a half-century. Her current in-the-round concert tour, entitled “The Journey,” has scheduled 54 arena shows and is expected to draw a total audience of 574,000. The tour’s ambitious staging centers around a pirate ship set, while the audio is powered by Japan’s first major touring deployment of Meyer Sound PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeakers.
Audio systems for the tour are supplied by Arté (Acoustic Reinforcement Technology Co.) rental division of S.C. Alliance in partnership with Artwiz, Meyer Sound’s Dealer for Japan. The Meyer Sound system was designed by Arté audio designer and system engineer Shoji Yuzawa with assistance from Meyer Sound Director of System Optimization Bob McCarthy.
The audio production confronted the typical challenges of in-the-round staging with further complications from the unusual set design. “The pirate ship motif pushed the array up high, but PANTHER had enough vertical to get the coverage we needed,” says McCarthy. “And for the horizontal, we used the wider PANTHER-W for the floor seating and transitioned to the narrower PANTHER-L to minimize overlap and maximize intelligibility in the upper bowl.”
The choice of PANTHER for the tour was particularly satisfying for Artwiz CEO Keiji Shigeta as he had mixed Yuming’s concert sound on 14 tours between 1981 and 1993.
“Japan has some of the world’s strictest regulations for touring systems regarding safety and electrical requirements,” notes Shigeta, “and the introduction of PANTHER has made it possible to offer greatly improved performance within these restrictions. The reduced size and weight met or exceeded all requirements for the tour, especially regarding sound quality.”
The touring system is anchored by eight hangs of 12-each PANTHER loudspeakers, with 16 1100‑LFC low-frequency control elements contributing a solid bottom end. Fills are 16 LEOPARD compact line array loudspeakers along with four ULTRA‑X40 compact loudspeakers, with system drive and optimization from three Galileo GALAXY Network Platforms.
FOH engineer Norihiko Tango of Star-Tech, Inc., who has mixed Yuming’s concerts for the past 30 years, found that the PANTHER system faithfully reproduced his mixes. “It is my image,” he says. “Of course, with in-the-round, I hear only one part of the sound, but with the system engineers led by Mr. Yuzawa, I am confident that any variances are quite small.”
“The Journey” across Japan with Yuming commenced on May 13 in Kanagawa and will close on December 28 in Nagoya. In nearly all cities the tour plays two to four concerts, either consecutively or later in the schedule. Although she has the draw to play single shows in larger stadiums, she prefers the relative intimacy afforded by smaller arenas.
Yuming has a special connection to Meyer Sound as some of her earlier tours played a pivotal role in the development of the company’s industry-leading audio measurement and system optimization tools.
“Yuming’s team asked me to join them for shows starting in 1987,” recalls Bob McCarthy. “This was the birthing phase of FFT analysis when we were developing the earliest multi-channel versions of SIM [Source Independent Measurement]. Her shows benefited from the most extensive tunings with an audience in place ever done at that time. Over the years, many of the techniques now common in system optimization were pioneered on her shows. It was very rewarding to meet up with old friends like Shigeta-san, Yuzawa-san and Tango-san to carry forward our work on the latest generation of Meyer Sound systems.”
During his tenure as FOH engineer, Shigeta mixed Yuming’s concerts on several generations of Meyer Sound systems, with main arrays built around MSL-3, MSL-5, MSL-10, M3D, and MILO loudspeakers.
Yumi “Yuming” Matsutoya launched her career in her teens as a session musician and has been active as a singer-songwriter since 1972. She charted her first number-one record in 1975, and subsequently enjoyed enormous success with hit singles and albums, particularly in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Her musical style is strikingly original while also incorporating influences ranging from pop and rock to jazz and folk.
In early September, a small resort city nestled high in the Colorado Rockies was the center of the cinema world as scores of movie industry luminaries gathered for the 50th anniversary of the Telluride Film Festival.
