SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: When Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish wanted a new sound system, intelligibility, aesthetics and reliability were the overriding goals. But another factor, perhaps less acknowledged during the initialplanning, ended as a major consideration, and one that was solved by Symetrix Inc.'s SymNet Audio Matrix, a modular system for mixing, routing, and processing audio.
As part of its sound system upgrade work at the huge 7,000-seat Sacramento,
California church, system integrator Art of Sound installed a Symetrix SymNet 8x8 DSP processor to achieve extensive front end sound system
control.
"The unit's automatic mixing feature, combined with additional signal processing for mics and line arrays, gave the church the ability to easily
manage and control the sound system. This was an important consideration given the varied demands placed on it," says Art of Sound integrator, Alonso Camacho, the system designer on this project.
Through the use of a SymNet Adaptive Remote Control (ARC), presets for
Monday through Friday masses, as well as Saturday and Sunday masses, live
radio transmission masses, and volume control of the narthex and transept
areas were made available. The remote selects preset configurations for
these and other system applications, and gives the church an unparalleled
level of operational ease, Camacho says.
In addition to installing SymNet, Art of Sound installed AXYS(r) Intellivox,
a digitally controlled loudspeaker array, whose high accurate directivity delivered
the needed speech intelligibility and an even sound pressure level from the
front of the nave to the rear of the church, a distance of some 100 feet. Intelligibility
was a major concern, given the fact that the facility was designed largely to
complement organ pipes and choral singing. Consequently, the spoken word has
not been treated equally well by the facility's acoustics.
Art of Sound, Sacramento, California, used the Symetrix SymNet
Audio Matrix System for the front-end sound system control in Our Lady of Guadalupe
Parish.
"Unfortunately, when selecting their original sound system, little or
no
design was used to select the proper configuration to adequately work and
provide speech intelligibility," Camacho says. "Many years went by
with
constant complaints and frustrations by the parish, congregation and sound
technicians."
Another bonus of the speaker selection was its low profile. The units'
four-inch drivers and small physical width allowed the speakers to be
concealed against the column from which they were suspended. A single line
array was integrated to cover about 95 percent of the main sanctuary. The
remaining five-percent, as well a gallery area, was covered with two
additional boxes.
Also part of the design were Audio Technica 5000 series wireless
microphones, and Countryman E-6 discrete head-worn microphones, used to
interface with the wireless systems. A Tascam CDA-500 provided CD and
cassette playback. The SymNet 8x8 processes the signal feed for six
Community CPL-23WT loudspeakers that serve the transept and lobby areas.
Since installing the system, Our Lady of Guadalupe has won over its
parishioners. Many congregation members have noted how much the
intelligibility has improved. Less apparent to the congregation, however, is
the level of control and sound processing detail that has been made possible
by SymNet.
Audio Gear:
* Axys Intellivox-6c (Nave)
* Axys Intellivox-2b (Nave/Fill)
* Axys Intellivox-2b (Gallery)
* Community CPL-23WT (Transept #1)
* Community CPL-23WT (Transept #2)
* Community CPL-23WT (Lobby/ x4)
* Symetrix SymNet 8X8 DSP
* Symetrix SymNet ARC
* QSC ISA-500Ti
* Audio Technica 5000 Series Wireless
* Countryman E-6 Head Worn Microphones
* Tascam CDA-500
Electro Acoustics Design: Alonso Camacho, in collaboration with Roger
DuNaier
Sound Contractor: Art of Sound, Sacramento, California
Installer: Maverick Design Group, Sacramento California
Art of Sound is based in Sacramento, California and the principal is Alonso
Camacho, Audio Designer/Sound Systems Contractor/Integrator. ART OF SOUND
can be reached at (916) 498-9098
