No matter what anyone may tell you, getting great sound in a house of worship environment is no picnic. Besides the “it’s too loud” complaints from the old folks who insist on sitting in the front row — even in churches presenting modern music at rock concert levels — there are also certain acoustical difficulties that are near-insurmountable. Let’s face it, many sanctuaries are “blessed” with copious amounts of marble, wood and glass surfaces, which are anything but audio friendly. Other groups may meet in converted gymnasiums, storefronts and the like, which were rarely designed from an acoustical standpoint. The bottom line? It ain’t easy.
Fortunately, today’s technologies go a long way towards providing tools to improve that situation, making significant strides in creating an environment with high intelligibility, wide bandwidth, superb coverage, controlled dispersion and mix tools that allow the engineer to translate the power of the message to the entire congregation, whether seated near the altar or in the last row.
With that in mind, we present this collection of recent installation projects, with both whole system and incremental upgrades. Each of these took a different route in their approach, proving there are numerous solutions to any audio problem — large or small — for any sanctuary.
Central Church of God – Charlotte, NC
Chartered in January of 1977 with just 19 members, the Central Church of God has since expanded several times, now with a capacity of 6,000 attendees in the main facility and three satellite campuses. The technology side of the ministry has also developed, with extensive video outreach serving overflow seating, Central’s website, live feeds to the satellite campuses and more.
After installing a DiGiCo SD5 console a year ago, the church has expanded with additional DiGiCo boards in its Student Life Center (SD8 and SD9) and Family Life Center (SD11) facilities, with a second SD5 ordered for the new audio/video suite, designed by Dallas-based Russ Berger Design Group, which is currently under construction and slated to be completed in the first quarter of 2015.
“Unlike some consoles that feel like mixing on a computer, the DiGiCo’s are laid out in such a way that you can get to layers to make adjustments on things without losing control of your main faders,” says Don Kendrick, Central’s director of media services. “And you can see everything you need at a glance.”
Kendrick added that “the learning curve was a breeze. DiGiCo consoles are so much like working on an analog desk that it really makes the learning curve pretty quick for anyone who has mixed on most any console.”
Central Church’s second SD5 has one SD-Rack and will share the other SD-Racks in the main sanctuary, and was purchased with the Waves SoundGrid package for the audio control room.
“In the main sanctuary and Student Life Center we use the MADI outs to feed JoeCo units for virtual playback which really helps with offline tweaks and for training,” Kendrick adds. “We also use a MADI out to feed Roland M-48 stage mixers for the band. In the sanctuary, we have 16 M-48s: 15 on stage and one at FOH to monitor the stage mixes when needed. I am using two MADI outs to feed two JoeCo’s for 112 tracks off the SD5 and the third MADI out to give me 40 matrixes of anything I need off the SD5 to send to the M-48s on stage. This really helps give everyone on stage what they need without having to go to a separate stage console.”
Inside Central Church of God
Key Components: DiGiCo consoles: (2) SD5, SD8, SD9, SD11; (16) Roland M-48 personal stage mixers; JoeCo BBR64-MADI 64 channel audio recorders.
Integrator: SE Systems, Inc. (Greensboro, NC)
St. Andrew’s Cathedral – Sydney, Australia
St. Andrew’s is the oldest cathedral in Australia and one of the city’s finest examples of gothic revival architecture. Unfortunately, such beautiful architecture and stone wall construction creates a challenging acoustic environment where clarity and evenness of coverage across the congregation is a constant issue.
Having struggled with a sound system that failed to deliver clear speech intelligibility and effective live music reproduction, the church’s decision to install a new system reached emergency status with an upcoming visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as part of their tour of Australia and New Zealand.
oss Cobb, director of music at St. Andrew’s, and canon Chris Allan were given the job of bidding for design, installation and commissioning an uncompromised, state of the art system — to be fulfilled in two weeks.
The task was awarded to Wizard Projects, led by senior engineer Michael Sheldrick with an electro-acoustic design team of Glenn Leembruggen and David Gilfillan. The solution came in the form of Martin Audio OmniLine micro line arrays, supplied by Martin’s Aussie distributor, Technical Audio Group. Cobb had heard OmniLine in similar church installations and was impressed by the system’s consistent coverage, fidelity and low-key aesthetics.
