"A key area to address was the problem of hearing the choir properly at back of the chapel over the large pipe organ," notes Dee Couchman of Scan Audio. Improved sound reinforcement for speech was also required throughout the chapel. "It was the opposite to the usual problem of long reverberation times in that type of building," comments Paul Malpas of consultants Arup Acoustics. "We needed to lift the choir and subtly balance their level with the organ."
The solution was to completely strip out the old column speaker-based system and to use a brand new 100v line installation. The opportunity was also taken to improve the visual aesthetics of the chapel by re-routing the new cabling underfloor or otherwise concealing it. Couchman specified mainly Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers, including six RFX81s - one of each in the north and sound transept, a pair in the chancel position and another pair in the nave. Three TRC32s were also positioned at the rear of the chapel for choir reinforcement. A pair of TOA F160s were also placed in the organ gallery, under which three Martin Audio C516T ceiling speakers were installed. The whole system is controlled via a BSS 9088 Soundweb, controlled by a 9010 Jellyfish remote, which can be plugged in either near the pulpit or at the back of the chapel.
"All the fundamental balancing, EQ and delays are locked into Soundweb," says Couchman. "It’s not a complicated design, although it does use the matrix mixer for balance between the speech mics and choir mics on a zone-by-zone basis." Key parameters that Arup Acoustics thought were necessary for operating the system were programmed into the Jellyfish, although Scan deliberately concealed most of the more sophisticated controls. "We also stored all the basic system settings into a preset button on the Jellyfish, so if anyone goes twiddling mad and gets a bit lost, they can just hit the reset button," Couchman adds.
The microphones for the new system include two TOA 64-channel UHF radio mics and two Audio Technica 900 series goosenecks for the pulpit and reading lectern. An Audio Technica 8891R serves the movable nave altar, while a pair of Audio Technica 8835B shotgun mics are employed specifically for picking up the choir, mounted above the choir screen. Amplifiers are two Cloud CXA6s, while other elements of the system include a Tascam CDA500 combined CD/cassette player, plus an induction loop system, powered by an Ampetronic ILD9.
An unusual element for a system like this is switchable artificial reverb, specifically dedicated to the choir microphones, which is achieved by adding a small amount of wet signal through the main loudspeaker system. "They’re not aiming at trying to make it sound like a different chapel, it’s just designed to provide a bit more body to the choir sound," says Couchman.
