Case Study / Church Audio
Equipment hidden in the architecture, clearer speech and simple operation for the volunteer parishioners.
Project summary
- Challenge
- A low ceiling and stage; subs and monitors that had to be hidden; weekly operators who are not technicians.
- Solution
- Speakers built into the interior, DSP/FIR processing, microphone gain management and presets agreed with the people who use them.
- Result
- Clearer speech in every listening area, equipment that blends into the architecture and simple presets for the users.
From First Survey to Handover
01 / Diagnosis
The multi-purpose hall of Vo Dong Parish is both the classroom for sacred music and the place where the parish gathers — a completely new building. The parish priest teaches at the Catholic Conservatory of Vietnam, so his standard for sound was high: natural, detailed and true to life. The weekly operator is Mr. Phuoc, a volunteer parishioner with no audio background — the system had to be extremely easy to use. The stage is fairly low and the ceiling only 3.6m high: the speakers could not hang in anyone’s line of sight, and the subwoofers and monitors had to be completely hidden to keep the room looking right.
02 / Engineering decision
We hid two dual 2×12-inch subs as a centre sub array and 2 YME IP 12 floor monitors under the stage, faced with CNC-cut acoustic wood panels — the sound comes through freely and the speakers stay completely out of sight. The flown system — 2 YME Luna L5 Main speakers, 2 YME CS 9P Centre speakers and 2 YME CS 9P Delay speakers — covers the room evenly from the front row to the back, all running on YME DPA 2.0 amplifiers with built-in DFM DSP (Germany), with no separate processor at all. We loaded linear-phase FIR Filters on the YME DSP for a smooth response, and on the Midas M32R configured microphone and instrument routing, levels and operating scenes. We programmed instrument presets and 4 operating scenarios on Hot Keys, worked out with Mr. Phuoc around how the hall is actually used.
03 / Verification and value
STI improved from 0.52 (fair) to 0.74 (good). Surveyed level variation was within ±1.5dB across the listening area. Microphone gain management and system EQ address feedback risk, while FIR processing serves phase correction. After one training session, Mr. Phuoc operated the system independently.
“Thank you, Nhan of Tony Lab, for installing the sound system and for the technical support for the Vo Dong multi-purpose hall — it is wonderful.”
The Project in Pictures
01 / 05 — An overall view of the Vo Dong Parish multi-purpose hall, with YME speakers on the walls and the projection screen by the stage.
Before and After
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Speech intelligibility (STI) | 0.52 (fair) | 0.74 (good) |
| Sound pressure (SPL) uniformity | Unstable | Within ±1.5dB at the surveyed listening positions |
| Feedback control | Relied on separate equipment | Microphone gain management and system EQ; FIR used for phase correction |
| Running it without help | Not yet proven | Run independently after 1 training session |
Frequently asked questions
What are the advantages of YME Audiotechnik for a church or a multi-purpose hall?
YME Audiotechnik offers a matched system from the speakers to amplifiers with built-in DFM DSP (Germany) — a sweet, smooth midrange for speech and singing, high durability, and built-in phase/preset processing that keeps operation simple.
Does hiding the subwoofers and monitors under the stage reduce the sound quality?
No, if it is calculated correctly. CNC-cut wood panels with the right open area ratio, together with acoustic treatment inside the stage cavity, let the sound out naturally without reverberation or boom.
How long does someone without audio experience take to learn this system?
With the scenarios programmed on Hot Keys and agreed microphone settings, the operator needs only about one hands-on training session to run the whole system confidently.
