Meyer Sound News : Meyer Sound Keeps the Audio Consistently Wicked in London

Meyer Sound Keeps the Audio Consistently Wicked in London

Curran Theatre, San Francisco

"We know exactly what we are getting when we specify Meyer loudspeakers. The consistency within each model is fantastic and the reliability is second to none."

- Kai Harada
Associate Sound Designer, Wicked

The New York Times has tagged it as one of the most successful shows in Broadway history, and with good reason. The hit musical Wicked has logged well over a thousand performances at New York's Gershwin Theater alone, with about that same total already staged by a second permanent company in Chicago and a third company now out on a national tour.

The latest incarnation of Wicked has just begun preview performances at London's Apollo Victoria, and, as with previous venues, veteran sound designer Tony Meola and associate Kai Harada are relying on Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers to help create the show's unique sonic ambience.

The sound system, provided by London's Autograph Sound Recording, uses four arrays, comprising a total of 28 M1D ultracompact curvilinear array loudspeakers, primarily for voice reinforcement. Two of the arrays are tucked behind the scrim wings of a dragon over the proscenium and positioned to cover the orchestra level and the first section of the balcony; the remaining two are set further into the auditorium to cover its rear seating areas.

The orchestra is reinforced by four arrays of M2D compact curvilinear array loudspeakers, one on each side to cover orchestra level seating and another on each side for balcony coverage. Four LD-3 compensating line drivers provide control for both sets of line arrays.

"As much as possible, we've tried to keep the system similar to those in the other venues," Harada explains. "This is the fifth time we've installed Wicked into a theatre — excluding all the tour stops — and we have a basic template that we're very happy with."

That said, every new venue offers its own set of challenges, and the Apollo Victoria was no exception. "We were a bit concerned when we first set foot in the theatre, as its construction contributes to a lot of unwanted reflections," Harada recounts. "The Apollo Victoria was originally designed as a cinema and has had a checkered history in terms of its acoustics, so it was important to us to make the best possible choices in loudspeaker selection and positioning."

To that end, early in the planning stages Meola and Harada consulted with veteran system alignment specialist (and Meyer Sound senior education consultant) Bob McCarthy to enlist his help in determining the best angles for the main arrays. "Bob had 'SIMmed' our systems for the tour and Chicago productions," Harada recalls, "so he was familiar with the basic setup and Tony's aesthetic concerns. Bob and I sent MAPP Online Pro (acoustical prediction software) files back and forth for almost a month trying to determine the best solution, and I think we've found it."

As with the show's previous venues, part of Meola's design concept for creating what's been described as the show's "transparent" sound is the placement of over 50 MM-4 miniature wide-range loudspeakers in strategic locations throughout the audience. "The wizard is supposed to be omnipresent," Meola observes, "so I wanted his voice coming from everywhere."

Additional coverage is provided by a selection of 18 UPJ-1P compact VariO loudspeakers, 16 UPM-2P ultracompact narrow coverage loudspeakers, and 19 UPM-1P ultracompact wide coverage loudspeakers, all strategically positioned to bathe the theater in sound that is intentionally non-directional. Two 700-HP ultrahigh-power subwoofers supply low-frequency information from the orchestra, while an additional four 700-HP cabinets and four M1D-Sub ultracompact subwoofers are scattered throughout the theatre for some of the otherworldly sound effects. CP-10 complementary phase parametric equalizers are used for system equalization.

Sound engineer Richard George mixes the show, assisted by Suzie Hills and Gemma Smith. "I can't speak highly enough about the show crew, as well as Ken Hampton, our production sound engineer, who was responsible for the preparation and installation of the system," Harada says. "It's a fabulous team of people to work with."

With setup completed and previews underway, initial response to the sound of the London production has been overwhelmingly positive. "I am incredibly impressed with the evenness of coverage and the lack of destructive interaction between the systems," Harada remarks. "It really sounds fantastic."

But the performance of the Meyer system hardly comes as a surprise to Harada. "We know exactly what we are getting when we specify Meyer loudspeakers," he says. "The consistency within each model is fantastic and the reliability is second to none. The Broadway company has been out with Meyer loudspeakers for three-and-a-half years with no electronic or mechanical failures, and the tour has been trouping around North America for over a year with no problems, either."

September, 2006