The space’s large cross-shaped floorplan is 160 feet long, 58 eight feet wide and a ceiling height of 68 feet, with the transepts area extending to a width of 110 feet. Wizard’s design employed an unprecedented 140 OmniLine elements (distributed over 22 hangs) along with six Martin Audio AQ212 dual-12 subs.
Given the difficulties of the reverberant space, OmniLine’s ability to be mechanically arrayed and aimed (in passive mode) and also deployed in an MLA [Multicellular Loudspeaker Array] active configuration offered both mechanical and electronic steered, with consistent frequency response throughout the listening area. Active arrays handled the critical areas, with passive hangs for spot fill. Two banks of three AQ212 floor-mounted subs with separate and processing for each cabinet, allowed steering of the LF.
TAG also recommended advanced DSP and enabled the church to control the system with iPads, using custom-designed GUI screens for simple services, or interfacing with the mixer and digital stage box for full-scale services.
Inside St. Andrew’s Cathedral
Key Components: (140) Martin Audio OmniLine elements; (6) Martin Audio AQ212 subs.
Integrator: Wizard Projects (Artarmon, AU)
Supplier: Technical Audio Group (Stanmore, AU)
Elevate Life Church – Frisco, TX
Once named the “Best Place in Texas for Young Families,” Frisco is a fast-growing town just north of Dallas. Frisco’s Elevate Life is a non-denominational church founded in January of 2000 and offering a warm and caring church community. Elevate Life pastors Keith and Sheila Craft host three weekend services featuring upbeat contemporary music, as well as mid-week events and Wednesday services, as well as music concerts featuring Christian artists.
The building itself features the 100-foot-tall Cathedral of Frisco, which is inspired by the Gothic architecture of medieval Europe, and with it, the 3,000-seat sanctuary was equipped with an Electro-Voice XLCi line-array system in 2012.
Keeping up with Elevate Life Church’s growing and ever-increasing slate of services and events required a change in the sound system. Recently, J Sound Services of Nashville was called in to upgrade the front-end system in the main worship center.
J Sound Services owner and principal engineer Jason Spence recommended a pair of Yamaha CL5 digital consoles to handle front of house and monitor duties. Also in the package was an update for the digital audio distribution in the main sanctuary to Dante using a Yamaha MTX5-D matrix processor with 16 output buses and a MY16-LAKE card, a pair of RIO3224 stage boxes (each with 32-ins/16-outs) and one RI8-D input rack.
Inside Elevate Life Church
Key Components: (2) Yamaha CL5 digital consoles, (2) RIO3224 stage boxes, RI8-D input rack; existing Electro-Voice XLCi line-array system.
Integrator: J Sound Services (Nashville)
System Designer: Jason Spence
True-Lite Christian Fellowship – Midland, TX
Any time sound installations are mentioned, a lot of “need it yesterday” stories seem to crop up. But this is one case where an extraordinary effort by the entire audio team of dedicated pros made it all happen — right in the nick of time.
Located in the western Texas town of Midland, True-Lite Christian Fellowship is a growing and ethnically diverse church that offers a personal, uplifting worship experience and a lot of musical styles, ranging from traditional hymns and hand-clapping gospel songs to contemporary compositions and reverent choruses. And with music being a major feature of True-Lite Christian Fellowship’s worship, the church required a versatile and full-range system, not just for the weekly services, but also to fit the church’s planned expansion into presenting special shows and programs.
Integrator BGW Tech, the Granbury, Texas-based audio/video/lighting division of Building God’s Way (a leader in ministry design and construction) was called in to upgrade the audio system at True-Lite Christian Fellowship. Nothing too unusual there, but the job required a complete sound system re-design and installation all in a one-week period, which also happened to be over Thanksgiving week.
To complicate matters further, BGW Tech’s senior consultant Jim Martin and project manager Tobias Harrison felt the venue would best be served by custom FBT enclosures, with 18 of its Mitus “Archangel” 206LA 900W powered line array cabinets and three Mitus “Archangel” 212FSA dual-12 subwoofers. One minor complication? To meet the deadline, the speakers would have to custom configured at FBT’s factory in Northern Italy and air-freighted to the states.
