In the world of theatrical production, the choice of sound equipment can make or break the experience. Where every note and whisper must reach the audience with crystal clarity. At ApexPro, we’ve long been champions of quality. Our enduring partnership with Meyer Sound stands as a testament to our commitment to excellence.
For years, Eastern Acoustics and Splitbeam, two esteemed rental companies, have relied on us to supply them with Meyer Sound equipment for their stellar productions. According to David from Eastern Acoustics, “Meyer is our go-to PA system for multiple different things, especially theatre.” This echoes the sentiments of countless professionals in the industry who trust Meyer Sound to deliver unparalleled performances night after night. For timeless classics like The Sound of Music to electrifying hits of Mamma Mia, Meyer Sound has been the invisible force behind the scenes. It ensures that every performance resonates with perfection.
What sets our collaboration apart is not just the sheer longevity of our relationship, but the remarkable durability and reliability of Meyer Sound’s equipment. Take, for instance, the Meyer Heritage M1D’s – the backbone of productions like LAMTA’s Spring Awakening. These workhorses, supplemented by Eastern Acoustics’ own M1D’s, have been faithfully delivering flawless sound since 2006. It’s a verification of Meyer Sound’s craftmanship that these older models continue to reign supreme in an industry constantly seeking the latest innovations.
But our partnership extends beyond just the classics. For productions requiring deep, resonant bass, we’ve supplied the powerful 700-HP sub bass units. For more nuanced soundscapes, the UPQ-1P and UPQ-2P speakers have provided pristine audio reproduction. While the versatility of the UPM, UPJ, UP-Junior, and UPA series ensure that every corner of the stage and auditorium is bathed in perfect sound. And let’s not forget the MM-4, a compact marvel that packs a punch far beyond its size.
The story doesn’t end there. The MICA system, a veteran on the stage, has faithfully served multiple runs of We Will Rock You – not just the 2022 run, but also in 2005 before that. From South Africa to the latest rendition, the consistency and quality of Meyer Sound remains unwavering. And let’s not forget the M’elodie, which currently finds it’s voice in Mamma Mia, proving once again that age is no barrier to excellence.
While the classics hold a special place in our hearts, we also embrace the future with open arms. Modern technology meets timeless performance in Meyer Sound’s new line up. The LINA, a marvel of engineering, has found its home at Artscape Theatre, enchanting audiences with productions like Calling Us Home and The Buddy Holly Story. Investing in Meyer Sound isn’t just about preserving tradition; it’s about embracing innovation and ensuring that the magic of live performance continues to captivate audiences for generations to come.
Whether it’s the comfort of the M1D’s or the crisp clarity of the LINA, one thing remains clear; Meyer Sound is more than just equipment – it’s the promise of perfection, a guarantee of greatness, and a melody that never fades. Join us in our journey as we continue to elevate the art of sound, one performance at a time.
Goose Headlines an Eclectic Mix on the Main Outdoor Stage
For two days in early May, Daze Between New Orleans offered up a piquant musical jambalaya with headliners Goose joined on the main stage by Melt, Lawrence, David Shaw and George Porter Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners. The festivities were hosted on the expansive grounds of the historic Faubourg Brewery, with Upscale Productions providing a Meyer Sound PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeaker system for spreading potent music throughout the gathering.
Goose closed the show on both evenings of the event, with the Connecticut-based improvisational rock masters deftly mixed by their Front of House Engineer and Production Manager Eric Loomis. “It was a great experience,” he reports. “I was able to mix at my preferred average loudness with more than enough headroom left over. Also, Goose is a very dynamic band, and with some other systems, the color of the mix can change. PANTHER was very consistent no matter what the band threw at it.”
Loomis first noticed the unique qualities of PANTHER in January when mixing sets at Mexico’s Playing In The Sand festival. “There is a transparency and clarity that enables me to focus more on the balance of the mix, rather than having to adjust the frequency response of the PA in the system processing.”
Upscale Productions had fortuitously engaged the services of notable systems engineer — also FOH engineer, senior instructor for Rational Acoustics and podcast host — Michael Lawrence to optimize the system.
