After working with integration firm ClearSound Design during the pandemic to enable the streaming of worship services, Bright Christian Church (Lawrenceburg, IN) retained the firm to address the need to upgrade the sanctuary’s legacy sound reinforcement system in a project utilizing Electro-Voice loudspeakers driven by Dynacord electronics.
Worship director Ashley Grigsby, who oversaw the project for the church, explains, “Basically, we wanted to improve the quality of sound throughout the sanctuary, both in terms of fidelity and coverage. We trusted ClearSound to help us reach our goals.”
“Over the past 25 years, there were architectural changes to the room along with a move to a more contemporary music presentation,” adds president Bill Hinds of ClearSound Design. “Our assignment was to design a new, more musical system within a fairly modest budget.”
ClearSound system integrator Brock Fowler took on the task of designing the new system. “It’s a very wide room, but there were coverage issues that the old system never addressed,” he notes. “We also wanted to clean up the sound by flying the subwoofers. We knew from experience that the EVAs would provide world-class musical performance with the coverage options we needed – all with a clean, modern appearance – which was exactly what the church was hoping for.”
Designed with a focus on house of worship applications, the Electro-Voice EVA (Expandable Vertical Array) offers a compact form factor with two array elements per cabinet, available in several dispersion patterns. For Bright Christian Church, full coverage was attained with two hangs of four EVA-2082S cabinets per side, deploying two 90 x 6-degree boxes above two wider-dispersion 90 x 20-degree models. No fill loudspeakers were required. To address coverage differences between the left and right sides of the room, one array was splayed slightly outward.
Meanwhile, bass reinforcement is provided by two EVA-2151D subwoofers flown together in the center. All loudspeakers are driven by three Dynacord C3600FDi DSP power amplifiers.
“We used EVA system design tools to dial-in the predicted dispersion pattern,” explains Fowler. “When it was later decided to ensure clean sightlines for those standing in the back, we did have to make some adjustments. Fortunately, we found we could still achieve full, even coverage by raising the arrays a couple feet and adjusting the angles.”
Another key aspect is the includion of a Dynacord MXE5 Matrix Mix Engine. “We used SONICUE software to optimize the loudspeakers, then programmed them in pairs to create independent zones via the MXE5,” Fowler says. “For access, we added a pair of wall-mounted Dynacord TPC-1 touch panel controllers. So, for a smaller gathering that just wants to use a single microphone on the left side of the room, they can quickly and easily customize the system for their needs.”
The installation was completed in time for Christmas services, with Hinds concluding, “The annual Christmas show was their first listen to the new system, and I knew it was a night-and-day change. I was there and could see it on their faces as the congregation walked in with music playing. That was a great feeling for all of us.”
