All churches share the common goal of spreading the message. Some have a greater emphasis on spoken word; others rely more on music in any variety of styles, from liturgical to flat-out rock ‘n’ roll. Yet, all houses of worship need a sound system that provides clarity, intelligibility and musicality. With that in mind, we looked at some recent install/upgrade projects.
The Belonging Co., Nashville, TN
Pastors Henry and Alex Seeley started The Belonging Co. to provide artists, musicians and crew gigging during weekends with a place to meet on Tuesday nights. In just 10 years, this grew from a handful of worshippers meeting in a basement to thousands gathering at the church’s three Nashville area locations — and many more online.
Deeply rooted in the music community, The Belonging Co. takes sound seriously, upgrading to a d&b audiotechnik KSL rig three years ago. Now, for its next phase of growth, the church, working with longtime design-integration company Diversified, installed two Solid State Logic Live L650 mixing consoles at its main location just north of downtown Nashville.
“The L650 is a great-sounding desk,” says Caleb Rhew, assistant audio director and one of the church’s FOH engineers. “We leaned into processing pretty heavily with the previous consoles,” he says, having to add plug-ins and outboard gear to achieve the sound they wanted through the sanctuary’s P.A. But the SSL L650 “was very clean right out of the gate. It was really nice to just push up the faders and go, ‘Oh, that sounds great,’ without having to add anything. So, we’ve tried to see what we can do just by pushing up faders and running a channel EQ and a channel compressor. It’s cleaned up a lot of things and allowed us to hear the source material a lot more accurately.”
The church’s recording needs are handled in Avid Pro Tools via a Dante network, says production director Andy Rushing. The new SSL Live consoles support Dante natively. “We bought two L650s and five SSL Network I/O SB 32.24 Dante Stageboxes, giving us a total of 72 inputs. Pro Tools is running at 48 kHz, the live sound system is at 96 kHz, and we do sample rate conversion in the SSL Stagebox. SSL Live has superb Dante integration. All routing is controlled directly from the console and stored in the console’s showfile. SSL’s Dante workflow has been a huge plus for us,” Rushing notes. Even when the system is offline, Dante devices can be configured and patched using a console or via SSL’s offline editing software, SOLSA.
The church holds four services across its four locations with rebroadcasts of the Nashville location’s two earlier live-streamed services later in the day, and a fifth service on Tuesday night. According to broadcast video director Daniel Bender, the sound quality improvement following the switchover to the SSL Live consoles was immediately noticeable on the broadcast. “The biggest difference SSL brings, and one of the first things that people notice, is the sound of the preamps,” he says. Comparing broadcast mixes made on the old FOH console and the new L650, “there was a lot more fidelity with the SSL and just a bigger sound,” Bender says.
Rhew and the other FOH engineers add their own creative touches to the live music mix via Live’s onboard processing and plug-in options. “We’ve been leaning into the bus compressor quite a bit on our group and output buses,” he reveals. “We’ve also leaned into the Blitzer for more aggressive, dirty bass and smashed drums, which is really cool. The Listen Mic Compressor has been neat, too.”
The worship band’s singers and musicians all monitor on in-ears and generally require less processing with the new L650 console. “We try to make things as natural sounding in the monitors as we can,” Rhew says.
Diversified VP Tim Corder said that “SSL’s heritage of recording and quality sonics is what really drove our whole conversation regarding the choice of a new console.” Production director Rushing added, “We’ve had a great experience, and we are all thrilled about what the future holds with SSL and the next steps that we can take.”
The Belonging Co.
- Capacity: 1,470
- Key Products: Solid State Logic Live L650 consoles
- Integrator/Designer: Diversified
Bethlehem Assembly of God, Valley Stream, NY
The multi-ethnic congregation of Bethlehem Assembly of God in New York City suburb Valley Stream has long been a beacon in the area, with its charismatic ministry and contemporary, high-energy approach making it a draw for hip, young worshippers from all across the community.
Music is a big part of Bethlehem Assembly’s services, and the church recently upgraded its 500-capacity sanctuary’s audio and lighting systems to better convey the music and the message. Recently, the church opted to become one of the first East Coast installations of DAS Audio’s new SARA line arrays.
The system was conceived and designed by veteran audio engineer Burton Ishmael, whose regular “day job” is running FOH for Madonna, and is based around left and right hangs totaling 16 DAS Audio SARA-100 compact powered line arrays, each having 3,000 Watts of Class-D amplification. Four SARA-SUB 18-inch compact cardioid powered subwoofers deliver rock steady bass, and four DAS Audio EVENT-26a ultracompact line array cabinets handle front fills, with system processing covered by a single DAS Audio MATRIX-66 unit controlled by DAS Audio’s ALMA control and management software. Installation was handled by Jamaica, NY-based Advanced Event Services.
