ASG Leads Audio Refresh at Renowned Bay Area Jazz Club Yoshi’s

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ASG Leads Audio Refresh at Renowned Bay Area Jazz Club Yoshi's

Collaboration with Waveworks, Meyer Sound and Predictive Audio Design Tools Contribute to Timely Upgrade

EMERYVILLE, CALIF., December 28, 2023 – Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a solutions provider for media creatives and content owners, completed a refresh of the 25-year-old sound system at the renowned Yoshi’s jazz club in Oakland, CA in record time, hastened by close collaborations with Bay Area firms and predictive audio design tools. 

The previous Meyer Sound system had served Yoshi’s well for 25 years, but typical signs of aging combined with a demand for punchier low frequency content made it time for an upgrade. “The old system held up remarkably well,” said Marcel Quiroz, Yoshi’s production manager. “But a few things were starting to go out, and over the years there had been changes in the loudspeaker processing, with various things thrown in randomly. My biggest struggle was with the low-end, where R&B acts would push the subs so hard that by the end we would sometimes get a rattle out of the boxes.” 

Photos by Steve Jennings

ASG Audio Team and Key Account Manager Tom Menrath took the lead for ASG, with design services specialist Joe Mistretta on board for Meyer Sound. Mistretta pointed to Meyer’s MAPP 3D program – a design tool that delivers predictions of sound energy distribution in a three-dimensional sound field – as a critical element in the Yoshi’s audio renovation. “Yoshi’s is an asymmetrical, pie-shaped room,” said Mistretta. “The acoustics are quite good, but the coverage is tricky. MAPP 3D really showed us how to improve uniformity, both up close and in the back corners.”

Menrath confirmed the importance of the sound design software: “Using the design tools and replacing the kludge of old processing with Galaxy units, made a huge difference. It also helped to bring the new system online quickly, which was a crucial consideration.”  Working with trusted install partner Brad Katz of the Oakland-based Waveworks was another big asset in speeding the turnaround time on Yoshi’s audio reno.

Photos by Steve Jennings

“Down time is expensive for Yoshi’s as it costs not only the performance venue but the foundational restaurant business,” said Menrath, “so it was vital to get the new system up and running as fast as possible. Working with Brad at Waveworks, we were able to get the old system out, the new one installed, tuned and back in action within nine days.”

As a passionate music fan, Menrath found this project particularly rewarding: “We do a lot of major projects with Meyer Sound, but Yoshi’s has been particularly satisfying. This new system with the most advanced loudspeaker technologies is a stunning upgrade, and the artists who perform at Yoshi’s certainly deserve nothing but the best the industry can offer.”

Among the first to hear the new system were two of Yoshi’s founders and owners, namesake Yoshie Akiba and Kaz Kazamura.  “When I turned it on, it literally brought tears to their eyes,” recalled Quiroz.  “They had never heard this room sound so good.”

Photos by Steve Jennings

It’s a sentiment echoed by Yoshi’s discriminating visitors, said Quiroz: “Every artist that has come in here has been blown away. Haley Reinhart’s engineer told me it was the best house system he’d ever heard, and the engineer for Dave Weckl said that hands down we now have the best-sounding room in the Bay Area. After his set, Freddy Jackson came up, gave me a hug, and said, ‘Thank you!’”

The new Yoshi’s Meyer Sound system comprises two UPQ-D1 wide coverage and two UPQ-D2 narrow coverage full-size loudspeakers for the mains, supplemented by three ULTRA-X20 compact wide coverage loudspeakers for downfill and seven UP-4slim ultra-compact installation loudspeakers for front fill. Ample power for contemporary R&B acts is now available through four 900-LFC low frequency control elements, mounted in pairs on the walls.  A GALAXY 816 network platform provides system drive and optimization, while artist foldback has been upgraded with addition of 10MJF-208 and two MJF-210 stage monitors.

For a more in-depth peek inside Yoshi’s redesign, please check out this feature story in Front of House magazine. 

