Scotland’s Carnegie Hall is an important venue in the area, staging a wide variety of productions from live rock bands to pantomimes, musicals and conferences. A recent venue upgrade included Meyer Sound’s systems and MAPP Online® acoustical prediction software.
“The previous system was 15 years old, and I’d always felt it was never really suitable for the wide range of productions that the hall puts on,” says Barry Young, Carnegie Hall’s resident technician and sound specialist. “I had previously been sub-hiring in Meyer Sound equipment from Apex Acoustics in Dundee. I loved the self-powered loudspeakers; every time I hired them in, I thought the sound was fantastic.”
As well as experimenting with hired Meyer Sound systems, Young used Meyer Sound’s MAPP Online acoustical prediction software to help design the ideal rig for the hall. “We wanted to achieve certain SPL levels and the like. Everything we needed was there in MAPP Online—all the information to make the right choice,” he says.
The new system comprises a pair of UPJ-1P compact VariO™ loudspeakers mounted on each side of the proscenium arch. In addition, three MM-4 miniature full-range loudspeakers are mounted on the lip of the stage for front-fill, while two USW-1P compact subwoofers ensure that sufficient bass is always present.
“We always had a problem with coverage in the front rows because fills would really affect the sight lines. But the MM-4s are tiny boxes, which deliver high-quality sound but don’t impact the audience’s view,” says Young. “We also needed subs, but there wasn’t the budget for flying them. We realized we could fit a USW-1P sub under the tread on each side.
“We did a few practice gigs so we could get a really good idea of what it would sound like, and it sounded incredible,” Young continues. “It’s fantastic in terms of coverage. We thought we were going to have a problem with drop-off of high frequencies at the back rows, but the coverage is even better than we thought it would be. It sounds great.”
The venue installed a VX program equalizer for any EQ needs, but the only other outboard equipment is standard Yamaha effects units, making it a very straight-forward system for visiting FOH engineers.
“I have to be able to leave the system in the hands of other people,” says Young. “We didn’t want to leave them worrying about needing to change a lot of things, so it’s purely a left-right with sends for the subs and front-fill. It’s also made us a lot more appealing to agents because now we can say that we’ve got this Meyer Sound system installed. Touring bands know we have a system that’s going to do the job, rather than having to bring in an expensive loudspeaker system themselves.
“I’m just ecstatic, really happy about the sound,” Young concludes. “The bands we’ve had in have been amazed that [the improvement in the sound system] has taken such a massive step. I’ve worked in other theaters in the area and seen installs going in. None of them before have been really outstanding, but this one is.”
For more information, please go to www.meyersound.com.
