Sound & Communications December 201522
HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGY
BACK TO THE FUTURE
By Anthony Vargas
Congregation Rodeph Shalom revisits old problems with new technology.
Sound & Communications December 201522
Rodeph Shalom’s stunning
aesthetic necessitated an
audio solution that would
not be visually obtrusive.
23December 2015 Sound & Communications
As advances in technology are made, the old ways of doing things can
quickly fall by the wayside. Revolutionary new hardware and software have a ten-
dency to completely reframe the way people approach all kinds of problems, and
there are perhaps no better witnesses to this phenomenon than AV professionals.
Although most make it a point to ensure their installations are as futureproof as
possible, many integrators and consultants are all too familiar with the experi-
ence of investing a ton of time and effort into a project, only for their solutions to
be rendered obsolete (or at least not as ideal as they were initially) by a new type
of speaker, or display, or microphone hitting the market soon after the fact.
This proved to be the case for Philadelphia Sound Productions (PSP, www.
phillysound.com) and its client, Philadelphia PA-based Congregation Rodeph
Shalom. Credited as the oldest Ashkenazic synagogue in the Western Hemi-
sphere, Rodeph Shalom has attempted to stay on the cutting edge of AV technol-
ogy in its efforts to spread its message of faith. The congregation hosts weekly
Friday and Saturday services, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and High Holy Day
services that typically draw well in excess of 1000 attendees, as well as presenta-
tions by guest speakers and the occasional concert or movie screening (such as
a showing of Schindler’s List that took place during the World Meeting of Fami-
lies Film Festival, part of Pope Francis’ recent Philadelphia visit). An increased
focus on the musical aspects of its worship services in recent years, coupled with
the synagogue’s popularity as a site for community events, led the congregation’s
leadership to make finding the right sound system a top priority.
While Rodeph Shalom represents somewhat of a departure from the usual
house of worship installation in terms of denomination (although, as AV systems
become more and more ubiquitous in public spaces of all kinds, integrators
that cater to HOWs can increasingly expect to work with clients of all different
creeds), the chief concerns of the synagogue’s personnel and the building’s
acoustical quirks should ring familiar to AV professionals with even the slightest
experience in the worship market. The structure itself, originally built in 1928, is
a breathtaking example of Moorish Revival architecture that has earned a place
on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Its main sanctuary is a cavernous
space that features intricately carved and highly reflective stone walls, a large
balcony, and a 63-foot-high domed ceiling with dazzling stained glass embellish-
ments at its apex. All of those factors added up to a mandate against any hard-
ware that would not fit the room’s aesthetic, limited options for cable pulls and a
complete prohibition of acoustic treatment of any kind; in other words, the usual
expectations for an installation in such a visually impressive, historically signifi-
cant house of worship.
Although the synagogue underwent a major audio upgrade in 2008 courtesy of
PSP, advancements in sound delivery technology in the years after that installa-
tion necessitated a trip back to the drawing board in 2013. According to PSP’s
Owner Walter Mosetter, “The problem was that line array technology was still
in its early stages in 2008, and they were pretty much big, gigantic things, so
when we did the initial upgrade, aesthetically a line array wouldn’t work. A subtle
column line array and amps with DSP really weren’t available, at least not at the
level we needed. So, technology and the availability of some really cool stuff is
what drove the change.”
Also necessitating an audio upgrade from the 2008 system were the myriad
acoustic challenges presented by Rodeph Shalom’s architecture. “The room is so
large, and the dome creates acoustics that simply bounce like crazy,” explained
23December 2015 Sound & Communications
All Photos: Jack Ramsdale
Sound & Communications December 201524
HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGY
of PSP. Rodeph Shalom’s Cantor Frankel, Director of Finance Tom Perloff,
Executive Director Roy Feinberg and Senior Rabbi William Kuhn, as well as
architectural firm Kieran Timberlake and contractor INTECH Construction,
also provided input throughout the project.
Before designing the new solution, Acentech and PSP had to reckon
with the shortcomings of the system installed in 2008. Fortunately, Stokes
already had quite a bit of hands-on experience with the old system. Since
the 2008 upgrade, he had been handling the front of house mixing for the
synagogue’s more musically intensive Friday-night services, which typically
feature a mini-orchestra of about 10 performers.
