Meyer Sound’s new PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeakers supplied by U.K.-based Major Tom Ltd. were deployed for the opening two shows of Ed Sheeran’s “+ – = ÷ x” (“Mathematics”) in-the-round world tour in late April at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin, Ireland that were attended by more than 80,000.
The main system was anchored by 212 PANTHER loudspeakers, and the Dublin shows also were the first anywhere to deploy a Milan protocol AVB network from front of house all the way to the loudspeaker cabinets. According to production director and FOH engineer Chris Marsh, “One of the main criteria for the tours since we started 11 years ago was that Ed has to be heard clearly at every seat in the venue. I’ve always been impressed by how well LEO arrays could bring that sense of intimacy to the back rows of stadiums. And in that regard, I was surprised at how PANTHER, a lighter and smaller box, could do the same. I managed to get a bit of a walkaround during the support acts, and I was immediately aware of the remarkable clarity at distant seats.”
For the Croke Park shows, the system included 14 hangs of PANTHER arrays in two rings. The six inner arrays each comprised 10 of the “L” long-throw versions and two of the “M” main versions. The eight outer arrays comprised 10 “L” versions, two “M” versions, and two “W” wide-coverage versions. The three horn dispersion configurations enable system designers to tailor coverage for uniform levels and frequency response at various distances.
Low-frequency support was supplied by six flown arrays of 1100-LFC elements configured in gradient arrays of 10 each. In addition, 20 LEOPARD loudspeakers were set around the circular stage as front fill, with stage bass supplied by six stacks of three 1100-LFC elements in gradient arrays.
Marsh states that the clarity went beyond simply the ability to understand Sheeran’s lyrics. “Clarity is usually thought of in terms of the high-end, of sibilants and diction, but PANTHER was also very tight in the low-mids — something you tend not to get when that far away. Everything was present and clear, including subtle nuances like reverb tails, which are often lost at distance.”
The primary Milan Certified GALAXY 816 network patform at FOH connects to a Milan End Point (MEP) network, configured as a star topology, which consists of one GALAXY 816 platform, three GALAXY 408 platforms, and 20 Luminex Gigacore 26i switches. As failover backup, the always-active parallel analog inputs were connected via a primary and secondary redundant Milan network with dedicated GALAXY units.
The tour system was designed in consultation with Meyer Sound director of system optimization Bob McCarthy with on-site assistance from senior technical support specialist Josh Dorn-Fehrmann. Veteran audio system engineer Charlie Albin handles system alignment, tuning, and monitoring duties for each show.
PANTHER also brings added efficiency and sustainability of the tour, according to Marsh. “With the way it rigs, the 14 hangs go up and come down very quickly. Also, we are taking up a lot less truck space than if we were using other systems. The entire audio system fits in only three trucks, which we could not do with a LEO-based system or likely any other. Finally, although I don’t have the telemetry data yet, I’m sure the power consumption is way down from what we had on our previous tour, and those were end-on shows.”
