CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY — Ransdell Chapel at Campbellsville University, an 800-seat chapel complex on campus serving the 2,500 students, had a sound system that “was a poor design from the beginning,” according to Doug Price, the university’s audio and visual services coordinator.
The chapel was used for everything from single-podium microphone gatherings to full-scale concerts featuring touring artists and events involving the school’s full band, choir and orchestra. But the staff in charge of the sound noticed that the ability to even be able to hear spoken words was difficult, with old conventional speakers and subs misplaced all over the stage.
“The subs were mounted in our organ loft behind the stage,” Price said. “The five rows of speakers all had to be delayed equally to match. This was nearly impossible.”
Price met with four different sound engineers to upgrade the system, and opted to go with Marc Warling of On-Line Marketing, who demoed Adamson gear.
“Once we heard the Adamson system in the room, there was no need to continue with any further demos. Everyone in the room was blown away by what we heard and we started to design the system right then,” Price said.
“I had never even heard of Adamson Systems Engineering, but once I heard their speakers it was all over. The demoed system had the clearest speakers I had ever heard.”
Installation began with eight 5 V x 120 H degree Metrix, two 15 V x 120 H degree Metrix W and two Metrix sub enclosures flown left and right, with the left-right placement matching the aesthetics of the room.
With “many reflective surfaces” in the Chapel, Price noted, “the motivating reason for going with a speaker with such tight tolerances. Adamson really put the sound where we needed it and kept the surfaces free from deflections.” The flown gear is custom-painted white, fitting in with the chapel’s interior.
Along with the new Adamson speakers, the chapel re-engineered their entire sound system, including all new wiring and connectors, and as a cherry on the cake, the upgrade finished off with a new Allen & Heath mixing console, adding up to a night-and-day difference in the quality of the sound, according to the staff.
“The Adamson speakers amazed everyone,” Price said, after the Ransdell chapel hosted the third annual Worship Arts Conference with three concerts in three days, two full days of conference speakers and many worship sets per day. “Several people were impressed by the size of the speaker being able to drive such decibel levels with superb clarity.
“Everyone has noticed the difference,” Price added. “We went from hardly being able to hear the spoken word in the room to hearing every detail in voice and music. I cannot begin to tell you how many compliments I have taken since we completed this installation.”
For more information, please visit www.adamsonproaudio.com.