Photos by Steve Jennings

About ASG:

Advanced Systems Group, LLC enables creativity through better technology for media creatives and content owners. From acquisition to post-production to delivery, whether on premises or in cloud, ASG’s goal is to ensure customer success through tailored solutions that create optimal workflows. One of the largest Systems Integrators in North America, ASG provides engineering services, physical and cloud integration, training, and support. ASG’s Virtual Production Control Room allows clients to operate their live event control room in the cloud. ASG’s Managed Services delivers customized staffing solutions for all phases of media production, including creative and engineering. Based in Northern California since 1997, ASG also has teams in Los Angeles, the New York Tri-State Area, the Southeastern US, and the Rocky Mountain Region to provide nationwide services. Find your solution at www.asgllc.com.

ASG and Avid NEXIS F-Series Storage Engines

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ASG and Avid NEXIS F-Series Storage Engines

For nearly 25 years, Advanced Systems Group has been a leading integrator for Avid audio, video, and storage solutions. From advanced Pro Tools systems for music and audio post to Media Composer workstations and storage networks, ASG has the expertise that helps you choose the perfect Avid system for your needs.

With Avid’s NEXIS, you get storage solutions for video and music/audio media production that go far beyond your previous expectations. Avid NEXIS gives you unmatched media storage performance and scalability for on-premises and cloud workflows. It enables production teams to collaborate and adapt fast to the changing needs and unpredictability of today’s media production. Integrated with the next-generation Avid NEXIS F-series storage engines, or as a cloud or hybrid deployment, Avid NEXIS enables teams of all sizes to work from anywhere, delivering secure access to media and metadata across all tiers of storage.

The Avid Nexis is available in multiple configurations. Above: Nexis | F5 NL

Avid NEXIS | VFS Intelligent File System

The Avid NEXIS | VFS intelligent file system is the control center of Avid NEXIS. It virtualizes your hardware and/or cloud storage into a single pool of shared resources, providing automation intelligence to meet constantly changing workloads. From dynamically reallocating storage capacity and optimizing bandwidth to delivering protection with automatic drive rebuild, it provides the agile environment and reliability required for 24×7 operation.

Using this system, you and your team can browse, find, and share media and projects whether you’re in the facility, on location, or at home, enabling easy collaboration and fast turnaround—no matter what video, audio, news, sports, or graphics production tool you use. Even if you need to connect hundreds of users to access media simultaneously, Avid’s real-time media delivery keeps production running smoothly. 

Meet fluctuating requirements, changing storage capacity, performance, and drive protection on the fly via the powerful Avid NEXIS | VFS (virtual file system).

Replace Aging Drives with the Next Gen Avid NEXIS F-Series

If it’s time to replace aging drives, Avid NEXIS F-series storage engines let you quickly scale your system to accommodate growing business, new projects, and remote teams, and then transition production to the cloud more easily and cost-effectively.

For music and audio post workflows, Avid NEXIS centralizes session and file storage, enabling producers, engineers, sound designers, and mixers to work together on the biggest, most challenging productions, including Dolby Atmos. Eliminate file duplication and the stress of maxing out local drives.

With Avid NEXIS, you can share, store, and enable secure access to audio clips, session files, video sequences, and other media using Pro Tools, Media Composer, Premiere, and other creative tools. You can provide access to your entire sound library from any room in your facility to enable more creative possibilities. 

Nexis | F2

Create More Compelling Stories with Real-Time 4K Video Storage

For post facilities, corporate marketing, houses of worship, and other video creators, Avid NEXIS delivers the real-time media workflows needed to collaborate and complete projects fast. Share and retrieve assets quickly using your favorite tools.

With its lightning-fast throughput and scalable storage engine options, Avid NEXIS provides the speed you need for dailies, 4K, 8K, HDR, and finishing. Get real-time media delivery to your editing timeline at every frame. And because bandwidth scales linearly as you add more Media Packs, you can enable up to 30+ GB/s of total system bandwidth.

