A replacement of the aged equipment purchased from the University of Texas in 1971, the Meyer Sound system was part of the college's modernisation efforts to draw its athletic prospects' attention to superior facilities that also include a fitness complex built in 2002. "This is our biggest recruiting tool," says athletic director Joe Tubb. "Once we get them here, it's the people that they like. But, you have to get them here first."
The new system also presents a giant leap in the sound quality for public gatherings at the venue, including livestock judging contests and other award ceremonies. "This facility is the showplace for our community and it was due an upgrade like this," says Dr. Kelvin Sharp, president of the college. "The quality delivered through this sound system is so much better than the one we used previously. It has made the audio at our public events a lot clearer for the audiences."
A distributed system, highlighting 26 UPQ-1P loudspeakers and four UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers, is permanently flown from the catwalk. A Galileo loudspeaker management system with two Galileo 616 processors is used for signal drive and control. System design was coordinated by Addison, Texas-based consultant Acoustic Dimensions.
"Once you hear the UPQ, you can immediately tell it's a Meyer product," says Matt Quick, assistant professor in sound technology at South Plains College. "The horn is very smooth, and definitely performs the way you would expect. It's the difference between understanding what somebody said and not."
(Jim Evans)
