I would like to discuss some work we have been doing on our sound system. Our Church is now fifteen years old and the sound system, like so many other parts of the building, has been showing its age. In the fall of 2023 discussions began to start exploring how we could refresh and enhance our sound system to better accommodate the range of music, types of audio playback, and crowd sizes at different Masses. The earnings from the Fall Festival in November 2023 were earmarked for a number of upgrades, updates, and enhancements to our current equipment, which is complex and multi-faceted.
In June 2024, we finalized an order list with Tricorne Audio in Fargo for new digital wireless microphones, choir microphones, and a digital mixing system; state of the art professional audio gear which provides enhanced audio processing, better system control, and more overall flexibility. Our original wireless analog microphones, which used several incompatible and no longer manufactured equipment models, have been standardized on a single system type for ease of management and maintenance. Installation of our new digital hardware began in the fall of 2024 and is still on-going.
Members of the congregation who require assisted listening services will be able to utilize a better sounding WiFi based system to hear the Mass through their smartphones and personal earbuds, headphones, or neckloops. This new personal listening feature has been in process the past few months, and is nearly ready to go online. I want to thank Steve Kostecke for contributing his time and talent to guide us through ordering and installing of the very specialized equipment used in this project.
One thing that was very unexpected was that in January 2025 an electronic module that controls and amplifies the large white column speaker on the south side of the sanctuary went out. Repairing this failure required retrofitting of all of the modules in the south side column. And it was judged prudent to also retrofit the north side column to prevent any near-term failures of the rest of the speaker system. This retrofit is in process and is expected to take 2 months. Since these are highly specialized speakers, which require careful work to retrofit and repair, we are working with local audio experts at Tricorne Audio who are arranging for repair and updates with the speaker manufacturer. I am actually surprised that these speakers lasted fifteen years. It would be rare to find any electronics equipment, computers or even cars that many people have, that are more than fifteen years old and utilized in a reliable and professional way.
These white column speakers on the south and north sides of the sanctuary provide the vast majority of sound amplification in our church. You may have noticed the much smaller black speaker column on a movable tripod between the baptistry and the sanctuary. This has been put in place to compensate for the missing white column speaker on that side. It is much smaller, and doesn’t have the directional capability of the permanent white column speakers, so there has been a noticeable difference from the sound quality we’re accustomed to. It may still be another month or more before we will experience our sound system restored back to its previous functionality.
Finally, I know that the ability to hear at Mass is very important. While these repairs and upgrades to our sound system continue to be implemented piece by piece as they become available, I would encourage those who are having a negative experience of the sound in the Church to try to sit on the north (right hand) side of the church, five pews or more back from the front. The quality of sound can vary greatly within our large space, and sometimes some changes are seating are needed to find the place that works best for you, especially in these weeks while the main speakers are under repair.
