With the opening late last year of its new Sound Arts room, Semillero Estudios in Guadalajara became the first post-production facility in the state of Jalisco to offer Dolby-certified mixing in the Atmos HE (Home Entertainment) immersive sound format. In addition, the new mixing room is distinguished as the first in Mexico outside Mexico City to offer the Atmos HE capabilities using a full 9.1.6 Meyer Sound spatial sound monitoring system.
“Producers and music artists have been very impressed with what we can offer here in Guadalajara,” says Álvaro Arce, founder and director of Semillero Estudios. “A big part of that is the Meyer Sound monitoring system. You can take it to very high SPLs yet it never distorts. It sounds beautiful and it translates well into headphones, where much of the music content in spatial audio is heard lately. You can mix quickly and trust the system without a doubt.”
Arce established Semillero Estudios in Mexico City in 2013 principally for music recording, but the availability of top-notch musicians along with a fast-growing film and video business in his home city of Guadalajara convinced him to make the move back home in 2019. The first studio in the new location also was focused on music recording, but when the music was destined for integration into surround soundtracks the mixes had to be done in Mexico City.
“At first we were thinking of doing a smaller room with only 5.1 capability,” Arce recalls, “and then expanding to an Atmos room later. But our architect Gabriel Beas, acoustic designer Alejandro Lepe, and Carlos Cuevas from Dolby convinced us it would be more cost-effective to go to a larger Atmos room in one phase. I’m glad we did. With the surging demand for immersive music mixes, thanks largely to Apple, we’ve been very busy.”
The Sound Arts mixing room is equipped with three Meyer Sound Acheron Designer screen channel loudspeakers, with six HMS‑5 surround loudspeakers for the laterals (wide, surround, and rear) and six more for the overhead front, mid, and rear. A single X‑800C cinema subwoofer supplies low-frequency effects.
“I’ve always liked Meyer Sound speakers for their amazing headroom and precise imaging,” says Arce. “I recall when we were using the Dolby tool for measuring sound pressure levels, to make sure we could reach the levels we needed in the subsonic frequencies. That’s when I realized a big difference with Meyer Sound, because with the other systems we considered we would have needed two – or even four – subwoofers instead of one.”
Arce also cited the worldwide acceptance of Meyer Sound monitoring systems in major film and video post-production studios, as well as the high level of customer support available in Mexico. “I received a lot of help on design and speaker selection from Antonio Manzo, head of sales for Mexico, as well as from Magu [Mauricio Ramirez] and Oscar Barrientos, who have been friends for years. The Meyer team was incredibly supportive through the whole process, and that can be a real game-changer.”
The mixing platform in the room is an Avid S6, with separate computers for Pro Tools and the Dolby Atmos rendering unit. A Focusrite ISA preamplifier and Neumann U87 microphone allow for the insertion of vocal or synth tracks during the mixing sessions.
The new room opened during the Guadalajara Film Festival in October of 2021, and as part of the festivities, Oscar-winning sound designer Carlos Cortés and re-recording mixer Jamie Baksht (both for The Sound of Metal) came to the studio to teach a master class.
Since opening, the room has been constantly busy with film projects, in-house productions, and immersive music remixes, with Arce and chief engineer Caleb Sevilla taking on the lion’s share of mixing duties. The studio quickly attracted the attention of several notables in the Latin music business, including guitarist/composer/producer Kiko Cibrian, known for his work with Luis Miguel and Christian Castro, among many others. “Kiko lives in San Diego, but he loves the sound of the room here,” says Arce.
Most mixing in the Atmos format has been for music, again driven by the demand for immersive products on the Apple Music platform. The Sound Arts Room has hosted mixes of feature films and documentaries as well, though most are rendered in the 5.1 format. One exemplary project mixed by Oscar winner Carlos Cortés was a “cinema minute” advertising clip for IWC watches featuring American football legend Tom Brady.
