Upgrading the Myer Horowitz Theatre at the University of Alberta’s Students’ Union with a Meyer Sound PA system and DiGiCo Quantum 225 consoles has significantly enhanced the patron experience. This upgrade has empowered technicians at the 695-capacity theatre—otherwise known as the "jewel in the crown" of the Horowitz Events Centre—to streamline their workflow and handle a wider variety of events more efficiently.
The Theatre, and Events Centre overall, are decidedly multipurpose spaces, home to conferences, meetings, and full-scale shows of all descriptions, from concerts and comedy shows to movie screenings and special events. The new sound system, designed and tuned by GerrAudio’s Ian Robertson and installed by Sapphire Sound, has dramatically improved the venue’s ability to present varied programming more fluidly and effectively.
“Since I started here in audio in the 1980s we’ve added conference rooms and stages,” says Dennis Franz, Technical Director at the Horowitz Events Centre, “but since the Theatre opened in 1967 it hasn’t been renovated in any major way.” A recent, large-scale renovation and comprehensive upgrade of its production infrastructure, however, is a sea change for the venue.
While their previous PA served them “well enough” for years, it fell short in terms of intelligibility, coverage, and overall audience experience. “The new Meyer system is amazing. It’s given us true coverage of the entire space,” Franz adds.
When they initially connected with GerrAudio and Gerr’s Western Technical Sales Manager, Shawn Hines, various solutions were considered. “We started focusing on Meyer Sound in different scenarios, including line array, but decided point source was the way to go.” Specifically, twelve Meyer JM-1Ps flown in an LCR configuration in three hangs – four per side and four as a centre cluster; a cluster that also includes five Meyer 1100-LFC subs in a gradient cardioid sub array configuration. Additionally, seven UP-4 Slims provide front fill.
“We also have UPQ-D1s and 900-LFC subs (one per side) flown left and right for on-stage side wash, which is a huge upgrade, particularly for dance competitions and recitals,” says Principal Tech, Victor Sieniewicz. “That eliminated the need for monitor wedges, which is much better for dancers.”
Processing is achieved via one Meyer Galaxy 816, which offers significant flexibility and detail. “From a tuning perspective, it allowed Ian to really tweak the system,” he continues. “From my perspective, when touring people come in and want changes made, say, to the volume of the UP-4s, it's as easy as opening up the laptop, launching Compass, which has a really well-designed GUI, and entering dB values – that’s huge.”
For a multipurpose venue, flexibility is critical, as is the headroom, clarity, and intelligibility the Meyer PA offers for all of its events. The choice of Meyer Sound was also influenced by its frequent appearance on artists’ riders and the positive experiences both Franz and Sieniewicz have had with the brand. Notably, Franz says, in his work at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival where Meyer systems have been deployed regularly. Their experience with GerrAudio was also a factor, he adds: “The service we got, the discussions and consultations were all very positive. We knew Meyer could do the job, and have a lot of integrity – music and sound are their focus – there’s no expense spared serving that purpose, and we’re aligned with that.”
“The DiGiCo consoles are equally amazing,” he notes. “They’ve given us the processing ability and freedom we were lacking. We went from being stuck in the late 80s/early 90s to taking a huge leap as far as the sound experience goes.”
“We have two Quantum 225s – both with MQ-Racks. We’re leaning on one console for FOH at this point. We got the second for monitors and as an auxiliary console for other venues in the building. Recently, we installed the Pulse software upgrade, which allows more I/O capability. That really allows us to get down into the ditches and tweak things,” Sieniewicz says. “DiGiCo doesn’t make any assumptions for the user – it lets you do, see, and lay everything out the way you want.”
DiGiCo, too, is a staple on artist riders. “And we’ve listened to DiGiCo and played around with them at other venues and were really impressed, so we were already leaning towards it,” he adds. Previously, they’d considered purchasing SD9s. “But the 225s are cutting edge and were released right as we got into the nuts and bolts of putting the system together, so it was a no-brainer to jump on the Quantum platform.”
The support from DiGiCo is invaluable, Sieniewicz continues: "Honestly, that was one of the biggest points we considered – their responsiveness, support, and how they develop their user platform. It’s amazing, when a touring group comes in with a DiGiCo console, to be able to convert their show file no matter what DiGiCo console they’re using. The software is quick and easy to use so I can convert a file from an older console into Quantum, seamlessly.”
“The fact that DiGiCo unlocks features at a reasonable price,” Franz adds, “means you're basically getting a new console.” They may not require all that power and flexibility currently, “But having it lets us evaluate our use case scenario before upgrading – then it’s a choice.” Essentially with the Meyer Sound PA and new consoles, the Myer Horowitz Theatre has room to grow and consistently offer better experiences for audiences across the board.
“I would say so,” Sieniewicz agrees. “For example, our free movie nights for students. Before we had to move the PA so the sound would come from the screen, but it still wasn’t ideal; it was onerous for our technicians and didn’t provide much benefit. Now, we just start the movie and we’re good to go. It’s a lot less work for all the events we do.”
“What was in there for PA, before, was extremely underpowered for the type of shows they do, especially on the console side,” puts in Cole Haaf of Sapphire Sound, who worked on the installation. “I believe they started using the 225s a year before we put the PA in, in other spaces. They didn't want to let them just sit there. Both Victor and Dennis were very enthusiastic about the project. A really important part of the design was making sure the subwoofer solution worked well in a cardioid configuration to control the volume on the stage and make sure the house had consistent low end – that was a challenge before, partly because of the variety of shows they do.”
Since reopening in early 2024 the Myer Horowitz Theatre has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from users, audiences and performers alike. “Everybody’s ecstatic,” Sieniewicz says, “and I’m a super happy camper. With any large construction project, there are going to be things that aren’t 100 percent, but this sound system isn’t one of them. I can walk up to it and just know that we’re good to go.”
A New Era of Sound: The Myer Horowitz Theatre Upgrades with Meyer Sound and DiGiCo