Now the church has been renovated from the ground up and equipped with a new sound system from Electro-Voice. One of the most awkward factors for the acoustic engineers here was the reverberation time, with RT60 beneath the central dome extending to several seconds, severely compromising intelligibility. However, Ufa-based First Install Company, confident in the assistance of Electro-Voice's Russian partner Ruton S, was undaunted by the challenge.
As well as a fundamental improvement in the quality of the sound within the church itself, the client wanted a means of relaying services to the open area in front of the building. Furthermore, the system had to be easy to operate and the loudspeakers invisible to worshippers. With this detailed requirement profile in hand, the team from First Install Company and Ruton S began an exhaustive series of simulations.
The reinforcement solution involved placing two Electro-Voice ZX1i-90 loudspeakers in front of the altar and pairs of EV S-40 loudspeakers in the areas above and below the balcony, with EVID 4.2 loudspeakers providing coverage in the nave. Outside the historic building, two ZX3-90PI W loudspeakers take up the relay, allowing the overspill congregation to participate in the service and hear what is being said inside.
A NetMax N8000 digital audio controller provides a swift but simple means of controlling the loudspeakers, both individually and in groups, using IRIS-Net software. This offers comprehensive control of the devices - volume, EQ, delay, etc. - from a laptop anywhere within the church.
(Jim Evans)