Semillero Estudios and associated staff have an extensive list of credits for original music composition, music production, sound design, and post-production mixing, with projects including feature films, television series, and immersive music mixes. The majority of projects are for distribution in Mexico, but about a third are distributed throughout Latin America with some also appearing on Spanish language outlets in the United States.
Harry Potter fans may recognize the Glenfinnan viaduct, as it was part of the scenery in the Harry Potter films showing the Hogwarts Express puffing through the beautiful landscape of the Scottish Highlands. But there is another famous connection, the Glenfinnan Highland Gathering, which features a traditional program including highland dancing, athletics, caber tossing, heavy weight events, bagpiping and more.
To provide optimal sound reinforcement with defined directivity for the large event area, Glasgow based rental partner The Stage Group opted for the high-output MTS point-source loudspeaker systems. As if by magic, only two MTS loudspeakers driven by one IPX20:4 power amplifier delivered crystal clear commentary, music, announcements and vocals across the large six-acre site.
Open Air Gampel in the middle of the alps is one of the biggest live music events in Switzerland. The four-day festival near Bern presented a popular lineup of top acts such as Sido, Mark Forster and Robin Schulz, attracting up to 30,000 attendees at the end of August. Since its foundation in 1986, local rental company FreepowerEventtechnik is in charge of the sound reinforcement for all stages of the festival. The team once again relied on a powerful combination of Electro-Voice X2 line-array loudspeakers powered by Dynacord TGX series amplifiers.
The main sound system for the White Stage saw a total of 30 X2 line-array elements plus 24 X12-128 subwoofers driven by four SR20-TGX system racks from Dynacord. The 10U TGX system rack is preconfigured with three TGX20 DSP amplifiers plus two independent network switches for glitch-free operation and offers a variety of professional features such as integrated sliding rack doors, customizable I/O options, and a reversible mounting for the power distribution. SONICUE Sound System Software handled quick and comprehensive configuration and control of the entire PA.
The station has equipped its studios with AEQ Capitol IP console as the heart of the system
Adventist World Radio AWR is a private radio station in South Africa under the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID) with offices in Pretoria where all the actions of this church are coordinated. AWR offers a wide variety of programming, including religious programmes, news, information and local music, which are currently broadcast online only through its website http://af.awr.org/za/eng/4.
AWR has traditionally worked with analogue material, but the technical management of the station has decided to upgrade one of its studios with digital technology and have decided to use the AEQ CAPITOL IP console as the heart of the system. In the choice of such an important equipment, due to the characteristics of the installation and the operators, they were looking for an equipment that would offer the maximum audio quality with the latest digital technology available, but always guaranteeing a very user-friendly operation and especially working in a robust way given the big geographical isolation of the country.
AEQ CAPITOL IP is an 8-channel fixed configuration Digital Audio mixing console. In CAPITOL IP the implementation of IP connectivity is based on a single module of 16 input and 16 output channels, incorporated in its core. One of the main qualities of AEQ CAPITOL IP is the wide input capacity available: 4 mic/line, 12 analogue, 4 digital stereo AES/EBU (AES3), 2 digital stereo USB, 2 optional telephone lines, and optional digital multi-channel audio links; 16 AoIP channels over two Ethernet connectors or 64 MADI channels input over optical fibre.
George Relles Sound Brings Six Generations of Meyer Sound Technology to Exquisite Hillside Pavilion
Photo: Matt Honnies
George Relles first brought Meyer Sound MSL-3 loudspeakers to the Britt Pavilion in 1986, and in 2022 he flew his new PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeakers in the wooden shell on the verdant Southern Oregon hillside. In the years between, George Relles Sound introduced four other generations of Meyer Sound technology in the same venue, adding up to 36 unbroken years of Meyer Sound systems at the summer-long Britt Music and Arts Festival.
