The Sanctuary of Lourdes stands as a beacon of faith, covering an impressive 53 hectares and 22 places of worship. A testament to time, history and devotion, the basilicas of Lourdes have seen over a century of prayers, worship and contemplation, drawing in over 3.5 million pilgrims from around the world every year. In a contemporary transformation, the Sanctuary of Lourdes’ Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and its esplanade recently embarked on a sonic journey to revamp its sound system with Active Audio and APG speakers from Arbane Groupe. Click here to see more.

After a record three decades of loyal service, the original outdoor APG audio system, already installed at the time by local integrator Audiomaster Technologie on Our Lady of the Rosary esplanade, found itself showing the signs of its journey after weathering extreme temperatures (-10°C winters and +40°C summers), humidity and daily operation: “Thirty years ago, our engineers spent almost a year on site to design a totally bespoke product. This is arguably why the APG speakers lasted through the harsh weather conditions,” explains Rodolphe Portet, technical sales engineer at Arbane Groupe. “It really is a great testimony to the quality of the product and our bespoke engineering efforts.”

Fast forward 30 years later, Audiomaster Technologie, a subsidiary of ACE EVENT GROUP, rose again to the challenge with the aim to revamp both the esplanade and the inside of the basilica with a sound system capable of ensuring perfect intelligibility for celebrations, masses, spiritual teachings and religiou songs while respecting the basilica’s architecture, mosaics and decorations.

After a series of tests and comparisons, Audiomaster Technologie once again opted for APG speakers, drawn by its warm audio and wide coverage, as well as having the manufacturer close by. “This close relationship between us and Arbane Groupe is essential. It allows to develop better projects by building upon the ideas from when we first started working together,” says Loïc Bourgain, engineering design officer at ACE EVENT GROUP.

Eric Grandmougin, marketing director at Arbane Groupe, adds that another deciding factor was the ability to create bespoke speakers: “We could custom make the speaker’s colour to seamlessly merge with the environment and hide them from the pilgrims. We also organised live demos prior to the installation and created a 3D model showing how we’d cover the sound in the basilica, giving them a much better idea of what the end result would be.”

On and around the esplanade, which can host thousands of visitors, Audiomaster Technologie installed 70x APG iX8-O compact outdoor loudspeakers, embedding a two-way coaxial design, bass reflect and an IP54 rating. 36 speakers were fitted to the lighting poles along the 421m-long main driveway. Sixteen loudspeakers graced the Rosary esplanade and an additional 16 units were positioned alongside the river and the sacred grotto. All speakers are powered by six Powersoft Quattrocanali 2404 DSP amplifiers coupled with a Xilica Solaro processor. To complete the immersive and smooth sound experience wanted by the client, the decision was made to have no delay and install the loudspeakers facing each other to deliver the same sound everywhere in perfect sync.

Overlooking the esplanade is the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, a major pilgrimage site in France. Built between 1883 and 1889, and consecrated in 1901, the Roman-Byzantine style house of worship boasts an impressive 2000sqm of mosaics and can accommodate 1,500 worshippers.

Inside was an ageing sound system lacking intelligibility. “Thousands of pilgrims come from the other side of the world and for some, it truly is the journey of a lifetime. A great acoustic experience is therefore crucial,” states Vincent Fernandez, head of the audiovisual department at Sanctuary of Lourdes. “It was important to find discreet speakers that would not be noticeable by the pilgrims while ensuring perfect clarity.”

“The first aspect we considered was the visual element which led us to column speakers. We then needed directivity control to achieve a better speech transmission index,” explains Bourgain. Portet confirms the aesthetic importance for such a sacred space: “It was essential to respect this historic venue, and make sure that the visitors wouldn’t notice the sound system to focus instead on the preaching. Audiomaster did a fantastic job in integrating the speakers discreetly.”

Fernandez considers the acoustic element as the most important, stating: “Good acoustics can help with prayer. Visitors come here to attend mass, meditate and pray, and if the sound is not up to the task, the worshippers will not be able to listen properly and therefore be disturbed.”

To achieve both the aesthetics and pristine sound requirements, Audiomaster Technologie used four Active Audio StepArray 180P (1.8m long) column speakers and two StepArray 250P (2.5m). The StepArray range features digital and geometric radiation control (DGRC) patented technology and electronic directivity adjustment, ensuring precise directivity while remaining compact and secure.

“The presence of numerous surfaces in the basilica imposed the integration of a minimum number of loudspeakers, but with enough directivity control and precision to limit interfering sound,” describes Grandmougin.

To achieve this, Audiomaster Technologie separated the six Active Audio StepArray speakers in three groups: two StepArray 250P column speakers located at altar level to offer sufficient directivity control while respecting the layout constraints; two StepArray 180P located in the 30m long nave behind the area occupied by the dome; and two more installed in the transept, limiting reflections on the curved walls of the chapels. All speakers are powered by Active Audio MPA82000 amplifiers and a NUT audio processor, while a Powersoft Mezzo 322A amplifier is used for speaker monitoring. A Xilica Solaro processor handles the delay and equalisation settings.

Interestingly, energy consumption for the sound system during operation is now comparable to the previous setup when the AV equipment was on standby, a fourfold decrease in energy consumption.

According to Grandmougin, the entire sound system provides “identical coverage throughout the site and excellent intelligibility despite very complex acoustic challenges.” Fernandez is extremely pleased with the final result, stating: “not only was the work carried out on schedule and equipment was integrated discreetly, the quality of the Sanctuary’s sound system has greatly improved. We have a duty to provide a warm welcome to the worshippers, and that includes great acoustics.”