Core Systems was in the unenviable position of being the second sound contractor in the building. They had to work around power issues, conduit runs, and several other infrastructure problems that were literally set in stone (i.e. the marble floors). To remove the old loudspeakers and install the new ones, "certified" scaffolding filled the sanctuary, as required by Texas law. "

After the "high-altitude" effort necessary to remove the old loudspeakers, installing the new loudspeakers was deceptively simple. The main loudspeakers selected by HFP were the Meyer self-powered CQ Series. Four of the CQs were flown in a split-array format about 25 feet above the platform and covering about 85 percent of the floor seats.

More views of the new loudspeaker layout.

An additional four Meyer UPM Series loudspeakers were selected for front fills, with another four Meyer UPMs for the balcony as delays. By choosing proper loudspeakers and then locating them 25 feet closer to the congregation, Schuermann solved the intelligibility problem, dramatically reducing the number of parishioners sitting in the most reverberant portions of the coverage area.

The operability problem

Much like the original loudspeakers, the original analog console was solid but inappropriate for the situation. It lacked dynamics processing and possessed only sparse equalization. Since the console was an analog device, it didn't have any memory or recall, making the transition between services and events laborious and frequently flawed. "It was more appropriate for a youth facility than a larger-scale sanctuary," Schuermann noted.

With the Innova SON Compact, the sound engineer can recall or reset every setting on the board, from trim, to dynamics, EQ, monitors, and more. In addition, the Innova SON controls a Crown UA810 DSP routing matrix unit , which mutes various loudspeakers for a given application.

And, the Innova SON could control the lighting console or other AV devices via its RS232 or MIDI ports. As the church configures the system for different services and special events, they're amassing a Scene Library of contemporary services, traditional services, weddings, funerals, etc.

"The Innova SON's onboard Virtual I/O Patchbay, digital processing, and dynamics represent another huge benefit," Schuermann says. "Had we selected a good quality 32-input analog board, then added the racks, outboard EQs, processing, patchbays, and installation labor, the total is roughly the same price as the Innova SON Compact. What has impressed us is its ability to consistently recall, change, or restore the console on demand. Think about that, for every scene you can reconfigure each channel's processing, dynamics, EQ, assignments, mixes, and levels. Even the channel's label changes with a scene change."

"The Innova SON allows the church to go between two types of services in an instant," Black adds. "The whole console realigns itself, down to monitor sends, tape deck feeds, microphone gain... everything. In another application of instant recall, HFP dialed in various setups a particular microphone with a particular EQ curve and saved it to memory. Then the church's engineer can call up Bill's expert adjustment for future applications, ensuring excellent fidelity and gain before feedback."

HFP also specified the Neumann KM 150 hypercardioid miniature condenser microphones for the pulpit and lectern, along with several KM 140 cardioids for the choir.

"The congregation is finally in a position where the can hear and understand the preacher's message," concludes Schuermann, "which is the reason we go to church in the first place."