MEYER BRINGS DOWN THE HOUSE

Report: Mark Davie

Plaster dust was falling from the roof as Meyer’s baby line array — with the help of a little Rage Against The Machine and Infected Mushroom — rumbled the Concourse Theatre in Chatswood. LINA, the newest and most petite member of Meyer’s LEO line array family, was helped along by a collection of low frequency elements, including the BFG-invoking VLFC, which stands for Very Low Frequency Control Element. The VLFC was doing all the shaking at frequencies below the audible range all the way down to 13Hz. What rumbles at that kind of frequency, you might ask? Well… a djembe, according to one of the demo tracks.

Of course, while you might not be able to hear it, you can definitely feel the effects and the almost unnerving emotional response. John Meyer was quick to point out that while the EPA might have a draconian dB restriction at your local venue, those low frequencies will never show up on any of their devices. Just remember, we’re not quite sure what negative effects loud, extreme low frequencies have on your hearing yet, so use with caution.

The demo was just one part of Meyer Sound’s customer day, which saw the Meyer Sound elite descend on Sydney; including the fabulous mind of John Meyer, the business nous of Helen Meyer, and legends like system designer Bob McCarthy and immersive sound proponent Steve Ellison. Bob gave a presentation on his system design for Metallica, including an extraordinary in-the-round setup that managed to stay clear of the moving ‘Lightzilla’ visual show, while still covering every inch of the stadium. Steve walked us through his involvement with immersive sound, which started way back on campus in Canberra of all places, and where Meyer Sound’s Constellation is headed.

The other big reason for the customer day was to debut Meyer Sound’s new distribution arrangement with Audio Brands Australia. The message was, ‘we’re excited about Australia, and Meyer Sound in Berkeley, California, is here to help.’

The whole relationship is off to a cracking start, with rental house, CMG Audio Visual, announcing they’ll be taking delivery of Australia’s first Meyer Sound LYON and 1100-LFC line array system in mid-2018. CMG already had a healthy collection of LEOPARD and 900-LFC elements, but has gone in with the bigger system as well as expanding its stockpile of LEOPARD and adding some MJF-210 stage monitors for good measure. The company now has 36 LYON, 50 LEOPARD, 24 1100-LFC and 12 900-LFC elements. As well as 16 MJF-210 stage monitors and 10 MINA (the predecessor to LINA).

Ever since John Meyer helped the Grateful Dead perfect their Wall of Sound, Meyer Sound gear has been used by top artists, including Metallica, Justin Bieber and Australia’s biggest-ever-ticket-seller Ed Sheeran (AT story coming soon).

“We’re very excited by the opportunity to support both local and international touring productions with a turnkey product that is highly regarded and in demand,” said Tobi Pinazzi, General Manager and Technical Director of CMG. “The establishment of our new rental house division is a significant step forward for us as a company, coinciding nicely with our growth locally. Meyer’s LYON and 1100 are absolutely incredible, and we can’t wait to offer them to the Australian market.”

CMG Audio Visual: 1300 814 568 or www.cmgav.com.au
Audio Brands Australia: (02) 9659 7711 or www.audiobrands.com.au
Meyer Sound: www.meyersound.com