Church Sound Article Sun, September 07, 2008

Church Sound | Feature |

Live Sound House of Worship Showcase - Bethany Bible Church

By Mark Frink

Summary

  • Part 7 of an 11 part series from the Live Sound International Showcase of Churches
    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.

Bethany Bible Church - Phoenix, AZ
Located in Phoenix, AZ, Bethany Bible Church recently upgraded the sound reinforcement system in its main sanctuary. The non-denominational Bible church, led by Senior Pastor Dave Gudgel, looked to Scottsdale, AZ-based CT-Communications, a design/build firm specializing in the church market, to handle the upgrade. CT president David Eriksson selected multiple self-powered loudspeaker systems from D.A.S. After making structural modifications to the sanctuary in order to support the weight of the system, the Arrow line arrays were installed – with two outer clusters and two central clusters positioned above the stage area.

Each of the four clusters includes six Aero 38A modules – a self-powered, medium format line array that integrates a transducer complement consisting of dual 12-inch lows, dual 10-inch mids, and a single large format HF compression driver with a 1.5-inch exit. Each of the clusters is augmented by a single Aero 182A 2K arrayable subwoofer featuring dual 18-inch cone transducers with 4-inch voice coils in a ported enclosure.

For greater LF extension, four D.A.S. Audio Aero 218A 2K subwoofers are positioned underneath the stage – two at each end. Another two 182A 2K subwoofers are located beneath the stage’s center – positioned between the two central line array clusters suspended overhead. The Aero 218S utilizes dual 18-inch cone transducers with 4-inch voice coils.

At FOH, CT-Communications specified a 96-channel Digidesign Venue console in a 48-channel frame. Loudspeaker management and signal processing are handled by BSS Soundweb London BLU-80 and BLU-32 system processors. Several existing Shure wireless microphone systems are in use.

“Management looked to us for our expertise,” says Eriksson,” and they’ve been fully supportive of our recommendations. I loved helping the church realize their vision for this facility and the opportunity to contribute in this capacity is a gift.”