APEX Audio CloudPower amplifiers have recently been installed as part of a complete audio system overhaul at the worship sanctuary of St Cuthbert’s Church in Wood Green, North London, UK.
AV consulting and integration firm Noiseboys Technologies specified and installed the new system that’s designed for both music amplification and speech reproduction while offering the versatility to be used in multiple orientations and settings. The church’s existing 100-volt system had been designed purely for speech amplification and no longer reflected the needs of a worship team with a praise band comprised of drums, keyboard, electric and acoustic guitars, and multiple singers.
A pair of four-channel APEX CloudPower CP704 amplifiers was chosen to drive all loudspeakers in the system. Noiseboys Technologies director Phill Beynon had been introduced to CloudPower amplifiers by Mike Roissetter from APEX’s UK distributor FBT Audio (UK) and saw their potential to address the need for flexibility in the St Cuthbert’s project.
“Aside from Sunday morning and evening services, the church hosts different events and meetings, some of which are seated facing the front, some using café style tables, and some conducted from mid-way in the room, or at the opposite end to the traditional orientation,” Beynon explains. “We needed to provide a way for non-technical volunteers to change configurations as required. CloudPower’s integral DSP allowed us to create a series of speaker setup scenarios that can be easily recalled as presets from the simple front panel interface.” CloudPower’s IntelliCloud WebUI was used to configure the amplifiers during the installation and provides the potential for remote monitoring and control in the future.
Another challenge was to create a system that was aesthetically discreet yet capable of delivering on the live music element of the client’s brief. Noiseboys Technologies secured approval from the relevant authorities to install a pair of compact, coaxial Martin Audio CDD8 and CDD5 loudspeakers in the historic early 20th-Century building.
A rack housing the CloudPower amplifiers and a Yamaha TF-RACK digital mixer was positioned at the front of the room, with the mixer operated wirelessly from an iPad to allow the church to repurpose the space previously occupied by a central AV control position and reduce the visual impact of the equipment. Noiseboys Technologies also supplied Audio-Technica ES series gooseneck microphones, 3000 Series wireless microphone systems and in-ear monitors for the worship band.
