The recent TourLink event in Orlando, November 21-22, 2003, provided attendees with a unique opportunity to hear and do side-by-side comparisons of line array systems from a number of the major loudspeaker manufacturers.
“MILO was far superior to anything else I heard down there,” said Roy Drukenmiller of Atlanta’s Rock ‘n’ Road Audio. “It’s amazingly clear, with a useful high end even when you’re 400 feet back.” Drukenmiller added that he appreciated the opportunity to walk a few feet from one stage to the next, auditioning each line array in turn. “It’s very difficult to find any situation with even two rigs setup at the same place, much less three comparable high-power systems along with two smaller ones. After hearing them all, I was most impressed with the MILO array for overall sound quality. Also, the Meyer demo did a great job of showing how MILO works in the real world of touring sound.” The real-world aspect came across in Meyer Sound’s demos through live performances featuring avant country singer/songwriter Teresa (www.teresa.com) who invited the audience onstage “to hear what I hear.”
TourLink was held as an adjunct to the Lighting Dimensions International (LDI) show. The outdoor event featured exhibitor booths and five performance stages, each with full lighting and sound systems. To avoid general cacophony, the demo sessions were rotated at 30-minute intervals.
Central Florida sound engineer Gregory Bunce was another attendee who took advantage of this opportunity to compare various systems, and he also gave the nod to MILO “It has to be the best-sounding P.A. I have ever heard anywhere,” he said afterward. “My hat is off to everybody in Berkeley for a job well done. In my personal opinion, MILO is the loudspeaker of choice for the new millennium, at least until John [Meyer, founder of Meyer Sound] and his crew come up with something better, which I don’t doubt they will!”
The MILO system at TourLink comprised 24 MILO cabinets and 10 M3D-Sub directional subwoofers as the main left and right flown arrays. Other system components included UPJ-1P compact VariO and singly deployed M1D ultracompact curvilinear array loudspeakers as front and stage lip fills, MTS-4A full-range main loudspeakers as stage sidefill and UM-1P narrow-coverage stage monitors. The system was supplied by Show Systems of Orlando (www.showsystem.com), with logistical coordination by Frank Snipes.
Meyer Sound contract consultant Dave Lawler determined precise array configuration using the Meyer Sound MAPP Online® prediction program. Demo performances were mixed by Meyer Sound tour liaison Buford Jones on a D5 Live console supplied by DiGiCo (www.digiconsoles.com), an audio co-sponsor of the stage.
Meyer Sound’s director of marketing, Tim Chapman, said that the company’s participation at TourLink was well worth the time and effort, despite generally limited attendance. “The crowds were somewhat sparse, but we saw quite a few key people in the industry, many of whom we don’t see at the other trade shows. Given the direct-comparison opportunity, it seems everybody who did show up left Orlando with a very positive impression of MILO.”
Two other TourLink highlights were a 90-minute seminar on front-of-house and monitor mixing presented by Meyer Sound’s Dave Lawler and Jones, along with Dave Webster and Shane Morris of DiGiCo; and the TourLink golf tournament, where Jones spearheaded his team’s winning drive to the top of the leader board.
For more information, visit Meyer Sound’s MILO at www.meyersound.com/products/mseries/milo/index.htm.
