Russian Orthodox church installs Electro-Voice
Published: WORSHIP
RUSSIA: Microphones and loudspeakers from Electro-Voice have been installed in the largest Russian Orthodox church in the Republic of Bashkortostan, in the Volga federal district of Russia. As well as microphones and loudspeakers, the installation includes a NetMax N8000 controller and PWS-6 programmable wall stations offering remote control.
One of the most awkward factors for the acoustic engineers here was the reverberation time, with RT60 beneath the central dome extending to several seconds. Ufa-based First Install Company, with the assistance of Electro-Voice’s Russian partner Ruton S, were briefed to provide a fundamental improvement in the quality of the sound within the church itself and a means of relaying services to the open area in front of the building. Furthermore, the system had to be easy to operate and the loudspeakers invisible to worshippers.
An exhaustive series of simulations determined that the ideal installation combined a carefully tuned blend of Electro-Voice Evid and ZX1i loudspeakers, all governed by a NetMax N8000 controller, coupled with an equally careful selection of Electro-Voice microphones. The reinforcement solution placed two Electro-Voice ZX1i-90 loudspeakers in front of the altar and pairs of EV S-40 loudspeakers in the areas above and below the balcony, with Evid 4.2 loudspeakers providing coverage in the nave. Outside, two ZX3-90PI W loudspeakers relay the programme. The NetMax N8000 digital audio controller uses Iris-Net software, offering control of volume, EQ, delay and more from a laptop anywhere within the church.
The microphones placed at strategic locations throughout the building include two RE20s on floor stands to capture the choir; two PolarChoice XLR gooseneck microphones equipped with RE-2 bodypack transmitters for the deacons and readers of the lesson; an RE92H hanging microphone in the icon vault; an RE92 lavalier with RE-2 bodypack for the patriarch; and two OLM10 lavaliers, also with RE-2 transmitters, for the other priests. The participation of the congregation outside the church is also captured, by an RE410 premium condenser cardioid.
To make the operation of the system as easy as possible, First Install Company opted for PWS-6 Programmable Wall Stations, which offer push-button remote control of the NetMax system including all DSP parameters. Since congregation sizes vary, engineers have programmed four presets: for 100, 300, 500 and 1,000 worshippers.