"The brief was to design and install a completely new sound system," explains Eddy O'Hare of Audio Light Systems. "They wanted good quality speech, minimal user interface and a heavy use of radio mics."
The answer to that request was a host of radio mic equipment from Sennheiser. The lectern would be home to a ME 34 condenser microphone capsule and a MZH 3042 flexible gooseneck, connected to a SKP 500 G2 plug on transmitter that turned the wired mic into a wireless mic, which in turn would be paired with an EM 300 receiver. For the rest of the Cathedral, ALS chose four ew 322 G2 lapel radio mic kits, two ew 365 hand held wireless mic systems and two ASP 2 passive antenna splitters.
"They wanted the versatility to be able to set up a handheld radio mic on a stand without having to run cables," continues O'Hare. "It's a Historic Scotland Grade One listed building dating back to the thirteenth century, so the least amount of cabling they had in the place, the better.
"The initial response from the Cathedral has been very good. The install itself went in with a minimum of fuss. It was finished within four weeks of us actually getting the order. We took away almost all of the user interface too. All they do on a Sunday is switch it on and select the desired configuration."
For O'Hare and the rest of the Audio Light Systems team, choosing Sennheiser was a simple decision to make. "We know Sennheiser products work," states O'Hare. "We know that quality was what was needed for a place of this status. We use a lot of Sennheiser wired and wireless microphones in places of worship. A place like Dunblane Cathedral needs something that's going to last, and the Sennheiser system will stand the test of time."
(Claire Beeson)
