The 1,200-seat Community Theatre of New Jersey in Morristown recently upgraded their sound system, installing a system based on Meyer Sound M1D ultra-compact curvilinear arrays.
Jonathan “JP” Peirce. Faced with a
number of challenges – problematic acoustics, a limited budget, and
strict aesthetic requirements – all proposed loudspeaker systems fell
short in one way or another. Finally, when Peirce decided to “think
small,” the pieces of the puzzle fell together around an elegant
solution based on Meyer Sound M1D ultra-compact curvilinear arrays.
“The M1Ds just sound gorgeous for all of the acts we present here,
which range from classical and light pop to pretty loud rock,” says
Jonathan “JP” Peirce, staff audio engineer and technical director for the venue. “I’m walking around in awe of what I hear every day. The
coverage is even and dead-on everywhere.”
Installed in April, the new FOH system is anchored by 12 M1D cabinets
per side for the orchestra level, with a center array of eight M1D
cabinets and two M1D-Sub ultra-compact subwoofers covering the balcony.
In 2003, the theatre contracted with Masque Sound of Moonachie, N.J., for a system based on Meyer Sound’s self-powered loudspeakers. However, that still left open a wide range of possibilities. The first round of “auditions” was based on traditional MSL-4 clusters, an approach Peirce found not quite to his liking. “I’ve used the MSL-4 dozens of times and it’s a great box,” he says. “But it just wasn’t right for this room. Also, the odd cluster angles we needed in order to get coverage were not visually appealing.”
Peirce’s first preferred alternative was based on the M2D compact curvilinear array, and this preference was bolstered after hearing the
M2D system at the 1,800-seat State Theatre in nearby New Brunswick, N.J. Using Meyer Sound MAPP Online® software and working in consultation with Meyer Sound’s Design Services department, Peirce fashioned an M2D design, then asked Masque to bring out M2Ds for an on-site audition.
Further analysis revealed that the number of cabinets required to achieve full and even coverage of the entire room would far exceed the power requirements of the room—and also break the budget cap. “The M2Ds would have easily handled heavy metal bands, which we don’t book here. There was no sense in paying for power we didn’t need.”
The Theatre already had M1Ds as front fills, so Peirce next investigated the possibility of an M1D-based main FOH system.
Returning to MAPP Online, he experimented with configurations and splay angles. This time, the combination clicked. The coverage was there, with plenty of power for satisfying “classic rock” levels.
Equally important, the M1D arrays would have a clean look, stay clear of sight lines, and come in at a cost well under the budget cap.
Other Meyer Sound components in the system include a pair of 650-P high-power subwoofers (under the stage), four M1D cabinets for front fill, six UPM-2P ultra-compact narrow coverage loudspeakers for
underbalcony, two UPM-1P ultra-compact wide coverage cabinets for flown
sidefill monitors, and two UM-1P narrow coverage stage monitors.
For more information, visit www.meyersound.com.
