Set in Arlington, Texas on more than 50 beautifully landscaped acres, at the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, is High Point Church (www.churchunusual.com), one of the fastest growing ministries in the country. Known as "Church Unusual," HPC's worship style has obviously struck a major chord with the public; from modest beginnings in 1999 among friends and relatives who gathered at the home of Pastor Gary Simons and his wife April, it has grown to encompass a 5,000-seat auditorium within a 423,000-square-foot complex that services 20 different ministries. And–according to Pastor Gary's master plan–this is only the beginning. The task of providing a sound system, (as well as video and lighting), for Church Unusual was undertaken by Nashville, Tenn.'s Maxx Technology (www.maxx-tech.com), who designed a system around core components by InnovaSON, NEXO, Sennheiser and Aviom.
Stirring music, a rousing choir and must-hear lyrics are central to the Church Unusual experience. Presenting that music in all its glory along with clear spoken word was the fundamental challenge.
"We started with the series of processes and procedures that we use with every job," says Maxx's chief of staff, Martin Culpepper. "Our first step is one that the technology industry often omits: we actually stop and listen to the problems and concerns, as well as the goals, of our clients. When you really do that, it's amazing what you'll find out."
The company's 13-page client "Listening Report" helps delineate those concerns and facilitates the development of a package truly based on client needs. It's this kind of thorough preparation that's earned Maxx Technology a steady stream of referrals from architects, construction managers and acoustical engineers.
"Pastor Gary and the High Point Church are not afraid of technology at all," enlightens HPC Front of House engineer Rudy Salazar. "They definitely want to use it to enhance the worship experience. A lot of times, churches use music as a warm-up for services. That's not the way it is at High Point, where music is central to the experience. At our services, from the moment the first musical note hits, it's Church! We have a 50- to 60-voice choir and a full progressive music band: drums, bass, lead and rhythm guitar, two percussionists, a four-piece horn section and two keyboard players, one of whom is our minister of music, Sion Alford, who is also the praise and worship leader.
"Music is key to the service. When I described what I wanted to Maxx Technology, I said, 'I want the music to encompass you.' And they delivered 100% of what I asked."
A former Johnson and Johnson warehouse was gutted to build HPC; construction was accomplished in record time. "A big challenge for us was the compressed schedule of the project," admits Maxx Technology project engineer Josh Berry. "They got approval for demolition the day after Christmas, and they completed the auditorium and classrooms, and opened the doors for Easter three months later. We had to quickly come up with a complete technology design that would fit in the infrastructure, and then work within a process that was very fluid due to the rapid pace of construction."
The basic layout of the auditorium, approximately 300 feet long and 250 feet wide with a 23-foot-high ceiling, lent itself
to numerous challenges. "The ceiling height alone made this project a technological challenge," comments Maxx's general manager, Neal Watson. "A 300-foot throw with ceilings less than 25 feet is an unusual situation that demands innovative solutions."
In addition, tie lines had to be run for audio, video and communication links throughout the complex to both CD/DVD recording studios and to various worship spaces, including Spanish and Children's (Kidmo), worship areas that often run
concurrently, sharing program material with services in the main auditorium.
The sound experience begins in the 450-foot mall entryway, where columns lit with LED lighting are fitted with a JBL 70-volt speaker system that broadcasts sound from the sanctuary to the arriving congregation.
Inside, a NEXO Geo line array LCR system, powered by Camco Vortex 6.0s, provides coverage, with additional NEXO speakers used in a delay ring to cover the back of the sanctuary. The main arrays are comprised of 12 T4805s and three T2815s, while 15 Geo S Series speakers serve as delays. Two BSS Soundweb 9088IIS-LL loudspeaker processors are also part of the system.
"NEXO was very good at working with us on the full design," comments Berry. "They put a lot of energy into helping us come up with solutions to distribute sound evenly all the way across and back into the room while keeping the speaker clusters as minimally visual as possible. We use AutoCAD, and NEXO also has a program called Geosoft. It measures the width and depth of the room and shows how to angle the speakers properly so the sound waves are evenly distributed throughout the space."
"Something else great about the NEXOs," adds Salazar, "is that, although they're low-profile, the look of them actually fits in with the sense of awe of the room, like a technological work of art. The ceiling is black, then up in the proscenium there are the clusters of hanging silver Geos. Most churches try to hide their speakers. But the way the NEXOs hang, it actually adds to the look of the room."
"And, because of the compact size of the speakers–about six feet for each array," adds Berry, "they don't interfere with any of the six video screens that are placed in the room."
HPC's digital consoles are by InnovaSON: an Sy80 handles FOH while a Grand Live, upgraded with Sy80 features, covers monitors.
"I've been mixing on analog desks for more than 20 years," notes Salazar. "I'm used to getting to knobs quickly. So I was a little apprehensive about the digital setup of the Sy80, with just one section of control knobs. But once I got past that, and started punching through some of the menus, I saw how quickly you could bounce through things, and how easy it was to get around. Now I'm very comfortable. As a matter of fact, just before this Easter–our biggest service of the year–Josh, from Maxx Technology, and I went in and modified the configuration to the X fader mode, which uses lots of layers. Again, I was a little nervous, but it was a very simple operation and there were no problems at all."
Overall, the FOH Sy80 handles approximately 80 inputs and 48 outputs, including six submixes that feed the video control room for High Point's busy CD and DVD creation departments.
Monitor mixes from the InnovaSON Grand Live desk feed both an Aviom personal monitor mixing system, supplying 16 mixes to 10 wireless Sennheiser EW300IEM personal monitors, and NEXO PS8s and PS10 cabinets, which are used
for the horn section and for podium fill.
"It gives the musicians more of a studio feel," comments Salazar about the Aviom system. "And it eliminates a ton of stage wash problems for the FOH engineer. Thanks to the PMs, the stage volume is a lot lower, and it doesn't change the integrity of the house mix at all."
Debuting in April at High Point is Glory & the Fire, a live presentation with a cast of more than 50 and "earth shaking sound effects." Given the expansion into multimedia and the explosive growth of the church's ministries, the sound system design is getting a workout, something that Maxx Technology anticipated.
"Our philosophy in general," states Berry, "is to lay a good foundation, and to also put in key components that will allow easy expansion for the future."
"Immediately as we entered the process with High Point Church," concludes Culpepper, "we realized how forward-looking they were. They are always thinking about the future, which fits right in with the way we like to work."