The project was not without its challenges. “It’s a pretty traditional A-frame design, about 60 feet wide and 70 feet deep, with a balcony, and that means big wooden beams, high ceilings, and lots of reflectivity,” Ishmael explains. “It’s not acoustically friendly. Add to that an older heating system and a foyer with open doors and you’ve also got temperature gradient issues. It’s a classic case of a sanctuary designed for a certain era, and now you want to put live drums in there. It calls for a different approach. The previous system was long in the tooth, and the SARA system gave us the ability to give them a huge leap in sound quality.”
Ishmael gives high marks to DAS Audio’s new SARA system and its ability to steer the sound onto the congregation and away from the walls and other reflective surfaces. “Years ago, when most of the service was preaching and spoken word, performance didn’t matter as much. Once they started doing live music and bringing in drums and amplification, the room’s acoustics became an issue, and it only got worse over time.”
The upgraded system has been a hit with parishioners and technical crew alike. “The feedback we’ve had from the worship leader is that people are telling him how they now feel surrounded by the sound, encapsulated by it,” says Ishmael. “The crew are saying it’s much more of a concert experience, and it’s much easier and faster to get the mix you’re looking for. The worship pastors feel empowered to try new and different things now, and don’t feel limited by the technology.”
Working with the DAS Audio team has been a long and fruitful relationship, Ishmael observes. “DAS Audio has been a very dear part of my success. They are serious about what they do, and I’ve watched them grow and create amazing technologies over the years. They care about their product, and they care about the needs of their customers. I cannot recommend them highly enough.”
Bethlehem Assembly of God
- Capacity: 500
- Key Products: DAS Audio SARA system
- Integrator: Advanced Event Services
- Designer: Burton Ishmael
Austin Stone Church, Austin, TX
Founded in 2002, Austin Stone Church (ASC) now offers 12 Sunday services at its six locations, along with a live online broadcast. Denver-area-based integrator Brown Note Productions (which has a satellite AVL Systems Integration office in Austin) has long worked with ASC, including installing a d&b audiotechnik Y series line array rig in its northwest campus three years ago.
Recently, Brown Note’s director of integration Zach Richards and integration project manager Joe Johnson spearheaded the design and install of the AV systems at Austin Stone Church’s new southwest campus, including the building’s extensive wireless RF and in-ear monitor systems.
The project presented a unique challenge in having numerous spaces with varying amounts of wireless audio, and Austin Stone wanted the wireless system to be highly flexible for many different types of events throughout the whole facility — including the main auditorium, an outdoor stage, youth room. two kid spaces, three classrooms and a lobby area.
Brown Note opted for 26 channels of the Shure ULX-D Digital Wireless System (based in part on its Dante capabilities), along with eight channels of Sennheiser ew-IEM G4 wireless in-ear monitoring systems. Brown Note chose RF Venue’s new CP Architectural and Diversity Architectural antennas, painted satin black to seamlessly blend in with the facility’s stage architecture, along with RF Venue DISTRO4 RF distribution systems for mics and COMBINE8 IEM transmitter combiner. “All the antennas we used on this project worked flawlessly,” commented Johnson.
The smaller classrooms presented a challenge RF Venue also solved. “We worked closely with RF Venue to determine our solution for those other spaces,” stated Johnson. “We’re using QSC Q-SYS control, and we were already using Dante for all of our audio distribution. Upgrading the microphone systems to Shure ULX-D made sense, and then we could put the receivers in the remote racks, which made things easy for routing audio anywhere we wanted.”
To get the microphone signal from all these individual classrooms into the remote racks, Johnson noted, “we implemented Diversity Architectural antennas in each of these classrooms and used 4 ZONE antenna combiner systems to take all these different antenna signals and combine them for a single receiver to use. Now we could take a 4-channel receiver, put a single mic in four different rooms, put an antenna in each of these rooms and feed it all back into the singular receiver, making things highly efficient. All the classrooms have a single microphone in a charging station, and all the operator has to do is turn on that mic, go to the touch screen to turn up the volume, and it works just how they want it to.”
Austin Stone Church
- Key Products: RF Venue
- Designer: Zach Richards, Joe Johnson
- Integrator: Brown Note Productions
Vine Christian Centre, Bridgend, UK
When Vine Christian Centre decided to upgrade the audio system in theirmain venue, they turned to local integrator Spartan AV, who installed a high-quality solution in conjunction with their supportive technical distributor, CUK Audio.
The previous audio system had been in use for over 20 years, with temporary repairs to prolong its life. However, the system did not provide adequate coverage in a venue three times as wide as it is deep. Stand-mounted speakers had been added to improve coverage, at the expense of blocking site lines.
“The client was initially set on a flown line-array system; however, after my initial site visit, I deemed that a correctly designed point-source system was the right way to tackle this project,” says Spartan AV’s Sean Hales.
The church required a system capable of full-range musical performance at moderate SPLs with an emphasis on high-quality audio. The final design was similar to that of a live performance venue, optimized for a modern worship band and speech intelligibility.
Using Outline’s Open Array simulation software to design a loudspeaker system in a 3D modeled virtual room, CUK provided a fast and accurate representation of the system’s direct sound output. After an on-site demo, the Outline system was approved.
