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John & Helen Meyer - A Sonic Love Story

1967 – 2017: Celebrating 50 Years of the Summer of Love

This year marks the 50th anniversary of 1967’s Summer of Love, when San Francisco was the epicenter of the counter-culture. It was the year that John and Helen Meyer went on a date at a Berkeley hi-fi shop to hear The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and it was also the year that John and Helen laid the groundwork for developing Meyer Sound. To celebrate their love and the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, John and Helen will be spending 2017 visiting key customers and hosting exclusive curated events in Berkeley and around the world.

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50 Years of the Summer of Love

1967

John and Helen Meyer first meet while John is working at a custom hi-fi shop in Berkeley. Their first date is listening to “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” after closing time on a high-end system.

1967

1967

John is asked by Steve Miller to design a custom system for his appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival.

1968

John and Helen attend a Donovan concert where the sound quality is extremely disappointing. John is determined to build much better systems.

1969

1969

John and Helen travel to India where they marry in a private ceremony before traveling overland through the country.

1970

1970

John creates a quadraphonic Glyph loudspeaker system for the Pepperland nightclub in San Rafael, California. The Meyers’ first son, Perrin, is born in Richmond, California.

1971

1971

John designs the first JM Series loudspeakers while working with McCune Sound Service in San Francisco.

1972

John works with Owsley “Bear” Stanley to create acoustic solutions for the Grateful Dead’s famed “wall of sound."

1973

John starts work at the Institute des Haut E’tudes Musical in Switzerland and continues through the middle of 1975.

1974

Meyers’ first daughter, Tara, born in Switzerland.

1976

John begins work for GESI, continuing in 1977. He designs the sound system for the Embarcadero BART station.

1977

John works on direct-to-disk recording for Crystal Clear Records, continuing into 1978.

1979

1979

John and Helen establish Meyer Sound Laboratories in San Leandro, California.

1979

Meyer Sound develops the UM-1 UltraMonitor for Jefferson Starship.

1979

1979

The company develops a prototype of the 650 subwoofer for special screenings of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now.”

1980

1980

Abe Jacob, the “godfather” of contemporary theatre sound design, brings Meyer Sound to Broadway with UPA, a modified version of the UltraMonitor that revolutionized theatrical audio.

1981

1981

Meyer Sound enters European Market with Autograph in London, beginning a long association with owner and sound designer Andrew Bruce. The Autograph connection also begins a relationship with sound designer Jonathan Deans.

1983

Meyer Sound moves to its present location in Berkeley, California.

1984

1984

The first Source Independent Measurement (SIM) System is introduced, along with CP-10 parametric equalizer.

1985

John Meyer is presented with the AES Fellowship Award for his outstanding contributions to the field of audio engineering and technology.

1986

1986

Meyer Sound provides a system for Luciano Pavarotti’s concert in Beijing.

1986

1986

Meyer Sound partners with Claude Nobs’ Montreux Jazz Festival to become the exclusive brand used for the festival’s loudspeaker systems.

1987

Meyer Sound introduces SIM System 1, the first dedicated multi-channel FFT measurement system.

1988

1988

Meyer Sound develops pioneering microphone equalization technique, first used for Lily Tomlin’s “Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe” at San Francisco’s Curran Theater.

1989

1989

Noted recording engineer Roger Nichols inspires the company to develop the HD-1 reference loudspeaker, used for mixing the Rickie Lee Jones album “Flying Cowboys.”

1989

1989

The Grateful Dead continue to provide sound innovation—here with Dead’s sound engineer Dan Healey, Don Pearson of UltraSound and John Meyer.
Photo: Susana Millman

1990s

Famed New York sound designer Tony Meola incorporates Meyer Sound systems into more than 40 Broadway and off-Broadway productions.

1991

1991

Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart continues partnership with Meyer Sound, extending beyond the Grateful Dead to include solo touring and work with the Buddhist Gyoto Monks.

1992

1992

Meyer Sound receives the prestigious R&D 100 Award for SIM II.

1994

1994

Beginning with their first concert at Rome’s ancient Baths of Caracalla in 1990, The Three Tenors’ concerts are equipped with Meyer Sound systems.

1995

1995

MSL-4 becomes the industry’s first large-scale self-powered reinforcement loudspeaker.

1997

1997

SB-1, first used for a domed stadium tour throughout Japan, becomes the industry’s first high-power parabolic loudspeaker.

1998

1998

PSW-6 completes preliminary testing to become a revolutionary self-powered subwoofer, exhibiting unprecedented directional control of frequencies below 150 Hz.

1999

Helen Meyer is awarded Citation from AES for her contributions to the audio industry.

