AV Magazine AV Magazine 
Since its foundation in 1163, Paisley Abbey has taken on many roles in serving its local community.
As a meeting point for the community, it hosts a variety of events throughout the year. With more external companies also using the abbey for music recitals, exhibitions and weddings, it was decided that the abbey’s 30-year-old sound system was no longer able to deliver the service required.
The abbey turned to Adlib to design and install a new system that would meet the its requirements. “They required a sound system that was simple to use but could also be augmented by external production companies,” says Andrew McCully, applications engineer/project manager at Adlib. “They also needed to be able to zone the speaker system, as they might have a small communion service just in the chancel area, a small meeting in the chapel or a full Sunday service using all zones.”
Adlib devised a future-proof solution based on Dynacord equipment. An MXE5 matrix mix engine provides the control and sound processing, while SONICUE Sound System Software has been utilised for system set-up and customising a user-friendly GUI for the TPC-1 touch panel controller to ensure effortless operation.
“We spent a lot of time on the user interface, as that is such a key element to the success of the project,” says McCully. “If the interface is complicated or confusing, users don’t have a good experience – no matter how good the speakers sound. SONICUE was used to create a GUI with pre-sets for the TPC-1 specific to the needs of the user and provided a system that sounds great and is easy to use.”
Control is delivered to the user via an iPad or the IP-networked TPC-1, which allow scene recall and level adjustments. Three pre-sets activate different elements of the system and a different combination of microphones.
Adlib opted for Dynacord TS speakers from the vertical-array series. Four TS 400 cover the main nave, with three TS 100s and three TS 200s covering the adjacent spaces. “We selected the TS range as it provides great coverage and an aesthetic quality to the installation,” says McCully. The set-up is completed by an Electro-Voice EVU ultra-compact loudspeaker, which has been positioned discretely under the pulpit to provide front-fill.
The speakers are driven by a pair of IPX 5:4 four-channel amplifiers and a C1300FDi.
“This is predominantly a Dante system, though with the flexibility of the MXE5, we’re feeding the C1300 with an analogue output,” says McCully. “We used a couple of Dante I/O plates to allow the church to connect additional mics when needed, or to plug a mixing desk front of house for whenever there are additional requirements and the need for a dedicated operator on faders.”
The age and historic nature of the building provided the main challenge for the project, as Adlib faced limitations in where speakers could be positioned and what fixings could be used. A Dante audio network infrastructure was used to reduce the amount of cabling.
“This was never going to be an easy installation, due to the nature of the building,” says McCully. “The sound is good, the spoken word is fantastically clear and playback is rounded and warm.
“The church team got up to speed with the controls pretty quickly and has had positive feedback from the congregation.”
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