Mexico. Having clear and intelligible sound is vitally important in an auditorium or concert hall, but it is more so in an intimate space such as a church or religious temple, where the voice plays a fundamental role in the audio that is transmitted.
Large Christian churches with large stages, bleachers and balconies often lean towards Bose solutions, including RoomMatch or ShowMatch linear arrangement speakers with DeltaQ technology, due to their power and ease of adapting to systems equipped with mixing consoles, subwoofers and amplifiers.
However, in smaller temples or old cathedrals whose architecture presents a challenge for sound design, the integrators in charge of these projects opt for compact speakers that do not alter the aesthetics of the place. Such is the case of the parish of Santa María de Guadalupe in the State of Hidalgo and the St. Anthony church located in the city of Davenport, Iowa, where the suggestion of the experts was to install modular speakers of articulated arrangement Panaray® of Bose Professional.
The parish of Santa María de Guadalupe is undoubtedly one of the most visited places and of greatest historical significance in the entire community of Mixquiahuala de Juárez, a municipality located in the central part of the State of Hidalgo. This building, which dates from the sixteenth century and was erected in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe, receives dozens of local parishioners every week, many of them elderly. Unfortunately, the sound system that was used before was no longer able to meet their needs or adequately cover the different spaces and corners of the place.
"The previous sound equipment was already in poor condition. People complained about not listening correctly to what was said at Masses, so we decided to make a change so that people, especially the elderly, had the opportunity to clearly receive the messages," says Raúl Serrano Espinoza, head priest of the Parish.
The renovation project, headed by Father Raúl Serrano, paid special attention to the sound and equipment to be used, as this investment had to be durable and significant, so a modern system was needed, which could be digitally reconfigured when necessary and with the required sound clarity so that even people in the back rows heard clearly down to the smallest detail.
After an exhaustive work, the Mexican integrator company Ponle Audio carried out the acoustic design and installation of the system, which consisted of six Panaray MA12EX speakers, four Panaray 502 A, four FreeSpace speakers (two DS100 in atrium and two DS16 as reinforcement), a PowerMatch PM8500 amplifier and a ControlSpace controller, from which priests can modify the volume of the system or disable it completely for days when there are no scheduled activities.
With this combination of speakers it was possible to cover the entire main nave, as well as two adjoining rooms on the sides, where more intimate masses and spaces for prayer are offered; the sound was also brought to the church's atrium, where communal parties and gatherings are sometimes held, as well as to a backyard, framed by a beautiful internal garden, in which younger members take catechetical courses.
