CrossRoads Nazarene Church in Chandler, Arizona recently became one of the latest North American houses of worship to install a KARAi line source system from L-Acoustics.
AVDB Group of Phoenix provided the design and integration of the new system for CrossRoads’ sanctuary, which now features left and right arrays of six KARAi flanking dual center sub hangs each comprised of two SB18i. Three LA8 amplified controllers power all enclosures.
“Our main sanctuary, which was originally going to serve as a family life center before it was repurposed as our worship center, is basically laid out like a wide semicircle, so it’s a rather acoustically difficult environment,” admits CrossRoads Creative Arts Pastor Bryan Starner.
“That being said, I’m amazed by how accurate these new arrays are – to the extent that if you step up 18 inches at the back of our mix booth, there’s a very noticeable drop-off in level.
“That proves that the audio is being directed exactly where it needs to be and isn’t bouncing off of the back wall.”
Drawing over 1,000 worshippers to its Chandler sanctuary each weekend, CrossRoads hosts three services catering to different musical tastes.
“Our contemporary Saturday evening service is totally electric guitar-driven with just a lead vocal and is certainly pushed the hardest – somewhere between 95 and 100dB SPL sustained throughout the service,” Starner notes.
“On the other end of the spectrum, our first service on Sunday morning features a much more traditional praise team with more vocalists and instrumentation, and that gets run at around 85dB.
“But regardless of the music style and level, the KARAi system always provides the perfect mix of clarity and coverage.”
According to Starner, the only potential disadvantage in installing the new system is that fact that “everyone now has to up their game,” he laughs. “Because this system is so accurate and honest, the band and singers can’t give a lackluster or off-tune performance because the audience will certainly be able to hear it!”
CrossRoads originally awarded the bid for its audio system retrofit to AVDB Group shortly after hearing an L-Acoustics dV-DOSC system at another one of AVDB’s clients, Pure Heart Christian Fellowship in nearby Glendale.
“Because KARAi was so new at the time, we weren’t actually able to listen to it beforehand. But AVDB told us that it was the new and improved version of dV-DOSC, which still sounded hands-down better than the other systems we had been evaluating, so we went with their recommendation.
“And I have to say that we are extremely happy with it. We were very blessed with the luxury to buy the best, and, thanks to AVDB and L-Acoustics, I feel that’s exactly what we did.”
