Meyer Sound and the Grateful Dead: A Legacy in Live Sound
In many ways, the story of Meyer Sound begins with the Grateful Dead. In the early 1970s, the band’s sonic visionary Owsley “Bear” Stanley tapped a young John Meyer to help realize the Wall of Sound—a radical experiment in high-fidelity audio that changed the course of live music. That collaboration sparked a partnership rooted in shared ideals: precision, innovation, and deep respect for the audience.
This short film traces that journey—beginning with the revolutionary Wall of Sound and culminating in Dead & Company’s concerts celebrating 60 years of the Grateful Dead’s music. The shows will take place in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, August 1–3, 2025, and will be powered by Meyer Sound’s flagship PANTHER system—bringing the legacy full circle. Through interviews with the band, Meyer Sound co-founders John and Helen Meyer, and UltraSound CEO and Dead & Company tour director Derek Featherstone, the video reveals how an unrelenting obsession with high-fidelity sound helped launch a company, redefine live audio, and inspire generations of engineers and artists.
Download a backgrounder detailing Meyer Sound and the Grateful Dead’s long strange trip here.
Featured Videos
The Making of TIGRA and 1800-LFC:
From Concept to StageTIGRA and 1800-LFC Demo in Las VegasMontreux Jazz Festival 60/40TIGRA and 1800-LFCPro AVL Magazine Interviews Katie Murphy Khulusi at ISE 2026Tech Talk: IntelligentDC—The Self-Powered Advantage with a Single CableLaRussell Visits Meyer SoundTech Talk: Spacemap Go—A Flexible Approach to Spatial AudioOutside Lands 2025
From Concept to StageTIGRA and 1800-LFC Demo in Las VegasMontreux Jazz Festival 60/40TIGRA and 1800-LFCPro AVL Magazine Interviews Katie Murphy Khulusi at ISE 2026Tech Talk: IntelligentDC—The Self-Powered Advantage with a Single CableLaRussell Visits Meyer SoundTech Talk: Spacemap Go—A Flexible Approach to Spatial AudioOutside Lands 2025
Dead & Company at Golden Gate ParkGrateful Dead: A Legacy in Live SoundRoskilde Festival 2025Tech Talk: Engineered for ConnectionJonathan Deans Tony Award 2025Daze Between New Orleans 2025Metallica M72 World Tour 2025Tech Talk: Designing the Venue of the FutureTech Talk: Evolution of System Design at Roskilde Festival
Year in Review 2024 VideoKennedy Center Honors 2024Tech Talk: Integrating Active Acoustics and Spatial Audio SolutionsScotiabank ArenaHo Guom Opera 2024CFX 2024Sustainability at Roskilde Festival 2024Tech Talk: MAPP 3D New FeaturesFestival Napa Valley 2024
The Bitter EndOutside Lands 2024Heilung Immersive PerformanceDubai Venuetech Spacemap Go WorkshopRoskilde Festival 2024Tampa Bay LightningMeyer Sound ULTRA-X80Richard Bugg USITT AwardPANTHER and 2100-LFC Demo in Anaheim
NADIA's Music HallFestival Napa Valley 2023Outside Lands 2023Bluehorn System at Larrabee StudiosRoskilde Festival 2023Meyer Sound EducationMeyer Sound 2100-LFC Outside Lands 2022Roskilde Festival 2022
The Making of PANTHER: From Concept to TourConstellation at Steven Tanger Center for the Performing ArtsMeyer Sound PANTHEROutside Lands 2021Montréal International Jazz FestivalLife is Beautiful 2021Ushh: Backstory PassUltraSound Tour PrepStudio 9 at The Porches Inn
Jack Singer Concert HallStranger than Kindness: The Nick Cave ExhibitionMouse on Mars at BEWAKE STUDIOSSpacemap Go Launch TrailerMeyer Sound Dolby Atmos System at MainstreamOmaha’s CHI Health Center Outfitted with LEOPARD SystemAvicii Tribute ConcertThe Colosseum at Caesars Palace LEO Family Propels J Balvin’s “Arcoiris Tour” Across North America
Meyer Sound Reaches New Audiences with Festival Presence ExpansionPartnership with National Sawdust Opens New Realms for Musical Innovation“Sonic Crystals” a Synthesis of Sound Art and Selective Noise ControlLife is Beautiful 2019Outside Lands 2019Ed Sheeran ÷ ("Divide") Tour 2019Montreux Jazz Festival 2019Roskilde 2019: Partnering to Elevate the Festival ExperienceAn Encounter with Lux Prima
Technology at Roskilde Festival 2019Stanford AthleticsTerkel the Musical at Tivoli Concert HallInfoComm 2019AVB Networks at Roskilde FestivalInfoComm 2019 OverviewJessica PazRoskilde Festival Tech Training 2019TED2019: Bigger Than Us
Spatial Technology at MoogfestNew Orleans Jazz MuseumApocalypse Now Final CutTechnologies Elevate Creative Potential at Seattle Symphony’s Octave 9: Raisbeck Music CenterSavannah Music Festival 2019USITT 2019China's Chimelong Ocean Kingdom Immerses Audiences with AVB-Enabled SystemLINA and LEOPARD Return for Good to London’s National Theatre as Part of Sound PartnershipHouse of Scandinavia 2019
Rosendal Chamber Music Festival 2019Introducing the ULTRA-X40Spacemap LIVE PreviewMaking Milan TogetherSIM II Inducted Into the TECnology Hall of FameIntroducing M-NoiseDevon Allman: Sound Matters to ArtistsPope Francis in LithuaniaLA Phil, Yuval Sharon, and Meyer Sound Collaborate to Bring New Operas to Life
Roskilde Festival Offers a Rare “Laboratory” for ResearchM-Noise – Practical UseDr. Atomic at Santa Fe OperaConstellation Expands Musical Possibilities at Monash UniversityRoskilde Festival 2018 OverviewRoskilde Festival 2018Moogfest 2018 - Suzanne Ciani (4 of 4)M-Noise – A New Test SignalMoogfest 2018 - Shabazz Palaces (3 of 4)
kING Culture and Congress HallMoogfest 2018 - Overview (2 of 4)John Powell on BluehornMoogfest 2018 - Introduction (1 of 4)Training Sessions for Roskilde Festival PartnershipSavannah Music Festival Moves Up and Outside with Meyer Sound LEO FamilyRESONATE: Thinking Sound and Space 2017 FlashbackLes Insus at Stade de France
Volbeat at Parken StadiumShadow SoundingsBand Together - Benefit Concert for North Bay Fire ReliefConstellation for Education at the Maersk TowerMetallica: Sound Matters to ArtistsMeyer Sound and Roskilde Festival Announce Unprecedented PartnershipDetroit Lions Roar at Ford Field with Meyer Sound’s LEO FamilyHunchback of Notre DameOutside Lands 2017
Meyer Sound’s LEOPARD PA Delivers the Sound of the Summer of Love in Golden Gate ParkIconic Monterey Pop Festival Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Meyer SoundSteve Miller & John MeyerIntroducing LINA & 750-LFC at the Meyer Sound FactoryFrom Monterey Pop to BroadwayLukas Graham: Sound Matters to ArtistsReal World Low-Mid Beam ControlNeal Schon: Sound Matters to ArtistsMarc Anthony: Sound Matters to Artists
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