Colegate Memorial Chapel relies on Martin Audio

Situated in the village of Hamilton, New York, Colgate Memorial Chapel has upgraded to a Martin Audio solution, facilitated by the chapel’s long-term AV contractor TSH AV. Built in 1917, the church is used as a multifunctional facility at the heart of Colgate University’s campus activity, providing a range of functions from university interfaith church services to lectures, presentations and orchestral concerts.

TSH AV specified the manufacturer’s compact O-Line micro line array to sit discreetly within the chapel and optimise the sound in the challenging space which includes a 750-seat sanctuary without a centre aisle – accommodating 450 on the lower floor, 200 in the balconies and 100 on the stage. “With O-Line in use across churches in the UK and Europe, I proposed this solution from the very beginning,” said TSH owner, Timothy Harris. “This speaker is meant for sanctuaries like this.”

Two O-Line columns of 12 elements have been wall-mounted either side of the altar, with a pair of Martin Audio SXP118 subwoofers available as necessary. “They can be wheeled in with the option of either being placed one on each side or in an end-fire configuration in the centre,” added Harris. “These are powered in two-box resolution by three VIA 2004 amplifiers, with all processing in the dedicated DX4.0 digital system processor, so it’s an end-to-end Martin Audio solution.”

Harris also noted that the chapel, which features a vaulted dome, is sonically forgiving and required minimal processing. “Back in the 1980s, they installed an acoustical ceiling, since the ceiling runs straight across, but rising to the dome in the centre,” he explained. “The acoustic panels didn’t provide a perfect solution, but it certainly helped.”

Michael Lawrence from Precision Audio Services provided the final tuning of the system to verify it was tuned correctly, with TSH AV then responsible for final commissioning.

“It was a surprisingly well-behaved room given the size and the surface materials,” commented Lawrence. “I worked with Tim on a final design iteration, making a few tweaks to the splay angles before the system was installed, so once I got onsite for the alignment, the coverage was already behaving as intended. The commissioning session was mostly spent getting the system voiced appropriately for the space. We did another round of listening with a representative from the college and made sure everyone was happy.”