Notre-Dame is getting a high-tech improve – and this time, it’s all about sound.
After a devastating hearth in 2019, Sennheiser has put in a next-generation wi-fi audio system as a part of the cathedral’s’ restoration, offering wi-fi protection for microphones and transmitters.
The problem wasn’t simply reaching each nook of the constructing – it was doing so in a method that continues to be unobtrusive in one of many world’s most iconic and traditionally delicate landmarks.
Novelty, the integrator liable for re-equipping Notre-Dame, chosen Sennheiser for the duty.
David Créteur, Mission Lead at Novelty felt the outdated system – an analogue two-channel Sennheiser 3000 collection – was due an replace.
“As a substitute of working solely alongside the axis, we now needed to cowl nearly your complete cathedral, which is simply over 100 metres lengthy from the doorway to the again and nearly 50 metres broad on the transept.
“With the digital wi-fi applied sciences we have been acquainted with, we might have achieved it, however we’d have needed to multiply the variety of antennas to a complete of at the least eight to be positioned all through the constructing, after which join them with lengthy lengths of cable.
At greater than 100 metres lengthy and almost 50 metres broad on the transept, Notre-Dame is a extremely difficult setting for wi-fi indicators. It has thick stone pillars, wood partitions and always altering viewers layouts.
Simply as importantly, the system needed to be discreet and easy to function. Companies happen alongside customer excursions.
Clergy, technicians and broadcasters all share the identical area. Any answer would wish to work reliably within the background, with out fixed handbook intervention.
Shifting Past Conventional Wi-fi
Notre-Dame’s earlier wi-fi system relied on an analogue two-channel receiver and centrally positioned directional antennas.
Whereas sufficient for extra restricted use circumstances, it was not ample for the expanded protection required following the restoration.
Reaching full wi-fi protection utilizing conventional approaches would have required at the least eight antennas distributed all through the constructing.
They’d have been linked through lengthy coaxial cable runs – which might introduce sign losses, enhance complexity, and in a historic setting, pose important set up and aesthetic challenges.
Fibre-based extension techniques might have mitigated a few of these points. Nevertheless, they’d add expense, complexity and operational overhead, significantly when it got here to antenna zoning and handbook activation.
As a substitute, Novelty turned to Sennheiser’s Spectera system, the corporate’s implementation of WMAS (Wi-fi Multichannel Audio Techniques).
The crew might cut back the variety of antennas from eight to 4 whereas nonetheless attaining constant wi-fi audio protection all through the cathedral. Automated antenna combining removes the necessity for handbook zoning.
From Copper to Fibre
Given the long-term nature of the restoration, the Notre-Dame challenge crew elected to go a step additional by wiring your complete cathedral with fibre.
As soon as Sennheiser confirmed that Spectera labored reliably with accredited fibre media converters, the system aligned with the cathedral’s future-focused infrastructure technique.
For Alain Richon, Mission Supervisor for the diocese’s sound system, the selection was as a lot philosophical as technical.
In a historic constructing, each cable route have to be fastidiously deliberate. Any new set up additionally must anticipate many years of future use. A fibre-based, network-centric system supplied sturdiness, scalability and suppleness that conventional wi-fi techniques couldn’t.
Confirmed Underneath Actual-World Circumstances
Earlier than remaining deployment, Spectera underwent in depth on-site testing throughout 2024, with the cathedral nonetheless beneath building.
A short lived, pre-production Spectera configuration was initially put in, supported by a Sennheiser Digital 6000 system for handheld microphones whereas Spectera handheld transmitters have been finalised.
For unobtrusive altar seize, the cathedral makes use of boundary microphones chosen for each aesthetic discretion and constant directivity – a vital consider a reverberant area like Notre-Dame.
Behind the scenes, the technical rack stays compact. The Spectera Base Station occupies a single rack unit whereas supporting as much as 32 wi-fi microphones and 16 stereo IEMs.
Audio is transported over Dante and built-in straight with a DiGiCo console.
What This Means for AV and Office Tech
Whereas Notre-Dame is a novel setting, the know-how choices behind its wi-fi audio system mirror tendencies which might be more and more related to enterprise, training and large-campus deployments.
For AV and UC leaders, the challenge highlights the shift from hardware-centric wi-fi design in the direction of network-based, software-defined audio techniques.
These combine cleanly with present IP infrastructure. Lowering antenna counts, eliminating handbook zoning and shifting from copper to fibre can considerably simplify deployment and ongoing administration – particularly in massive or advanced areas.
The Notre-Dame set up additionally demonstrates the worth of future-proofing.
By adopting fibre and network-centric design ideas, the cathedral has created an AV basis that may scale with new necessities, further customers and evolving broadcast wants with out main rework.
As collaboration, broadcast and dwell occasions more and more converge, audio techniques have to be as versatile, scalable and IT-friendly because the networks that help them – even when deployed in probably the most demanding environments conceivable.
