Church Sound Article Fri, August 29, 2008

Church Sound | Feature |

Live Sound House of Worship Showcase - Trinidad Christian Center

By Mark Frink

Summary

  • Part 2 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.

The 3,000-seat Trinidad Christian Center has installed a Renkus-Heinz self-powered loudspeaker system for its highenergy production-based worship services. The church – one of this southern-most Caribbean island’s largest houses of worship – hosts eight to ten services a week in its main hall, where the new system has been installed. A high, curved ceiling characterizes the wide, 180-degree fanshaped main hall.

Worship services, which are entirely volunteer-led, generally involve loud music ministry, who also appreciate a high level in their monitors. Almost every member of the choir has their own solo microphone – “it seems to be a Trinidadian thing and it makes the engineer sweat!” comments Systems Engineer Clifford Beckles. He uses Shure Beta capsules and Countryman Isomax headsets, with a large complement of Shure wireless handheld systems. The main system consists of twin 4-box arrays of white self-powered Renkus-Heinz PN102/LA cabinets, with each array weighing less than 300 pounds. The new loudspeakers required a high power-to-weight ratio due to the ceiling’s restricted weight-bearing capacity and the desire to keep sightlines clear.

Renkus-Heinz double-eight self-powered PN82/12 and PN82/9 cabinets are used for front-fill, with four more PN82/9 loudspeakers delayed at the back. “When we installed them we were expecting to tweak them with EQ,” Beckles adds, “but the room measurements turned out to be almost ruler-flat; there was almost no need for EQ at all. And there’s more than enough output – we’re running the PN102/LAs well below their maximum output potential.”

The system is zoned using a dbx DriveRack 260, which provides basic EQ and 6-8 dB of feedback suppression. The system is mixed on a pair of Yamaha 02R digital consoles, scheduled move to the church’s video editing suite when FOH is upgraded to a Soundcraft Vi6 digital console.