Meyer Sound was again a key supporter of the festival, returning this year as a Signature Sponsor and Cinema Sound Partner. Meyer Sound cinema audio systems carried the soundtracks at four of the festival’s principal theaters, three of which were spaces temporarily repurposed for the weekend’s festivities.
“The Telluride Film Festival greatly appreciates our long-term partnership with Meyer Sound,” says Festival Director Julie Huntsinger, “as we continue to expand their extraordinary audio systems within our festival environment to support the artistic intentions of our world-class filmmakers.”
In recent years, the Telluride Film Festival has garnered a reputation as the “gateway to the awards season,” with an impressive list of Oscar-winning films making either their world or Western Hemisphere debut in this former mining town. Some films unveiled in Telluride that promise to take top honors on Oscar night include Rustin, Saltburn, All of Us Strangers, Poor Things, The Holdovers, and Nyad. The importance of the festival is underscored by the fact that all but two of the directors for the film premieres came to Telluride for the screenings of their films.
“We congratulate everybody at the Telluride Film Festival on their half century of success,” says Meyer Sound Executive Vice President Helen Meyer, “and we have been thrilled to be part of it for more than 10 years. Telluride gives us a rare opportunity to showcase our advanced cinema sound technologies to the global film community.”
Three of the large temporary theaters, the Palm (650 seats), the Galaxy (500 seats), and the Werner Herzog Theater (650 seats) are equipped with similar Meyer Sound screens and LFE systems. All three have Acheron cinema loudspeakers over Acheron LF low-frequency loudspeakers for the LCR channels, and all have X‑800C cinema subwoofers — ten each at the Palm and Herzog, nine at the Galaxy. The surround systems deploy HMS‑10 surround loudspeakers. The intimate (165 seats) Nugget, the only permanent cinema, also has Acheron screen loudspeakers, but without LFE units, and only five of the X-800C cinema subwoofers. Surrounds are the more petite HMS‑5 models.
For the Q&A sessions following many of the showings, three theaters offer temporary Meyer Sound PA systems with combinations of UPQ-1P or UPJ-1P loudspeakers with companion 750‑LFC low-frequency control elements or Amie‑Sub subwoofers. The Palm Theater — a transformed high school auditorium — has a permanent Meyer Sound PA system with M1D line array loudspeakers and 700-HP™ subwoofers.
Meyer Sound systems are permanently installed in other showcase venues for the film industry, including the DGA Theater in Los Angeles, operated by the Director’s Guild of America, and the Rose Theatre of Jazz at Lincoln Center, a preferred location for many New York film premieres. Also, Meyer Sound monitoring systems are in use at leading post-production studios around the globe, including Skywalker Sound and the Newman Scoring Stage at Fox Studio Lot in California; Warner Bros. De Lane Lea in London; Rotor Film in Potsdam, Germany; Semillero Estudios in Guadalajara, Mexico; Toei Studios in Kyoto, Japan; and Soundfirm in Melbourne, Australia.
“Meyer Sound is honored to once again be a trusted sound provider for the Telluride Film Festival,” says Meyer Sound Program Manager, Cinema and Residential Jay Wyatt. “Meyer Sound monitoring systems are increasingly the choice of film sound professionals when editing and mixing movie soundtracks, so it is only fitting that their peers in the broader film community — producers, directors, and actors — hear the films they have created with the same sound quality at the premiere showings.”
The lifelong commitment of Meyer Sound Co-founder, President, and CEO John Meyer to improving cinema sound was recognized when he was awarded the 2022 Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal by SMPTE, the international society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers. According to SMPTE, the honor was bestowed “in recognition of his contributions to the design, measurement, and analysis of cinema speaker electronics for cinema mixing, review, and exhibition facilities.”
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New System’s Power and Precision Benefit Audiences and Venue Neighbours Alike
Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend, OR attracts top-tier touring artists with its stunning natural setting and superb technical facilities. Situated in the shadow of the snow-capped Cascade Mountains and bordered by the pristine Deschutes River, the approximately 8,000-capacity venue stepped up its regional drawing power this year by upgrading the house system for the summer season to Meyer Sound PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeakers.
