Metallica's “World Magnetic Tour” Brings the Punch and Uniform Low-End Coverage In-the-Round from Meyer Sound

Photo: courtesy of Meyer Sound Laboratories.

Audio Product Stories Published: 13 January 2009
For Metallica, who has conquered the world a million times over, the goal for the new US tour is to provide its fans with something they have never experienced before. In support of the record-breaking Death Magnetic album released earlier this year, the grand masters of metal are rocking arenas across North America in an in-the-round production with bone-rattling, yet amazingly clear and smooth sound reinforcement. Longtime collaborator Thunder Audio of Taylor, Mich. is once again providing audio support on this tour, with a system of close to 200 self-powered loudspeakers from Meyer Sound.

“This is quite an innovative system,” notes Thunder Audio VP Paul Owen. “The entire design of the system is in-the-round, and we're using fiber optics all around and no analog equipment anywhere to minimize cable management, as well as a unique sub array configuration that provides powerful and even low-frequency coverage for the best sound possible. We are very excited about the dramatic results the configuration provides.”

The groundbreaking system design features eight equally spaced arrays, each consisting of 12 MILO line array loudspeakers and four MICA line array loudspeakers. Forty self-powered 700-HP subwoofers handle bass support, arranged in an innovative sub array configuration created by Meyer Sound’s Thomas Mundorf using the MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program. Known as the TM Array, it was first deployed at Metallica's Berlin and London record release events with very impressive results.

“We're pretty excited to get this whole system to work,” concludes Owen. “We tried this new subwoofer configuration on a couple of European promotional shows with unbelievable results. We've never been able to generate as much low frequency at a high SPL level equally placed throughout the whole arena with any other system we've used.”

Twenty-four MJF-212A stage monitors provide monitoring. Processing is controlled by a Galileo loudspeaker management system with five processors networked in concert with the RMS remote monitoring system. Tuning of the system is handled using a SIM 3 audio analyzer.
Through February 2009, Metallica will perform in arenas in major cities throughout the US and Canada, with the last announced stop at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.