Then we had a lightning strike, and all the electronics died.
To make a long story short... insurance provided sufficient funds to redo the system (and remodel the church, as there was some water damage). There were several design goals:
1. Add a sub. I had creatively engineered a sub out of an old Peavey 15 bass cab.... but it was.. well... less than optimal.
2. Improve coverage and clarity - Previously, over half the seating was in poor HF coverage, and high mids spattered all over and made it muddy.
3. Increase gain before feedback - the system has always run right on the edge of feedback due to the very close proximity of both FOH and monitors to the mics.
4. Improve the aesthetics of the room - the existing FOH speaker was flown dead center and the ceiling isn't that high at 12 feet. The wedge monitors are also always in the way, and don't match the new floor.
To accomplish these goals, after carefully considering each of the plans on the CD, I chose a pair of SLA Pro cabinets for main speakers, and a pair of half height SLA Pros for stage monitors. The sub is a slightly modified T30 - the height is shortened by one inch to make it fit in an abandoned furnace return duct. I asked forum member Brew to help me with these, as I need to retain the use of my fingers to play the piano, and I have to say he did an excellent job. The finish work is just as good as the OAP cab that came down, if not better. The FOH pair is built with four Dayton PA-6 mid drivers and two Dayton PT2C-8 ribbon tweeters each. The monitors have two mid drivers and four Goldwood 1005 piezos. This arrangement has worked out wonderfully. We finished the install about an hour before Wednesday service. I didn't have much time to tune, but service went on without any major problems. I returned today and tuned the system (only 3 or 4 parametric EQ adjustments were required) and now it's perfect. Even without the tuning, I heard nothing but positive comments... people commented on the clarity and better volume (which I translate to mean "less harsh"), and plenty of comments about the aesthetics (these things matter in a church).
As for the new monitors... the singers had always complained about the monitors being too loud.. this was harshness, not volume. When I turned them down, they couldn't hear. This had to be fixed... the new cabs keep the sound on stage even across the entire stage and choir, and they are EQd to be a little more forward in the vocal range than FOH, making the monitoring experience perfect. Everybody's happy now.
Thanks, Bill for the designs, and Bruce, for the great work!
Here's before and after:
- Back of Room.jpg (144.08 KiB) Viewed 3011 times
Good looking cabs! Very studious and smart looking install.
