Sound Systems in Churches
Just as unique as the grandeur of church architecture is the resulting complex acoustics in these rooms. Sacral buildings are some of the greatest challenges sound engineers have to face. It is obvious that for decades ITEC has devoted itself to this topic with great dedication. While the multiple reflections and long reverberation times may be beneficial to singing and musical performances, they are highly unfavourable for the clarity of the spoken word. If you try to confront this dilemma using technical means, you are facing the next challenge: in no other environment are care and sensitivity this crucial when it comes to integrating technical components into the architecture. Competence and experience, gained through sound-equipping far more than 1000 churches, have become a major part of our numerous ITEC products.
Low-noise amplifiers, slim column speakers for focused sound radiation, elegant microphones with excellent directional characteristics and sound processors for optimum sound processing have been tested under the most difficult acoustic conditions and stand out with top reliability and simple operation.
Only the best microphones are good enough!
It is particularly in churches where microphones have to satisfy the highest requirements. They are not supposed to catch your eye, and they should allow for large distances to the speaker, be suitable for speech and singing and resistant to feedback. ITEC offers a large selection of microphones for altars, lecterns, choirs and musical groups.
We receive a lot of requests for choir microphones, i.e. microphones that are capable of evenly picking up an entire choir. In a studio this may be possible to a certain extent, for recordings and broadcasts, but for simultaneous live playback, e.g. in a church or an event hall, it is not.
This is how it can be done: We have had excellent results using the EM 300 for choirs, if, depending on the choir size, three to four microphones are used. If only one microphone port is available, or if the volume is to be regulated on site, the small, compact ITEC MicAmp4 mixer is a high-quality solution.
Sectional sound the classic solution
In churches where free sound radiation is limited due to the architecture, a multitude of speakers provide the best sound results. The slim ITEC column speakers can be perfectly visually integrated in the architecture. If the system is additionally optimised using a subwoofer, which covers the low basses, an excellent sound can be reached even with electrical instruments used during rhythmical masses.
Controlled line arrays - sound projections from one point
The new digital technology and the ITEC Focus Speakers unlock new sound possibilities for reverberant rooms. This trend-setting technology makes it possible to acoustically irradiate enormous areas from one point, at an even volume and with optimum speech intelligibility without unnecessarily stimulating the reverberation of the room. The focussed irradiation reaches listeners up to the last row at almost the same volume. This is ideal for large, hall-type church rooms. No disturbing reflections in the vaults, excellent speech intelligibility, and visually well-integratable.
Bringing the Word to the People
We are specialised in the technical aspect of this challenge.
ITEC has been specialised in grid-independent, mobile speaker systems for decades.
The most versatile product of this line is the ITEC Twin-Box. Whether it is presentations in the hall or accompanying processions or guided tours with the ITEC Twin-Box, the complete sound system is always there as well. The compact device offers a remarkable irradiation performance of up to 500 persons and a mains-independent use time of 6 hours.
An even smaller und particularly lighter solution is the ITEC Smart-Box. Weighing less than 3 kg it can be easily carried around and yet it is remarkably powerful. We recommend the ITEC Smart-Box for events with an audience of up to 100 people. The integrated battery capacity is 4 hours.
Even More Joy in Singing Together
Electronic song displays play an important part in motivating church visitors to participate in collective singing. It is also remarkable that the community sings aloud starting from the very first measure instead of the majority of voices dropping in during the verse. Because the number of the current song and especially also of the current verse is always on the display, everybody knows where to read along in the songbook. Thats how even not that experienced church visitors can be motivated to actively participate in the common singing.
