Control Logic Systems solves madrasah intelligibility
Control Logic Systems Pte Ltd (CLSPL) recently deployed a beam steering solution to solve longstanding intelligibility problems in the main hall of a Singaporean Islamic school. The large room is used for a wide variety of functions including prayer meetings, examinations and even musical concerts, but its irregular shape proved impossible to cover prior to the current installation.
Named the Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al-Islamiah, the school was founded 58 years ago and now boasts an 800strong student body. The average school day is split into two with mornings devoted to secondary school and ALevel students, and the afternoons given over to primary-level pupils. However, all students make frequent use of the hall alongside visiting dignitaries and even musicians. Among the most critical requirements was high speech intelligibility, particularly for the annual primary school spelling and dictation tests that take place during the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) tests.
‘We knew that the sound in the hall was bad and we were wondering how it could be improved,’ explained school principal Mohd Abd Halim Bin Mohd Noor. ‘We wanted the sound to be good enough that everyone could hear clearly, especially when there are speeches given by our important visitors. It needed to be crystal clear and beautiful.’ Adding extra pressure, meanwhile, was a requirement that the school meet the standard of the Singapore Ministry of Education.
The room itself exhibits a highly irregular shape with a long, relatively narrow stage facing a bank of windows that open onto local residents’ apartments. Meanwhile a small balcony area to the left of the entrance adds further complications. ‘There were too many echoes and no balance – it was hard to understand anything in here,’ recalled Mr Noor.
The solution – installed by local systems integrator Nete2 Asia Pte Ltd – is simple but effective. ‘We needed speakers with a short throw but wide dispersion, and I didn’t have many options to install the enclosures because of the position of the rostrum and the stage – ideally when you install a loudspeaker solution it’s supposed to be in-line with the front of the stage,’ explained CLSPL’s David Seow. ‘Also we couldn’t install front-fills because this room is used for examinations and they have kids running around in here – everything had to be installed away from the children. The only way to solve the space’s problems was to use beam steering with wide coverage – horizontal dispersion of 130-degrees – and to then control the distance.’
The solution – installed by local systems integrator Nete2 Asia Pte Ltd – is simple but effective. ‘We needed speakers with a short throw but wide dispersion, and I didn’t have many options to install the enclosures because of the position of the rostrum and the stage – ideally when you install a loudspeaker solution it’s supposed to be in-line with the front of the stage,’ explained CLSPL’s David Seow. ‘Also we couldn’t install front-fills because this room is used for examinations and they have kids running around in here – everything had to be installed away from the children. The only way to solve the space’s problems was to use beam steering with wide coverage – horizontal dispersion of 130-degrees – and to then control the distance.’
’The solution – installed by local systems integrator Nete2 Asia Pte Ltd – is simple but effective. ‘We needed speakers with a short throw but wide dispersion, and I didn’t have many options to install the enclosures because of the position of the rostrum and the stage – ideally when you install a loudspeaker solution it’s supposed to be in-line with the front of the stage,’ explained CLSPL’s David Seow. ‘Also we couldn’t install front-fills because this room is used for examinations and they have kids running around in here – everything had to be installed away from the children. The only way to solve the space’s problems was to use beam steering with wide coverage – horizontal dispersion of 130-degrees – and to then control the distance.’