John Meyer (audio engineer)
Encyclopedia
John Meyer is a pioneer in the sound reinforcement industry. In 1979 he founded founded Meyer Sound Laboratories
with his wife, Helen Meyer.
John Meyer grew up in Berkeley, California
. His earliest involvement with audio was in the late 50s hanging out at the local radio station KPFA
. He received a radiotelephone third class license at 12 years old, and a second class license when he was 15. He attended Oakland High which was one of the first schools in the country to have an audio department. In the audio department he would build consoles and other audio devices
John Meyer started his career in 1967 working in a Berkeley hi-fi store doing custom installs. There he met Steve Miller who was looking to outfit his band. John Meyer assembled a custom amplification system for The Steve Miller Band when they appeared at the Monterey Pop Festival
. John worked with Jim Meagher of Meagher Electronics
at the Monterey Pop Festival.
Soon after John Meyer started a company called Glyph to design and build sound reinforcement systems. Glyph's first installation was at a San Rafael club called Pepperland. It was a pure exponential horn-loaded bi-amped quadraphonic sound system. Each stack included a white fiberglass bass, mid-range and hi frequency horns. The bass horns were huge, measuring 8×8 feet with 30-inch drivers. This system was used from 1969 until 1970 when Pepperland closed down.
In 1971 he started working for McCune Sound Service. McCune was interested in building reliable transportable sound systems. While at McCune John first realized his idea of a fully integrated loudspeaker
system. The system was built for Creedence Clearwater Revival
's last tour. It was a fully integrated tri-amped, horn-loaded system with processing electronics. Three amps were built into in a rack mountable enclosure that would drive two speakers. The enclosure also included preset cross-overs and equalization. The outside of the enclosure was simple: an AC cord, input connectors, and 4-pin connectors that plugged into the loudspeakers. The original model did not have level controls or a power switch.
While at McCune, John Meyer started doing sound reinforcement work with outdoor classical music
symphony concerts at Stanford University
. This led to an involvement with the Institute of Advanced Music Studies in Montreux, Switzerland which was exploring the idea of building a high quality sound reinforcement system for classical music. In 1973, he was invited to establish an acoustics lab and perform research at the Institute. One of his primary goals was to research the origins of non-linearity in audio transducers. He spent one and a half years in Switzerland. While there, he designed a modular loudspeaker system and a high-frequency horn driver that led directly to some of the initial innovations at Meyer Sound Laboratories.
During the early 1970s, Meyer was involved with the Grateful Dead
, providing them audio advice and performing audio research and experimentation with Don Pearson and Owsley Stanley
.
In the 1970s, Meyer met his future wife Helen, a neighbor in Berkeley. John and Helen's first official date was to the high-end hi-fi store in Berkeley he was working at to listen to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on a pair of Klipsch horns. This was Helen's first introduction to quality sound reproduction.
John and Helen founded Meyer Sound Laboratories in 1979 after his return from Switzerland. The company was started in San Leandro, California and then moved to Berkeley California.
In 2005, Meyer was made a Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society
, and in 2007, he was awarded the organization's Silver Medal.
Meyer Sound Laboratories
Meyer Sound Laboratories is an American company based in Berkeley, California that manufactures self-powered loudspeakers, multichannel audio show control systems, electroacoustic architecture, and audio analysis tools for the professional sound reinforcement, fixed installation, and sound...
with his wife, Helen Meyer.
John Meyer grew up in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. His earliest involvement with audio was in the late 50s hanging out at the local radio station KPFA
KPFA
KPFA is a listener-funded progressive talk radio and music radio station located in Berkeley, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KPFA airs public news, public affairs, talk, and music programming. The station signed on-the-air April 15 1949, as the first Pacifica Station...
. He received a radiotelephone third class license at 12 years old, and a second class license when he was 15. He attended Oakland High which was one of the first schools in the country to have an audio department. In the audio department he would build consoles and other audio devices
John Meyer started his career in 1967 working in a Berkeley hi-fi store doing custom installs. There he met Steve Miller who was looking to outfit his band. John Meyer assembled a custom amplification system for The Steve Miller Band when they appeared at the Monterey Pop Festival
Monterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
. John worked with Jim Meagher of Meagher Electronics
Meagher Electronics
Meagher Electronics was a Monterey, California, company which was founded in 1947 by Jim Meagher. It included a recording studio which recorded early demos for Joan Baez, her sister, Mimi Farina and her sister's husband, Richard Farina...
at the Monterey Pop Festival.
Soon after John Meyer started a company called Glyph to design and build sound reinforcement systems. Glyph's first installation was at a San Rafael club called Pepperland. It was a pure exponential horn-loaded bi-amped quadraphonic sound system. Each stack included a white fiberglass bass, mid-range and hi frequency horns. The bass horns were huge, measuring 8×8 feet with 30-inch drivers. This system was used from 1969 until 1970 when Pepperland closed down.
In 1971 he started working for McCune Sound Service. McCune was interested in building reliable transportable sound systems. While at McCune John first realized his idea of a fully integrated loudspeaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
system. The system was built for Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
's last tour. It was a fully integrated tri-amped, horn-loaded system with processing electronics. Three amps were built into in a rack mountable enclosure that would drive two speakers. The enclosure also included preset cross-overs and equalization. The outside of the enclosure was simple: an AC cord, input connectors, and 4-pin connectors that plugged into the loudspeakers. The original model did not have level controls or a power switch.
While at McCune, John Meyer started doing sound reinforcement work with outdoor classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
symphony concerts at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. This led to an involvement with the Institute of Advanced Music Studies in Montreux, Switzerland which was exploring the idea of building a high quality sound reinforcement system for classical music. In 1973, he was invited to establish an acoustics lab and perform research at the Institute. One of his primary goals was to research the origins of non-linearity in audio transducers. He spent one and a half years in Switzerland. While there, he designed a modular loudspeaker system and a high-frequency horn driver that led directly to some of the initial innovations at Meyer Sound Laboratories.
During the early 1970s, Meyer was involved with the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, providing them audio advice and performing audio research and experimentation with Don Pearson and Owsley Stanley
Owsley Stanley
Owsley Stanley also known as Bear, was an essential and transitional personality in the development of the San Francisco Bay counter-culture. Spanning the Beat-era years of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters scenes, he was equally pivotal to the explosion of 1960's Psychedelia culture...
.
In the 1970s, Meyer met his future wife Helen, a neighbor in Berkeley. John and Helen's first official date was to the high-end hi-fi store in Berkeley he was working at to listen to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on a pair of Klipsch horns. This was Helen's first introduction to quality sound reproduction.
John and Helen founded Meyer Sound Laboratories in 1979 after his return from Switzerland. The company was started in San Leandro, California and then moved to Berkeley California.
In 2005, Meyer was made a Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society
Audio Engineering Society
Established in 1948, the Audio Engineering Society draws its membership from amongst engineers, scientists, other individuals with an interest or involvement in the professional audio industry. The membership largely comprises engineers developing devices or products for audio, and persons working...
, and in 2007, he was awarded the organization's Silver Medal.