Restored Local Synagogue

A local congregation moving into a restored building asked us to give its sanctuary, social hall, and lobby clear sound, a modern network, and the wiring for cameras and access control, all without intruding on a space defined by its wooden pews, blue walls, and the carved ark at the front of the room.

In the main sanctuary, ten JBL in-ceiling speakers distribute sound evenly to every seat, a Shure gooseneck microphone on the bimah carries the service, and an Audix wireless system with a headset and a handheld microphone, on external antennas, serves the rest. A volume control at the rear of the room keeps the adjustments simple.

The social hall uses two JBL CBT column speakers on the front wall, which project sound the length of the room without harshness, plus its own pair of wireless microphones, two volume controls, and a very large owner-supplied television and soundbar mounted on a corrugated metal wall with additional bracing. A single ceiling speaker and a volume control at the coffee bar cover the lobby.

Everything is mixed by a Biamp TesiraForte DSP that tunes each room separately, with a simple PC and tablet interface for basic adjustments, and driven by a Crown four-channel amplifier in a fully enclosed, fan-cooled 27U rack. A contact from the fire alarm system mutes the audio in an emergency.

The network is a Ubiquiti gateway, a 48-port high-power PoE switch, eight Wi-Fi 6 access points, five hardwired data locations, and a 10-gigabit feed from the building's exterior to the equipment closet. Cabling was run for fourteen bullet cameras and four access-controlled exterior doors so those systems could follow under a separate security scope.