“One of the design constraints for festivals in this format is that you have a lot of throw distance to cover but at a relatively low trim height,” says Lawrence. “That is a challenge for front-to-back consistency because you want to hang as long an array as possible. With PANTHER, we were able to hang 12 a side within our allotted weight, which gave us higher uniformity and better directivity than we would have been able to achieve with earlier generations of product.”
Lawrence also was pleased with the horizontal coverage. “One of the interesting things about this design was how the PANTHER horn behaves horizontally. You can get much further off-axis before it starts to roll off, giving coverage to the edge of the audience area without the need for outfills.”
Lawrence used the MAPP 3D System Design and Prediction Tool and the Product Integration feature in the GALAXY processors to create both the PANTHER main hang and the deep bass array, which consisted of a line of eight two-element cardioid stacks of 700-HP subwoofers, delaying the outer two stacks to match coverage with the PANTHER arrays.
“This configuration kept tonal consistency throughout and lessened the power alley effect,” he says. “Finally, I did the tuning and alignment with Smaart v9. I think I ended up with only two filters and a bit of shading to get where I wanted to go. Other than that, the only changes were in response to changes in environmental conditions throughout the festival.”
The results of his work were appreciated by all the FOH engineers working the stage, including Leo Pisaq, who mixed for the (coincidentally booked) band Lawrence.
“The sound was exceptional in terms of stereo imaging,” he says. “Also, the vocals and the transients — specifically on drums — came through like no other PA I’ve mixed on.”
Daze Between was the first major festival assignment for their PANTHER rig since acquired by Upscale Productions in late 2022, with prior booking for regional tours and a busy showroom concert schedule at the Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder, LA, not far from Upscale Productions’ home base in Lake Charles.
Upscale placed its order for PANTHER having never heard the system, according to co-owner Chris Lambert. “Meyer Sound said it would be a game-changer and I took them at their word.”
Upscale already had both the LEOPARD and LINA line array systems in their inventory, and decided it was time to upgrade their aging MILO line array system. “When PANTHER was announced, I knew it was time to make the move,” continues Lambert. “With PANTHER, we would shave off 80 pounds a box, and since much of our work is on mobile stages with weight limits, we knew that would make a huge difference. And working outdoors, PANTHER feels right on top of you at a distance. You still get a focused response at 200 feet and beyond.”
Artists enjoying the new Upscale system have included Lee Brice, Third Eye Blind, Jefferson Starship, and the Commodores. It was the Lee Brice tour that first connected Michael Lawrence with the Upscale owners and crew.
“The Upscale team takes the job seriously, but we have a lot of fun together,” says Lawrence. “I was glad to be asked to come down for Daze Between. It’s a great collaboration. Chris and David [co-owner David Lapointe] set the tone for the entire operation. They want to do it right and make sure all the pieces are in place, but they also have trust in their crew and allow everybody the space to do a great job.”
Daze Between is an interim musical celebration held mid-week between the two consecutive weekends of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 2023 it was presented by Dayglo Presents, Live For Live Music, GMP Live, Purple Hat Productions, and Rose Tours. A portion of the proceeds benefited the Rex Foundation and will be distributed to charities in the New Orleans area.
Meyer Sound Bluehorn System Delivers World-Class Immersive Audio Post to LA Residential Studio
When choosing the monitoring system for his new Atmos dub stage in Los Angeles, Fred Paragano set forth two main criteria. First, since the home-based studio would be for his exclusive use as a Supervising Sound Editor & Re‑Recording Mixer, the loudspeakers had to satisfy his preferences for accuracy and musicality. Because many of his projects — feature films in particular — would be completed at various commercial dubbing stages, it was also critical that his pre-mixes translate seamlessly to different systems in larger rooms. On both counts, says Paragano, the Meyer Sound Bluehorn® System full bandwidth studio monitors have proven to be the ideal solution.
“The intent of building the studio was to do most of the heavy lifting on my part here, so it was critical that my mixes translate accurately when finishing elsewhere. And I’ve found that, with Bluehorn, when I go to a larger stage my mixes translate exactly as expected. I don’t have to spend any time fixing or compensating. We’re up and running right away, and we can start being creative.”
Fred Paragano
Paragano’s residential studio was completed late in 2022, a decade after relocating from the Nashville area, where he had owned and operated the highly successful Paragon Studios, a multi-room facility for music recording, mixing, and post-production. “Over the years my work had shifted predominantly to film and TV post, so it only made sense to relocate to Southern California since that’s where most of my business was coming from,” he says.
