A system for concerts, musicals and symphony orchestra: Leopard (Meyer Sound) lands on the Procter & Gamble Hall

The system Meyer Sound Leopard stars in the latest renovation of Procter & Gamble Hall, space belonging to Aronoff Center of the Arts of Cincinnati with capacity for 2700 people who host concerts, symphonic performances, ballet and special events.

Inaugurated in 1995 and designed by the architect Cesar Pelli, The Aronoff Center regularly hosts touring national productions that require demanding technical requirements. The venue must accommodate musicals based on the dialogue, concerts and an orchestral program, often in the same week, that require a even coverage in all seating areas.

The hall originally opened with a system of Meyer Sound that worked reliably for three decades. With advances in speaker technology and network processing, the organization decided to modernize without leaving aside that legacy. In the words of Mike Meuche, Aronoff Center sound engineer: “We knew we wanted to move to a line array system to achieve more uniform coverage. The previous system was more suitable for light reinforcement and lectures. Every time we had very loud one-night-only performances that wanted to surpass the 90 o 100 dB, we had to rent a system. “That took a long time to install.”.

The stands geometry of the room also posed specific coverage challenges, especially on the upper balcony. The update provided the opportunity to apply modern tools of system modeling and design to refine tonal consistency throughout the space.

The Leopard Ecosystem (Meyer Sound) at the Proctor & Gamble Hall

The new system of Aronoff Center is based on 28 linear speakers compact Leopard, backed by eight 900‑LFC y four 2100‑LFC as low frequency control elements, and three Ultra‑X82, and Ultra‑X80 and two Ultra‑X40 as fill speakers. Everything is controlled by the network platform Galileo Galaxy, which provides compatibility with the Milan network to adapt to both touring and internal workflows.

The system was extensively modeled using the System Design and Prediction Tool 3D MAPP Meyer Sound to verify coverage and predict performance before installation began. That predictive precision paid off: from the orchestra to the upper balcony, the new system offers “tonal balance and uniform impact across all seating areas, while maintaining clarity throughout the room.”, explains one's own Meyer.

Assembly limitations required a creative engineering, especially in the low frequency range. The integrator Ovation, led by Bob Cochran, was responsible for the installation of the entire system, as well as finding creative solutions for subwoofers: “The space where we would ideally have hung the subwoofers was not available, so we designed a gradient array to direct the bass towards the balcony. “That's one of those complicated situations where Meyer Sound's deep knowledge of the physics of sound was instrumental in solving a challenging scenario.”.

“Everyone who has passed by here has been delighted.. For one night only events, This year we have not had to rent any system. I love the sound of the room”, concludes Meuche.