"After hundreds of successful shows, I had no thoughts of replacing the old systems with anything other than Meyer," says Tony Khoury, who has been head audio engineer at Casino du Liban since 1996. "I wanted newer technology but with the same natural sound quality and amazing reliability. In 16 years, I had zero loudspeaker failures. That made me a Meyer Sound believer."
Both systems were designed by Khoury, in consultation with Meyer Sound Design Services, using the MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program. For the two-level Théâtre du Liban, Khoury plotted a configuration with seven-per-side MICA line arrays each flown under a 600-HP subwoofer, with additional deep bass from dual ground-stacked 700-HP subwoofers. Four M1D line array loudspeakers and five UPM-1P loudspeakers supply front fill and balcony delay respectively, with everything tied together by a Galileo loudspeaker management system with one Galileo 616 processor.
In Salle des Ambassadeurs, the newer of the two rigs deploys seven-per-side M'elodie line array loudspeakers along with twin UPQ-2 loudspeakers as a center cluster, four UPJunior VariO loudspeakers for left and right side-fill, 10 M1D loudspeakers for underbalcony-fill, two 700-HP subwoofers, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system with a Galileo 616 processor. This system was provided and installed by Beirut-based Prolites in early 2012.
"The new line arrays have given me much more headroom, and even better uniformity of levels and imaging throughout the rooms," states Khoury. "Since we completed the installation at Salle des Ambassadeurs, we've had seven concerts and all the bands were surprised by the punch of the system and the clarity of instrumental sounds."
The prior Meyer Sound systems utilized a variety of legacy loudspeakers, including UPA-1C, MSL-2A, USW-1, and 650-R subwoofers. Both rooms are still making good use of the existing stage monitoring systems, with each comprising legacy USM-1 non-powered monitors and MTS-4A self-powered loudspeakers for side fill. The upgrade programme also furnished three new Midas PRO6 consoles: one at each FOH mix and one at monitor in Salle des Ambassadeurs.
Perched on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean about 20 miles from Beirut, Casino du Liban originally opened in 1959. Thirty years later, beleaguered by years of factional strife in Lebanon, the casino was forced to close. After a $50m complete reconstruction, the elegant resort reopened in 1996.
(Jim Evans)
