The Challenge

Built in 1877, this historic church had never had a sound reinforcement system. The desire was to install a simple, integrated sound system as a part of their renovation project. Aesthetics was a major concern since the renovation projectís goal was to return the church's interior and exterior to historical accuracy.

The Solution

Careful consideration went into the design and selection of the system equipment to allow it to have minimum visual impact on the aesthetics of the sanctuary. For the pulpit, a Crown PCC160 directional boundary microphone was used. This unique microphone lays flat on the pulpit, preventing it from being seen by the congregation.

A compact, yet powerful Renkus-Heinz speaker was selected for the main central speaker cluster. Although visible, the speakers are stained to match the finish color of the woodwork in the sanctuary. The underbalcony speaker cluster was not only painted, but also recessed into the wall for minimum impact.

Other system highlights include signal processing and amplification equipment manufactured by Peavey, Rane, and Crown, installed into an owner-provided rack cabinet. Speakers for the Narthex, Nursery, and Choir monitors were also provided.

For First Presbyterian, AE Systems provided the solution for blending technical design quality and aesthetics. What challenges do you have for us?