d&b helps Singapore St. John’s - St. Margaret’s Church secure clarity.
Singapore’s St. John’s - St. Margaret’s Church [SJSM] has seen continued expansion since its foundation almost forty years ago. A growing congregation, modernization and renovation prompted Church leaders to invest in upgrading its aging AV system. Clarity, speech intelligibility and comprehensive coverage were key to choosing a suitable audio package, leading them to a complete precision system from d&b.
Formed when St. John’s Garrison Church and St. Margaret’s Church merged in 1971, SJSM features a central ‘Christ Sanctuary’ space, the shape of which presents acoustical challenges. The church had long suffered from bass and mid-range build-ups muddying intelligibility. As congregation numbers have increased over the past four decades, so too have the production demands of its services, which blend traditional worship with contemporary elements.
Expansion
Church budgets are tight and scrutinised, but investment was clearly needed to future proof SJSM’s technical facilities. “We were simply not set up for contemporary services with their higher SPLs and high definition audio characteristics,” says SJSM’s Technical Executive, John Isaac.
Church leaders and technical volunteers from SJSM drew up a shortlist of suppliers in the region who could provide consultancy, expertise and on-site demonstration. Alan Mathew, an independent audio consultant and professional sound engineer, was challenged with sourcing a suitable loudspeaker and amplification solution.
His first stop was a visit to Gert Sanner at d&b audiotechnik’s Singapore office for a demonstration of the Ti10L, the installation version of the versatile point/line source T10 loudspeaker.
“The Ti10L is very compact and lightweight, meaning it was an obvious choice to be hung from the ceiling at SJSM,” says Mathews. “It might be the smallest d&b line array speaker, but it offers really good dispersion, great for filling large spaces with tight, clear sound and speech intelligibility.”
Clarity
The next step was a demonstration of the system in-situ at SJSM, with Mathew using d&b ArrayCalc to optimise coverage. “The ArrayCalc software has been very beneficial for the Christ Sanctuary install,” says Mathews. “With a workable budget, we managed to deliver a solution that is transforming sound in the space. And the ArrayProcessing feature is very useful and something unique about the d&b package.”
Following the showcase, the Church panel was unanimous in selecting the Ti10L. “… the intensity of musical performance it provides in addition to clarity of speech ensured this was straightforward,” says Isaac.
Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd was called upon to supply and install the new audio system in the Christ Sanctuary, with a team led by Gary Goh.
The loudspeaker system solution at SJSM consists of a left and right array of eight Ti10L cabinets each side. The Ti10L’s dual 6.5” woofers are arranged in a dipolar arrangement to enhance dispersion control, while the HF driver is attached to a rotatable waveguide with a horn and acoustic lens. This provides a vertical line source, with a 90° horizontal dispersion that is maintained down to approximately 600 Hz, while the integrated lens in the front grille widens the HF dispersion in line array mode to 105°.
The lower frequencies are provided by four 27A-SUB cardioid subwoofers, suspended from the ceiling adjacent to the Ti10L hangs. Each cabinet houses a front-facing 15” driver in a bass-reflex design, plus a 12” driver radiating to the rear.
Four d&b 10D amplifiers supply the sixteen Ti10L cabinets, while a single 30D model is dedicated to the four 27A-SUBs. Each left and right wing of the sanctuary receives its own delicate mix from suspended d&b Yi7P dual 8” models to each side of the main Ti10L arrays. The d&b system is rounded off with the inclusion of a 16C column loudspeaker, which serves as a pastoral monitor.
Even dispersion
SJSM’s Technical Executive, John Isaac, continues: “We are now blessed with a better sense of audio filling the space. The d&b line array provides a much more even dispersion. With all this new equipment, we can provide a seamless and satisfying worship experience for the whole church.”
