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.
Whitesburg Baptist Church, Huntsville, AL
Looking to upgrade its outdated sound system, Whitesburg Baptist Church turned to Seth Daniel, founder and CEO of The Daniel Group, located in nearby Florence, AL. Daniel sought out Meyer Sound to assist in the design and engineering of a system to enhance the worship experience.
The 2,000-seat worship center typically holds two services per Sunday; one more traditional, with a 135-member choir and a 30-piece orchestra; the other more contemporary with a 6- or 7-piece band and six praise singers. “It was time to retire the old system.” says church media director Justin Crisp, “which brought us to the Meyer Sound system. We demoed quite a few systems, and Meyer’s Leopard rig was what we felt was the best for us.”
The new system’s Leopard compact line arrays are configured 10 per side as a left-right main system. Fill systems include narrow-coverage Ultra-X22XP speakers for the balcony; narrow-coverage UPQ-D2 for side fill; and a UPQ-D1 as a center downfill. Ultra-X20XPs across the lip of the stage handle front-fill. Adding LF punch are six flown 2100-LFC subs in a cardioid configuration. Two MJF-208 wedges are on the platform, and two Galileo Galaxy 816 drive the system.
“The idea was to improve the overall audio quality in the room — better intelligibility, better coverage and more power.” However, Daniel added, “The old configuration had a lot of low-frequency build-up over the stage area that was causing some issues, especially for the choir. The client was adamant they have plenty of headroom in the low frequencies, so the Meyer 2100-LFCs in cardioid configuration — which get the low-end energy out into the room, and not over the stage — was the only option for that.”
Crisp was excited about the 2100-LFC’s performance. “It works fantastic! Once we hung the Meyer system, our musicians said it’s almost like a new room, and they feel it’s a much cleaner environment on the platform.”
Adequate coverage to the extreme side areas was another target for the new system, according to Crisp. “We had a vision for what we were looking for. The main thing was to have the congregation hear everything clearly without having hotspots or dead spots.”
Both Daniel and Crisp received kudos from the congregation, church leadership and the musicians. “The responses that we got from the first Sunday were like ‘Oh wow! This is really different’,” says Daniel. “It was noticeable from all parties involved that it was a drastic improvement.” Crisp added, “Coming in for the first rehearsal, the looks on the musicians’ faces, the ‘wow’ about how great it sounded, how big the drums sounded, and how full the band was sounding was nice to watch. From day one, our congregation noticed, the difference in the audio quality, and how clean the sound was in the room to every seat in the congregation.”
Daniel also shared a text he received from worship pastor Mark Willard, who said “the fidelity is just worlds better. It’s at a completely different level than before. Intelligibility is greatly improved. Piano, drums, my guitar, the vocal mics — all noticeably better sounding. I am very pleased.”
Whitesburg Baptist Church
- Capacity: 2,000
- Key Products: Meyer Sound LEOPARD system
- Integrator/Designer: The Daniel Group
Cottonwood Creek Church, Allen, TX
Dallas-based integrator DHSystems implemented a solution based around the first US-installed TT+ Audio GTX line array system delivered by RCF USA for Cottonwood Creek Church’s expanded 3,000-seat facility in Allen, TX.
“The cost of the system was a concern,” says DHSystems owner, design lead and senior systems engineer Zach Anthony. However, “the cost of expanding the six-year-old system with additional amplifiers and speakers was close to the cost of replacing the whole system with GTX.”
Besides not covering the added 800 seats, the existing P.A. didn’t reach the room evenly. “The design criteria was that every seat have an equal experience,” says Anthony. “We got very close to that with even coverage front to back and left to right in both frequency response, SPL and intelligibility has gone up.”
Based on its experience with RCF USA, Inc., DHSystems had no hesitation specifying the TT+ Audio GTX 12 passive three-way line arrays. The new P.A. consists of left / right hangs, each with eight GTX 12 boxes providing primary coverage. Seven TT 515-A active two-way speakers are built into the front of the Cottonwood Creek stage as front fills, while three (134 dB max SPL) flown TTW 4-A active wide-directivity speakers provide left / right / center down fill. Two additional TTW 4-As are used as delayed fills for the far rear corners of the room.
Twelve GTX companion passive GTS 29 subwoofers, each with dual 19-inch drivers, are flown in three center arc end-fire arrays for LF extension, which “allows us to control the horizontal coverage of the room for equal energy across the width of the room,” says Anthony. The GTX/GTS system is powered and controlled by XPS 16KD Dante-enabled 4-channel DSP amplifiers. “With all these speakers in the air, having the amplifiers remotely located in an amp rack is much better from a long-term support and serviceability standpoint.”
RCF’s RDNET sound system management and control software was used for the initial system configuration and alignment, including the cabinet voicing and shading. RDNET is currently used for monitoring the system status. “RDNET gives you a nice graphical interface to see everything,” says Anthony. The TT+ Audio system was also interfaced with the church’s existing Q-SYS network, used for facility-wide audio management, with a Q-SYS Core 610 driving the worship center and all the ancillary spaces —lobby, chapel, breakout rooms and classrooms throughout the entire campus.
The new TT+ Audio system has made “a huge difference both in power, detail and clarity,” Anthony says. “The system solved so many issues,” adds Cottonwood Creek’s A1 FOH mixer John Ellis. “At low volume, the previous system was virtually unintelligible. Now we have amazing quality at any volume; it’s incredibly linear and consistent throughout the entire worship center / no more hot / dead spots.”
The facility is frequently used as an event center, rented out for different concerts and events. “We’ve now had three different artists come through and every single one of them left very happy,” says Anthony.