The problems identified by Stokes largely echoed Cantor Frankel’s
observations about the old system. “The initial system used traditional horn-
loaded PD boxes,” recalled Stokes. “One of the biggest issues we had in the
room is that you’ve got this big domed ceiling, so, acoustically, it was always
a challenge to try to get really high-quality sound in the room while keep-
ing the volume down and having everybody covered. That was the primary
concern when we did the redesign: to make sure we had a speaker that
could get quality sound to every seat without having to raise the decibel
level above normal.”
In order to ensure that the new system would address the main sanctuary’s
acoustic challenges, Artese and Horesco performed an extensive acoustic
modeling of the space using EASERA software. “First, we wanted to look at
the room, the acoustics and take some measurements to see how the exist-
ing sound system was performing, identify any trouble spots and confirm
what the synagogue was reporting,” said Artese. “The limitations were not
necessarily with the old system itself, but the system as a whole, including
the space. Basically, there were dead spots in the floor of the sanctuary where
nothing was intelligible. You could hear that there was sound, but it was com-
ing from so many directions. We even measured some flutter echo.”
Horesco determined that the flutter echo and dead spots were caused
by the way the point source speakers installed in 2008 interacted with the space. “The
system was a combination of direct and distributed speakers, both on the sides of the
sanctuary and up in the balcony. Unfortunately, the ones on the sides fed right into
the dome, and if you were seated under the dome, you weren’t going to hear much,”
explained Artese. “The sound was coming at listeners in the main part of the sanctu-
ary from many different directions with a lot of delay, and very little direct sound. We
didn’t understand that, and I thought there was just a setup issue at first. However, as
we did some more measurements, we realized that, because of some problems with bass
response in the room, direct sound was something you had to be really careful using.”
Artese compiled his findings into a preliminary report and offered his recommenda-
tions for a system that would work with the sanctuary’s complicated architecture. His
recommendations centered on scaling back the complexity of the system as much as
possible. “We wanted to simplify things,” said Artese. “My first comment after hearing
the old system was that the sound was just coming from everywhere, and it was almost
unnatural because you couldn’t really locate a point source. We needed to be able to get
the sound to both the main sanctuary floor and the balcony, while keeping it out of the
dome area and trying to minimize reflections.” Acentech and PSP decided that using a
line array would significantly streamline the room’s audio and provide far more control
over the system, allowing them to direct the sound away from the room’s trouble spots.
After demoing a few different models, they decided to go with two triple stacks of Ren-
kus-Heinz ICL-FR line arrays, one on each side of the bimah, or altar. They are supple-
mented by two Renkus-Heinz PN112-SUBs, positioned just underneath the arrays. PSP
originally considered using double-stack arrays, but ultimately felt that the triples would
more adequately cover the space and provide more control, as well as the extra sonic
Rodeph Shalom’s Cantor, Erin Frankel.
“With the sound bouncing like that,
the old system had to be calibrated in a
way that cut off both intelligibility when
somebody was speaking, and also a full
range of tone. The higher end of sound,
for either spoken word or music, ended
up sounding tinny and flat, not warm.
So, that was the main reason we needed
an upgrade. We wanted to be able to
hear speech in a more natural way—not
just loud, but also clear—and to restore
a more natural sense of sound with the
full range of tone, from low to high.”
To accomplish this task, Rodeph
Shalom turned to PSP and Acentech
(www.acentech.com), an AV/IT and
architectural acoustics consulting firm,
to design a new system that would
minimize the room’s impact on audio
quality. The system was designed by
Acentech consultants Perry Artese
and Joe Horesco, in cooperation with
Mosetter and Raymond Stokes, also
The decision to use column line arrays, one on each side of
the bimah, streamlined the audio system’s interaction with the
acoustically challenging space. And custom rigging allows the
speakers to blend into the sanctuary’s ornate décor.
25December 2015 Sound & Communications
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punch required for musical performances
and services that draw a packed house.
“We ended up going with the triples be-
cause we wanted to be able to have more
control over the lower end,” said Stokes.
“Also, we needed to cover the balcony,
which is fairly high up from the ground-
level seating plane, so that’s another rea-
son why we went with the triples. And, we
felt that they had enough output to be able
to cover the whole crowd on High Holy
Days, when we need a little extra volume
and headroom.” Artese agreed that the
triple stacks were the right choice for this
particular application. “We were able to
get better pattern coverage with the third
stack, and we were actually able to get a
little bit more output, too,” he explained.