After a quick turnaround, the speakers arrived at New York’s Kennedy Airport, where Italian Speaker Imports (FBT’s USA distributor, who also aided in the system design), embarked on a 31-hour drive in a rented minivan, to personally deliver the products and aid in the installation.
On arrival, BGW Tech’s James Lawson supervised the installation. Independent consultant Eric Hite came in to help tune the rig and BGW handled the final tuning. The install went smoothly and right on time for the church’s special holiday events.
The result? According to Albert Hall of True-Lite Christian Fellowship, “this has worked out better than we imagined. We do all forms of worship here — contemporary, traditional, Spanish and gospel — and the new system fits in exactly with our plans to bring in different musical artists, host concerts and expand our ministry.”
Inside True-Lite Christian Fellowship
Major Components: Midas PRO 2 console; (18) FBT custom Mitus 206LA line arrays; (3) FBT custom Mitus 212FSA subwoofers.
Integrator: BGW Tech (Granbury, TX)
Supplier: Italian Speaker Imports (Armonk, NY)
Century Baptist Church – Bismarck, ND
Seeking to upgrade its 600-seat room, which was fitted with a mono cluster in 2007, Century Baptist Church called on Fargo-based Tricorne Audio to design and install a new system that would meets the needs for its traditional and contemporary services.
“Working with Century Baptist, we created an EASE model to illustrate both the issues with the current set-up as well as the improvements a new PA would provide,” explains Tricorne’s Dallas Anderson. “We had used EAW’s QX Series before and they became a front-runner for the LCR configuration we recommended.”
The worship space, a rectangular shaped room that is wider than it is deep, has a 34-foot ceiling and a set-back stage with a slight thrust into the audience area. Padded pews, carpeting and sheetrock walls with minimal acoustic treatment complete the room.
“We brought in the QX Series loudspeakers for a demonstration,” adds Anderson. “They loved it. They said that they didn’t even realize how poor their existing system truly was until they listened to the QX loudspeakers.” Anderson specified two QX594i loudspeakers for the center cluster and single QX596i enclosures for the left and right. Three EAW MK8196 loudspeakers were utilized for front fill. Two are located on the lip of stage right and left. The center fill loudspeaker was hung with the center cluster in order to keep the steps to the stage clear.
The QX Series’ broadband pattern control is suited for the hostile acoustic environments often found in church sanctuaries. Four phase-aligned 12-inch woofers extend pattern control well into the low-frequency range. Two EAW SBK250 subwoofers placed side by side in the front left corner of the sanctuary couple with the floor and walls to maximize their output. EAW UX3600 processors drive the system and provide EAW Focusing Greybox settings for an optimized response.
“I don’t think there is a better sounding loudspeaker for applications like these than the QX,” he continues. “Many folks would put in a line array, but with a room wider than deep, there is no benefit. These do an exceptional job.”
“Our congregation noticed the change right away,” adds Ethan Johnson, pastor of worship arts at Century Baptist Church. “We can now hear every instrument without the volume getting out of hand. Every piece, from voices to violins, is clear and full-sounding.”
Inside Century Baptist Church
Major Components: (2) EAW QX594i in center cluster, (2) QX596i for left/right; (2) EAW SBK250 ground subwoofers; (3) EAW MK8196 front fill.
Integrator: Tricorne Audio (Fargo, ND)
Designer: Dallas Anderson
Emmanuel Baptist Church – Enid, OK
Since its founding in the early 1980’s, Emmanuel Baptist Church has expanded into a strong congregation with three Sunday worship services and activities serving adults, youth and other groups in the community. The church turned to Springfield, MO-based integrator, Paragon 360 for an upgraded audio system.
“This project was a full renovation with a major architectural redesign of the entire worship center. It involved new audio, acoustics, lighting, staging and video systems as well as new scenic elements custom designed for the church,” said Paragon 360 audio/acoustics design and commissioning specialist Mark Coble. For this project, Coble and his design/build team needed to satisfy the needs of traditional services with a choir; a more blended experience with praise singers and a band and a modern, contemporary service.
Coble noted the system had to be more than just a “house PA” — it needed to have the capabilities of a concert sound rig. “The church hosts touring artists. They needed a system that would have a large input count and deliver high-SPL’s.”
