When the New Age Technologies (LLC) team first visited the mosque, there was a sound system that was installed and operational. At a glimpse, it was obvious that the speakers were not placed properly and the acoustic characteristics of the room were ignored in the previous installation. The sound was loud in some areas while […]
When the New Age Technologies (LLC) team first visited the mosque, there was a sound system that was installed and operational. At a glimpse, it was obvious that the speakers were not placed properly and the acoustic characteristics of the room were ignored in the previous installation. The sound was loud in some areas while low in other areas. There was annoying feedback, poor clarity of speech, echoing and static noise. This must have prompted the client to look for a new system. New Age Technologies (LLC) was selected by the client because of their track record, technical studies of the venue and competitive proposal.
The venue and client-brief
The venue consists of a main hall on the ground, three ladies halls and a library on the mezzanine level. In the production room, audio and video recordings of in-house programmes are recorded and duplicated for distribution to worshippers. There is an exclusive ladies entrance lobby and gents covered outdoor praying area. There are two minarets where horn speakers are fixed for Adhan (prayer calls). The client wanted a clear sound throughout the mosque with minimum number of non- obstructive speakers also allowing for live recording of audio and video. While the minaret is used only for Adhan, the mosque interior is used for prayers as well as special conventions from time to time throughout the year.
The system rack had to be kept in the production room in the mezzanine and operated remotely from the Mimber (prayer leading area) on the ground floor.
A camera needed to be fixed in the main hall with pan/tilt/zoom features and images had to be broadcasted to large display panels in the ladies halls so that female worshippers would be able to view activities in the main hall.
The sound system
New Age Technologies LLC conducted a simulation of the soundfield with the help of EASE software and identified that five numbers of QSC AD-S282H speakers placed appropriately in the main hall would provide an even coverage of sound, adequate sound pressure level (SPL) and wide frequency response. These speakers are individually wired to independent amplifier channels of Crown CDi 2000 so that each speaker output can be programmed for optimum sound and increase gain before feedback. The speakers were painted with the existing colour of the walls.
A JBL Control 28T speaker has been installed on a wall and directed to the Mimber (Prayer leading area) as a fold-back monitor for the preacher. All microphone inputs, remote volume controls and system on/off controls are placed in a customised faceplate and fixed near the Mimber. This makes the system highly user-friendly. The user only needs to turn the system on and off for daily use. The Furman sequential switcher placed in the remote system rack controls the equipment in a sequence. A Shure MX185 wired lapel microphone is provided for the Imam leading the prayer. This facilitates consistent volume level in different physical positions during the prayer and it is maintenance-free unlike wireless lapel systems. A Sennheiser condenser microphone is provided for preaching and four Shure Beta58 are available for special programmes. Other halls: The ladies halls, library, production room, ladies entrance lobby and gents outdoor areas are installed with 70V line QSC AD-S52Ts for distribution of sound in the main hall.
The system rack
The system rack with the amplifiers, processors and source equipments are placed in the production room in the mezzanine floor and remotely operated from the Mimber. A Furman sequential switcher and power conditioner feed power to all equipment. All microphones and source inputs are fed to a digital signal processor BSS BLU16 chassis with four in/out cards. The processors output is connected to relevant amplifiers and source equipment.
Video system
A Sony BR300 high-resolution camera with pan/tilt/zoom is fixed on the ceiling of the main hall and remotely controlled from the production room. The high definition signal from the camera is fed to a distribution amplifier and sent to four large display panels in the ladies halls and the library. Audio and video content is recorded on to a hard disc video recorder and copied for further editing and mastering.
About New Age Technologies (LLC)
New Age Technologies (LLC) is an audio-visual turnkey integrator based in Dubai, UAE, offering design, integration, supply and installation of a range of commercial and residential audio visual systems.
