Church In The Round gets QFlex solution

WORLD: The Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Winter Park, Florida recently invested in a Tannoy QFlex solution for the premises, which features monastic seating and a circular sanctuary with the altar placed prominently in the centre of the room.

The sanctuary also features an abundance of marble, stained glass, wooden pews and a tall cathedral ceiling – an attractive place for worship, but a challenge from an audio perspective.
 
Craig Beyrooti, owner of Atlantic Professional Audio, presented a solution based around Tannoy's QFlex steerable column array loudspeaker system – though in this case in a somewhat unconventional manner.

‘It is a large open space with ceiling beams – there were not a lot of places to place loudspeakers – especially if the system was to be unobtrusive,’ Mr Beyrooti explained. ‘Because of all of the reflective surfaces, it was imperative to focus the sound on the audience area while keeping the sound off the walls and ceiling as much as possible, in order to meet the requirements for intelligibility.

‘I already knew the QFlex loudspeakers were ideal for this type of application – but the question was where to hang them,’ he reflected. ‘Then it dawned on me – if I placed them on opposite beams shooting down and across the altar to the opposite seating areas, I could keep the sound on the audience and off the reflective surfaces. Because the QFlex boxes have such a wide coverage area, as well as the ability to steer effectively at steeper angles, one loudspeaker for each side of the church would be all that was required.’

Mr Beyrooti also suggested the installation of a QFlex 40 and VNet 15BP subwoofer to reinforce the choir, which was situated behind and to the right of the altar. As the column array loudspeaker provides such a wide coverage area, it was decided that it would be easily to cover the room. In addition, he suggested placing it above the choir area, to once again give parishioners the impression that the choir was more robust without seeming over-amplified.

‘One of the goals was to keep an even 80dB throughout the church,’ added Mr Beyrooti. ‘By adding a QFlex specifically for the choir it allows them to reinforce only what is needed, when needed.’

The APA team, headed by Michael Ramey CTS, then received the QFlex 32s and QFlex 40 from Tannoy – custom painted by the factory to match the aesthetics of the space – and the installation process began.

‘Once the speakers arrived, it was a matter of mounting them with the provided brackets,’ Mr Ramey explained. ‘Craig created a full EASE prediction plot and went over the design parameters with Graham Hendry, VP of TC Group’s AET (applications, engineering and training) department, so we knew our placement would work. Hendry then came over during the InfoComm show to help tune the system once it was installed.’

‘Unlike the old system, the new speaker system offers so much clarity no matter where you are in the room, no matter who is talking into a mic,’ said Paul Kusler, the HOW’s music director.

Mr Ramey and his team also installed a BSS Soundweb for sound control and programming as well as a Yamaha LS9 digital console at FOH. As a full service audio/video installer, they were additionally responsible for installing new Panasonic cameras and a Roland switcher that was tied into the existing flat panel screen located in the narthex.

‘Saints Peter and Paul is a hymnal-free church,’ Mr Beyrooti added. ‘So we were also called upon to update the video switcher system that outputs to two large 4x3 video screens that display prayers and songs – we added a little lighting and our job was done. The client is happy with a design that met all of their criteria and expectations. Excellent sound with minimal impact on the aesthetics of the church has been well received by all at Saints Peter and Paul,’ he enthused.

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