In the early months of the pandemic, Paragano decided to “bring it all back home” and invest in a world-class studio for his own use – a room that would work for anything from stereo music to full commercial cinema Atmos immersive mixes. Two spare bedrooms were gutted to open space for a main mixing room 21 feet long by 15 feet wide. The studio design was entrusted to the esteemed Russ Berger (rbdg.com), who had designed Paragano’s widely heralded Nashville facility.
“Being in Los Angeles, I have worked on many dub stages with different monitoring systems,” Paragano recalls. “Whenever I have worked on a Meyer Sound system, there was always a clear difference. So I decided that, for my own room, Meyer Sound would be the only option to consider.”
In his early discussions with Berger, Paragano had assumed loudspeakers for the main screen channels would be Meyer Sound’s Acheron® series. “But when I said I was going with Meyer Sound, Russ insisted I check out Bluehorn,” he says. “He thought that if I were going to build a facility of this caliber, I needed to complement it with monitors at the same level.”
Unique in the industry, Bluehorn System full-bandwidth monitors incorporate dedicated processing with a patented phase-correction algorithm that results in flat response from 20 Hz to 22 kHz.
Paragano had not previously heard of Bluehorn, but he made a point to audition systems at LA area facilities, including at the renowned Newman Scoring Stage at Fox Studios. What he heard cemented his decision to go follow Berger’s recommendation.
“It was a leap of faith since there are still relatively few systems out there,” Paragano admits. “However, everyone who comes in here is immediately blown away by what they hear, just as I was. The whole system just breathes. It never feels like it is working hard.’”
Currently, the room is a 7.1.4 configuration with prewiring for 9.1.6 expansion if required. The three full-range Bluehorn Systems anchor the front channels mounted over three additional X-400C™ cinema subwoofers dedicated to the LFE channel. The lateral and overhead surround channels each employ four ULTRA‑X23™ compact loudspeakers, with two USW-210P™ compact narrow subwoofers in the ceiling for surround bass management. All loudspeakers are concealed behind the acoustic fabric. The Bluehorn System has its own dedicated GALAXY processor, with a secondary Galileo® GALAXY 816 Network Platform handling all the surround processing.
“The cool thing about GALAXY is that I can have multiple setups,” notes Paragano. “I can have one for theatrical Atmos, one for home Atmos and one for music mixing. I can easily call up what I need with the touch of a button.”
The studio is reserved exclusively for Paragano’s own projects, though clients and colleagues often come in to listen to his work — and to experience the Bluehorn System monitors. “It’s fascinating to see the expressions on their faces,” Paragano says. “They immediately get excited about what they are hearing. Many times, they will sit back, close their eyes, and just listen. I feel fortunate to have worked with Russ and the team at Meyer Sound. We brought the best together and created something that I believe is truly extraordinary.”
Other equipment in the studio is also top-notch in every respect. Five computers are online, with three dedicated to Pro Tools | HD, a fourth for Atmos rendering, and a Mac Mini solely dedicated to I/O routing for the entire system. Also included are three Avid MTRX interfaces, three Avid Sync Xs synced to an Antelope OCX clock, and a Brainstorm DXD-8 multi-format reference generator.
A sampling of Paragano’s Film/TV credits includes Amsterdam, The Addams Family, Westworld, and Patsy & Loretta. His music credits include albums by Livingston Taylor, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, and Kenny Loggins.
ApexPro is the sole distributor of Meyer Sound solutions in sub-Saharan Africa. Contact us to find out how to access Meyer Sound solutions in the region.
Stadium/Shed System from UltraSound Anchored by 72 PANTHER Loudspeakers
Dead & Company is back on the road for their 2022 Summer Tour which kicked off in mid-June at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. As they carry on the Grateful Dead tradition of using the latest innovations in sound reinforcement, the tour is powered by a system featuring Meyer Sound’s new PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeaker. The band further augmented its seemingly limitless repertoire of tunes while UltraSound — decades-long audio provider for the Grateful Dead and successor ensembles — assembled the largest system of PANTHER loudspeakers in North America, and the first to roll out on a USA tour.
