Coachella Festival’s Do LaB electronic music featured a Meyer Sound PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeaker system.
Since 2005, Do LaB, created by brothers Dede, Jesse, and Josh Flemming, has brought elements of underground culture, spontaneity, and community-driven experiences to Coachella, drawing on its founders’ roots in Southern California’s festival and art scene to provide a prime destination for festivalgoers and headlining artists alike.
Do LaB’s MACROdose stage, new for Coachella 2024, is a departure from the tent designs of recent years. “MACROdose was a return to our roots of building stand-alone structures that create an immersive environment,” noted Do LaB co-founder Jesse Flemming, who designed the experience. “This also gave the opportunity for the crowd to expand much farther than in years past, and we saw some of our biggest audiences ever.”
MACROdose’s open design and intricate structural elements required a low-profile sound system that could deliver the necessary power to cover the expanded audience zone, which extended 300 feet from the stage. “We were going for our best options for the position of the PA and how much weight the designers should calculate for in their engineering,” explained audio crew chief and systems engineer Ian Ingram, who serves many roles at Do LaB, from designing and proving the sound system to mixing FOH. “It’s not like a big tent, it’s not like an arena.”
Ingram, who began providing audio for Do LaB in 2008, was eager to bring the PANTHER large-format linear array loudspeaker into the newest stage design. “Only PANTHER would allow for this kind of rigging with this kind of output on this structure,” he commented. “For 150 pounds, for the amount of output, it easily hits above its weight. Its power-to-weight ratio is on a whole different scale. It’s insane.”
Meyer Sound’s Josh Dorn-Fehrmann worked with Ingram to design a system centered around PANTHER and the 2100-LFC low-frequency control element. “Because it’s EDM, because it’s really fast drum and bass music, it was the perfect showcase for PANTHER and the 2100-LFC,” he noted. “Those loudspeakers are incredibly fast. And, with PANTHER being so light and yet so powerful, we were able to really home in on getting nice angle sets and throwing over 300 feet and making it really powerful so that the kids had a good show.”
The Do LaB sound system, provided by Los Angeles-based integrator Launch, comprised 10 PANTHER-L large-format linear array loudspeakers flown per side. Those were supplemented by four PANTHER-W front fills and 18 2100‑LFC low-frequency control elements configured in a gradient arc, which preserved bass impact while keeping low-frequency energy contained, preventing bleed to other stages.
Six flown LEOPARD compact linear line array loudspeakers per side served as delays. The team implemented an outer ring of ten ULTRA-X40 compact loudspeakers as lateral surrounds, in a configuration recommended by Meyer Sound’s Senior Technical Support Specialist David Vincent. The entire system ran on a MILAN AVB network and was controlled by Galileo GALAXY 816 and 408 Network Platforms.
“The first time I heard PANTHER in action, I was blown away by the system’s clarity and power,” commented Flemming. “Every beat hit with precision.”
“With the open environment, people could wander out to the edges and chill, enjoy the lighting, the video, the structure, and the music without having to squeeze inside to experience great sound,” commented Ingram, adding that he received positive feedback on Do LaB’s sound from everyone from artists to fans. “I’ve had engineers from other stages come by and say, ‘This sounds great.’ Guest engineers have been really happy with the PA. And the audience has literally been turning around and thanking me for the audio.”
“Large-scale outdoor events come with their fair share of challenges, from unpredictable weather to ensuring everyone in the crowd gets the best experience, no matter where they are,” concluded Flemming. “On top of that, we design unique and complex structures that require creative solutions when it comes to sound. Meyer Sound strategized with us to bring their new PANTHER system to our new stage and they absolutely delivered! Whether you were in the front row, in the center, or kicking it in the back, you were getting the same epic sound experience.”
