Meyer Sound News : S. African Musical Energized by M1D

S. African Musical Energized by M1D

"I was amazed when I heard what we got out of this small stack of loudspeakers, which is really no bigger than a suitcase. We had to do virtually nothing as far as EQ. All we did is delay them a bit to get the imaging on the stage. The coverage is seamless, and the sound is absolutely wonderful."

- Aki Khan
Sound Designer, District Six

Originally staged amid swirling controversy in the late 1980s, District Six has been hailed as a landmark event—politically, musically and culturally—in the history of South African theater. Now this celebrated musical has been revived for an extended Southern Hemisphere run at Capetown's Baxter Theater, where the vivid colors of the set complement the vibrant rhythms and rousing songs emanating from a new Meyer Sound M1D Compact Curvilinear Array system — the first in South Africa.

Playing to sold-out houses and winning nightly standing ovations, the play portrays the troubles and triumphs of the racially mixed residents of Capetown's District Six neighborhoods before the forced segregation. Writer David Kramer, who created the play in collaboration with composer Taliep Peterson, directed both the original production and the 2002 revival. Also returning to the show this year is sound designer Aki Khan, who began his theater sound career as the production mixer during the original run.

From the outset, Khan wanted a sound reinforcement system that would do full justice to the music of the play, and he began his search by consulting with Mark Malherbe at Meyer Sound's South African distributor, ProSound (Pty) Ltd.

"I already had a preference for Meyer products when I first talked to Mark," recalls Khan. "When the Cats tour came to Capetown last year, I saw they were using UPAs and UPMs, and that really sparked my interest in Meyer. So when the District Six revival came up I decided to go for state-of-the-art. Mark had just returned from the PLASA show in London and said, 'You really have to listen to this new small line array, the M1D.' I was quickly convinced, and I placed the order."

Astonishingly, this high-energy musical plays in the three-level, 650-seat venue using only eight of the diminutive M1D cabinets, four on each side, as the main full-range stereo source.

"I was amazed when I heard what we got out of this small stack of loudspeakers, which is really no bigger than a suitcase," says Khan. "We had to do virtually nothing as far as EQ. All we did is delay them a bit to get the imaging on the stage. The coverage is seamless, and the sound is absolutely wonderful."

Khan has ordered a pair of the companion M1D-Sub Ultra-Compact subwoofers, which were not in full production at the time but will be added to the system when they arrive. In the meantime, he is filling in with subwoofers from stock at his own sound company, Eastern Acoustics. ("Yes, I'm aware of the American speaker company," he confesses, and then adds somewhat tongue-in-cheek, "but I'm of Indian descent so that's where the name really comes from.")

Khan exults in the reception given to the District Six revival by audiences and critics alike. Like all sound designers and production mixers worldwide, Khan knows full well that critics never mention sound unless it's bad, but in this case the reviews of the singers have been uniformly glowing, which in turn testifies to the quality of his new M1D system.

"The vocals all sound very warm and natural, the imaging is excellent, and the midrange response is just superb. These M1Ds are the first in South Africa and they have everybody working in theater sound talking at the moment," he reports. "Everybody is blown away by how good the system sounds, how small it is and how loud it can go."

Khan is already planning to add to his complement of M1D cabinets, both for future theatrical productions and for use by other rental and production clients of Eastern Acoustics. He expects to have an augmented M1D system ready for Capetown's edition of the Dutch-transplanted North Sea Jazz Festival in March of 2003. "By that time I will double the system, and with added subs it will be perfect for the smaller room of about 500 seats," Khan predicts. He also forecasts strong demand for M1D arrays in the corporate presentation market, and anticipates using individual M1D cabinets in surround sound applications.

"There are bigger sound companies in South Africa, but I like to go for the equipment that they don't have," confides Khan. "I like to specialize in quality, in the best that money can buy. For example, I have Avalon, Millennia and Summit Audio equipment in my racks, and a large stock of Neumann microphones. So the new M1D fits right in with my approach to sound." Summarizing, he adds, "I am very happy indeed with this purchase!"

December, 2002