To cover expansive audience areas in a mix of sports stadiums and larger sheds, UltraSound is carrying a PANTHER inventory that allows reconfiguration for venue size. For stadiums, a typical deployment is four identical arrays — two main front and two side — each comprising fourteen PANTHER loudspeakers, with four PANTHER-W wide coverage versions flown under 12 PANTHER-L long-throw versions.
Mixing the band for PANTHER’s North American touring debut is FOH Engineer Derek Featherstone, who also serves as tour director and UltraSound CEO.
PANTHER is a very responsive system and reacts quickly to change. The vocals tend to lead nicely, staying up front in the mix better than with last year’s system. I’ve altered some vocal compression to take advantage of this.”
Derek Featherstone UltraSound CEO and Dead & Company Tour Director/FOH Engineer
Weighing in at 150 lb (68 kg), the PANTHER loudspeaker nevertheless produces greater than 150 dB peak SPL. The compact size and reduced weight save on transportation costs while the new Class D amplifier dramatically reduces power consumption. PANTHER is the first line array system to offer AVB Milan™ protocol network connection directly to the loudspeaker cabinet.
As tour director, Featherstone appreciates the added flexibility afforded by PANTHER’s power-to-size/weight ratio.
“We’re using the same count of PANTHER as we had for LEO last year, but the reduced size and weight allowed us to carry more subs and deploy them more effectively. Recovered truck space allowed us to bring the VLFCs, while PANTHER’s reduced weight makes it easier to do more end-fire sub-arrays in stadiums within the same total weight limits.”
For larger venue deployments, PANTHER arrays are bolstered in the bass registers by 18 flown 1100‑LFC low-frequency control elements plus 12 700-HP high-power subwoofers on the ground. Ten VLFC very-low-frequency control elements extend response down to a subsonic 13 Hz.
A dozen LEOPARD compact line array loudspeakers are deployed singly for front fill, and a total of eight GALAXY Network Platforms provide system drive and optimization. The stage foldback system comprises 10 MJF‑210 and two MJF-212A stage monitors along with two JM‑1P loudspeakers for side fill and two 1100-LFC elements as drum subs.
“We invested in PANTHER for three reasons,” says Featherstone. “We needed additional inventory, we were confident that the fidelity would be as expected from Meyer Sound, and we would benefit from the added versatility. We are already getting a good deal of interest from other tours and events after Dead & Company wrap up next month.”
In addition to Featherstone, the Dead & Company tour is supported by Michał Kacunel (system engineer), Ross Harris (recording engineer and ground PA tech), Lonnie Quinn, and Ian Dubois (monitor engineers), along with crew members Sean McAdam, Aaron Lauzier, and Reilly Williamson.
The band’s 2022 tour proceeds eastward with 20 shows scheduled in 16 cities, wrapping up at Citi Field in New York on July 16. Of the tour venues, four are Major League Baseball stadiums, one an NFL stadium, and one college football stadium, with the balance at larger sheds.
Dead & Company was formed in 2015 when the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and Bob Weir joined forces with artist and musician John Mayer, Allman Brothers’ bassist Oteil Burbridge, and Fare Thee Well and RatDog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, and has quickly become one of the most successful touring bands year over year. Since its formation, the band has completed six tours playing to millions of fans and became a record-breaking stadium act when it broke Wrigley Field’s all-time concert attendance record, which still holds to this day. Having toured consistently since its 2015 debut, the band has grossed $300 million and has sold more than three million tickets across 172 reported shows.
ApexPro Managing Director, Justin Acers meets with Meyer Sound Director of Global Marketing, Tim Boot at Infocomm 2022, Las Vegas 2022
Last week, Meyer Sound premiered the new Panther large-format linear line array loudspeaker at it’s booth at InfoComm Show 2022, in Las Vegas.
Our managing director, Justin Acers, had the pleasure to meet with Meyer Sounds Director of Global Marketing, Tim Boot, to experience the power of the Panther firsthand!
“We are very excited to bring the Panther to the African market. No other line array comes close to matching PANTHER’s remarkable output of over 150 dB in such a compact cabinet. PANTHER delivers unrivaled linearity and headroom, only achievable with a self-powered system.” ApexPro technical director Mark Malherbe points out.
