A Classical Union: Meyer Sound MILO, EDG, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (with Video)

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"Regardless of whether it's a symphony or a rock band, audiences today expect the show to sound as great as the record. With the MILO system, there are zero compromises listening to live music." - David Lowell Senior VP of Production Services, EDG

Every summer, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) showcases its heritage of musical excellence at Atlanta's Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park and Chastain Park Amphitheater. With the transparency afforded by the Meyer Sound MILO line array loudspeaker system supplied by Entertainment Design Group (EDG), the seasonal concerts offer the musicians a wonderful opportunity to reach out to the community and connect with their growing audience.

"Regardless of whether it's a symphony or a rock band, audiences today expect the show to sound as great as the record," says David Lowell, senior VP of production services for EDG. "With the MILO system, there are zero compromises listening to live music."

With a Meyer Sound system already in place at ASO's year-round home in the Woodruff Arts Centre Symphony, the MILO line arrays were a natural choice for EDG to cover the 12,000-capacity Verizon Amphitheatre and 6,000-seat Chastain Park Amphitheater.

"The transparency you get in the sound reproduction of a symphony orchestra with the MILO speakers is second to none," says David Bath, EDG's senior house audio engineer who has mixed the ASO for around 20 years. "Also, the Meyer Galileo loudspeaker management system gives us the ability to manipulate multiple zones, so we can take a 12,000-seat amphitheater and give everyone in the audience the same detail as they would hear in a world-class symphony hall."

The typical configuration at the two amphitheatres comprises 12 MILO and two MILO 120 line array loudspeakers, in addition to four 700-HP subwoofers per side. A Galileo loudspeaker management system with two Galileo 616 processors provides signal drive and processing.

"The system you select for classical music has to have a huge dynamic range with the ability to reproduce the quietest instruments—it just needs to be very, very versatile," Lowell explains. "The MILO achieves all of that, as well as being extremely powerful and easy to fly, tear down and take on the road inside of a tight time frame.

"The other big selling points for me were that Meyer Sound is an American manufacturer, and the system was delivered eight days after I placed the order, and their pricing was a cost-effective investment," says Lowell. "They also have a very strong technical team that came and helped us install the systems. Their customer support is just amazing."

According to Lowell, the self-powered design of the Meyer Sound systems solves logistical hurdles in sound reinforcement. "With self-powered systems, you gain a lot of stage space, because it doesn't require having a lot of power amp racks," he notes. "It certainly cuts down in trucking costs, and it's a much simpler system to put up when you get it to the venue."

With the ASO and two elite Atlanta venues to attend to, EDG points to equipment selection as one of the keys to the company's success. "This can be a hectic business," concludes Lowell. "I sleep much better knowing that I have a warehouse full of Meyer Sound equipment."

January, 2011

MILO

MILO 120

700-HP

Galileo 616