Celtic Woman Returns to the US with Versatile Meyer Sound MILO and MICA System

Ireland's Celtic Woman is back in the U.S. On its three-month coast-to-coast tour, the all-female group is playing shows ranging from massive to intimate and back again. With settings ranging from 2,000-seat theatres to 9,000-seat arenas, East Rutherford, New Jersey-based Masque Sound has outfitted the band with a versatile system of self-powered Meyer Sound loudspeakers to cover every contingency.

"We're playing in such a variety of venues," says front-of-house engineer Wayne Pauley. "We have to be able to change gear pretty drastically from night to night, and the Meyer gear can do that."

The music ranges from Irish folk and symphonic to a cappella and pop. "Celtic Woman are really known for a great-sounding show," says Pauley. "It is exceptionally dynamic. Levels can go from 85dB to 105dB, with a whole lot of articulation. The Meyer Sound system enables us to maintain our level of quality and consistency for the people in the furthest seats away as well as those in the front row."

With many of the shows held in large hockey arenas, Pauley and crew break out the full system, including 10 MILO and two Milo 120 line-array loudspeakers per side. The main arrays are supplemented by 24 MICA line array loudspeakers. "For the theatres we might use just the Micas, or sometimes fly 10 Milo and eight Micas in a single array," says the engineer.

"We're basically carrying two PA systems, mixing and matching between them depending on what the venue requires," says Pauley. "We treat every day like a one-day install. System tech Tom Stegemann comes in every morning and sizes up the room with MAPP Online Pro (the company's acoustical prediction program), and we figure out what we need for that day."

In addition to the main systems, 10 UPM-1P loudspeakers sit at stage edge for front fills. Low end is supplied by twelve 700-HP subwoofers, which quantity and placement vary day to day. Six UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers are available for use as needed. A Galileo loudspeaker-management system, utilizing two Galileo 616 units, provides DSP control and EQ. Pauley also relies on a pair of HD-1 studio monitors at the FOH mix position.

"We've been all over the world on this tour, and I've become a huge fan of the Milo and Mica in particular," Pauley concludes. "No other speaker allows me to pick out even the most subtle aspects of the mix, and deliver such great imaging and articulation, regardless of the size of the venue."