CenterStaging, Southern California’s leading rehearsal facility, has raised the bar on in-house audio quality by offering Meyer Sound loudspeakers exclusively. In consultation with Meyer Sound engineers, CenterStaging General Manager James “Jimbo” Neal has equipped all of the facility’s 12 rooms with a self-powered Meyer Sound system - including a total of 24 LEOPARD compact linear line array loudspeakers - each configured for optimum performance given the specific room volume and dimensions.
CenterStaging is a preferred rehearsal site for many of the entertainment industry’s elite programs and events, including the GRAMMY Awards, Academy Awards, American Music Awards, The Voice, American Idol and Dancing with the Stars, among many others. With such high-profile and demanding clientele, many of them working under extreme deadline pressure, CenterStaging could not afford to skimp on quality or reliability.
“We already had a good inventory of Meyer Sound wedges, but we decided to go ahead and standardize the side fill systems for all the same size rooms,” says CenterStaging General Manager James “Jimbo” Neal. “And now everybody is in love with the new systems. Having Meyer Sound exclusively makes it easy to move from one room to another, because you know it will sound the same and you can get comfortable right away. And, of course, all of the Meyer gear sounds great.”
For Mitch Clark, co-owner of CenterStaging, making the move to an all-Meyer Sound facility was a common-sense business decision. “Maintaining good, strong relationships is vital to the success of any company in the entertainment business. Meyer Sound has been a great company partner since my days as owner of [staging systems maker] TOMCAT Global. Meyer continues to produce the highest quality products backed by the best service in the industry. We expect nothing less because our clients expect nothing less.”
Flexibility is another key element in tailoring audio needs to clients, as often systems need to be adapted or augmented with either different loudspeakers or additional loudspeakers. In such scenarios, according to Neal, the Meyer Sound solution shines in comparison to its high-end direct competitors.
“Other companies have come in and tried to pitch us,” he says, “but the minute they roll in the amplifier racks I’d say, ‘Stop right now! We don’t buy power amps.’ Meyer’s self-powered systems make it easier when, for example, in the middle of the night somebody says they need another wedge. It’s easy. Grab the Meyer box, an XLR cable and a power cable, and you’re ready.”
In the audio configurations, the 12 studios at CenterStaging are equipped with a grand total of 200 Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers. For side fill tops, six of the larger studios deploy LEOPARD line array loudspeakers in short stacks of two per side. Five other large- to mid-size studios rely on UPQ-1P, UPQ-2P or JM-1P point source loudspeakers as the side fill tops. Deep bass power is supplied by appropriately matched 900-LFC and 750-LFC low-frequency control elements along with 600-HP and 700-HP subwoofers. Each studio is also provided with between six and twelve stage monitor wedges, either MJF-212A or MJF-210, or a mixture of the two.
For side fill tops in the intimate Studio 3, CenterStaging now offers a pair of Meyer Sound’s new ULTRA-X40 loudspeakers.
“The new ULTRA-X40 with the 750 subs is an amazing combination,” remarks Neal. “It’s just tearing that room up. For its size and weight, the ULTRA-X40 is an amazing box. I can see where it will be a game-changer for Meyer in small session rooms and the corporate world.”
Reliability and durability are two more critical qualities in this application, emphasizes Neal. “These systems take a lot of abuse, particularly the side fills with dance acts using heavy electronic music. They will push the subs really hard, but the Meyer Sound boxes just keep working. We’ve never had any complaints.”
As a veteran in the entertainment support industry, co-owner Clark understands what’s at stake. “There are no do-overs in live performance,” he says. “You have to get it right the first time because that’s the only shot you’ll get. Our clients know that we only partner with companies of like mind, and Meyer Sound has consistently proven when it’s ‘go’ time, they get it right every time.”
CenterStaging’s California operation also provides standardized Avid SC48 digital mixing consoles, Shure wired microphones and Radial direct input boxes in every studio.
CenterStaging LLC was established in 2009 by Mitch Clark and Scott Scovill. In addition to the Southern California rehearsal studios, CenterStaging Los Angeles and New York City also offer an extensive range of musical instruments for backline rental along with veteran technicians to support any event.
