Meyer Sound brings natural reinforcement to Baroque in the Bush

An open-sided performance space in South Africa's Kruger National Park presented an unusual sound reinforcement challenge for Baroque in the Bush, with two Meyer Sound ULTRA-X20 loudspeakers helping a 15-piece orchestra reach its audience without compromising the natural character of the music.

Held at Shingwedzi Rest Camp for nearly three decades, the classical music event attracts an audience of around 200 people. Following changes to the venue, including the raising of its thatched roof, sound engineer Evert de Munnik had spent four years working to achieve consistent coverage without the acoustic support of a conventional concert hall. The challenge was particularly important for older audience members, who needed comfortable listening levels and clear reproduction of the orchestral performance. Rather than simply increasing volume, de Munnik wanted the reinforcement to blend imperceptibly with the acoustic instruments.

A discussion with Prosound's Mark Malherbe and Francois Lötter at Mediatech 2026 led to the introduction of two Meyer Sound ULTRA-X20 compact point source loudspeakers alongside the existing system. Previously, de Munnik had directed cabinets towards pillars, using reflected sound to improve coverage. The ULTRA-X20's rotatable 110° x 50° Constant-Q horn and controlled dispersion provided a more predictable means of directing sound towards the audience, while its compact enclosure helped keep the equipment visually unobtrusive.

“The sound was tight and more controlled,” said de Munnik. “You couldn't tell the sound was coming from the speakers. It blended naturally with the acoustic sound of the orchestra.”

The effectiveness of the reinforcement became particularly apparent when the amplification was muted, revealing how much the loudspeakers had been contributing without drawing attention to themselves. Beyond coverage and intelligibility, de Munnik also needed to recreate some of the reverberant character associated with the churches and cathedrals for which parts of the solo violin repertoire were originally composed.

With the open-sided venue providing little natural reverberation, he employed three different reverb effects to introduce the required ambience. The ULTRA-X20 loudspeakers reproduced the processed sound alongside the acoustic instruments, helping create a sense of space without making the reinforcement itself conspicuous.

The result was a system designed to support both the clarity and character of the performance while allowing the audience to focus on the music rather than the technology.