APPLETON, WIS. — Lawrence University’s venerable Memorial Chapel is slated for a month-long technical “makeover.”
The 89-year old venue will undergo a total renovation of its existing sound system and receive an upgraded lighting system. The project is scheduled to begin this week (8/6) and be completed in early September.
A new $125,000 sound system will replace the current equipment with a fully digital 40-channel audio distribution system capable of splitting all signals and sending them to the house mix position, stage monitor system and the recording studio control room.
Each split will be totally independent, allowing for simultaneous live sound mixing, stage monitoring and recording. The system will be precisely tuned for the chapel’s acoustics, reducing the need to hire outside sound companies to provide amplification for the larger Artist and Jazz Series concerts.
“The sound system renovation is a project that should yield significant improvement for the audience in terms of audio quality for musical performances and better speech intelligibility for speaking events,” said Larry Darling, director of recording at Lawrence. “When the upgrade is complete, the sound will be more evenly distributed throughout the hall. There also will be balcony sound reinforcement on the sides and the rear.”
The speaker cabinets will be painted to match the existing colors and preserve the chapel’s interior aesthetics.
The enhanced lighting system will feature more fixtures to better illuminate the stage area. In addition to providing more “even” lighting, the new fixtures will be more energy efficient and generate less ambient heat.
“The new lights will eliminate some of the ‘dark pockets’ we had on stage and do a much better job of illuminating the performance area,” said Darling.
Arrow Audio Inc. of Kimberly is overseeing the sound upgrade while the $70,000 lighting system is being installed by Lighthouse Productions of Green Bay.