ASG: Your Avid Experts

There’s much more to learn about Avid NEXIS and the new NEXIS F-Series storage engines. Whether you’re looking at a solution for audio, video, post, broadcast, or corporate media, ASG’s team has been hands-on with Avid for decades, and will help you create the perfect Avid system for your needs. Contact us today!

Merging Technologies and Neumann Join Forces

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Merging Technologies and Neumann Join Forces

At ASG, we’re always excited to learn about the new possibilities that can happen when leading audio technology creators work together to develop new and exciting solutions. In the case of legendary German transducer manufacturer Neumann and highly respected Swiss digital audio workstation maker Merging Technologies, who announced their new partnership working together under the Sennheiser Group last month, we’re already putting together plans on how ASG customers will benefit from this incredible partnership.

For many years, ASG has been a leading integrator for the acclaimed, award-winning audio technologies from both Merging and Neumann, doing high-profile installations at some of the finest venues and recording facilities. Here’s some background on the storied histories pf both companies.

A Trip Down Audio History
It was in 1928 in Berlin, Germany that Georg Neumann GmbH was founded. Right from the start, Neumann introduced products that ended up changing the world of recording and live sound, beginning with the CMV 3, the world’s first commercially available condenser microphone. The capsule for this mic, the M 7, was repurposed in 1949 into the U 47, a microphone that featured switchable polar patterns, and became the de facto standard for professional recording worldwide. The U 47, with its sharp and present reproduction of sound, was heard in pop music that ranged from Frank Sinatra to the Beatles.

Neumann has always been at at the forefront of transducer technology. In the mid-1960s, they began adapting phantom powering to their mics, allowing tube microphones, solid-state microphones and dynamic microphones all to be connected to the same power supplies. Other Neumann mics over the subsequent decades, like the M 49, the KM 83, the TLM 170, the U 87, and others have been used on many of the world’s best-known and most beloved recordings in history, spanning all music genres and used for non-musical applications such as voiceover and broadcast as well. In 1991, Neumann was acquired by another globally-respected microphone company, Sennheiser. Neumann eventually expanded their offerings into other highly-regarded transducer products including studio monitor loudspeakers and headphones.

Meanwhile in Switzerland…
In 1990, an electronics expert and former Nagra employee named Claude Cellier founded Merging Technologies. Merging was created to take advantage of the rapidly growing world of digital signal processing in the early ‘90s, and their Pyramix Virtual Studio became adopted as the primary high resolution recording workstation by hundreds of recording facilities. Always a step ahead of the game, Merging was one of the earliest players in Audio over IP with their acclaimed RAVENNA interface in 2012. Other interface products, like the Anubis range of AoIP converters, have become essential tools for broadcasters with their ability to manage and control large audio networks.

Now in use for more than 25 years, Pyramix has continued to evolve, now offering Dolby Atmos workflow to its already impressive immersive audio feature set. Merging Technologies is a leader not only in recording and broadcast, but also in applications such as theme parks, museums, and transport hubs. For any situation where networked audio is crucial, Merging has solutions.

Come Together
Working together under the umbrella of the Sennheiser group, Neumann and Merging Technologies will offer a match made in audio heaven. The first joint product of the partnership between Neumann and Merging Technologies will be a Neumann audio interface that enables the perfect integration of Neumann products into a digital infrastructure.

“We plan to strengthen Neumann’s offering, particularly in the area of digital workstreams, in order to provide our customers with holistic audio solutions in studio quality. Merging Technologies’ products and solutions are an excellent complement to the Neumann product portfolio. We are therefore very much looking forward to working together with the Merging team,” says Ralf Oehl, CEO of Georg Neumann GmbH.

ASG, Neumann and Merging Technologies
While we all await the fruits of this partnership, there’s one thing we can tell you right away. With its 25-year background as a leader in broadcast and professional audio, ASG has been one of the most highly-regarded systems integrators in the United States for both Neumann and Merging Technologies. Especially considering our expertise in production, post production, and shared storage systems, ASG should be the top choice for media, broadcast, film, commercial audio recording, and corporate video creators who want to take advantage of the legendary power of both of these leading-edge audio technology brands. Contact us today!