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.”
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.
“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.”
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.
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.
