The Sofiemyr Church in Oslo, Norway, has overcome reverberation issues with a new audio solution comprising Renkus-Heinz IC Live loudspeaker array system, accompanied by Allen & Heath control and processing.
The striking modern building is also equipped with a pipe organ, which is quite frequently played together with a band and a grand piano, as well as a movable pulpit, which is taken out during modern-style worship services.
Supplied by Norwegian integrators Benum A/S, the installed loudspeaker system comprises a pair of inverted Renkus-Heinz IC Live arrays, flown from the ceiling alongside the matching subwoofers, above a small performance stage.
Due to the rooms almost cube shape (16 x 16 x 12m) the system was designed and confiugured by Geir Kristoffersen – manager of the consulting department of international engineering organisation COWI for Acoustics and Electro Acoustics, Sound and Vision – with two tightly controlled beams to avoid reverberation and to deflect from the bare brick walls.
One pair of IC Live arrays is aimed at the front of the congregation, while the other addresses the rear. Tuning is performed using both RHAON and an Allen & Heath IDR8 DSP processor with an Allen & Heath T112 control surface, allowing control from two different places.
A delay system provides extra coverage into a small annexe at the rear and in the side halls, using Renkus-Heinz CFX-61R cabinets – these are controlled over RHAON and Cobranet. They are matched by a further six Renkus CF-121M cabinets for monitors, which can be deployed as a portable PA in a larger side room located in the church, or outside during summer.
“What I like the most about this system – and I’ve worked with good systems all my life – is that because it’s a true line array and not a banana hang it creates a cylindrical wave, which means that it doesn’t excite the room as much as a traditional three-box system, which would have been our obvious alternative,” commented Kristoffersen.
