At Coachella 2026, the Do LaB MACROdose electronic music stage returned for its third consecutive year with a Meyer Sound audio system. The structure is a large open-air tent defined by its canopy of vibrant, sculptural fabric.
This year, the experience expanded beyond the tent’s perimeter, extending into a larger area of the festival grounds.
The stage featured a diverse lineup, including Tinashe, Seth Troxler, SBTRKT and After Midnight, drawing some of the largest crowds in its history.
Last year, the crowd far exceeded the intended area —more than 30,000 people— so this year we expanded the sound system around the perimeter to better cover the space and attract more attendees, said Do LaB co-founder Jesse Flemming on the eve of the event.
Expanding coverage
With the Do LaB sound system already well established, the team worked from a familiar foundation. “We took the best of the last two years and applied it to this edition”, explains audio crew chief and systems engineer Ian Ingram.
A Meyer Sound PANTHER™ system, supplied by Los Angeles-based integrator Launch, formed the core of the setup within the MACROdose structure. Dual array configurations included eight PANTHER-L and two PANTHER-W per side, supported by 18 2100-LFC™ subwoofers, with two PANTHER-W used as front fills and two as outfills.
LEOPARD® compact line array loudspeakers and 900-LFC™ subwoofers covered the DJ booth. Flown UPQ-1P™ loudspeakers addressed a new upstage area, while ULTRA-X20™ units extended coverage into the backstage VIP zone. ULTRA-X80™ outfills and delays carried sound to the edges of the tent, and ten ULTRA-X40™ compact point source loudspeakers created a surround effect, adding warmth and depth similar to a reverberant hall.
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From there, the system expanded outward. Four ULTRA-X80 loudspeakers, mounted on the outer ring and aimed outward, projected sound beyond the tent’s boundary, blending seamlessly with the main PANTHER arrays. “The structure incorporates a large amount of hanging fabric”, explains Ingram. “Low frequencies and low mids are covered without issue, but that material tends to absorb some of the high frequencies. That’s why we use the ULTRA-X80s, to compensate for those acoustic shadow areas”.
Built on experience
Ingram, who has worked on Do LaB’s sound since 2008, notes that Meyer Sound’s MAPP 3D™ design and prediction tool has become essential for the team’s confidence in system deployment.
“You do your prep work and you know what the coverage will be”, he says. “You don’t want to put the system up and realise it’s not performing as expected”.
Flemming is clear about Meyer Sound’s role at Do LaB: When the sound is high quality, the audience notices immediately. It improves how the music is heard, how people dance, and the overall experience. The Meyer Sound system delivers clear, clean and highly defined audio. We love it.
Image credits: Hello Atlas Media; Jamal Eid
