Metallica and the Meyer Sound LEO inaugurate Quebec Arena with a circled TM Array

American thrash metal band has used for the first time a LEO Meyer Sound family speaker system in circular arrangement, combined with 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements in a TM Array configuration, during the opening of Videotron Centre, in Canadian Quebec City, with the capacity to 20.000 people.

The opening of Videotron Centre, located in the new Quebec Arena, headquarters in this city of Canada to hold indoor events, mainly for ice hockey and concerts, with the capacity to 18.259 seats, has counted in the latter case with the concert of the American thrash metal band Metallica, who acted before 20.000 people.

For this concert, Metallica's engineer for more than thirty years, 'Big Mick' Hughes, has used for the first time and in circular arrangement a leo family speaker system Meyer Sound, combined with 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements in a TM Array configuration.

As Hughes has pointed out, "I had never heard that amount of range in bass (with such a definition) when we play in a circular arrangement. The TM Array works fantastically well and the 1100-LFC, simply, have an immoral amount of power".

The TM Array configuration comprises forty 1100-LFC elements, configured in four arrays suspended directly on the Lars Ulrich battery to propagate a 'donut' pattern, low-frequency uniform through the stands.

"Working in a circle you have to get control of what you're doing, fortunately LEO is very controlled at low frequencies," Hughes points out.. You're in the nearby field of a part of the PA., but you may have problems with the room environment generated by the other array elements heading in other directions. LEO makes it completely manageable. With its phase coherence, you get better penetration into the room and avoid low-medium frequencies, extending to the back and side".

The main arrays of Videotron Centre are 72 LEO-M line arrays for the long sides of the enclosure, and 72 Lyon-W line arrays with wide coverage for short shots, while four Lyon-M and Lyon-W have been installed for each down-fill for final locks.

Eight Mica line arrays and sixteen M'elodie fed the front-fill during metallica's concert; four JM-1Ps arranged in array were suspended for each down-fill, and 48 700-HP subwoofers covered the low stands. A Galileo Callisto speaker management system, consisting of two Galileo array processors 616 AES and 10 Galileo Callisto 616, provided the unity and alignment of the system.

The band also performed two nights at the Colisée Pepsi (which was what it was called before its opening and remodeling), where most of the components of the same system were developed in an end-stage scenario configuration.

All of these systems were supplied by the headquarters of Solotech in Montreal. Metallica tours feature their own on-stage monitor system, which usually includes 36 Meyer Sound MJF-210.

"The coverage was incredibly uniform, largely due to the way they combine LEO and Lyon in terms of patterns," adds Lee Moro, senior project manager at Solotech -, and power allows you to hit the point with all the level you need. All the packaging and clarity was there".

Hughes mixes live at a Midas XL8 digital table, with DPA d microphones:vote 4099 on the battery. The vocal microphones used by the band are the supercardiodes dynamic models Shure super 55 that favor his musical style.

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