Historic Chapel Gets 21st Century Sound with ENTASYS

Nov. 18, 2009 - PRLog -- Baltimore, MD - Everyone can appreciate the majesty and aesthetic beauty of a nineteenth century chapel. The soaring ceilings and ornate wood and glass behind many of these proud old halls can literally take one’s breath away.
 
Sadly, they can also take away most of the intelligibility behind the sermon, leaving those in the back rows straining to hear the message. As to the music, even if it’s the traditional choir and organ of the era, the acoustics of those grand old sanctuaries can turn even the most well-balanced mix to mush.
 
The Church of Redeemer in Baltimore, MD is a case in point. The church’s original chapel, erected in 1858, is blessed with that ornate beauty that brings with it a natural reverb time of well over a second. Intelligibility is less than optimal, whether acoustically or with the portable PA system used in previous years.
 
As the church’s congregation has grown, the 400-seat venue has seen increased demand, including the addition of contemporary services to complement their traditional ones. As Joseph Schwartz of Baltimore-based HP Electronics explains, that demand eventually led to the installation of a new sound system centered around a pair of Community ENTASYS line array loudspeakers.
 
“With both traditional and contemporary services now being held in the chapel, the need for a versatile, high-quality sound system became clear,” says Schwartz. “We had originally been discussing the idea of a small line array, but during the time the church was raising the funds for the project, Community’s ENTASYS appeared on the scene. We’d heard a demo of it during InfoComm and knew it was worth a closer look.”
 
Crown CDi2000 amplification powers the system, which also includes a Biamp Nexia to provide automatic mixing, leveling, EQ and feedback control. An AKG CK47/GN30 microphone resides on the lectern, just a few feet from the loudspeaker column, and a Shure ULX-series wireless is also in regular use. “Given the lively acoustics of the room, we were initially concerned about getting adequate gain before feedback, but the ENTASYS was exceptionally easy to tune,” says Schwartz. “The celebrant was boasting to one of the techs recently that he could point his lavalier mic right at the speaker from only inches away and not get any feedback, and happily demonstrated it to him.”
 
For musical performance, a pair of Community VLF208 subwoofers provides ample bottom end to the system. “We chose the VLF subs for their compact size and ability to easily stack,” says Schwartz. “We had to place them under a pew on the platform, which reduces their output slightly, but they sound great and can’t be seen, so both the musicians and the traditionalists are happy.” A separate feed from the mixer is provided so an instrument can be dialed into the subwoofer as much or as little as desired, thereby keeping the microphone feed out of the subwoofers for better performance.
                                                                                                                    
A custom painting of the ENTASYS cabinets helps them seamlessly blend in with the chapel’s architecture. “The speakers are actually less noticeable than the molding of the proscenium they sit next to,” says Schwartz. “We’ve received many compliments on both the look and the sound. ENTASYS really was an ideal solution.”
 

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