Classical Crossover Violinist David Garrett Tours with Meyer Sound LEO

Known for his boundary-crossing repertoire that includes classical arrangements of rock, pop, and punk music, violinist David Garrett recently performed a series of open-air shows across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. German production service provider POOLgroup deployed a Meyer Sound LEO linear large-scale sound reinforcement system for the tour.

Kai Ulrich, FOH engineer for Garrett, was first attracted to LEO’s headroom, which would allow him to eliminate delay loudspeakers for many shows.

“Everything sounds so effortless with LEO,” says Ulrich. “You can really feel the headroom, even though the David Garrett show is not very loud. The first time I used the system I was actually completely overwhelmed by the sound, and I am not at all ‘brand religious.'”

David Garrett’s touring LEO system featured up to 12 LEO-M line array loudspeakers per side, along with 12 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements. The show also used six MICA line array loudspeakers for downfill, four UPQ-1P loudspeakers for in fill and out fill, and six UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers for near fill. A Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system featuring five Galileo Callisto 616 processors provided control and optimization.

DiGiCo SD7 mixing consoles were used at both FOH and monitors, while Garrett’s violin was run through a Lexicon PCM 90 reverberator and an SPL Frontliner valve preamp for extra warmth and texture. DPA microphones were used on all string instruments.

“The tour went extremely well, and the LEO system was a big part of that success,” says Ulrich. “It was absolutely the best choice for these shows.”