Meyer Sound News : Meyer System a Gift to Florida Southern

Meyer System a Gift to Florida Southern

"I've been manager of the auditorium for over twelve years, and just about every tech rider that comes through for a high quality system will list Meyer Sound speakers. Since one of our main goals was to eliminate the need to bring in rental systems, I determined that Meyer Sound was the best way to go."

- Tony Harris,
Manager, Branscomb Auditorium

Since it opened in 1963, Florida Southern College's Branscomb Auditorium has been a focal point of performing arts activity for both the campus and the surrounding community of Lakeland. The 1,800-seat hall is lauded for its excellent acoustics, but the insufficient and antiquated house sound reinforcement system had necessitated outside system rentals for any music-oriented events requiring amplification. That costly and inefficient situation was remedied in the summer of 2002, when a generous alumni donor enabled the purchase of a new self-powered audio system from Meyer Sound.

"What we had was the old Altec Voice of the Theater system from the original installation," explains auditorium manager Tony Harris. "It was still functional, but it was not giving us the quality we needed and was totally unacceptable for touring act riders. We decided to go for a first-class system, and with regular college funds being limited, we went looking for a donor."

Working the school's advancement office, Harris was able to secure a substantial gift from a retired local businessman, Jay C. Troxel. Harris then solicited design proposals from regional suppliers, and in doing so he expressed a clear preference for Meyer Sound products.

Kelly Prince of Pro Sound in Orlando submitted the proposal that was eventually approved, and his company was also contracted to provide and install the loudspeakers. The completed system comprised a total of four MSL-4 Horn-Loaded Long-Throw loudspeakers, two PSW-2 High-Power Flyable subwoofers, two CQ-1 Wide Coverage Main loudspeakers, and three UPM-1P Ultra-Compact Wide Coverage loudspeakers. Two of the MSL-4s are flown as a center cluster, with left and right flown clusters comprising one MSL-4 and one PSW-2 each. The CQ-1s are mounted just outside the proscenium opening to bring down the perceived image, while the UPM-1Ps on the stage lip serve as front fill speakers. The installed system also includes a monitor package consisting of four UM-1P Narrow Coverage Stage monitors.

"Because the Meyer speakers are all self-powered, it was easy to set them up on separate feeds from the digital matrix," says Prince. "That way it can be used as either a left-center-right system or as a true mono source by selecting a program preset."

In designing the system, Prince employed Meyer Sound's MAPP Online (Multipurpose Acoustical Prediction Program) and found it to be "very helpful and accurate." Prince also performed the system alignment using the SIM System II FFT Analyzer, and then compared the results with the MAPP predictions. "I was impressed," he says. "Everything came up according to the prediction."

The first touring act to use the show was a production of The Rock and the Rabbi, an off-Broadway musical based on the relationship of Jesus and the apostle Peter. The elaborate production (multiple percussion and acoustic instruments plus vocalists) utilized more than 40 microphones, and did require the outside rental of a larger console. But, according to Prince, the auditorium's new system performed admirably with no augmentation.

"It got rave reviews," says Kelly Prince. "Everybody was pleased with the sound. The system had plenty of horsepower to meet the needs of the show."

The system also performed well for several college events, and was soon given the "acid test" by a national touring rock band. "Loud rock music was not really in the system spec," admits Tony Harris. "But all we did was roll in a couple extra subwoofers, and the Meyer house system handled all the rest. And it was so loud I think the building was flexing!"

After only a few weeks in operation, Harris is convinced that the gift of the Meyer Sound system will keep on giving for years to come. "Everyone is pleased so far," he says, "and I'm certainly pleased with it. And I'm sure it will last as long as the old system."

December, 2002