“We needed a system that could provide incredible clarity and fidelity for a wide range of events and services ranging from low to high volume,” says Ellis. “It’s been an incredible blessing to the church.”
Cottonwood Creek Church
- Capacity: 3,000
- Key Products: TT+ Audio GTX line array system
- Integrator/Designer: DHSystems
Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, IL
A pioneer in contemporary worship, Willow Creek Community Church has set the bar for audio excellence in houses of worship. Collaborating with integration partner Clark, the church recently installed a new L-Acoustics L Series speaker system in its 7,200-seat auditorium — one of the largest in North America.
Featuring Progressive Ultra-Dense Line Source (PULS) technology, the L Series system has transformed Willow Creek’s worship experience. FOH engineer Fernando Gamas describes the upgrade as a “game changer,” noting significant improvements in coverage, clarity and overall sound quality. “Nearly 20 years old, our previous P.A. struggled to provide full coverage for every seat. I had to run that system very conservatively — around 88 to 90 dBA for services — to avoid complaints about the volume and the harshness of the sound,” Gamas explains. “With the L Series, we’re now able to run at higher volumes — averaging between 90 and 93 dBA, sometimes as high as 95 — while maintaining a sonic signature that’s smooth, clear, and engaging. Plus, intelligibility is maintained throughout every decibel level. Speech feels intimate and right in your face and music feels big and dynamic at any volume.”
The new system comprises hangs of two L2 over one L2D per side, driven by six 7.16i amplified controllers, with adjacent out-fill arrays of one L2 over one L2D. A dozen KS28 subs, flown and split six per side complement a center cluster of six more KS28. Over 100 ultra-compact 5XT coaxials, plus nine A15i ring delay enclosures in the house cover the massive balcony area, while a compact A10i onstage provides monitoring for the pastors.
The L Series’ versatile directivity lets Willow Creek’s enclosures use a combination of cardioid and supercardioid configurations, reducing rear rejection by up to -15 dB. This capability is crucial for managing stage audio and enhancing spoken word clarity — a key consideration for the church’s diverse programming. “It’s very helpful with spoken word as well as music,” says Gamas.
“When you consider the combination of size and seating, this auditorium is truly one-of-a-kind in North America,” says Clark VP JB Bowling. “It’s huge, with a 100-foot proscenium opening and an 80-foot fly house,” he notes. “L Series’ compact form factor and solid power output made it the perfect choice for such a distinctive venue. It didn’t affect any of the sight lines, yet those boxes were able to sonically cover this massive room. Small footprint, big displacement: perfect combination.”
The impact of the new system was immediately apparent. “Walking into the back of the auditorium during a Sunday service, I was struck by the incredible sound quality reaching all the way to the rear of the room,” recalls Dave Cooke, the church’s production director. “It was everything we were looking for in a sound system.”
Gamas uses a pair of X8i speakers as reference monitors at the FOH position, providing seamless transition between them and the main arrays. “The mixes translate perfectly, enhancing our ability to deliver consistent, high-quality audio throughout the venue,” he notes.
“The L Series at Willow Creek sounds absolutely spectacular. L-Acoustics’ patented waveguides are just amazing, pristine, and clear. L Series is truly a product that delivers,” Bowling concludes.
Willow Creek Community Church
- Capacity: 7,200
- Key Products: L-Acoustics L Series
- Integrator/Designer: Clark
Faith Community Church, Tucson, AZ
Faith Community Church (FCC), a contemporary-style congregation based in Tucson, AZ, provides engaging immersive services with unique audio technology from Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW).
FCC had a plan to update its aging audio system to a traditional left-center-right approach. However, after being presented with an immersive system demo comprised of EAW’s ADAPTive AC6 column loudspeakers, the choice was clear. The new system included 19 AC6s (nine in the front and 10 surrounds) to create a 360-degree immersive design. The venue also incorporated three Otto subwoofers and 13 MKD526 2-way full-range dual-woofer speakers as stage-lip front fills.
The move to immersive was suggested by Michael Garrison, president and owner of Michael Garrison Associates (MGA). As the integrator on this project, Garrison was well-versed in EAW’s ADAPTive series. “There are many great speaker products we could have chosen for this project,” he said. “But the AC6’s unique performance capabilities, excellent sonic quality and great overall value easily won the day! And the church leadership’s previous experience with EAW’s ADAPTive product line made the AC6 / Otto combination the unanimous choice for FCC.”
The project was a collaboration between the EAW team, MGA and Hugo Larin at FLUX Immersive. The first-time installation combination of EAW’s ADAPTive technology with FLUX’s industry-leading SPAT Revolution immersive control software delivered precise sound coverage to create an environment that enhanced the worship experience for Faith Community Church.
“The ability to steer sound where we need it to go— and fill the gaps where other systems can’t — is a great benefit to our facility and our congregants,” says Jacob Pierce, administrative pastor at Faith Community Church. “We wanted a quality system out of the box and when you add an immersive engine, the clarity only increases. The system was easy for me to learn and teach our volunteers, and they can now effortlessly produce a professional-sounding mix.”
Overall, the support from EAW and other partners led to the successful design, installation and commissioning of Faith Community’s new sound system. “The unanticipated morphing of this project’s scope and design target required a significant level of communication, coordination, cooperation, trust and goodwill by all involved parties. Also, the short timeline during a very busy holiday season added a lot of pressure,” explains Garrison. “The smooth execution and successful outcome of this project would not have been possible without the over-the-top support and dedication from both EAW and FLUX; they are great partners.”
Faith Community Church
- Capacity: 500
- Key Products: EAW ADAPTive AC6 Column Loudspeakers
- Integrator/Designer: Michael Garrison Associates
