Powersoft brings the sound system to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston

The renovation of the sound system of this important place of worship is based on amplifiers Powersoft Ottocanali 1204 and a custom-designed line-array, controlled by the manufacturer's Harmony software.

the Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Holy Cross Cathedral) is the largest center of worship of any faith in New England, belonging to the Archdiocese of Boston. A Gothic temple of 1875 that has completed an ambitious renovation project.

This framework includes the deployment of a new sound system, based on the technology of Powersoft, specifically in their amplifiers Ottocanali 1204 and a line-array custom designed using amplification modules D-Cell 504, two- and four-channel DSP, and the Harmony software for its management.

Evan Landry, CTO of CommLink Integration Corporation, Designed the temple's new sound system around a custom unit, based on a column of two MicroBeam units 32 of Innovox audio, which serves as the core for the entire sound system.

“The main focus of the system acts as an acoustic anchor, so that all the sound is received as if it came from the choir, explains Landry.. The purpose of this setting is to increase listener engagement, Clarity and intelligibility”.

Due to the architectural limitations of this cathedral, custom MicroBeam system uses only 52 elements -instead of the 64 that are commonly used- and the D-Cell module 504 from Powersoft, providing processing and power for the dipoles-spaced low-frequency section, as well as for processed line-level outputs used with MicroBeam.

the line array Innovox MicroBeam steerable uses 26 medium/low frequency active elements (2.75 cone drivers″), powered by D-Cell modules 504 from Powersoft, and others 26 high-frequency elements (3.25 tape drivers″).

“Virtually everything we do uses high-frequency tape or AMT type elements (air motion transformer) -Says Chris Oswood, owner of Innovox Audio-, mainly to improve the transitional response with respect to conventional media, and that has everything to do with delivering the voice chain to the listener., but without the degradation that involves the loss of articulation”.

The use of D-Cell modules in MicroBeam designs “respond mainly to the sound quality of the processor and amplifier sections," continues Oswood.. Other advantages are the form factor, its small size and the power density of the modules, as many of our products are column-shaped and thus the modules are easily integrated”.

To bring the sound coverage from the choir through the 60 meters that extend to the back of the nave, Landry and Oswood installed eighteen line array Additional Innovox, one for each support column in the hallway.

To feed each line array support along columns, with five additional monitor channels, plus another speaker that acts as a mirror image of the acoustic anchor, Powersoft Ottocanali amplifiers are used 1204.

“We knew we needed a discrete channel per speaker in the eighteen columns, that must have unique delay times, so our number of channels was going to be high and the amount of power would be relatively low., since the column speakers are only used for articulation extension. Ottocanali 1204 offered the combination of a large number of channels and low power, while maintaining sound quality to make a first-class installation”.

To configure the system DSP, Oswood opted for Powersoft's Harmony software, “that we routinely use in other products from this manufacturer. It is a very easy to use platform with a lot of flexibility”.

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