CCI Solutions of Olympia, WA, recently completed the first phase of a full audio system retrofit at Shoreline Community Church, located in Monterey, CA, with the primary accomplishment of this phase being the installation of an all-L-ACOUSTICS loudspeaker and amplified controller package.
According to CCI Senior Systems Consultant Mark Pearson, Shoreline’s 950-seat worship center now features a sound reinforcement system comprised of two clusters of six KIVA enclosures each paired with two KILO low-frequency extension boxes.
Four SB28 subs are horizontally flown between the arrays, with four 12XTi coaxial systems utilized to provide sidefill and delay. Two LA4 amplified controllers power and process the mains, while the subs and coaxials are driven by two LA8.
“Like many churches, Shoreline’s three Sunday services are very music-heavy and required a system that could better keep up with the contemporary worship team,” says Pearson. “They had the chance to hear a KIVA demo some time ago and pretty much knew that it was what they wanted.
“I was familiar with V-DOSC and have now been very impressed with the company’s smaller enclosures, which are more suitable for many of our install clients.”
According to Shoreline Technical Director Ben Huey, the new L-ACOUSTICS system is “a vast improvement – a bit like going from an old CRT television to a really high-end HDTV,” he says. “The loudspeakers we previously used were about ten years old and they sounded like it.
“Once the KIVA system had gone in, I kept thinking that I was hearing frequencies that we hadn’t heard in a while. We’re now getting a much more accurate and honest representation of what the band is actually playing, which is awesome. It sounds amazing.”
Huey admits that he likes “shaking the building” with the new rig and has now planned to add two more SB28, which will turn the current subwoofer system into two LF cardioid arrays.
“When people are unimpressed with a sound system, it’s usually because there isn’t enough sub. Even with four SB28, this system is thunderous,” he notes. “The first time we fired it up, we were doing a rehearsal for a series with a superhero element to it.
“Our musical director, who plays keyboards, was performing the theme from Superman, and, when he hit the final chord, we kicked in the subs and the whole room came alive. He ended up playing that chord over and over and didn’t stop laughing for probably five minutes. The energy in the room was so palpable; he loved it.”
CCI’s Pearson adds that he’s a big fan of Shoreline’s new system not only for its sound quality, but also for its ease of installation and use. “Our installation technicians have installed just about every system on the market. They feel that the simplicity of KIVA’s internal rigging system is one of the best. It’s a huge time saver. The way you’re able to simply hold down a button to adjust the box angle is fantastic. And the sheer fact that everything in the room is run off of just four amplifiers – instead of 12, which is what we used to use – is very, very cool.”
CCI Solutions is a consulting, engineering and contracting company specializing in high performance sound, video and lighting systems for performance spaces that has integrated systems for over 500 church projects throughout the United States and internationally.
