PANTHER was super easy to mix on. Everything was super clear. It was nice and loud. The subs were hitting exactly how I wanted to hit. I still got the vocals on top of the mix, and it sounded lovely.”
Austin SprynczynatykAG Club Tour Manager and FOH Engineer
Since it launched in 2008, Outside Lands, one of America’s premier music and arts festivals, has annually transformed San Francisco’s vast Golden Gate Park into a cultural celebration, elevated by Meyer Sound systems provided by the Bay Area’s own UltraSound, LLC.
The 2024 festival, which took place August 9–11, showcased the groundbreaking pairing of Meyer Sound’s PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeaker and 2100‑LFC low-frequency control element at the Lands End main stage, which hosted performances by Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Sturgill Simpson, and The Killers, plus a standout country set by Post Malone.
“PANTHER and 2100-LFC are an unparalleled pair, and we are so excited that they are making their debut together at the Lands End stage here at Outside Lands this year,” says Katharine “Katie” Murphy Khulusi, Meyer Sound’s director of loudspeaker development. “They are made to pair well together, but they also play well with our existing ecosystem. We think that because of the linearity and the high fidelity of the pair, they can be used on a system of any scale.”
The main system at the Lands End stage centered on arrays of 18 PANTHER loudspeakers per side, supported by nine 2100-LFC control elements flown on each side and 16 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements on the ground. That system is supplemented by PANTHER first delays and LEOPARD compact linear line array loudspeakers on second delays, with LYON line array loudspeakers in outer hangs.
“Last year, PANTHER was deployed with 1100-LFC, which is an incredible dual-18-inch touring sub that packs a punch,” says Murphy Khulusi. “This year, we’re excited to see it paired with LYONs and LEOPARDs and 2100s and 1100s. It really shows how we can evolve while still keeping our ecosystem.”
“The 2100-LFC was built to pair with PANTHER, voicing-wise, so they complement each other really well,” says Josh Osmond, UltraSound’s operations manager and project manager for the Lands End stage. “As you get into the lower range of the PANTHER it really works with the top range of the 2100-LFCs as they pair up at the crossover point.
“Having the 21-inch speaker in the 2100-LFC control elements provides a nice, big, full, rich low end,” he adds. “But it maintains the nice, fast transient response that everyone’s used to from a Meyer Sound system.”
The seamless performance of PANTHER and 2100-LFC also earned high praise from front-of-house engineers. “PANTHER was super easy to mix on,” says AG Club tour manager and FOH engineer Austin Sprynczynatyk. “Everything was super clear. It was nice and loud. The subs were hitting exactly how I wanted to hit. I still got the vocals on top of the mix, and it sounded lovely. Our management walked all the way to the end of the field, about three football lengths back, and said it’s the best sound he’s heard me do, ever.”
“Mixing on PANTHER was super effortless,” agrees Nick Brumme, FOH engineer for K.Flay. “It’s always challenging at a festival because unless you’re headlining, you don’t really have a lot of time to sit with the PA and tune it. The biggest thing for me is if I can put up my mix and it just translates well; if it’s tuned well and it feels good. This PA definitely felt like that.
“Everything felt really full and open on the top end without being harsh,” he adds. “It was just really an enjoyable PA to mix on.”
Meyer Sound systems powered numerous areas throughout the festival, with LINA very compact linear array loudspeakers and 900‑LFC compact low-frequency control elements at the Dolores open-air dance tent, a LEOPARD system in the main grandstand VIP cabana, UPJ loudspeakers in a VIP courtyard, and UPA loudspeakers distributed throughout the 200-foot-long, two-story VIP area in the Polo Fields grandstands.
With sustainability top of mind on the festival circuit, PANTHER and 2100-LFC’s power efficiencies exemplify how technological innovation can align with green goals — core values for Meyer Sound, UltraSound, event promoter Another Planet Entertainment, and Sound Future, a nonprofit collaborating with Meyer Sound to use live events as a catalyst for climate innovation.
“We want to make sure that all of the new products we’re releasing with each new generation become more and more efficient,” says Murphy Khulusi. “Because not only is that a good speaker model, but it’s also better for the environment. It’s more sustainable, both for the touring company and for the venue.”
“We’re using less cabling to power the system, which is nice,” adds Osmond. “That helps in terms of how much we have to carry into the park and how much space that takes up in our cable trunk. Truck pack-wise, it takes up less space. As a whole, having a more sustainable system than we’ve had in years past really goes hand in hand with the ideology of the Bay Area and the history of California being a forward-thinking state when it comes to the greening of things, regardless of industry.”
Ultimately, the festival experience is all about the fans and the magic of witnessing a singular musical moment—and sound’s role in that experience. “Outside Lands gets to be really exciting when it is packed. Having PANTHER out there means that you don’t have to push your way to the front, because you can hear everything so well, no matter where you are,” says Murphy Khulusi. When you’re listening to one of your favorite bands, and you can hear everything clearly, and you can actually feel those transients hitting you, it is such an incredible atmosphere to be a part of.”
Additional comments from engineers at Outside Lands 2024
Lloyd Williams, FOH engineer, Young the Giant
“I heard a lot of the other mixes and they were very tight, they were very punchy … I could tell from the other engineers that were mixing that it was a very well-tuned system.”
Jeremy Kinney, FOH engineer, FLETCHER
“I had a very positive show with PANTHER, and I really felt that it did a great job of helping me overcome the windy nature of the festival and present the full fidelity of what I was after in a very crisp and accurate fashion.”
“Our mix tends to be very, very dense; with some speakers, the high end starts to fall apart a little bit, and I did not feel that at all. I felt like I could really drive my high end, let her vocal really shine and be really present, and it felt really accurate and represented well.”