Alcons improves sound in Carolina cathedral
- Details
Built 19 years ago, the cathedral has a 2600-strong congregation, which is led each Sunday by a 150-piece choir and orchestra in music ranging from hymns to modern worship choruses. With many elements of its original audio system still in use, in 2016 it was realized that a major upgrade was needed to fulfil the expectations of present-day services.
"After consulting with the Senior Pastor, a committee was set up to oversee the upgrade," says Daniel Scarbrough, Praise Cathedral media pastor for the past six years. "We brought in a specialist consultant, who suggested a range of options. We fell in love with the sound of the Alcons L-series when our local installer, Audio Solutions of Greenville, demonstrated it in our auditorium. One of the most important things was that the performance in the vocal range had to be exceptional and the pro-ribbon drivers delivered great speech intelligibility and a crisp, clear sound."
Once the committee had chosen Alcons as their preferred solution, Alcons Audio USA provided EASE data and a variety of other technical information for the L-Series, which showed that it actually provided better coverage than the committee had specified.
"Another advantage in selecting Alcons was knowing that, as both member of the Alcons Pro-Ribbon Network and the exclusive regional dealer, Audio Solutions can provide excellent support with their extensive backline of Alcons products and their great relationship with the company," says Daniel.
The chosen system comprises a main system of 27 Alcons LR7 micro line-array modules, three LR7B micro line-array bass modules and a pair of dual 18" BF362mkII high-output subwoofers, with three VR8 compact versatile monitors for the choir. The whole system is powered and controlled by three Sentinel10 amplified loudspeaker controllers. The main system is painted white, to better blend into the cathedral’s décor.
Along with new microphones, cabling and front of house mixing console, the new installation took only five days to complete, including tuning the Alcons system. This meant that no Sunday worship was disrupted.
(Jim Evans)
