Until this year, however, the Casa lacked its own permanent sound reinforcement system - a situation now remedied by the installation of Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers in both the main 1,300-seat venue, Sala Suggia, and the Casa's auxiliary hall, Sala 2.
The permanent systems are supplied by Meyer Sound Portugal, and installed by the Casa's own engineering department under the direction of in-house technical production manager, Ernesto Costa. Explaining the time lag between the Casa da Música's opening and the audio installation, Costa says, "We rented our loudspeakers for three years, during which time we tested many systems. In Sala Suggia, the Meyer Sound M2D line array loudspeakers ended up being the preferred system for our engineers, for the musicians who play here, and for our own artistic staff."
The Sala Suggia system comprises twin hangs of 10 Meyer Sound M2D loudspeakers as the main L-R sound source, topped by a pair of M2D-Sub subwoofers for lower frequencies on each side. Additionally, four UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers are floor-mounted for frontfill coverage, paired with four 700-HP subwoofers that can be arranged in a number of configurations, depending on the performance. Four UM-1P stage monitors and two UM-100P stage monitors are used for foldback. A Meyer Sound Galileo loudspeaker management system is used to switch between configurations.
In Sala 2, a smaller hall which has no fixed seating or staging, two pairs of Meyer Sound UPA-1P loudspeakers provide the main L-R source, with four high-power 650-P subwoofers supplying low end and a pair of UPM-1P loudspeakers as near-fills. Another Galileo loudspeaker management system is installed here, since usage of the hall varies widely.
Costa reports that coverage and clarity are the venue's most important criteria and the two key issues resolved by the Meyer Sound installation. "We don't need huge SPLs," he explains, "but Sala Suggia is not an easy room - it contains a lot of reflective surfaces that have to be tamed."
(Jim Evans)