“Our prediction was that we could obtain
a max of about 107dB SPL throughout the
space.”
Of course, the arrays had to be hung as
inconspicuously as possible, and special
care had to be taken to protect the syna-
gogue’s elegantly detailed walls. Accord-
ing to Mosetter, “There was concern
about putting a triple onto the old terra-
cotta wall material, because the speakers
would vibrate the wall and, over time,
some of it might fall.” To address this con-
cern, the architect, Kieran Timberlake,
and the contractor, INTECH, devised an
ingenious custom mounting structure that
serves a dual purpose of protecting the
walls and allowing the speakers to blend
in with the decor. “They came up with
welded-steel assemblies that are attached
to the building structure on each side of
the bimah, and the column arrays were
attached to those. We had the rigging and
the speakers custom painted to match the
interior of the space,” said Artese.
The synagogue was extremely pleased
with the result. “The look of our sanctu-
ary is obviously very important to us,
trying to maintain the grace and beauty
of the original historical structure. The
speakers we have now are a vast improve-
ment over what we had on the wall
before,” said Cantor Frankel. “They’re
almost invisible. The process of getting
the precise paint color from a sample
paint chip was just done perfectly. And
the way that they were positioned on the
wall makes them blend in as if they were
always there.”
Another major concern going into the
upgrade was figuring out a way to effec-
tively mic the main sanctuary’s upper-
and lower-bimah reader’s tables. “The
lower bimah has a fairly large reader’s
table, and then there’s the extra-large
reader’s table for the upper bimah,
which is used for High Holy Days,”
described Stokes. “With traditional
podiums, you can move the mic around
as needed, to get it as close to the mouth
as possible. In this situation, it’s kind of
unique because the Torah is rolled out
across a flat table, so the microphone
has to be positioned fairly far away from
the speaker at the upper end of the
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Sound & Communications December 201526
HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGY
clear signal through the system.”
Artese also decided that Earthworks flex-wand mics would be a good
fit for the choir area. “I was concerned about the potential problems we
would run into with a lot of open mics in front of the line arrays,” offered
Artese. “But, because of the pickup patterns of the Earthworks mics and
the placement of the arrays and the digital steering, we avoided any type
of conflict or feedback. The band had been using monitor systems before,
and the musicians and the cantor can now perform the service without
any monitors whatsoever. The sound, the range, is very smooth, and
there’s virtually no feedback, even at substantial levels.” An Earthworks
piano mic is used—get this—to mic the piano. Additional mics, such as
those used by the rabbis and the cantor, include various wireless head-
sets and cardioid mics made by Shure, Countryman Associates and AKG
Acoustics.
The synagogue also upgraded its assistive listening system. “They
had a Listen transmitter installed, and we had originally proposed that
they switch over to a Listen loop system,” said Stokes. “But, because of
the cost and the fact that all of the pews would have to come out and the
carpet would have to come up, they wound up throwing that idea out the
window. So, we left the original transmitter in place, and they’ve upgraded
to the newer, compact Listen receivers with the neck loops.”
Although it wasn’t the change PSP originally had in mind, Stokes be-
lieves it has improved the aural experience for the congregation’s hearing-
impaired members. “Compared to the older receivers, the new ones just
sound a whole lot better, a lot cleaner, and without all of the hiss,” he ex-
plained. “They’re probably about a quarter of the size of the original ones,
and they have LEDs on the front so you can label what audio sources and
channels are in use. We were happy with the change, and the congregants
were happy, as well.”
The backbone of the new audio system consists of a BSS Audio Sound-
web London BLU-806 networked signal processor with Dante, which
Mosetter referred to as “one of the best DSP boxes out there,” a Yamaha
QL-5 digital mixer, a Roland S-4000S-3208 digital snake, a Cisco Systems networked
switch, a Lab.gruppen power amp and a Crestron CP3N control system. The hard-
ware is housed in Middle Atlantic racks. The entire system can operate under two
master presets: one for when the house is packed and the balcony is in use, and one
for when the balcony is empty and doesn’t have to be covered.
