Church Sound Article Fri, August 29, 2008

Church Sound | Feature |

Live Sound House of Worship Showcase - Joy Christian Fellowship

By Mark Frink

Summary

  • Part 9 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.

Joy Christian Fellowship - Medford, OR
Joy Christian Fellowship in Medford, Oregon lacks the gleaming steel and marble typical of mega-churches. At first glance, it’s not a house of worship where you’d expect to find one of the first house of worship installations of Meyer Sound’s M’elodie compact line arrays.

The main system consists of twin M’elodie arrays of eight cabinets each covering the 500-seat worship center’s main floor. The only fill cabinets needed are a pair of UPJ-1P compact loudspeakers to cover a shallow balcony located on house left. Ample bass is supplied by a pair of 600-HP compact high-power subwoofers, with drive processing for all loudspeakers provided by a Galileo loudspeaker management system.

The church’s selection of Meyer Sound loudspeakers is, to a great extent, the result of Schmelzer’s experiences at the Britt Festivals in nearby Jacksonville, for which George Relles Sound has provided a Meyer Sound rental system every summer since 1985.

“When I thought about the best sound I’d heard in the area, I immediately thought of Britt,” recalls Schmelzer. “I heard Nickel Creek there last summer, and Ricky Skaggs a few years back. The clarity of the sound for both was stunning, and, in Christian music, clarity is crucial because you want the lyrics understood.”

Adds Relles, “It was my first opportunity to hear a full M’elodie system, and the thing that struck me is the way they really do sound like a small version of MILO. They are very accurate, and very predicable.”

To complement the Meyer Sound system, Relles also supplied a Yamaha M7CL digital console, and to reduce the sound on stage, a complete Aviom personal monitoring system, with eight Shure PSM Series wireless in-ear monitors.
The package also included a fresh complement of wired and wireless Shure microphones, including a UHF-R with a KSM-9 capsule for the Pastor.