ENTITY · PERSON

Soundman Metro (Percival Miller)

Well supported

Percival "Metro" Miller (born Jamaica, 1941), the engineer who built custom valve amplifiers and speakers for British sound systems from the late 1950s, including a celebrated thousand-watt valve amplifier for Jah Shaka, and is remembered as a father figure to UK sound-system engineering.

Share a memory Correct this record Add a source lead

At a glance

Type: person
Confidence: Well supported
Era: Open era →

People & rolesTechnology, recording & industryDiaspora & global influence

Connections

Watch & listen

Jah Shaka Sound System (North London)

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · documentary

Community-archived footage from the URBANATION series filmed at London's Rocket Club (2001); discovery-only embed.

Source link ↗

Open source ↗

The Mysteries of Soundman Metro

WEB · rights discovery only · press source

Red Bull Music Academy Daily feature.

Source link ↗

In stories

Story · Well supportedThe box-men: unsung builders of the weight

The carpenters and engineers who built the sound get little of the credit the record labels keep.

Debate & reception

How people argued about the music — praise, criticism and public debate. See all debate & reception →

debate

Valve or transistor: warmth versus power in the amp room

Two documented positions on sound-system amplification, stated neutrally: builders and purists prize valve (tube) amplifiers for a warm, weighty bass timbre and celebrated custom designs; others favour transistor (solid-state) amps for greater power, reliability and lower cost, and many rigs eventually moved to solid state. Neutral framing; no verdict. Sources: Red Bull Music Academy (Soundman Metro); Michael Veal, Dub; Blood and Fire forums.

Stance: valve warmth and weight vs transistor power, reliability and economy