Emsdetten, Germany (January 19, 2023)—Veteran rockers Volbeat closed out 2022 with a three-month European/UK tour. Audio for the journey was provided by POOLgroup of Emsdetten, Germany, and key to bringing metal to the masses were Meyer Sound Panther large-format linear line array loudspeakers.
FOH mixer Dennie Miller mixed nightly on Avid S6L system and noted, “We have a directive straight from the band that every fan will have the full impact of the sound, regardless of where they are sitting,” says Miller. “That’s not easy, particularly in light of the stringent maximum level restrictions in Europe, where they measure relative to the loudest point in the venue. That’s why we use delays in all but the smallest venues, because of the level loss due to distance. But fortunately, because Panther is self-powered and relatively lightweight, it is much easier to find optimum rigging points for the delays and scale the system as needed on a daily basis.”
After laying out the tour’s network infrastructure in Meyer Sound’s Nebra system management and monitoring software, creating a default snapshot encompassing the largest system configuration, Miller then worked with tour systems tech Samantha Boone to scale the system as needed for each venue.
Something is Rockin’ in the State of Denmark
The maximum system configuration on the tour was deployed at the Netherlands’ GelreDome football stadium. Here, the main left and right hangs each flew 22 Panther loudspeakers, with 18 Panther loudspeakers flown in the two outfill arrays as well as in each of the four delay arrays. Primary low-frequency coverage was supplied by four hangs each with 12 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements, configured as left and right end-fire arrays. Coverage for the tour’s “Parasite Pit,” a viewing section for 200 fans built inside of the stage, was handled by a single downward-aimed array of six Panther loudspeakers, augmented on the low end by 15 900-LFC compact low-frequency control elements on the floor.
All loudspeakers were networked for monitoring on the Nebra software platform, with audio transported between the 16 Galileo GALAXY 816 Network Platforms using the Milan AVB protocol.
Miller noted that Panther’s weight inadvertently led to a better sound for the audience: “With such an incredible reduction in weight for the same power, we’re finding we can now fly the subwoofers where before we could not because of weight restrictions. This is a huge stride forward. We’re getting more even coverage throughout the venue, the rigging crews are less stressed, and management is happy because we’re not spending money on spreader trusses. Panther is good for the band and good for the fans as well as for the bottom line.”
Monitor Engineer Pat Rowe looked after 20 Meyer Sound MJF‑210 stage monitors built into the staging deck, sending mixes to them from a Midas Pro X console. POOLgroup supplied the Meyer Sound house system and monitor loudspeakers, while the front-end FOH and monitor control packages came from UltraSound of Petaluma, California.
