On the U.S. leg of Steely Dan’s international “Heavy Rollers Tour 2007,” the band is being heard through a powerful Meyer Sound system provided by Taylor, Mich.–based Thunder Audio. The main system is built around two arrays of eight MILO high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers and two MILO 120 high-power expanded-coverage curvilinear array loudspeakers each for the main system, with six 700-HP ultrahigh-power subwoofers covering the bottom end.
“Steely Dan places a premium on audio excellence, and there’s no other speaker that can compete with the MILO by way of power or performance,” says Thunder Audio’s VP, Paul Owen. “For an act with the sonic pedigree of Steely Dan, it’s the gold standard.”
Two side hangs of five M’elodie ultracompact high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers augment the main arrays, with eight UPJ-1P compact VariO loudspeakers covering frontfill. Onstage, the performers hear everything from 18 Meyer Sound MJF-212A high-power stage monitors and two UM-100P wide-coverage stage monitors, along with a pair of 600-HP compact high-power subwoofers. A Galileo loudspeaker-management system provides system processing and drive.
Front-of-house engineer John Robins mixes the show on a Midas XL4 console. Systems engineer Keith Jex sets up loudspeaker deployment for each venue using MAPP Online Pro, while systems tech George Chapman watches over the system with Meyer Sound’s RMS remote-monitoring system and SIM 3 audio analyzer.
Onstage, monitor engineer Peter Thompson uses a DiGiCo D1 console, applying virtually no output processing to the monitor mixes. “It’s nice to have stage monitors that sound like studio monitors,” says Thompson. “I’m running all the mixes out of the D1 flat, other than some minor EQ adjustments I make to the vocal mixes during the show. The MJF-212A wedges make my job easy.”
For additional information, visit Meyer Sound at www.meyersound.com. For additional information on Thunder Audio, visit www.thunderaudioinc.com. For additional touring news, visit mixonline.com/live/tourprofiles/.