Paragon 360 deployed eight JBL VerTec VT4886 subcompact line arrays and a VT4883 dual-12 subcompact arrayable subwoofer in three main flown clusters each at the left, center and right of the auditorium. Two JBL STX828S subs were placed in custom subwoofer enclosures located in the face of the stage and four AC28/26 compact 2-way speakers provide overhead monitors for the choir. Nine AC25 ultra-compact loudspeakers deliver under-balcony fill and four STX812M 12-inch stage monitors cover the pulpit/stage area.
Seven Crown I-Tech 12000HD amplifiers power the main line arrays and subwoofers. Two Crown DCi Series 4|600 amplifiers drive the under-balcony and monitor loudspeakers, with a DCi 2|600 amp handling the choir monitors. The amps and speakers are networked using a BSS BLU-160 Soundweb London Signal Processor with BLU link in conjunction with a BLU-BOB break-out box output expander.
Coble and his crew also did a significant amount of work adding necessary acoustical treatments to optimize the sound of the sanctuary. “The rig sounds great and everyone is really happy with the performance,” Coble concluded. “We truly realized our goal of transforming the space for a new generation of churchgoers.”
Inside Emmanuel Baptist Church
Major Components: (8) JBL VerTec VT4886 line arrays and a VT4883 subwoofer in left/right/center hangs; (2) JBL STX828S ground subs; Crown I-Tech 1200 HD amps; BSS Soundweb processing.
Integrator: Paragon 360 (Springfield, MO)
Designer: Mark Coble
Eastbrook Church – Milwaukee, WI
Sven Pro Sound (SPS) recently completed a campus-wide audio upgrade at Eastbrook Church, centering on d&b Audiotechnik components.The largest venue upgraded was the church’s Worship Hall main worship space, a wide, highly reverberant venue with high ceilings. Using d&b audiotechnik’s ArrayCalc modeling program, SPS selected d&b Q series speakers, with only three Q10s needed to cover the floor sections. Two QSUB’s were flown in the center to provide even bass for the entire room and two 8S speakers handle upper balcony fill. Three d&b D12 amplifiers provide all EQ, limiting and delay for the system. In addition, two MAX 12 monitors were flown for stage monitoring for the choir.
Plagued with acoustical problems since it opened, a second venue was a multipurpose gym, used for speech, for live music youth nights and recorded dance and rap music at basketball games. After running ArrayCalc software to predict room coverage and SPL levels, the solution was two d&b E12’s speakers providing tight, even dispersion directed to the floor and bleachers, while avoiding the walls. SPS worked with the church to trade in the obsolete system, which actually covered the cost of the new d&b rig.
A multipurpose hall used primarily for church meals and large roundtable events also had an inadequate system. SPS installed d&b E8 speakers to increase headroom.
The final venue upgrade was the church’s Holy Grounds coffee shop, which serves the community, Eastbrook Academy students/staff and churchgoers. The coffee shop is used for live acoustic performances, and the church was looking for a high-quality yet unobtrusive system for higher-volume and more bass-heavy open mic nights. Sven Pro Sound provided a d&b E-series system with two E3 speakers, an E12-SUB and three E-PAC V3 amps. The system was tuned using d&b’s internal equalization and delay in the amplifiers.
Inside Eastbrook Church
Major Components: Worship Hall: (3) d&b audiotechnik Q10s, (2) QSUBs. Gym: (2) d&b E12s. Multipurpose Hall: d&b E8’s. Coffee Shop: (2) d&b E3’s and E12-SUB.
Integrator: Sven Pro Sound (Milwaukee, WI)
Pantano Christian Church – Tucson, AZ
At Tucson’s Pantano Christian Church (PCC), half of its weekend services feature modern Christian rock, yet worshipers were regularly voicing they couldn’t properly hear the music or the message.
Nearly two years ago, when a new pastoral team stepped into leadership at PCC, they declared an upgrade to the worship spaces’ audio, video and lighting systems a top priority, and HOW systems integrator CCI Solutions was called in to specify and install an L-Acoustics ARCS “WIFO” (WIDE/FOCUS) loudspeaker system.
Todd Gathany, CCI’s senior systems consultant on the Pantano project, faced a difficult obstacle: the worship space actually consists of three distinct spaces. The main sanctuary has adjoining gymnasiums with their own bleachers in the back on both sides — with floating air walls separating them from the big room. The walls are moved to the sides for major events, opening the facility to a capacity of 2,000. “The new P.A. we designed had to work for all three spaces individually,” Gathany notes, “but then had to easily come together to cover the entire space as one in a very cohesive way so the experience would be similar regardless of what room you’re in.”
