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Dynacord sound system installed at historic Paisley Abbey

Founded in 1163, Paisley Abbey in Scotland has been restored and renovated several times throughout its long history. The latest renovation is one that is helping the Abbey in its role as a meeting point for the whole community, where it hosts a variety of events throughout the year.

With more external companies coming in to use the Abbey for special events such as music recitals, exhibitions and weddings, the thirty-year-old sound system was no longer able to deliver the service required. The Abbey turned to Adlib to design and install a new sound system that could meet the various needs of the facility.

“They required a sound system that was very simple to use but that could also be augmented by external production companies”, explains 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, or a small meeting in the chapel or, of course, a full Sunday service using all zones.”

Adlib worked out a future-proof solution that revolves around Dynacord electronics. An MXE5 Matrix Mix Engine provides the control and sound processing required by the different functions of the site, while Sonicue Sound System Software was utilized for system setup and customizing a GUI for the TPC-1 Touch Panel Controller. “We spent a lot of time around the user interface, as that is such a key element to the success of the project”, recalls McCully. “Sonicue was used to create a GUI with presets for the TPC-1 specific to the needs of the user.”

Control is delivered to the user via an iPad or the IP-networked TPC-1, which both allow scene recall and level adjustments. The church selects one of three presets, a Normal Mode, a Chapel Mode and a Chancel Mode. Each preset activates different elements of the system and a different combination of mics.

When it came to installation loudspeakers, Adlib chose Dynacord TS models from the vertical-array series. Four TS 400 cover the main nave of the Abbey, with a further three TS 100 and the same number of TS 200 in place to cover adjacent spaces. To complete the setup, an Electro-Voice EVU ultracompact loudspeaker has been positioned discretely under the pulpit to provide front-fill.

Dynacord also provided the solution for driving the loudspeakers, with Adlib combining different members of the manufacturer’s installation-dedicated amplifiers. A pair of IPX 5:4 four-channel amplifiers are joined by a C1300FDi model.

The age and historic nature of the building provided the main challenge for the project, as Adlib faced limitations in the loudspeaker positions and fixings that could be used. A Dante audio network infrastructure was used to reduce the cabling.

“This is predominantly a Dante system, though with the flexibility of the MXE5 we’re feeding the C1300 with an analog output”, explains 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 at a FOH position for whenever there are additional requirements and the need for a dedicated operator on faders. We also had to strategically position an induction loop amp which is fed from an output from the Dante I/O plate, again meaning that we could run a single Cat-6 cable instead of a four-pair multicore.”

(Photos: Adlib/Dynacord)

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