ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH Case Study
AtlasIED Aimline Series and Atmosphere Help Restore Clarity and Connection at Historic St. Mary Catholic Church
Located in Guthrie, Oklahoma, St. Mary Catholic Church recently celebrated its 104th anniversary.
Known for its beautiful architecture, traditional design elements, and strong connection to the local community, the church’s century-old construction also presented challenges for audio reinforcement. Featuring plaster walls, brick construction, wood pews, and a transition from carpet to hardwood flooring, the space produced significant reverberation and reflections, compromising speech intelligibility.
As part of a major renovation project, St. Mary wanted to upgrade its audio system to deliver clear, intelligible sound throughout the space while preserving the sanctuary's beauty. One of the congregation members had an ongoing business relationship with Cory’s, a leading Oklahoma-based AV solutions provider, and introduced the church leadership to the integrator. Working closely with church leadership, Cory’s evaluated the sanctuary's unique acoustical challenges and designed a solution focused on improving speech intelligibility while preserving the character of the historic space.
“There were lots of logistical and acoustical challenges working in the church during the renovation,” said Britt Gotcher, senior vice president and partner at Cory’s. “The reverb was incredibly high. You could clap and hear it bounce across the walls. It just seemed like the perfect use case for a steerable column array system.”
To address these challenges, Cory’s selected AtlasIED’s Aimline ALX-D Series of digitally steerable column array loudspeakers. The solution was designed to provide precise acoustic control while minimizing unwanted reflections in the highly reverberant sanctuary.
Before the church would commit to the system, the team conducted a demonstration inside the church while construction was underway. Even amid the challenges of an active construction environment, the Aimline Series demonstrated its ability to improve coverage and clarity. Its impact was immediate, as church staff and congregation members experienced a level of clarity they hadn’t heard in the sanctuary before.
“One of the staff had been going to church there for years, and it was the first time she had been able to hear something clearly in the sanctuary,” said Gotcher. “She could even take her hearing aids off and hear perfectly.”
The installation includes two Aimline ALX-24D digitally steerable arrays, mounted on each side of the sanctuary to improve speech intelligibility and provide even front-to-back coverage. Dante connectivity is a standard feature of the Aimline Series, simplifying system integration while providing software-routable networked audio capabilities. Designed for acoustically challenging environments, the ALX-24D combines advanced steering algorithms, powerful DSP, and efficient amplification with real-time beam steering capabilities that allow system designers to make precise adjustments during commissioning and operation. This flexibility helps reduce setup time while providing greater control over sound distribution in large, highly reverberant spaces.
By focusing acoustic energy toward the congregation, the system minimizes reflections from hard surfaces and enhances clarity throughout the sanctuary.
Preserving the sanctuary’s visual character was just as important as improving sound quality. Because the speaker locations featured ornate architectural details and gold-gilded finishes, the loudspeakers were custom-painted to seamlessly blend into the environment while maintaining the integrity of the sanctuary’s design.
Senior Vice President and Partner at Cory’s
A Dante-enabled AtlasIED Atmosphere AZMP8-D serves as the heart of the church’s audio control system, providing centralized processing, amplification, and networked audio connectivity. Dante was selected to simplify system integration, enabling audio signals to be routed over the existing network infrastructure while providing flexibility for future expansion and system management. The 8-zone DSP includes a 1200-watt built-in premium amplifier, helping Cory’s consolidate products within a single audio rack, reduce system complexity, and streamline installation.
Cory’s team also installed and programmed an Atmosphere C-T4 and an wall controller in the sacristy for system adjustments. The C-T4 is a 4.3-inch programmable touchscreen wall controller designed for the Atmosphere audio ecosystem, delivering intuitive, room-level control of zones, sources, and system actions. It combines a customizable touch interface with a capacitive volume slider and programmable action buttons, allowing users to adjust audio settings and trigger presets with ease.
Commissioning went smoothly, with AtlasIED support onsite to help ensure the system was properly tuned for the reverberant environment. Cory’s integration team worked with AtlasIED specialists to complete measurements, configuration, and final adjustments, including directing some of the loudspeaker output to the choir balcony at the rear of the sanctuary. The close collaboration between Cory’s and AtlasIED helped ensure the system achieved the project's performance goals while maintaining the church's aesthetic requirements.
Following completion, feedback from the church community has been overwhelmingly positive. The improved system has enabled parishioners to hear services, announcements, and spoken messages more clearly, without compromising the sanctuary's historic character.
“Sound coverage throughout the space is remarkably consistent, which is amazing given that it’s only two loudspeaker arrays,” said Gotcher. “Achieving that level of uniformity in a large, reverberant environment like St. Mary’s is very challenging, to say the least. AtlasIED’s system performance and intelligibility were beyond impressive.”
For St. Mary Catholic Church, the project demonstrates how modern audio technology can be thoughtfully integrated into historic spaces. By combining AtlasIED’s Aimline Series of digitally steerable column array technology with precise system tuning and the simplicity of control through the Atmosphere system interface, the church gained a reliable audio solution that enhances communication, supports worship, and helps preserve the experience of a landmark community space for years to come.