A sampling of artists enjoying both the scenery and sound at Hayden Homes Amphitheater (HHA) this year includes Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, Elvis Costello, Ziggy Marley, and Neil Young.
The new system is supplied under a multi-year contract by Tacoma, WA-based Point Source Audio. According to Point Source owner Curt Hare, who serves as the systems engineer and handles FOH for bands without their own mixer, the improvements have been appreciated by artists and audiences alike.
“Everyone has loved it,” he reports. “I’ve heard some say it’s the best system they’ve heard on the tour, and others say it’s like working on near-field monitors. Words like ‘transparent’ and ‘three-dimensional’ come up, and some engineers have told me they are using less EQ and compression on their channel strips.”
The sonic improvements did not come without challenges, however. The wide-open views and riverside ambiance pose acoustic difficulties because HHA is located in the heart of Bend’s Old Mill District, a thriving commercial and residential development. Unlike other similar venues with stages facing natural hillsides, the HHA occupies an essentially flat space with only a minimal construction-graded slope of about 2%. And the adjacent river’s scenic value is offset by a tendency to reflect mid-high frequencies.
“The layout and topography of the venue make it difficult to contain the sound within the venue boundaries,” says Hare. “I had worked with their production manager, Mike Taylor, at the Northwest String Summit and other regional festivals, and he knew I had addressed these issues at a similar venue in Washington. So, he asked me to propose a new solution.”
Taylor was confident the new PANTHER-based system would provide powerful, high-quality sound, but he also needed to convince management that the sound bleed into adjacent neighborhoods could be significantly attenuated.
“We really needed to dial in a much tighter pattern,” he says. “Meyer Sound had the technology and the team to make it happen.”
Coordinating through Meyer Sound Director of Strategic Applications Michael Maxson, Hare worked with Meyer Sound Senior Technical Support Specialist David Vincent to plot system coverage in MAPP 3D with the goal of maintaining full-bandwidth uniformity inside the fence, then dropping off steeply. “They nailed it,” Taylor says. “Now the system does exactly what we expect it to do.”
The system comprises 12 per side arrays of PANTHER loudspeakers, with ten PANTHER-M cabinets over two PANTHER-W cabinets. Bass power comes from 12 1100‑LFC low-frequency control elements arranged in cardioid configurations, while six ULTRA‑X40 compact loudspeakers supply front fill and two Galileo GALAXY Network Platforms contribute to system drive and optimization. Ten MJF‑210 high-power stage monitors are available for artist foldback.
For visiting engineers who love analog, and for his own use when mixing opening acts, Curt Hare keeps his vintage Gamble EX56 parked at HHA for the season.
With artist satisfaction, audience excitement, and community relations all on the upswing, the move to a new PANTHER-based system has proven to be a wise one. “I was confident from the outset,” says Hare, “but we did a demo session back in May to show what we could do. Management was a bit surprised that there was so much engineering and scientific data available to deal with the noise issues, as little was seen from the previous vendor.”
The change was particularly welcome for Hayden Homes Amphitheater General Manager Marney Smith. “Community relations is a massive part of the equation here at HHA,” she says. “Curt’s efforts, combined with the Meyer rig, have made it possible to provide visual ‘heat maps’ of how the sound travels and make adjustments. The reduced sound transfer into surrounding neighborhoods is noticeable.”
The recognition among touring artists also has been gratifying, she adds. “I’m not the one who lets the tours know our house rig is now PANTHER, but I’ve listened in when our production manager relays the news. It’s delightful. Offering a top-line rig adds credibility to our venue and lets artists know they can expect excellence in all aspects of production when they come to visit us.”
Some other acts benefiting from the system upgrade at HHA this year include Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Los Lobos, Indigo Girls, Cake, and Counting Crows.
Hayden Homes Amphitheater is owned by the Old Mill District with the summer season concert series booked and managed by Live Nation.
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