Speaker installation for a Hauptwerk organ

[PSUorganguy]

As you may know from some of my other posts I am working on converting an old 3 manual console into a Hauptwerk instrument for my church. I have been thinking about the speaker setup and needs for our sanctuary and I thought I would pose the question to the forum for some more insight.</p>

Our sanctuary seats 450 people with a balcony, has high angled ceilings covered in tongue and groove wood, plastered walls, very thin carpeted floors and padded pews. If anyone wants to know the exact dimensions I can get them. With all the carpet and padded pews you would think it might be a very dead space but it actually sounds fantastic for solo trumpet.(if that helps) I have posted some pictures to give everyone a better idea of the space.</p>

My biggest questions are how do you think the room will do with an organ, and how many speakers do you think I would need for an effective organ presence? Currently we have a 1970s analog Rodgers instrument with not enough power to lead congregational singing. The speakers for that organ are in the tops of the two coves on either side of the pulpit.</p>

Let me know what you think!
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http://picasaweb.google.com/cody.toms/MyChurch#
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[gsneide]

Re: Speaker installation for a Hauptwerk organ



With an electronic organ, the more speakers, fed by separate channels, the better, as far as sound <U>quality</U> is concerned. That said, in looking at your sanctuary, it appears long and rather narrow, and could probably benefit from speakerstoward the rear of the room as well, since your comment indicate a lack of sound <U>quantity</U> for support of congregational singing. Beyond that, it is hard to say without knowing what other resources you have. How many channels(maximum)will your Hauptwerk setup have? What kind of amplification do you plan to have available to drive the speakers? IMHO, you should have at a bare minimum at least two channels for each manual division, and two channels for the pedal, one of which is a dedicated subwoofer for 16' and 32' stops. That's a total of 6 channels (amps and speakers) for a two-manual and pedal setup, 8 channels for a three-manual and pedal. Most of the amps for the manual speakers that I have seen put out about 100 watts (a la Rodgers, Allen). The subwoofer amp should have considerably more power. The manual speakers should be mounted up high so that they will reflect off the hard ceiling, and not be pointed directly at the congregation. the subwoofer can be on the floor, as its low-frequency output is essentially omnidirectional. </P>


It looks like the existing speakers are in those grilled areas on either side of the ceiling. They would probably be ok for some, if not allof the speakers. It is hard to say.</P>


Hope this helps.</P>

[PSUorganguy]

Re: Speaker installation for a Hauptwerk organ



Yes the existing speakers are behind the grills. </p>

I was planning on using maybe 16 channels: 2 on the pedal, the rest on the manuals. I plan on building my own speakers as I am working on a research project right now related to wide sound field replication. I plan on using Crown pro audio amps for all channels at around 200 watts/channel for the manuals and MUCH more for the subwoofer. If I end up needing 2 subs for 16' and 32' output I will put them together to get the +3dB gain, then add one extra pedal channel for the rest of the pedal stops.</p>


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[gsneide]

Re: Speaker installation for a Hauptwerk organ

Well, it sounds like you have the right idea to me. The wide sound field replication you mention...have you seen the omnidirectional "cube" speakers that Phoenix Organs uses? Walker also uses "credenza-style" cabinets to get a broad sound stage (They look like the old AR-LST speakers from the 70s). Anything you can do to reduce the "beaming" effect of regular speakers will improve the sound. Good luck with your project! Post some pics and specs for us when you're done.