Meyer Sound Laboratories, Inc. and Theatrical Sound Design

In many ways, the art of modern theatrical sound design and Meyer Sound have come of age together. For nearly three decades, the Berkeley, Calif.-based pro-audio manufacturer has collaborated with many of the world’s leading sound designers to develop innovative technologies that help them accomplish their ever-evolving goals and create increasingly sophisticated soundscapes.

This unique relationship dates back to the early 1980s when now-legendary Broadway sound designer Abe Jacob, engaged company president and CEO John Meyer to create a loudspeaker ideally suited to musical theatre productions. The resulting product UPA-1 was so successful that the UPA-1P (the self-powered version of the original UPA-1) is considered a keystone product to this day in theatrical productions around the world from Broadway to the West End, by Cirque du Soleil®, and in many other applications.

In 2005, Meyer Sound propelled theatrical sound design technology into a new realm when it acquired LCS Audio, innovator of the popular Matrix3 show audio control system and the VRAS technology which Meyer Sound’s breakthrough Constellation electroacoustic architecture is based on. The results have included the development of advanced digital audio tools and the seamless integration of digital mixing and signal processing with self-powered loudspeaker systems. Nowhere are the benefits of these new technologies more evident than in Las Vegas, where Meyer Sound products are at the heart of The Strip’s most adventurous and in-demand shows and spectacles. Notable examples include Cirque du Soleil’s “O”®, KA, the latest The Beatles LOVE™, and touring productions including Delirium™ and KOOZA™.

An industry leader for nearly three decades with more than three dozen patents and numerous awards to its name, Meyer Sound has introduced powerful and reliable tools for sound designers to deliver undistorted and intelligible sound for the most discriminating audience. As highly respected sound designer Jonathan Deans has said: “I know that when I put Meyer Sound loudspeakers into an environment, they will work there, and will continue to for many years. I also feel that I have the backing of the company. The individuals who work at Meyer take a personal interest in making the final product, in my case, the production, sound as good as it can be.”

With more than 300 employees and one of the industry’s largest engineering staffs in proportion to company size, Meyer Sound manufactures its products entirely at its Berkeley factory, where advanced technology is combined with precision craftsmanship. By performing core processes in house, including manufacturing of driver components, the company maintains the stringent quality standards needed to assure absolute consistency of performance from product to product.

Current theatrical productions using Meyer Sound products include Miss Saigon in Australia, Broadway musicals The Ritz, Grease and Legally Blonde, the London revival of the Sound of Music, and multiple resident and touring productions of the mega-hit Wicked. Recent Meyer Sound installations include the Hopkins Center in Hanover, N.H.; Pantages Theatre in Tacoma, W.A.; and the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London.