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Meyer Sound Laboratories, Inc.

2832 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94702
United States
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Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and Meyer Sound Enchant All's Well That Ends Well Audiences at Boston Common
Posted on Monday, November 21, 2011
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and Meyer Sound Enchant All's Well That Ends Well Audiences at Boston Common

 Last summer, William Shakespeare and Meyer Sound came together for 17 outdoor performances of All's Well That Ends Well, presented by the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) on the Boston Common. Audiences of up to 12,000 were attracted to the temporary outdoor theatre for the production each night.

To present All's Well That Ends Well to the overflow audiences, the CSC turned to Boston-based MJ Audio. The live sound company provided a sound system consisting of 16 Meyer Sound M'elodie line array loudspeakers, eight per side; seven MSL-4 loudspeakers, one employed as center fill and two flown on each of three delay towers; two CQ-1 loudspeakers, one per side for out fill; three UPM-1P loudspeakers for lip fill; and two UPA-1P loudspeakers for foldback monitoring.

MJ Audio also provided an Avid VENUE SC48 console, while Talamas Broadcast Equipmentof Newton, Mass. supplied Shure UHF-R wireless equipment.

"One of the biggest factors in the success of the design was the three delay towers, each with a pair of MSL-4 loudspeakers," recalls Brian McCoy, CSC's chief audio engineer.

"The coverage area is quite large, outdoors, and in the center of a city where ambient noise is a factor, so a considerable delay system was essential in achieving appropriate levels throughout the audience area," continues McCoy. "The MSL-4 speakers fulfilled that role perfectly. Their extreme directivity made the transition between the main system and delay zones seamless—with very few adverse effects to the areas immediately before the delays—and their long-throw capability was essential in giving us the coverage we needed."

McCoy, who handled system design using Meyer Sound's MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program, looked to CQ-1 and UPM-1P loudspeakers for additional coverage. "Unlike most stages, the audience wrapped around the entire left and right sides of the stage," he says. "That created a need for out fill, so a flown CQ-1 on each side provided ample coverage where line arrays left off. Meanwhile, the UPM-1P's low profile and capability of being easily rigged to the existing lighting pipe made it an ideal choice for lip fill. Everyone has been extremely happy with the performance of the system."

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