According to the Cotton Club's sound engineer, Taro Moriyama, selection of the Meyer Sound system was based in large part by the venue's eclectic musical fare. "Our stage hosts an incredibly wide variety of music, and we've found that Meyer Sound loudspeakers work well with any musical style because they don't colour the sound."
A quick sampling of acts that have graced the Cotton Club stage includes jazz's The Crusaders and Ahmad Jamal, reggae's Third World, R&B legend Ben E. King, sultry pop diva Rickie Lee Jones, avant-garde rock's Alan Parsons Project, and country soul songstress Rita Coolidge. Jazz duo Tuck & Patti, famed guitarist David T. Walker, and soulful 'ghostbuster' Ray Parker Jr have also performed in this music hall.
Moriyama designed the system in consultation with Acoustical Technical Lab (ATL) of Tokyo. Accurate room coverage was assured by the MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program. System installation was facilitated by the Cotton Club staff, again with technical assistance from ATL.
Dual Mica line arrays of four loudspeakers each are augmented by four 600-HP subwoofers. A quartet of UPA-2P loudspeakers provide stage-side-fill, with two more UPA-2P loudspeakers flown as overhead stage monitors. A pair of UPM-2P loudspeakers serves the mixing booth.
(Jim Evans)
