One of Poland’s most valued heritage sites, the Church of the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is recognised as the largest castle in the world. A medieval fortress completed in 1406, it was designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco 20 years ago.
As part of an extensive reconstruction programme in the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Lauda Audio was asked to design and install a sound reinforcement system to support the permanent and temporary exhibitions that are to be hosted by this historic venue. In 2016
The church can accommodate around 300 people in its main hall, for meetings and presentations, as well as concerts. However, with a ceiling height of 14m, the acoustics of this medieval building are demanding. Reverb time is approximately 6s, which presented a challenge for the audio system designers. ‘Our most important design objective was to achieve uncompromised sound quality, and multifunctionality for the system,’ explains Marcin Popek of pro audio specialist and Nexo distributor Lauda Audio,.
For the main system, Lauda Audio selected Nexo’s compact Geo-M6 line array, for its speech intelligibility and even coverage. Two arrays of nine white M620 modules are flown at a height of 6m to cover the long, narrow interior – 9m in width, with a throw of 32m. Two LS600 subs per side are used for LF reinforcement, hidden from view.
A dynamic approach to audiovisual presentation called for a surround system, and for this, Lauda Audio has chosen Nexo’s super-compact ID24 cabinets. Ten of these small units, with 90° x 40° directivity, have been installed on the sidewalls, where they are virtually invisible. They are set up to work as surround speakers with the main system, or independently controlled for use on exhibition projects. The twin 4-inch, full-range ID24 loudspeakers are designed to offer a low profile while fitting into awkward and acoustically challenging spaces.
All of the audio devices in the dhurch are connected via a Dante network, and controlled by a Yamaha MRX7-D mixer, using iPad remote control via the RS232 port of the RTI system.
