Called one of the world's architectural masterpieces by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright, the Tabernacle has a domed roof that creates a remarkable acoustical environment that is arguably as much a part of the Choir's sound as the voices of the men and women themselves.
As their audience has grown, the Tabernacle's 6,000-plus capacity could no longer accommodate its legions of fans, and in 2000 the LDS Church opened the doors to its new 21,000-seat Conference Centre. But as Poll Sound's Deward Timothy explains, as majestic as the Conference Centre may be, for the singers themselves it cannot match the intimate acoustics of the original Tabernacle's dome. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the Tabernacle is still the Choir's official home, with the Conference Centre only used for performances to larger audiences.
"The domed area of the Tabernacle where the Choir sits is no more than about 80 or 90ft across, and it has a very natural, unique ambience," says Timothy. "They've been practising and performing under that dome for 150 years, and while the rostrum of the Conference Centre certainly sounds magnificent in its own right, it's simply not the same, and they're not hearing themselves like they're used to."
The Choir called upon the services of Steve Barber of Massachusetts-based Lares Associates. Utilising a combination of close miking, strategically positioned loudspeakers and digital signal processing, Barber's system creates a natural ambience that closely replicates that of the Tabernacle. Four IC Live units are part of the system, positioned behind and to either side of the singers, with processing handled by Lares DSP and reverberation units.
"It's a very low-profile system, and it's pretty much inaudible to the audience," says Timothy. "But for the singers it's ideal. The IC Lives are an important part of the system; they're exceptionally flat and natural sounding, with a high enough output to be heard over the 130 voices of the Choir."
For the singers of the famed Choir, the system has addressed the challenges of maintaining the intimacy of the original Tabernacle in a much larger venue. "It works exceptionally well," concludes Timothy. "It's very subtle. When you're sitting in the Choir area, it's like you're speaking in a normal conversational tone, but it sounds like it's coming from everywhere. The singers and directors are very happy; most of them say it sounds every bit as good as the Tabernacle itself."
(Jim Evans)