The installation called for six L-Acoustics ARCS FOCUS and eleven ARCS WIDE constant curvature array enclosures, ten SB18m subs, six 5XT coaxials, and seven LA4X amplified controllers — all fed by a Yamaha CL5 console. They can split the sound system as separate rooms, “but then when you hit the ‘all is one’ button, all three room P.A.s can also work in unison,” says Gathany. “Each room sounds really good individually, but collectively, it’s amazing how cohesive the experience is, audio-wise.”
Pantano’s tech director Philip Cain cites an example of how the upgrade has paid off for the church. The audio team previously had to put up an acrylic cage around the drums because they were so loud. “Once we put the L-Acoustics system in, we were able to get the sound out in the house and take the panels off the drum kit,” Cain says, noting that the sound is typically at 100 dB, which he calls “church concert levels.”
“The sound quality has increased tremendously with the new system,” comments Steven Moore, PCC’s audio engineer. “There are no worries if it’s going to be loud from FOH, and also for the bands on stage.”
Inside Pantano Christian Church
Key Components: DiGiCo consoles: (2) SD5, SD8, SD9, SD11; (16) Roland M-48 personal stage mixers; JoeCo BBR64-MADI 64 channel audio recorders.
Integrator: SE Systems, Inc. (Greensboro, NC)
Grove Church – Titusville, FL
With locations in Titusville and Port St. John, FL, the Grove Church delivers an upbeat, contemporary worship experience to engage its growing congregation. Jason Decter mixes the sound at The Grove when he’s not at his day job, which is on the road as FOH engineer for Blink-182. Decter also served as production consultant for the design of the church’s main sound system.
The Grove Church ministers to about 1,000 parishioners at its main location in the Titusville YMCA gymnasium, and its rock-style music presentation is right in Decter’s sweet spot. “To create a worship experience in a gym was a challenge, and we had to be creative.”
Decter chose Mackie’s new DL32R wireless digital mixer for the Grove’s portable church system. With all inputs, outputs, electronics, DSP, and power contained in a single 3U housing, the 32-channel DL32R has mixing handled remotely via iPad, using Mackie’s Master Fader app.
“The fact that there’s no physical console surface means the engineer is no longer tied to a desk, which is very cool,” says Decter. “You can walk around, hear the sound in different locations and make adjustments. For monitor mixes, you can go on stage with the musicians and dial in each mix on the spot.”
Decter explains that one of the DL32R’s key assets is the ability to add a second iPad. “The first time we used the console, I handled both the FOH and monitor mixes,” he explains. “The following week, I split FOH and monitors between two engineers, and each had their own control surface. We could actually treat it like two separate consoles, just by adding a second iPad.”
To control the sound in the highly reverberant gymnasium environment, The Grove Church puts up sound-absorbing pipe-and-drape around the periphery and uses a compact Mackie HDA line array. “It’s a great speaker choice for the room size in terms of focus and control,” says Decter. “It definitely does not sound like a gym!”
Decter adds that full-featured remote mixing is a real plus. “Mixing at a lower SPL is common in a church setting, and it takes some finesse,” he says. “With no fixed front of house position, it almost forces you to walk around a bit. It keeps your ears sharp, so if there’s a problem with speaker alignment, you’ll know. The DL32R delivers everything we need for The Grove, and a lot more. We’re really happy with it.”
Inside Grove Church
Major Components: Mackie DL32 mixer, Mackie HDA line array.
Production Consultant: Jason Decter (pictured above)
Aspen Ridge Church – Evergreen, CO
The new system at Aspen Ridge Church proves that less can be more.
Replacing an aging center cluster with two discreet Meyer Sound CAL-32 column array loudspeakers, resulted in improved intelligibility, enhanced music quality, and eliminating “hotspots,” while removing a visual eyesore from the lofty, natural wood ceiling. Also, as installation costs were minimal and no additional acoustical treatment was needed, the total cost of audio renovations in the 400-seat sanctuary stayed well within the church’s modest budget.
