volume 2 issue 12 2009 - Mobile Production Pro

SoundMeyer Sound JM-1PMakes Africa’s Gospel“Experience” Uplifting Everywhere“The Experience,” a non-denominational gospel musicconcert in Lagos, Nigeria has grown to become by far the largestmusic event in Africa. A Woodstock-sized throng estimatedat 450,000 jammed into the Tafawa Balewa Square and spilledover into an adjacent cricket field for a spiritual celebration featuring14 American and Nigerian gospel artists, including headlinersKirk Franklin, Phil Driscoll, and Bebe and Cece Winans. Theevent’s ongoing sound system supplier, GQ Acoustics of Lagos,pampered the enlarged crowd this year with an expandedMeyer Sound system that had been boosted with more MILO ®line array loudspeakers and 700-HP subwoofers, plus a newcomplement of problem-solving JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers.“The main venue is an open quadrangleabout 170 meters across, with the stage onone long side, grandstands opposite, andthree-story pavilions on the short sides,”explains David “dB Dave” Dennison, aconsultant engineer who assisted withsystem design and technical support. “Theextreme width made it impossible to coverthe far corners effectively with only the linearrays. Fortunately, the JM-1Ps were perfectfor delays and fills because I could add 20degrees of horizontal coverage by simplyadding another box until I had exactly what Ineeded. That was priceless.”Of the 16 JM-1P loudspeakers, four wereplaced on each of the two delay towers forback corner coverage, three per side wereaimed far off-stage toward seating areasbeyond the coverage of the side arrays, andone per side was used for VIP areas adjacentto the stage.The main stage system comprised 14MILO line array loudspeakers plus14 MICA line array loudspeakersper side for side fill. Two UPA-1Ploudspeakers covered immediatefront-center while 36 700-HPsubwoofers at the stage arranged forcardioid response plus two at eachdelay tower supplied bass impact.The stage monitoring complementincluded 16 MJF-212A stagemonitors, four MTS-4A full rangeloudspeakers, and two USW-1Psubwoofers. A Galileo® loudspeakermanagement system with twoGalileo 616 processors was employedfor signal processing, and the system wasaligned using GQ Acoustics’ own SIM® 3audio analyzer.Except for a few groups bringing their ownengineers, FOH mixing was entrusted toGQ Acoustics’ Andrew Adesina and IfeanyiFor additional info. about the Meyer SoundJM-1P arrayable loudspeakervisit: meyersound.com/products/jm_seriesAchibiri of House on the Rock, the organizerof the event.“The sound this year was awesome,absolutely out of the world,” says Achibiri.“I’m certain we will have GQ Acoustics andMeyer Sound back again next year. No othercompany in the region can do this kind ofwork.”Peter Iriah, managing director of GQAcoustics, was pleased that his bolsteredsystem stayed one step ahead of the swellingattendance. “Also, the high level of technicalsupport we received from Meyer Soundwas invaluable, going far beyond what mostcompanies provide,” adds Iriah.As in past years, the 2009 Experience wasconvened by Paul Adefarasin, founder andsenior pastor of the House on the Rock.Based in Lagos, House on the Rock is amulti-racial, multi-tribal church with 35sites in Nigeria as well as branch ministriesthroughout Africa and Europe.)10 mobile production monthly