“I’ve always wanted to have a gold-standard PA system at the Britt,” says Relles, “because it’s a wonderful venue to show off a PA. For decades I’ve been in on the ground floor of the newest Meyer Sound loudspeaker systems, and this is where I bring them first.”
Although a smaller pavilion — 2,200 total capacity with 949 reserved seats — in a secondary market, the idyllic location, mild summer weather, and top-notch sound have made “the Britt” a favorite among touring artists. In addition to a three-week classical series, the 2022 schedule of 28 pop concerts includes, among the others, ZZ Top, Norah Jones, Bonnie Raitt, and Chicago.
The new PANTHER line array system arrived in early July, with the transition from the prior LEO Family system taking place only a couple of days later, just ahead of the Jason Mraz show.
“It was a tight schedule for bringing online a system I had never heard before anywhere,” says Relles, who serves as systems tech for nearly all shows. “But I was confident in the results, and it tuned up very easily. I used maybe one U-shaped filter and a couple parametrics, and that was it. One FOH engineer told me it really sounded great, and that I must have spent a lot of time tuning it. ‘No,’ I said, ‘only about an hour, with just fifteen minutes for EQ and the rest for timing front fills with the arrays.’”
Though the LEO Family system had earned kudos for years, Relles says PANTHER has moved the sound up a notch. “It definitely penetrates more consistently up the hill. It is also a much bigger sound, with a really tight low end filling out the sub area.”
The venue’s production director, Derek Cole, agrees. “There’s nothing I don’t love about the new PANTHER rig. I like the look of it, and from walking around I know there’s not a bad seat anywhere, all the way back to the picnic tables 120 yards from the stage. Also, word is out to the bands, and some like Dark Star Orchestra have told me they are excited about using it.”
Mike Sturgill has been with the Britt Festival of Music and Arts for more than 30 years, overseeing production and booking the venue since 1995. “Over the last few years, I’ve had engineers tell me our LEO Family system was the best rig they had mixed on all summer, and I fully expect that will continue with PANTHER. It’s a PA that will carry us a long way into the future.
“There’s no question that George and his Meyer Sound systems have been integral to our success,” Sturgill continues. “George cares about everything, he pays attention to details, he helps mixers get the most out of the systems, and he anticipates problems before they happen. We don’t have to worry about the sound here at Britt, ever.”
Relles has been the exclusive sound provider for the Britt Music and Arts Festival since 1981 and later acquired six Meyer Sound MSL-3 loudspeaker systems in 1986. Relles immediately bought two more systems, bringing all eight to the Britt later that year — then doubling the count to 16 the following year.
Over the decades, Relles continually upgraded to the newest Meyer Sound systems in the first year of introduction: the self-powered MSL-4 in 1995, M2D line array in 2002, MICA line array in 2005, and a LEO Family system (LYON and LEOPARD) in 2015.
“Because I’m a hands-on owner-operator, I really care about the products I use,” he says. “I design the system and tune it myself, and I want to make sure it’s an easy day for the visiting engineers. I’ve worked with some touring engineers who have a reputation for chewing up system techs, and they’ve told me that every time they come here it sounds great.”
In addition to the unbroken string of Meyer Sound systems, Relles’ longevity at the Britt Pavilion also is attributable to his selection of front-end gear, including an SSL L500 mixing console and a collection of microphones for classical and acoustic music encompassing 40 Schoeps models and 50 DPA miniature clip-on condensers. Relles mixes the classical concert series himself, and he also mixes most opening acts of the pop series.
Established in 1963 exclusively for classical concerts, the non-profit Britt Festival of Music and Arts expanded with a pop series in the 1980s. A sampling of acts heard through Meyer Sound systems over the years would include Diana Ross, Ziggy Marley, Willie Nelson, Robert Plant, Joan Baez, Steve Miller, Bob Weir and Ratdog, and Wynton Marsalis. The Britt Pavilion is located in the historic former mining town of Jacksonville, Oregon.
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.