Mosetter handled the bulk of the system’s programming, and provided an overview
of how the various components interact. “We tuned the starting presets for each mic
in the BSS so that, throughout the chain of processing, we’re able to come up with
the correct EQ, compression and whatever else is needed for each channel individu-
ally,” he explained. “The channels are labeled and marked, and they pretty much
don’t change, including what microphone is used for what purpose. So, everything’s
pre-tuned and sounds pretty tight in the London processor itself.”
He continued, “Then those same microphone channels are passed via Dante out to
the Yamaha mixing console, so we didn’t have to come up with a bunch of weird splits
and snakes. We used one box. I don’t know if that’s such a unique thing, but it was
a pretty clever way of not having to rely on Yamaha RIOs for the stage mix. There’s
only one preamp in line, and it does the work of two. It really saved a lot of money
and effort and wire to be able to use the Dante snake system to feed the Yamaha
through the BSS.”
Much of the mixing required for typical services is handled by the auto-mix capa-
bilities of the BSS signal processor, and Stokes is on hand to cover the more compli-
cated front of house mixing duties on Friday nights and High Holy Days. However,
reader’s table. In the past, one of the
issues has always been getting enough
quality and enough gain before feedback
out of the microphones when little kids
are using them, and also people who are
not very well spoken.”
In the years since the 2008 upgrade,
PSP had tried many different mics
from multiple manufacturers, as well as
custom-made mics and hooks, without
much success. But this time around,
Artese suggested the Earthworks FMR
500, and it proved to be just the solution
they needed. “Just like any other house
of worship, they have challenges with
people coming up to read—soft talkers,
people not even close to the micro-
phone,” explained Artese. “So, I wanted
to experiment with the Earthworks 500
series, and coverage and pickup was
fantastic in that you could be anywhere
at that reader’s table and still get a very
The building’s spectacular domed ceiling created a lot of problems
for the old audio system, and providing adequate coverage to the
balcony was another challenge that had to be overcome.
Mosetter also programmed a few features
into the Crestron control system that
would give synagogue personnel, includ-
ing the rabbis, Cantor Frankel and the
maintenance staff members who oversee
the mix during Saturday services, some
wiggle room when Stokes isn’t around.
“There’s an operator-level page in the
Crestron that allows them to adjust the
preamps accordingly, and turn phantom
power on and off,” described Mosetter.
“Basically, with the Crestron, what I was
trying to do was keep things very simple:
minimal amount of screens, minimal
amount of things to touch. So, they hit
the Friday button that calls up and starts
Friday’s preset. That opens up a screen
that has only the 10 wireless mics they’re
actually using for that service, and those
are all set from the preset within the BSS.
The Crestron just gives the client the
ability to make subtle changes. We gave
them a +/-3dB window, and they can mute
some channels if they need to. We also
gave them an iPad, and they have some
control over the system via HiQnet Mo-
tion Control.”
Because the system had to be upgraded
so soon after the initial 2008 installation,
this time around, PSP and Acentech
prioritized making the new system as
futureproof as possible. This included
ensuring that the Crestron processor
could accommodate the likely addition
of video streaming capabilities down the
road. “Right from the beginning, we inter-
viewed all the rabbis and the staff to talk
about existing and future requirements
for the system,” recalled Artese. “So,
after a couple of meetings, we developed
a really thoughtful program that set the
direction for the design and set the direc-
tion for the future use of technology in
the space, including sound systems and,
eventually, video streaming and capture,
and whatever else they might need.”
Thanks in no small part to technology
finally catching up to the unique needs of
Rodeph Shalom’s historic home, this
latest upgrade seems to have satisfied
all the parties involved. “To me, the
best confirmation that we had really
done something right came during this
past High Holy Day season,” recalled
Cantor Frankel. “I kept hearing how
beautiful the music was, how beautiful
my voice was and people were saying,
‘You just keep getting better every
year!’ I’m very happy to hear feedback
like that, but I think part of it is that
people were hearing me and hearing
the music in a way that they haven’t
before. We really had restored the full
sense of tone, and they heard a warmth
in the sound that they didn’t before.
And people noticed without necessarily
being able to describe what they were
hearing.” In the end, that’s the mark of
any truly well executed sound system:
that people like what they hear, even
if they have no idea what’s going on
behind the scenes.
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