It was clear that Meyer Sound’s reputation for delivering theater-quality sound aligned perfectly with our commitment to providing premium, immersive experiences. With this new venue, Terrain Gardens DelVal, we saw an opportunity to elevate the acoustic environment, integrating high-quality sound into our beautiful natural setting.”
Briana AlcornDirector of Sales and Marketing for
Menus & Venues, Terrain Gardens
Meyer Sound brought its world-class ULTRA family of loudspeaker solutions to Terrain Gardens at DelVal, the newest event venue from terrain, a division of URBN. This installation marks another collaboration between Meyer Sound and terrain, blending state-of-the-art audio technology with the experiential design ethos that defines URBN and its Menus & Venues division.
Located on the scenic campus of Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, PA, Terrain Gardens at DelVal is designed to host everything from weddings to corporate events. Partnering with DBS Audio Systems, Meyer Sound delivered an audio solution that complements the venue’s signature indoor/outdoor aesthetic while ensuring versatile, high-quality sound for all types of events.
“Terrain Gardens at Delaware Valley University is the third venue within Terrain Events, which falls under the URBN brand, specifically its Menus & Venues division,” explains Terrain Gardens’ Director of Sales and Marketing for M + V, Briana Alcorn. “As part of this portfolio, Terrain Gardens carries the same aesthetic principles of our other venues, combining the rustic charm of nature with modern, sophisticated event services. This venue stands out with its ability to offer both indoor and outdoor event spaces, all designed to create a fluid and natural experience for weddings, celebrations, and corporate gatherings.”
Terrain Gardens has come to rely on DBS Audio Systems of Coatesville, PA, to provide the level of quality it requires for its own clients. Dave Brotman, President/System Designer at DBS Audio, has relied on products and services from Meyer Sound since 1993. “We install turnkey Meyer Sound systems, enabling DJs or bands to simply interface into the system with their mixing consoles,” he says. “We’ve worked with URBN for over 20 years providing production packages as well as installation work, primarily at its headquarters at the Naval Yard in Philadelphia. We have completed two terrain installations in the past, however, for this one, we came in after the facility was built. We installed a temporary Meyer Sound system while we worked on the design for the permanent system.”
Alcorn adds, “Our decision to choose Meyer Sound was driven by the recommendation of our trusted partner in audiovisual solutions, DBS Audio. Having collaborated with them on two previous venues, it was clear that Meyer Sound’s reputation for delivering theater-quality sound aligned perfectly with our commitment to providing premium, immersive experiences. With this new venue, Terrain Gardens DelVal, we saw an opportunity to elevate the acoustic environment, integrating high-quality sound into our beautiful natural setting.”
Alcorn stresses importance of having a good versatile sound system that can cover a variety of event types, adding, “The Meyer Sound system at Terrain Gardens supports a wide range of events, from weddings to corporate events. The versatility of the system allows for seamless transitions between different types of audio demands, from live bands and DJs to speaking panels and presentations. Whether it’s creating an intimate backdrop of ambient music for a small gathering or providing dynamic, high-impact sound for a larger event, the system enhances the overall atmosphere without overpowering the venue’s natural aesthetic.”
Brotman designed the system for ease of use by the staff. “For this venue, we designed four discrete zones including the indoor reception room, the covered patio, and the outdoor ceremony area,” he explains. “Staff members can add eight different source inputs to any of the four zones, or any combination of them. If the party planner for a particular event wants to set up in the reverse direction, there is a simple preset button on their iPad that will flip the delay times 180 degrees.”
Brotman likes having access to support services from Meyer Sound to help engineer great sounding systems, “For the Trellis Room, our dear friend [Meyer Sound Director of System Optimization] Bob McCarthy helped us with this design. I had a pretty simple concept of what it was going to be, incorporating primarily XP loudspeakers, with two ULTRA‑X42 for the main system. But the exciting aspect of this one, which is different from the previous two terrain installs, is that we installed a gradient sub array, which really worked out wonderfully. I’ve always wanted to deploy gradient subs in a situation like this. We used a pair of USW‑210Ps , flown right above the ‘stage area,’ where the bands or DJs set up. It’s a very nice but fairly narrow, long room, but due to the gradient deployment, the low-frequency information really stays off the walls, is incredibly controlled, and has a really nice amount of rejection behind it on stage.
“For the Reception Room, Bob suggested using six ULTRA‑X23XP, shooting them straight down and blanketing the entire room,” says Brotman. “I had not done anything like that before, but knowing and trusting Bob, we put them up and it turned out perfect. It’s really smooth and it sounds incredibly natural. Low-frequency coverage is provided by one USW‑210P.” A Ceremony Room system comprises two weather-protected UP‑4slim ultracompact installation loudspeakers.
For Brotman, it was exciting to take the concept of directional low-frequency arrays normally used in larger systems and scale it down for this application. “I think the biggest thing for this installation would be that gradient array,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to do it in a facility like this. We provide many different sub deployments in the production world, but rarely in a setting like this. My guess is there are plenty of DJs and musicians who look up and say, ‘what is that?!’ I think that was a real standout for us.” Brotman adds, “My partner, Michael Shoulson, Vice President of DBS Audio, was key in getting this project up and running as well.”
“The installation of the Meyer Sound system was a critical aspect of our venue design, especially given the importance we place on maintaining a seamless indoor-outdoor flow,” says Alcorn. “Aesthetic harmony was paramount, and the custom color options for the speakers allowed us to blend them into the natural surroundings effortlessly. The final installation achieved both our audio and design goals, providing superior sound quality while preserving the venue’s organic and welcoming atmosphere.”