Church Sound Article Fri, December 05, 2008

Church Sound | Feature |

Live Sound House of Worship Showcase - Great Commission Baptist Church

By Mark Frink

Summary

  • In the beginning there was the Word. As the congregation grew, sound reinforcement was needed to hear clearly at the back of the sanctuary. Few sound systems have as many challenges as those installed in modern houses of worship. Contemporary worship services have incorporated rock bands and have ambitions that rival corporate and theatrical productions. The service is often a cross between a high school musical and a Broadway show – all on a mission from God. Expectations are high, yet the band, singers and crew are volunteers, while most buildings have inherent architectural and acoustic challenges. The technical department is consumed by training operators and a budget that gets eaten up by moving lights, video and broadcast equipment. Yet all agree that the single most important improvement is a top-shelf sound system.

    Many churches upgrade their technical systems – video, lighting, and sound – in phases, addressing one department or core function at a time as finances allow. With a plethora of high-quality sound equipment to choose from, the time has come to look at recent upgrades in modern houses of worship

When Great Commission Baptist Church in Fort Worth built its new home; it wanted a sound system that would do justice to its music ministries that serve the congregation in its new 2,300-seat sanctuary. Custom Sound Designs, Inc. (CSD) a design firm that specializes in systems for houses of worship, provided that system.

The main system employs three Renkus-Heinz ST7 threeway loudspeakers in a traditional LCR configuration, with PN121 90-degree downfills, plus five more ST7 delay loudspeakers towards the back.

Carrying the low end are eight Bag End End D18 INFRA subwoofers also mounted overhead. “I enjoy the performance of the Bag End subwoofers, especially at the low to moderate volumes you often need in a church,” says CSD’s Doug Hood, who did the installation. “Their processor creates the sensation of intense bass without overwhelming the space.”

Bag End’s unique INFRA Integrator processor both acts as crossover and extends the LF response of the sealed enclosures to provide flat response to 8 Hz from a relatively small enclosure. The D18E-AD has a depth of 15 inches, enabling it to fit into tight spaces. At Great Commission the loudspeakers had to be flown within bulkheads they shared with the main loudspeakers.

The Bag End INFRA subs, Renkus-Heinz TRX 81 front fills and TRX15 wedges are all powered by QSC CX-series amplifiers, and processing for the Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers is provided by a BSS London BLUE-80.

The system is mixed on a Yamaha DM2000 digital console which provides most of the monitor mixes via Aviom and Shure PSM-700 IEMs with E5 transducers, plus a dozen Shure ULX wireless with Beta 58 handheld transmitters. Artists including Yolanda Adams, Dale Blair and Felicia Russell have performed in the space, and all have been very complimentary of the sound.