Lectrosonics Deployed In St. Joseph Cathedral Restoration Project

Built in 1919, St. Joseph Cathedral is the largest church in South Dakota and one of the larger Roman Catholic cathedrals in the United States. This historic structure recently marked the completion of a $17M restoration and renovation. Audio processing and wireless microphone technology are an integral part of the new sound setup; the system's designers specified equipment from Rio Rancho, New Mexico-based Lectrosonics.

Grand Rapids, Michigan-based MuSonics, a full-service acoustics design and consulting firm specializing in all facets of architectural acoustics, music, and sound in liturgical spaces, was contracted to design and oversee St. Joseph Cathedral's new sound reinforcement system. Peter Borchard, the firm's audio designer -- working in conjunction with video designer Roger Willey of Hot Springs, South Dakota-based Willey and Associates -- penned the A/V system blueprint that would ultimately be installed by Audio Connections of Brooking, South Dakota

As unattended operation of the sound system was a critical aspect of its design, Borchard specified Lectrosonics' ASPEN SPN1624 digital audio processor for auto-mixing and related tasks. For wireless microphones, he insisted upon the company's Digital Hybrid Wireless technology.

"St. Joseph Cathedral is a positively stunning space," notes Borchard. "There's a tremendous history in this facility and every aspect of the renovation was meticulously planned. The space -- even after the acoustic treatment -- still had a very long reverberation time of 6.2 seconds. This necessitated very careful alignment and calibration of the equipment -- particularly the loudspeakers and the audio processing components. Since unattended operation was a key aspect of the new sound system's design, I elected to deploy the Lectrosonics ASPEN SNP1624 audio processor. I've used Lectrosonics equipment for years and I view the ASPEN unit as the perfect 'one-stop solution' for managing audio in an unattended environment. The processor's auto-mixing, signal routing and equalization facilities are first rate and its ability to be externally controlled -- such as from a tablet like the iPad -- made this unit the most viable choice for a project of this nature."

For wireless microphones, Borchard specified an eight-channel setup consisting of two Lectrosonics VRMWB Venue Series receiver mainframes -- one fully stocked with six VRS receiver modules and the other with two modules, leaving room for expansion should it become necessary in the future. Transmitters include six Lectrosonics LMa Digital Hybrid belt pack transmitters and two UT Digital Hybrid handheld transmitters with the VMO omnidirectional capsules. The belt pack transmitters are mated with a combination of earset and lavaliere microphones from DPA Microphones.

"Each member of the clergy has his own individual microphone setup," Borchard explained. "This way, we were able to fit the earsets very carefully for each person to ensure maximum comfort and optimum microphone positioning. Since each priest has his own mic and transmitter, the ASPEN processor has a channel specifically configured for that person and this further enhances system performance." Borchard notes that one priest prefers a lavaliere microphone and that, when not in use, it serves as a mic for guest speakers or backup.

When queried about those aspects of the Lectrosonics wireless equipment that made these products the ideal choice for this project, Borchard offered the following, "The sound quality of Lectrosonics wireless equipment is on par with cabled systems and the range we achieved with the Lectrosonics UFM 230 RF filter amp is exceptional. There's a good 150' between the antennas in the altar area and the location of the receivers and the system's dropout-free performance extends out the front doors of the cathedral. This enables priests to lead processions through the entire space and be heard clearly. I'm equally impressed with the build quality of the equipment. No matter how much you try to impress the need to be careful when handling the equipment, mistakes will invariably happen and something gets dropped. Lectrosonics reliability is very reassuring under such circumstances."