St. Charles Borromeo Convocation Hall Gets a Sound Upgrade

Joliet’s Lewis University purchased the St. Charles Borromeo property in the summer of 2013. This  property adjoins the campus, and accommodates the increasing enrollment and expansion of its academic programs. The new location connects via a short walking path from the heart of the campus.

Extensive renovations were needed in order to fit the University’s needs. The current space includes multiple classrooms, meeting rooms, a dining room and residential living spaces. There are also multiple private offices, a chapel that accommodates up to 750 people, a small gymnasium and a convocation hall. Most of these areas have been significantly remodeled since the summer of 2014.

Lewis University, and their contractor Conference Technologies, consulted with Bag End Loudspeakers in 2017 to improve the sound in the convocation hall. The hall is most often used for concerts, rehearsals and auditions by the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO). Bag End recommended some serious acoustical treatment for the hall. Moreover, they recommended two Bag End Crystal2-I mid-high speakers. These were pointed out to the main audience. In addition, two Bag End CDS-110’s were used and pointed at the front sides.

The mid-high speakers are mounted high up on the walls above and behind the stage, and the performers. Most importantly, good directivity and a flat response make this location possible. The front rows are very well covered without front fill speakers. There is no feedback problem even with the mains behind the performers and mics.

Further, two custom Bag End bass columns were spaced out in a sparse low frequency array. Each column is 24 feet tall with eight 12″ speakers. The columns are Infra processed down to 8 hertz using a Bag End INFRA-MXB processor. This provides even bass coverage at every location of the room.

Henry Heine, acoustical engineer from Bag End returned to the campus after installation to help tweak the system to ensure it met expectations.

Jim Wischmeyer of Bag End commented, “It’s pretty amazing  how even and natural the coverage is from the stage on out. With light acoustic music the direct sound is heard slightly in front of the amplified sound so the source orientation and image to the performer is beautiful. The bass level doesn’t change by more than a few dB from standing on the stage in front of the bass column, to the middle or back of the room.”

Lewis University is a Catholic university in the Lasallian tradition offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,600 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected, and socially responsible graduates. The seventh largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.