Meyer Sound has announced a new designation for its line of cinema products. Designed specifically for the motion picture exhibition and postproduction markets, the equipment formerly presented under the ‘Cinema Experience’ banner will now carry the ‘EXP’ tag.
‘In step with digital projection and 3D presentations, Meyer Sound’s EXP line of cinema products is redefining the movie-going experience,’ says John Meyer, CEO and cofounder of Meyer Sound. ‘The audience’s experience of immediacy and total immersion is dramatically heightened by the power and precise detail of EXP.’
The current family of self-powered EXP products includes four Acheron screen channel loudspeaker systems, the X-800C high-power cinema subwoofer and the HMS-10 cinema surround loudspeaker, along with the Mapp Online Cinema acoustical prediction program.
The Acheron family of self-powered screen channel loudspeakers comprises the Acheron 80 and Acheron 100, differing only in horizontal coverage patterns; the Acheron LF for augmenting low frequencies; the X-800C subwoofer for reproducing the lowest frequencies; and the full-range, two-way HMS-10 cinema surround loudspeaker. Mapp Online Cinema offers accurate and precise acoustical prediction. For optimum performance, the Galileo loudspeaker management system handles signal drive from a theatre’s cinema processor to built-in amplifiers within the self-powered loudspeakers.
EXP systems have been installed recently in a number of high-profile cinemas around the world, including theatres operated by CinemaxX in Hamburg, Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark; the 4D Theatre at Madame Tussauds London; the Bell Lightbox which is the new home for the Toronto International Film Festival; and nine theatres at the Solaris Culture and Leisure Centre in Tallinn, Estonia. EXP is also favoured by leading film postproduction facilities, including De Lane Lea studios in London and Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope in California.
New EXP team
Meyer Sound has also assembled a dedicated cinema team to lead the development, sales, marketing and technical support efforts for the EXP line of cinema products.
This strategic taskforce includes Steve Shurtz as Technology Director; Mauricio Saint Martin as Global Sales Director; and Brian Long as Senior Cinema and Live Sound Design Manager. Jim Sides, who was formerly the CEO of Meyer Sound Germany, will become business development director, EXP. 'As we continue to grow in the cinema market, it’s important that we provide the same level of support to our partners in the field,' says Helen Meyer, cofounder and vice president at Meyer Sound. 'These personnel changes will enable us to work more closely and effectively with the cinema industry and also allow Steve, Jim, Mauricio and Brian to focus on their core strengths which combine to form a well-rounded strategic team. Each of them has been exceptional in their work at Meyer Sound and is well-qualified to manage and drive our expansion in the cinema market.'
Steve Shurtz will collaborate with Meyer Sound’s R&D department on new product development and application. With his years of experience in film audio technology and having led the 2009 launch of Meyer Sound’s cinema line, Shurtz will continue to work closely with industry partners that include sound designers, mixers, studios and postproduction houses on identifying new opportunities. Shurtz and Brian Long will represent Meyer Sound in industry-wide efforts to advance cinema technology research and partnerships through organisations including SMPTE and CineGrid.
Brian Long will support clients in cinema system design and implementation and lead technical training programmes. Long has played an instrumental role in a number of Meyer Sound’s cinema projects around the world. They include top postproduction facilities such as De Lane Lea and Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope, as well as movie theatres at the Solaris Centre in Tallinn, Estonia and Cinetopia in Portland, Ore.
Mauricio Saint Martin is charged with developing a worldwide sales and distribution strategy and keeping track of business progress. He will work closely with company sales managers and cinema team members to establish a worldwide EXP distribution network. Meanwhile, Saint Martin will maintain his current role as director of sales for Middle East, India, and North Africa.
Jim Sides will drive strategic sales activities for Meyer Sound’s cinema products in the US. With his new appointment, Sides will soon return to the US from Germany, where he was the former CEO of Meyer Sound Germany and played a critical role in the upgrade of CinemaxX multiplexes in Copenhagen and Hamburg to Meyer Sound’s cinema products. In the past four years, Sides has more than doubled company sales revenue in Germany and Scandinavia and has fostered a solid foundation for further expansion. Building on its sales growth and strong support resources, Meyer Sound Germany will continue its operations in Montabaur under the leadership of Sascha Khelifa, who has served as managing director since 2008.
