Torsåker Church upgrades to Iconyx
Published: WORSHIP
WORLD: Systems integrator Luthman SMTTS AB recently recommended Renkus-Heinz Iconyx digitally steerable loudspeakers for the Torsåker Protestant church in Sweden. Although the previous acoustics in the stone church were reasonable, this year the church decided to try to attract larger numbers by installing a new sound system.
Luthman SMTTS AB started by photographing the church's interior, replacing the old speakers in the photos with Iconyx units, allowing them to show the church leaders exactly how the new system would look. A live demo on site convinced the church to invest in the system. Göran Sjöström installed the system and was responsible for the technical implementation.
The system is divided into two segments: the main system, consisting of two Iconyx IC16-R units, mounted flush to pillars either side of the central nave and finished in matching white, and a secondary mechanically steerableIC7 system in an area off the nave that's used for smaller, more intimate ceremonies such as baptisms. In control is a PreSonus StudioLive 16.0.2 digital mixer, which can also be used as an interface with multi-track recording software.
‘One thing that is very exciting is that while tuning this system I received the first beta version from Renkus-Heinz of the latest version of RHAON (Renkus-Heinz Audio Operations Network), which among other things adds the ability to apply a high-pass filter to individual beams,’ said Luthman's Karl-Gustaf Kahlau. ‘I used that feature to fine-tune the sound in the front. The church didn't need more low frequencies but there was a lack of beam focus in the very front rows. With the new RHAON software I was able to high-pass one beam either side at 1000Hz, and just aimed it at the first rows – which is kind of unique in terms of using these systems.’
‘We are delighted with this system,’ enthused Mr Sjöström. ‘All the old echoes have gone and instead there is great clarity all the way to the back of the church.’