The launch of Karan Aujla’s It Was All A Dream Tour in August at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena attracted a sold-out crowd of approximately 20,000 - underscoring the growing popularity of Punjabi music in Canada and globally. This concert confirms the Canada based Indian singer, rapper, and songwriter’s status as a leading artist in the ‘Punjabi Wave’.
A large-scale Meyer Sound PANTHER rig, expertly deployed by Solotech, was specifically selected for the event. “It’s a big venue," says Alexandre Ginchereau, Sound Crew Chief at Solotech and A1 for the show, "and PANTHER was perfect for the full house set up. Easy to deploy, easy for reaching the back of the arena without compromising any of the zones we needed to cover or the overall tonal balance.” The system also included other Meyer Sound loudspeakers, including their recently released 2100-LFC low-frequency elements.
Meyer’s MAPP 3D system design software allowed the team to predict how PANTHER would perform in the venue ahead of time, cutting down on time spent tuning. "It’s a huge time saver." He admits MAPP 3D took some time for him to “warm up to" initially, adding; "but now, when I work on sub designs and anything related to cardioid subs, it’s one of my go-to platforms.”
The level of control provided by the loudspeakers on-board processing was also a plus. “I used PANTHER’s low-mid beam control function for the mains to achieve a more even coverage and tonal balance across the whole system,” he says. The processing also allows engineers to achieve a heightened and more detailed degree of control given that each cabinet can live on a single, discrete processing channel – rather than two or three per channel.
Ginchereau is appreciative of PANTHER’s powerful yet lightweight design. Large, loud, and powerful is the perfect way to describe his preferred type of system. “I want more,” he says, laughing. "But I always want more – that’s my thing.”
Granted, he had a fair bit to work with for this show. For this event, Solotech deployed eighteen PANTHER units per side for mains (fourteen Ls and four Ws), in addition to twelve PANTHER Ls and four Ws per side, and a 270-degree outer configuration featuring nine Meyer LEOPARD compact line array elements.
Low frequency support included nine 2100-LFCs per side, ground-stacked with twelve 1100-LFC subs. ULTRA-X40 units were also deployed for 270-degrees extended coverage.
Ginchereau’s experience with PANTHER and Meyer Sound in general, dates way back, in both his work for Solotech and as a freelance system engineer. “I started twenty years ago at Solotech. So, back in the days, I had been trained by Meyer on a lot of their products: UPA’s, MILO, MICA, even older boxes like the M3D subs and MSL-3 as well as SIM 2 and SIM 3.”
Since then, he’s deployed a wide variety of the company’s products, including PANTHER, as Head of Sound for the Life Is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas. “I’ve done that for ten years, and it’s always a Meyer rig, so I’m often trying their technology as it comes out.”
He credits Meyer as being increasingly responsive to the needs of, and the feedback provided by audio professionals. “I believe they do listen to users and are focused on making what the industry needs” – providing a balm for the pain points today's audio pros experience "by making things that fit today’s market.”
Ginchereau’s fondness for the company's offerings has only increased over time, and he believes their most recent products will extend Meyer’s reach overall. “I believe PANTHER has made people more curious about Meyer's technology. "As I said, I was a tester every year at Life is Beautiful, where we needed to cover a lot of ground, and, again, Meyer made that easy.” His praise extends to the entire Meyer ecosystem, particularly the company’s Galaxy processors. “It’s one of the standards we use every day – even on other rigs – as an easy-to-deploy, AVB solution. To me, rare are the processors that beat the Galaxy platform in terms of conversion quality.”
Ginchereau also maintains a strong relationship with Meyer’s Canadian distributor, GerrAudio, who also had other products represented at Aujla’s sold out show; notably, a pair of DiGiCo consoles for FOH and monitors. “I wasn’t mixing on this one, but DiGiCo provides a versatile approach to the signal chain and it's one of my favourite consoles,” Ginchereau adds.