In South Africa, Meyer Sound MICA and M'elodie Line Arrays Simplify Venue Swap for High School Musical and Beauty and the Beast

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"The consistency of the M'elodie system makes my work as the sound designer that much easier—I can concentrate on excellent sound without battling the PA." - Mark Malherbe Sound Designer, Prosound

Things can get complicated enough when one musical has to travel to multiple venues. When two concurrently running productions had to swap venues in South Africa in spring 2009, the exceptional performance and versatility of the Meyer Sound MICA and M'elodie line array loudspeaker system proved essential in maintaining the clarity and optimal sonic signature for the audience.

Johannesburg-based AVL installer Prosound knew that there was no better choice than a Meyer Sound system for the hit High School Musical, which would be moved from the Artscape theatre in Cape Town to the Montecasino Teatro in Johannesburg, and Beauty and the Beast, which would move in the other direction to the Artscape theatre from the Montecasino Teatro. "The consistency of the M'elodie system makes my work as the sound designer that much easier—I can concentrate on excellent sound without battling the PA," says Mark Malherbe, sound designer for Prosound. "Meyer Sound was instrumental in achieving the ideal system design for each venue while minimizing hardware changes for the productions in a limited timeframe."

An upbeat pop show, High School Musical featured an energetic ten-piece live band that had to work with spoken lines and sound effects. "This is based on a TV movie and there is plenty of underscoring, so the challenge is to keep all dialogue clean, clear, and above the music," Malherbe explains. "The Meyer Sound M'elodie provided plenty of headroom to allow for some pretty big moments, and to get the show over the screaming audience.

"The M'elodie line array was used in the Cape Town venue," Malherbe continues, "which seats approximately 1,250 people, and the system size suited both productions electro-acoustically and physically. The larger 1,950-person venue in Johannesburg used MICA. The matching audio signatures of the boxes ensured minimal EQ changes from venue to venue, and allowed for the increased power required."

In Johannesburg's Teatro, the M'elodie line array was supplemented by Meyer Sound CQ-2 loudspeakers, M1D line array loudspeakers, UPQ-2P loudspeakers, and 700-HP subwoofers. Meanwhile, in Cape Town's Artscape, the MICA was joined by Meyer Sound CQ-1 loudspeakers, M1D line array loudspeakers, 700-HP subwoofers, M3D-Sub directional subwoofers, UPM-1P loudspeakers, and legacy UM-1C monitors. Dual Galileo loudspeakers management systems helped Prosound maintain complete control in each venue.

The new Meyer Sound UPQ-2P loudspeakers came in particularly handy for Malherbe in Cape Town, where he needed vocal projection to the rear seats using a loudspeaker box with the lowest profile possible. "The UPQ-2P worked like a charm," he says. "I ended up with exceptionally even and consistent vocal coverage across the entire rear area while still being able to maintain correct imagery."

For a seamless switch between the two South African venues, Meyer Sound put Prosound in command of a highly reliable pair of world-class systems. "With Meyer Sound we've run a total of 200+ shows and not one problem," Mark Malherbe states. "Enough said!"

June, 2009

M'elodie

M1D

M3D-Sub

CQ-1

CQ-2

700-HP

UPM-1P

UPQ-2P

Galileo 616

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