BERKELEY, CA – Building on the momentum from last year’s launch of the Panther large-format linear line array, Meyer Sound closed out 2023 as yet another banner year marked by breakthrough new product introductions, enthusiastic user accolades, and record-breaking sales figures.
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“We’ve been on an exhilarating journey these past two years,” says Senior Vice President John McMahon. “It’s been a transformative time for Meyer Sound. What started last year with PANTHER and continued this year with the introduction of the 2100-LFC™ [low-frequency control element] has inaugurated a new era for our company.”
PANTHER-based systems were installed across a range of venues from clubs to arenas in 2023, including The Fillmore in San Francisco and the Mohegan INSPIRE Entertainment Resort in South Korea. Elsewhere, PANTHER arrays started their summer-long residencies at Cadence Bank Amphitheater in Atlanta, GA and Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend, OR. The LEOPARD® compact linear line array loudspeaker continued in 2023 as a popular solution for venues requiring a smaller profile, including the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, CA. In addition, the LINA® very compact linear line array loudspeaker was highlighted at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, CA. Point-source solutions continued to thrive, such as an install at the Lithuanian State Puppet Theater in Vilnius, Lithuania, deploying ULTRA-X40™ and ULTRA-X20™ loudspeakers.
Meyer Sound PANTHER systems were shuttling across continents throughout 2023 on stadium and arena tours. Ed Sheeran’s monumental “+ – = ÷ x” (“Mathematics”) tour hit North America this year, with a groundbreaking system comprised of 212 PANTHER loudspeakers. PANTHER systems also powered a variety of genre-spanning tours including Billy Strings, Dave Matthews Band, Dead & Company, John Mayer, Marc Anthony, Metallica, and Michael Bublé, among others. For the first time, Metallica’s system presented true stereo imaging to all seats on a 360-degree, in-the-round stadium tour.
“The reviews from those Metallica shows were some of the best they’ve ever received,” notes McMahon. “This was a bold move — and a big investment — on behalf of the band, but it worked amazingly well. The logistics would have been practically impossible without PANTHER, and Bob McCarthy’s design again proved why he’s the best in the business.”
Meyer Sound systems of all sizes and configurations once again powered stages at major festivals around the world, including Roskilde in Denmark, Montreux Jazz in Switzerland, and Outside Lands and Life Is Beautiful in the USA.
Meyer Sound’s barrier-breaking Bluehorn System monitors continued to gain converts among elite film scoring and surround sound mixing engineers, with new systems making their debut at Manny Marroquin’s Larrabee Studios, Fred Paragano’s Paragon Studios, and John Traunwieser’s new private mixing facility.
Meyer Sound’s industry-leading education program further expanded its offerings in 2023, with a full schedule of trainings at the Berkeley headquarters as well as programs at Full Sail University in Florida, and at other sites around the world.
The Constellation® acoustic system continued to build on its global reputation as the gold standard for active acoustic technology, with major new installations at large performance halls around the world. A fitting capstone to the year’s accomplishments was “NADIA’s Music Hall,” a festive unveiling of the new NADIA™ integrated digital audio platform in the Appel Room of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, where NADIA is now at the core of the venue’s Constellation acoustic system.
The evening featured performances by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble with renowned violinist Joshua Bell, the Mark Morris Dance Group, and rock legend Steve Miller, with a warm reception from JALC Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis. “NADIA’s Music Hall was an astonishing marriage of technology and art,” recalls John McMahon, “and it was a humbling experience to have such celebrated artists extolling our virtues. It really put a bow on our year.”
The coming year will mark Meyer Sound’s 45th anniversary, and McMahon predicts that the momentum will continue unabated.
“We have significant new products in the pipeline,” says McMahon. “Our customers will notice — and appreciate — a renewed emphasis on software. Our loudspeakers have high visibility as large physical objects, but our customers increasingly engage with those products by interacting with dedicated software. We are continuing to grow a global software team by adding an infusion of new talent, and we expect great things from them in 2024.”
