Meyer Sound PANTHER Transforms the Audio Experience at Gallo Center for the Arts

The Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, CA, upgraded its sound with the installation of a new Meyer Sound PANTHER system. Designed to support a diverse mix of Broadway productions, symphony performances, rock concerts, and corporate events, the system ensures pristine audio quality and seamless adaptability across all programming.

Since opening in 2007, the Gallo Center has become a cultural cornerstone in California’s Central Valley, presenting a broad range of performances. Almost two decades in, the venue was ready for a new sound system capable of handling a diverse audio landscape without compromise.

The upgrade, spearheaded by Bay Area systems integrator Advanced Systems Group (ASG) in collaboration with Meyer Sound’s design team, replaced the main theater’s aging sound system and introduced a left-center-right (LCR) configuration to better align with the needs of touring theater productions. The system was installed by Oakland-based Waveworks AV, led by Brad Katz and Aaron Ballard.

“The Gallo Center’s previous system wasn’t meeting performance expectations,” says Tom Menrath, audio team director at ASG, which has been a Meyer Sound collaborator for more than two decades. “They wanted a high-performance, top-level system that could suit all their clients’ needs—no questions asked.”

Back in 2019, ASG integrated Meyer Sound stage monitors and ground-stacked arrays in the Gallo Center, bringing in 14 MJF‑210 low-profile high-power stage monitors and two arrays of four LINA very compact linear line array loudspeakers over two 750‑LFC very compact low-frequency control elements for use as fills or in outside applications. “They were blown away by how great everything sounded, and the build quality,” says Menrath. “They decided at that point that they were ready to replace their entire system.”

“We knew we wanted to re-introduce having a center cluster,” explains Jordan Lonn, the Gallo Center’s head audio engineer. “That was in the original design of the theater, but it wasn’t implemented well and it ended up being removed.”

“With PANTHER, we can design a system that can seamlessly accommodate drastically different types of programming,” says Menrath. “Broadway productions demand an LCR setup, while high-impact concerts need a P.A. that can deliver power and punch. PANTHER checked every box.”

Lonn says many factors led to the decision to go with a PANTHER system. “If we’re putting on the phrase ‘state of the art’ with respect to our publications, we need to reflect that in our technical offerings for sound as well,” he explains. “With PANTHER, the technology stands for itself. And with rigs going out on all these massive tours like Metallica and Ed Sheeran, we know it fulfills riders. Also, the fact that Meyer Sound is local and makes everything as much as possible in house factored heavily into our decision-making process. We don’t have to wait for overseas shipping if there’s going to be a replacement down the road.”

Menrath, in collaboration with Meyer Sound’s design team, specified a PANTHER system in Meyer Sound’s MAPP 3D system design and prediction tool, sharing the system plots with Lonn.

“I got to open that file up and play around. Normally, that insight into the design isn’t necessarily on the table,” says Lonn. “They were so inviting, working with me to help me understand what they had in mind, and listening to my feedback. The proof was in the pudding, as the saying goes.”

The dynamic, modular installation centers around 16 PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeakers configured in left and right main arrays, augmented by a center cluster of 10 LEOPARD compact linear line array loudspeakers. A low-frequency foundation of nine 2100‑LFC low-frequency control elements comprises five flown in a center cardioid array and four ground-stacked for flexibility. ULTRA‑X42 and ULTRA‑X20 compact point source loudspeakers and UPQ‑D1 full-size loudspeakers serve as side fills, lip fills, and front fills; four extra 900‑LFC low-frequency control elements supplement the stage monitoring system when necessary. Everything is controlled by Galileo GALAXY 816 network processors and a Galileo GALAXY 408 at FOH.

Lonn says the system delivers exactly what the Gallo team had hoped for—and more. “I’m going to say a bunch of buzzwords here, but the power and headroom are wildly impressive. The detail and stereo imaging maintains clarity, and intimacy, without needing to get louder than you need to be and yet tracks very well as you push the system for more dynamic performances.”

“I’ve been surveying every guest engineer before and after each show, and the feedback has been phenomenal—which typically never happens,” he continues. “Audio engineers are fickle; I’m one, so I get it. But before they even start, they see the system, realize what they’re working with, and immediately feel relaxed. They say, ‘Okay, we’re gonna have a good day.’

“After the show, I always ask if there’s anything they would change about the system for their mix, and across all types of productions and engineers, nobody has said they would do anything different,” he adds. “That tells me the design and implementation are impeccable right out of the box. Even our board members have noticed, with one telling our CEO and passed along to our Technical Director of Production, Jeremiah Lewis that it was the best-sounding show they’ve ever heard, calling it—and this is a quote—‘money well spent.’”

With this major sonic upgrade, the Gallo Center for the Arts solidifies its reputation as a premier destination for world-class performances, says Menrath. “They wanted a high-performance, top-level system that could suit all of their clients’ needs and the system has exceeded their expectations.”

Looking ahead, Lonn says the venue is considering additional Meyer Sound upgrades for its smaller second theater, reinforcing its commitment to a best-in-class audio experience. “To become a full and complete Meyer Sound house is very exciting.”