Meyer Sound News : Meyer Keeps Krall Concert Hot in Iceland

Meyer Keeps Krall Concert Hot in Iceland

"For shows like Diana's, you need a rig that can really handle the dynamic nature of the concert. And for that, our Meyers have proven themselves time and time again. When Diana came we had the perfect equipment for her!"

- Oli Oder Magnusson,
Exton Sound

As a top-selling jazz singer – and one of the few such artists in recent memory to climb the pop charts – Diana Krall is known for the nuance and intimacy of her vocal stylings. Krall's fans come to her concerts with expectations shaped by her recordings, ready to revel in every syllable. But as her popularity has grown, so too have the venues in which she appears, thereby increasing the challenge of reaching the entire audience without compromising the subtlety of her delivery. Dave Lawler handled that challenge as front-of house mixer and Meyer Sound SIM engineer for Krall's recent European tour, working with a wide variety of sound reinforcement systems across 22 locations. Without a doubt, Lawler asserts, it was the systems featuring Meyer Sound loudspeakers that made it easiest to both project and protect the character of Krall's performance.

"It's really true," enthuses Lawler, "that the Meyer speakers give you superior clarity and detail. And that allows you to bring a voice like Diana's to a big audience without losing that intimate quality." Lawler's favorite example from the tour is the concert Krall gave in Reykjavik, Iceland, at the Laugardalshöll, using a Meyer Sound system furnished by Exton Sound.

At first glance, Laugardalshöll might not appear to be the ideal venue for Krall's "club jazz" sound, in which her vocals and piano were accompanied by Jeff Hamilton on drums, Anthony Wilson on guitar, and Paul Keller on bass. Given that Iceland's population (under 300,000) doesn't support a huge selection of large-scale facilities, the hall has to perform multiple functions. "It's actually a sports hall," explains Exton Sound general manager Oli Oder Magnusson, "with a capacity of about 3,000 seated or 5,500 in the combined standing/seated arrangement used for pop/rock concerts. It's been Iceland's primary venue for larger touring acts since Led Zeppelin played there in 1970."

Sporting facilities aren't generally known for their concert-friendly acoustics, and while Magnusson reports that some effort has been put into Laugardalshöll's sound, it's still not the easiest venue from a sonic perspective. "The hall is dome-shaped, and was treated with regards to acoustics several years back. Some of the treatment actually helped, such as the removal of large glass windows. But some did not, such as a giant reflector in the back of the balcony. It was installed for better non-amplified acoustics, but it actually bounces the sound back onto the audience seated below the screen. Overall, however, it's definitely not the worst venue of this size for amplified audio."

Exton's ability to get a pleasing sound in the hall across many different styles of music underscores the company's expertise in taking advantage of the control and flexibility offered by their Meyer Sound system. "Working in a small market -- a miniature one, actually — forces us to stay extremely versatile," Magnusson explains. "We have to be able to pull off a large heavy metal concert and then use our rig, or parts of it, for the Iceland Symphony Orchestra's concerts. And two days later we might have to use the gear in a theater, or for a presidential inauguration. So we've chosen a system with which we are able to do as many gigs as possible. We are able to do small gigs and then expand the rig, as well as do shows that have a wide variety of program material."

The rig for Krall's concert involved a combination of stacked and flown components. The flown speakers were configured in four rows, with each side using six MSL-4 horn-loaded long-throw loudspeakers, three DS-4P horn-loaded mid-bass loudspeakers, and two UPA-1C UltraSeries loudspeakers. "For most of our pop/rock gigs, it's worked really well having a top row of MSL-4s for the balcony, a row of DS-4Ps, another row of MSL-4s to cover most of the floor, and then a row of UPA-1Cs for downfill," details Magnusson. "This configuration really gives us the power to reach the audience in the back as well as those close to the stage."

For front fill, Exton also had a set of six UPM-1P ultra-compact wide coverage loudspeakers sitting on the front of the stage, as well as one UPA-1C on each side stacked on a pair of 650-P high-power subwoofers. "Dave really got the image of the PA down to where it should be with those UPMs and the UPAs sitting on the subs," Magnusson says approvingly. "He also steered the subs more to the sides with physical alignment." Four UM-1A stage monitors were used for foldback to the performers.

During setup, Magnusson reports, the system "really went up effortlessly. Using QuickFly rigging has saved us so much time and frustration for the last three years. It's so easily adjustable, adding to the plug-and-play style of Meyer's self-powered series. The rig was flown in no time."

All in all, Exton's Meyer Sound system lets them take on top-name visiting acts confident that the sound will live up to world-class standards. "For shows like Diana's, I believe that you need a rig that can really handle the dynamic nature of the concert," asserts Magnusson, "and for that, our Meyers have proven themselves time and time again. When Diana came we had the perfect equipment for her, and Dave went home with a smile!"

December, 2003