Danley adds clarity to Grace Primitive church
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AV integration firm Sound and Communications (SoundCOM) of Flowood, Mississippi solved Grace Primitive’s intelligibility problems by designing and installing a new sound reinforcement system led by a single, unobtrusive Danley Sound Labs SM100 full-range, point-source loudspeaker.
“The old loudspeaker they had in there was original to the building, which is 17 years old,” explained Allen Cotton, solutions architect with Sound and Communications. “They weren’t pleased with the coverage or the clarity. They called our office and we arranged to come by and visit. As a certified Danley designer, Danley’s point-source fidelity was in the back of my mind the whole time. During the visit, we learned that they were not only hopeful that their intelligibility problems could be fixed, they wanted it done in a way that had no visual impact. They wanted something that was unobtrusive.”
Cotton modelled the system using Danley’s proprietary modelling software, Danley Direct. “They had never seen an acoustical model and were intrigued,” he said. “I showed them the Danley SM100’s coverage pattern at different frequencies, especially those most relevant for intelligibility. It’s a relatively small loudspeaker, but it’s big in power and would cover the space well. I told them, “I know you have tons of options for integrators and products, but here’s a product that I know will work. I’ve heard it in action in other spaces, and I’m confident it will serve you well.’”
Cotton and his team installed the Danley SM100 in front of and above the centre of the stage. He had it custom painted by Danley to closely match the ceiling beam, so it blends in. To save Grace Primitive money, Cotton repurposed their existing QSC amp and added a small Biamp processor in front of it for mild input and loudspeaker conditioning. A new Yamaha TF-series console gives Grace Primitive’s AV techs the best of digital recall with a familiar analogue feel.
“The installation took less than a day, and when we fired it up, the Danley SM100 required very little EQ,” Cotton said. “It sounds great.”
(Jim Evans)
