 |
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
|
IMAGES
|
Meyer Sound Keeps Tony Bennett Above the Surf in Mexico
It's difficult to imagine a more idyllic setting for an open-air concert by vocal master Tony Bennett than a starlit gold-sand beach on Mexico's Pacific Coast. Bennett recently entertained a private audience of about 175 at the Four Seasons Resort at Punta Mita near Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, performing against a backdrop of sand and sea. But along with the scenic surroundings came the sounds of the surf, creating a background noise level of up to 75 dB SPL. To make Bennett and his band heard without the sound being too loud, Bennett's long-time production manager and sound engineer Tom Young built his sound system for the event around self-powered loudspeakers from Meyer Sound. Young points to the Punta Mita show as "an excellent example of the advantages of being able to tap into a network of professional system suppliers. The show came into our office at the last minute with no production specified at all. So I contacted Meyer Sound for help sourcing systems in Mexico, and they hooked me up with Jesus Tirado and Nacho and Alex Cordoba of ACME Sound in Guadalajara. I flew down to the resort one week prior to the show, and was able to put together the full sound, lighting, backline, and staging package." Young says he relied on Meyer Sound loudspeakers because "they are the most consistent in the business today. I can count on the Meyer self-powered speaker systems sounding and performing the same whether I am in Omaha, Nebraska or Punta Mita, Mexico." The stage was positioned on the beach with sound wings for stacking the PA. The main system, intended to serve a coverage area of approximately 50 by 100 feet, included arrays of six Meyer Sound M2D compact curvilinear array loudspeakers on each wing. "The M2Ds give you 90 degrees of horizontal coverage in a compact, 39-inch wide cabinet," Young says, "and they weigh only 119 pounds including the power amplifier. The physical footprint and weight meant that we were able to stack them with ease." The M2Ds were supplemented on the low-end by one Meyer Sound 700-HP ultrahigh-power subwoofer per side. The system also included a pair of UPA-1P compact wide-coverage loudspeakers hung upstage off the lighting truss for sidefill and another pair placed behind the PA for downstage sidefill. Processing was handled by an LD-3 compensating line driver, which features atmospheric compensation equalization to correct for the absorptive effects of air, a phenomenon that varies with atmospheric conditions. "With this Meyer system," Young says, "the ambient noise of the ocean posed no problems at all. The system provided even, full-range sound, with exceptional clarity and flat response. The reproduction of vocals and instruments alike was very natural sounding, and we had excellent coverage throughout the audience listening area without the need for any additional front fill." In addition to the quality of their sound, the Meyer Sound speakers were also ideal from the standpoint of portability and setup. "All of the equipment had to be hand-carried well over a half-mile to the beach," Young says, "including a nine-foot concert grand piano weighing over one ton. Even so, load-in began the afternoon before the show, and the system was already up and running by early that evening. It really shows the ease of setting up Meyer's self-powered systems." Overall, Young says, the show was "a big success for everyone involved. ACME Sound should be commended for their hard work and professionalism in putting together a first class production. And Meyer Sound went beyond providing excellent sound reinforcement products; their professional staff is the best when it comes to providing service and this show would not have happened without their support. The client and the performers couldn't have been more pleased." November, 2005 |
FEATURED PRODUCTS |
|
|
Contact
Us | Terms of Use | Trademarks |
