CHICAGO — Bobby Aitken, sound designer for the current production of Dirty Dancing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, is using a Meyer Sound M’elodie line array loudspeaker system operated by a crew including associate sound designer Garth Helm, UK associate sound designer and programmer Simon King, FOH engineer Bill Ruger and monitor engineer Allen Sanders.
“We have such a large dynamic range in this show, from whisper dialog and underscoring to full-on concert levels,” said Helm. “The M’elodies have met all our demands and SPL requirements of a box twice its size.”
The main system, provided by New York-based Sound Associates, was designed by Helm with assistance from Meyer Sound’s Design Services using the MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program. The system comprises left and right hangs of 16 M’elodie loudspeakers each, with a center cluster of 12 M’elodie cabinets. A pair of 700-HP subwoofers covers the balcony’s low end, while two 600-HP subwoofers augment the orchestra level.
Surround sound is provided by 16 UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers supplemented by 16 self-powered MM-4XP miniature loudspeakers, which measure four square inches each. “The output of the MM-4XP is really impressive,” says Helm. “It’s a little firecracker, and delivers far more than one would expect from such a small enclosure. It also requires very minimal EQ.”
Twelve UPJunior VariO loudspeakers, with 14 M1D loudspeakers for delay, provide additional orchestra seating coverage. “The UPJuniors are a great addition to the Meyer family,” Helm said. “We’re using them in places where we couldn’t physically fit a UPJ, and the coverage is seamless. The low end extension on the UPJunior is very impressive…This is an excellent sounding configuration, and we’d gladly use it again.”
For more information, please visit www.meyersound.com.
