Church Sound Article Fri, July 04, 2008

Church Sound | Feature |

Live Sound House of Worship Showcase - Victory Christian Church

By Mark Frink

Summary

  • Part 4 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.

Victory Christian Center - Bloomington, IL

Victory Christian Center’s newly built home in Bloomington, IL employs Electro-Voice’s super-compact XLD line array loudspeaker system. Pro Sound Center of Normal, Illinois, undertook the installation, balancing the church’s budget while exceeding their expectations with XLD’s remarkable performance to size ratio.

“We worked with the church right from the early planning stages,” says Tim Durham of Pro Sound Center. “At first we were considering a single point-source system, but, bearing in mind their busy live music program, we suggested a compact line array that would more effectively deliver the full-bandwidth music reproduction and controlled coverage they needed. We looked at a couple of different boxes and arrived at the XLD; they liked the way it looked and, after inviting them to hear my 16-box hang at a live event, they liked the way it sounded even more.”

Durham flew left and right arrays of five XLD281 in the main room powered by four EV CP3000S amps. A single CP4000S amp powers two EV Xsubs installed under the stage to reinforce low end; two CP1800 amps power stage monitors. Two EV Dx38 processors provide an easy to use system control interface.

“The church has just opened and right after their first service – before I came back to train them and do the final tuning – they told me they loved the sound of it running it flat, without even using the high pass filters or EQs! That said, my final tuning didn’t change much from my initial tuning – these boxes simply sound good. They have already scheduled two big concerts for the room – Chonda Pierce and Jason Crabb – and the system is going to sound incredible.”