latest news headlines
Dirty Dancing Hits the Chicago Stage with Meyer Sound M'elodie
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage is the international smash hit, coming-of-age love story that combines all the intensity and excitement of live theatre with new songs, new scenes, and thrilling new dances. Now playing at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre, the production gives lifelong fans of the film and new audiences an unprecedented live experience filled with heart-pounding music, breathtaking emotion and sensationally sexy dancing.
Sound designer Bobby Aitken has brought a stellar crew to design and run the elaborate Meyer Sound M'elodie line array loudspeaker system, 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," says Garth 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 cover 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."
Additional orchestra seating coverage is provided by 12 UPJunior VariO loudspeakers, along with 14 M1D loudspeakers for delay. "The UPJuniors are a great addition to the Meyer family," Helm observes. "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," concludes Helm.
16th January 2009
HEADLINES
news archive
search stories
FOOTNOTE: Select the news type you require in the red band above; this will enable you to see the current news stories from that section
© 1999 - 2012 Entertainment Technology Press Limited News Stories