2001

Meyer Sound system deployed for Three Tenors concert at the Forbidden City in Beijing.

2001

2001

The first generation of Meyer Sound’s acoustical prediction tool, MAPP Online, is introduced.

2001

Meyer Sound develops the MM-4 miniature loudspeaker for sound artist Bill Fontana’s discreet installations at tramway stations in Lyon, France.

2002

2002

Meyer Sound holds an M3D System demonstration event in Mexico City, introducing the M Series line array loudspeaker systems. Meyers’ first grandchild, Milo, is born.

2003

Meyers’ second grandchild, Elodie, is born.

2004

John Meyer receives the first Parnelli Innovator Award for “his genius, perseverance and dedication to quality.”

2004

2004

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Meyer Sound debuts its state-of-the art Pearson Theatre, an on-site venue for training, research and demonstrations.

2004

2004

Meyer Sound joins the first Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) tradeshow, held in Geneva, Switzerland. ISE has since moved to Amsterdam, Netherlands, where Meyer Sound has joined every year.

2005

Meyer Sound acquires LCS, makers of sophisticated multichannel digital audio mixing and processing products, and electronic acoustic enhancement.

2005

2005

The original Galileo loudspeaker management system is introduced as the perfect complement to Meyer Sound’s self-powered loudspeakers.

2006

2006

Meyer Sound installs first Constellation system into Cal Performances' Zellerbach Hall at U.C. Berkeley.

2007

John Meyer is presented with the prestigious Silver Medal Award from AES for his outstanding achievements.

2007

2007

Sound Designer Jonathan Deans visits the Berkeley factory and continues his long-time partnership with Meyer Sound.

2007

2007

The MM-4XP self-powered miniature loudspeaker launches IntelligentDC self-powered systems.

2007

2007

Meyer Sound chosen as official sound equipment supplier for the new Cirque du Soleil show KOOZA™, continuing a decades-long fruitful relationship with Cirque Du Soleil.
Photo: Olivier Samson Arcand

2007

2007

Rod Stewart takes Meyer Sound MILO and M'elodie on tour.

2008

Meyers’ third grandchild, Dmitri, is born.

2008

2008

Meyer Sound enters the dedicated cinema loudspeaker market, demonstrating an Acheron 100 screen loudspeaker prototype to post-production professionals before launching a full line of screen loudspeakers, surrounds and cinema subwoofers the following year.

2008

2008

UPJunior UltraCompact VariO Loudspeaker receives the AES TEC Award.

2009

2009

Meyer Sound Announces D-Mitri, a Next-Generation Digital Audio Platform.

2010

2010

CAL steerable column array loudspeakers introduced, offering unprecedented control, audio fidelity and low-profile aesthetics.

2011

2011

Helen Meyer is named recipient of InfoComm’s Women in AV Award.

2011

Meyers’ fourth grandchild, Nadia, is born.

2012

2012

LEO Family launches to provide maximum power with a small footprint and virtually no distortion.

2013

2013

Famed mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe recorded in the Pearson Theatre using a proprietary recording technique developed by John Meyer.

2014

John Meyer receives InfoComm International Adele De Berri Pioneers of AV Award on the tradeshow’s 75th anniversary.

2014

2014

John Meyer is inducted into the TEC Awards Hall of Fame at the 2014 NAMM Show.

2014

2014

SoundBox, San Francisco Symphony’s bold new music venue, opens with a Meyer Sound Constellation acoustic system.
Photo: Stefan Cohen

2015

2015

Latin music superstar Marc Anthony takes LEO Family on tour in the USA, launching a strong touring partnership with Meyer Sound.
Photo: Carlos Escobar

2015

2015

Using LEO, Ed Sheeran becomes the first solo artist to sell out five shows at London's Wembley Stadium and Dublin's Croke Park Stadium.
Photo: Ralph Larmann

2015

2015

The Grateful Dead bids "Fare Thee Well" at Levi's Stadium with Meyer Sound LEO.
Photo: Jay Blakesberg

2015

2015

Dave Matthews Band Celebrates 25 years, 20 of those with Meyer Sound.

2015

2015

Metallica and Meyer Sound LEO inaugurate Quebec City’s Videotron Centre with in-the-round TM Array.
Photo: Carlos Escobar

2016

2016

Meyer Sound introduces Galileo GALAXY at InfoComm in Las Vegas.

2016

2016

With LEO Family, Celine Dion provides intimate connection despite vast large-scale venues in her tour of French-speaking countries.
Photo: Ralph Larmann

2017

2017

The sonic love story continues as John Meyer presents Helen with a pair of custom-painted Amie speakers to kick off a year-long celebration of their 50th anniversary of meeting in the Summer of Love.