The system was designed by consultant Bob Langlois of Second Opinion Audio and Daryl Porter of Audio Video Design Build Group, with installation by AVDB and final commissioning by Langlois.
“Daryl and I took one look at this room, with high ceilings and a wide seating area, and we knew immediately that a CAL solution would be perfect,” recalls Langlois. “The results proved us right. The feedback-producing lobes are gone, the coverage is smoother, and they have more headroom than they’ll ever use.”
Kerry Cox, the church’s associate pastor of worship arts, was happy to replace the old cluster with the digital beam steering technology of the sleek CAL loudspeakers. “Taking down the cluster really cleaned up the look of the stage,” he remarks. “But more importantly, we wanted to make the room sound right, and on that count, the CALs really filled the bill. I’m blown away by the sound quality.”
During system commissioning, Langlois used Meyer Sound’s Compass software program to direct the CAL’s coverage at a three degree down-tilt with a 20-degree vertical beam spread. “The sound energy stays below the seven-foot level, all the way to the back of the room,” Langlois notes.
Deep bass support for contemporary worship music is supplied by a single Meyer 600-HP subwoofer.
The complete system also includes a Yamaha CL3 main worship console, Audio-Technica wireless systems, Countryman E6 headset mic for the senior pastor and Shure Beta 87 and Beta 58 wired mics. A Biamp Systems basic mixer and DSP unit accommodates basic uses during the week, when the Yamaha console is rolled into the closet.
“With the CALs, we keep a balance that works for everybody, from their 20’s to some in their 80’s,” Cox notes. “The clarity and accuracy are phenomenal. Also, the uniformity of level from front to back is astonishing. It seems whether you’re ten feet away or 60 feet back, you’re getting the same sound.”
Inside Aspen Ridge Church
Key Components: (2) Meyer Sound CAL columns, (1) Meyer 600HP subwoofer; Yamaha CL-3 console.
Integrator: Second Opinion Audio (Rock, CO)
Installer: Audio Video Design Build Group (Phoenix, AZ)
System Designer: Bob Langlois (Second Opinion) and Daryl Porter (AVDB)
Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe – Dodge City, KS
Dodge City’s Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a stunning architectural achievement that embodies the classic disparity between traditional and contemporary worship. With its soaring ceilings and open, 270-degree seating, this 1,400-seat sanctuary created a wonderfully reverberant sense of musical majesty, but at the expense of the intelligibility needed to deliver the message.
To address these issues in the 12 year-old building, Amos Yost of Montezuma, KS-based Montezuma Sound was contracted to design and install a new sound system. His solution for creating clear intelligibility amid the room’s glorious reverb was centered on the Renkus-Heinz IC Live digitally steerable array.
As Yost explains, the room’s circular design and abundance of hard, reflective surfaces presented a number of challenges, and the existing distributed P.A. speakers were aimed almost straight down at the tile floor, creating uncontrolled reflections that exacerbated the room’s 3.5-second reverberation time.
“The organ and choir music sounded pretty good, but voice intelligibility was sorely lacking,” notes Yost. It was clear that a steerable array system would directly address the room’s issues, but because the sanctuary is a circular space, effective deployment would be tricky.
Montezuma Sound set up two ICL-FR-DUAL columnar arrays mounted on the walls behind the altar area, cross-firing to cover the 270 degree seating spread while preserving audience sightlines. This arrangement created smooth, even coverage from the first row to the last, a throw of 120 feet. With twin IC Live columns of 16 speakers each, there was more than enough beam steering flexibility to cover all seating, even those under the balcony, while avoiding unwanted reflections from the windows, side walls, and balcony facing. Yost augmented the IC Live system with a pair of IC215S subwoofers, installed out of sight behind a grille with the pipe organ speakers.
“The church is very happy with the Renkus-Heinz system,” reports Yost. “When we brought it in to demo, the IC Live sounded so clear right out of the box, it blew them away. In fact, they didn’t want us to take it back! When we performed the final installation, we barely applied any system EQ at all. The music sounds great, and the spoken word is now clearly understandable. It proved to be the ideal solution.”
Inside Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Key Components: (2) Renkus-Heinz ICL-FR-DUAL columnar arrays, (2) Renkus-Heinz IC215S subwoofers.
Integrator: Montezuma Sound (Montezuma. KS)
System Designer: Amos Yost
