The 40th Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland is taking place until July 15, presenting more than 200 international artists. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Meyer Sound’s official sound sponsorship of the festival. Approximately 370 of the company’s self-powered loudspeakers, supplied by six different Swiss and French hire companies, are deployed for sound reinforcement throughout the festival’s venues, ranging from the curvilinear arrays in the 3,500-capacity Stravinski Hall (pictured) down to more modest systems for the workshop rooms and press center.
The sound system at the 1,000-seat Casino Barrière is the smallest of the festival’s three major venues, featuring the M’elodie ultra compact high-power curvilinear array loudspeaker. The main casino system comprises 16 M’elodie cabinets and four 600-HP compact high-power subwoofers, along with several UltraSeries cabinets to fill in at the sides and corners.
At the Parc Vernex outdoor stage, a robust system of 12 M’elodie cabinets covers most of the audience in the expansive lawn area, supplemented by bass boost from four 600-HP subwoofers and fill for the near corner from some UltraSeries units.
The systems at Montreux are configured to the size of venue and style of music. The MILO high-power curvilinear array loudspeaker is used at Stravinski Hall. The main left and right arrays comprise 10 MILO cabinets each, with eight 700-HP high-power subwoofers, arranged to create a cardioid effect and provide deep bass. A center array of four MICA compact high-power curvilinear arrays adds punch to the middle of the wide hall. Additional fill and delay subsystems utilize 600-HP subwoofers and assorted UltraSeries cabinets, in addition to M’elodie.
The Galileo loudspeaker management system, which will be used at both Stravinski Hall and Casino Barrière, is making its Montreux debut in 2006. All performance systems were designed using the MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program and calibrated with a SIM 3 audio analyzer. A SIM 3 unit remains in residence at Stravinski Hall during all performances.
In Montreux’s mid-sized Miles Davis Hall, the MICA compact high-power curvilinear array loudspeaker anchors the main system. Arrays of eight MICA cabinets per side are augmented by eight 700-HP subwoofers. Supplementary fill systems here include CQ-1 wide coverage main loudspeakers, MSL-4 horn-loaded long-throw loudspeakers, 650-P high-power subwoofers and smaller UltraSeries units. Stage wedges at Miles Davis Hall, as well as at other festival sites, are UM-1P narrow coverage stage monitors, USM-1P extended range narrow coverage stage monitors. Prototypes of a new stage monitor in development will also make an appearance at some sites.
The Rouvenez, Jazz Club, Bar Pub, Leman A and B (workshops), Press Center, Loge Claude Nobs, Terrasse and Jazz Festival Boat venues will also feature Meyer Sound systems, primarily based on compact UltraSeries cabinets and 650-P subwoofers. The boat will additionally employ some MSL-4 cabinets. Companies supplying Meyer Sound systems for 2006 are Dispatch of France and the Swiss-based firms Hyperson, LPS Sonorisations, Axcess, Skynight and Megasound.
For more information, visit www.meyersound.com and www.montreuxjazz.com/index_en.aspx.
