Installations

“The show must go on” still rings true every day in thousands of theaters and performing arts centers worldwide. However, these days, savvy facility directors realize the importance of a great sound system, especially as audiences — accustomed to hearing high-performance audio systems in live concerts and local bijous — are putting demands on facilities to provide a first-class performance experience, where intelligibility and musicality are just as important as rock ‘n’ roll SPL’s. With than in mind, we present this look at some recent installation projects — both new and upgrades — that reflect the current state of the art in venues both large and small.

Mention the phrase “music festivals,” and the images that usually come to mind are packed, hot, dusty outdoor venues with multiple overlapping stages blasting rock, country, pop, hip-hop, EDM and so on — or perhaps even the mud pits of the original Woodstock. The throbbing bass from such events can easily carry for miles.

“The Theater” at Gwinnett Church Benefits from Speaker Steering Technologies and High Channel Count Consoles

North Point Ministries (NPM) was founded in 1995 with the vision of creating non-denominational churches with an attractive environment that would appeal to those who do not regularly attend church. Obviously, this plan has worked. Since its inception, NPM has grown from one church to six in the metro Atlanta area and has developed a global network of more than 30 strategic partner churches.

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Technology upgrades — for audio, as well as video and lighting — for houses of worship remains one of the largest sectors of growth in the industry, particularly within the contemporary worship market.

New Phoenix-area Venue Marks First EAW Anya Install in a Club Environment

In the heart of Scottsdale, Arizona’s entertainment district, LiveWire has quickly become one of the most sought-after venues in the Southwest. Since opening earlier this year, LiveWire has hosted national touring acts, comedians, artists, DJs and up-and-coming local bands.

Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology (ICAT) has created an immersive 3-D audio environment. Christened “The Cube,” this unique four-story theater and high-tech laboratory features one of the highest-channel count 3-D audio systems in the world. The facility combines multi-screen video and 3-D sound from 145 loudspeakers to bring creative artists, educators and audiences together in a four-story, black box theater that’s one of the largest on the East Coast.

It’s a familiar story that happens to a lot of churches. A congregation starts off in a smaller facility, eventually outgrows the sanctuary and moves to larger space, which may not have the warm, intimate acoustics of the original church. And so it was with the Clinton Frame Mennonite Church of Goshen, Indiana.

Located in the mountains near Howard’s Knob in the North Carolina High Country, Boone United Methodist Church has a variety of ministries that address a wide range of worshippers. To ensure their message is delivered clearly and that musical performances are reproduced naturally, the church recently completed a substantial AV upgrade that encompassed a significant sound reinforcement system.

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.