The new system comprises four Outline Vegas 10 speakers, carefully spaced and aimed to achieve extremely consistent coverage across the full width of the venue, at all frequency ranges. A single Vegas 6.5 provides center fill for the first half of the audience. Two SUB 118 sub-bass loudspeakers ensure a full-range audio response and sufficient headroom to allow for any use case. In addition, the light weight of Vegas series speakers allowed mounting using existing rigging points and bar, allaying initial structural concerns.
Two Powersoft amplifiers — a Quattrocanali 4804 DSP and Quattrocanali 2404 DSP — provide all the power and speaker processing, with control over every speaker, and Power Sharing between channels.
“Outline is a high-class brand, and every product we’ve used from their range has always had the highest quality output,” says Spartan AV’s Dave Morgan. “This made Outline a go-to brand for this particular project. Even though the client wasn’t particularly familiar with Outline, they were blown away by the quality.”
Vine Christian Centre
Key Products: Outline Audio Vegas 10, SUB 118s
Integrator: Spartan AV
Designer: CUK Audio
Free Chapel Church, Gainesville, GA
A contemporary Christian congregation-based northeast of Atlanta, Free Chapel Church’s flagship main campus redefined its worship experience with a comprehensive Eastern Acoustic Works sound system, including Anya ADAPTive line arrays and EAW SB828P dual-drive subwoofers — all meticulously engineered to cater to the venue’s unique architectural nuances.
Free Chapel Church’s global audio director Glenn Setchfield emphasized the importance of EAW’s ADAPTive technology in tailoring sound dispersion to optimize acoustics. “Our main campus presents unique challenges due to its fan-shaped layout. The decision to implement EAW’s Anya line arrays was driven by the need for superior coverage and clarity. EAW’s ADAPTive technology empowers us to precisely direct sound, expanding horizontal coverage to meet the venue shape, and minimize reflections.”
Beyond the main campus, Free Chapel Church has extended its EAW deployment to other locations, including Midtown Atlanta, Gwinnett and Braselton. Each venue benefits from tailored EAW solutions, ranging from NTX210L line arrays to RSX series speakers, optimized to maximize audio fidelity and intelligibility.
“We’ve strategically implemented EAW equipment across all our campuses to ensure consistent audio excellence,” says Setchfield, who is responsible for integrating and overseeing all audio operations, including the recent deployment of EAW at Free Chapel Church’s multiple locations. This includes weekend services, midweek gatherings, youth and children’s programs and audio production for Jentezen Franklin Ministries, a non-profit organization affiliated with the church.
Setchfield’s journey with EAW began with his tenure at Hillsong Church in Australia almost a decade ago. “While at Hillsong, I experienced first-hand the exceptional sound quality delivered by EAW,” he says. “Based on my positive experience combined with EAW’s reliability and versatility, I have become a big advocate for using EAW whenever possible.”
Free Chapel Church
- Capacity: 3,500
- Key Products: EAW Anya line array
- Designer: Glenn Setchfield
- Integrator: In-House
Upstate Church Haywood, Greenville, SC
Having merged congregations with another Baptist church, Upstate Church Haywood in Greenville, South Carolina has finally moved into its newly renovated sanctuary. Spartanburg, SC-based Elevate AVL — an integrator focusing primarily on house of worship projects — got the call to create a versatile audio system for the 400-seat main room that supports both blended and modern worship styles, the latter incorporating electric guitar, bass and drums. The solution came in the form of a TW Audio line array system with Danley Sound Labs subs, all driven using Powersoft Quattrocanali amplification.
“The church wanted a system with a high priority on clarity, and that could also cover the room really well at higher SPLs, which is why we went with a line array as opposed to a point-source system,” explains Elevate AVL’s Jordan Tripp. “The end result is a system that can provide the entire room with a clear stereo image, including underneath and onto the balconies.”
The main P.A. consists of left / right hangs, each with seven TW Audio VERA 20i (the install-specific version of TW Audio’s VERA20), passive line arrays, which have two 10-inch woofers with a 1.4-inch exit HF compression driver in a compact 11x24x16-inch enclosure. Low frequencies are handled by Danley Sound Labs TH115-I Tapped Horn subwoofers.
A Powersoft Quattrocanali 2404 DSP+D and three Quattrocanali 8808 DSP+D amplifiers (all with onboard Dante networking) form the heart of the new audio system.
According to Tripp, who founded Elevate AVL in 2022, Powersoft has become Elevate’s “go-to” amplifier platform for HOW installations. “When it comes to reliability and performance at an affordable price point, Powersoft amplifiers are hard to beat,” he says. “I’ve experienced issues with other amplifier manufacturers, with amps either dying quickly or being dead on arrival, and that’s never been the case with Powersoft. I’ve always loved their end product. Plus, the ability to integrate Dante is also a massive plus for these kinds of installs.”
But the bottom line comes down to client satisfaction, Tripp explains. “They love the sound in the room and the performance of the system, as well as its ease of use. Everyone is extremely happy.”
Upstate Church Haywood
- Capacity: 400
- Key Products: TW Audio line array, Danley Sound subs
- Integrator/Designer: Elevate AVL
