A small 200-seat house of worship in eastern North Carolina, Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Goldsboro, NC) recently upgraded its sanctuary sound system with Martin Audio CDD installation loudspeakers.
RMB Audio tech Matt Johnson served as the planner, installer, and designer for the renovated system. A lifelong member of the church, he notes that he has personal and family ties to the project.
“I grew up in the church,” Johnson explains, “which was originally built in 1962 on a tract of farmland donated by my great-grandfather, it’s first pastor. My father, Edgar Alberdeen Johnson Jr., is deacon of the church.
He adds that the building was rebuilt in 2006 after a heavy snowstorm overloaded the roof and pushed out the walls. A new sound system was installed during that effort, but it wasn’t providing the necessary coverage or clarity, particularly for some of the older congregants who couldn’t hear the sermons.
Johnson is a Martin Audio MLA Compact-trained technician, and given his knowledge and experience with the company, the new CDD loudspeakers were an obvious choice for the project. “Even before I heard the CDD speakers,” he says, “I was pretty confident about how they’d sound given my experience with the DD6 and DD12. Once I heard them, I knew they were something I could use that was more affordable.”
The system is primarily used for spoken word, acoustic instruments, and CD playback during plays and worship singing. Just two CDD 10 loudspeakers, flown close to the sanctuary’s cathedral-type ceiling, are all that’s necessary to adequately cover the room. They’re also only about three feet from the first row of pews.
“The fact that they can effectively cover such a short and long distance with a smooth frequency response is really impressive and a major advantage,” Johnson states.
The congregation has responded positively. “Everything’s clearer, more natural and it sounds like the pastor’s right in front of you,” states deacon Edgar Alberdeen Johnson Jr. Adds deacon Miles Moody, “You can hear everything so well in every seat of the church.” In addition, members of the congregation who use the hearing-impaired sound have commented on the vast improvement in clarity.
Johnson has also outfitted another area facility, the Kenly Gospel Music Hall (Kenly, NC), with CDD10 loudspeakers, joined by a Martin Audio CSX12 subwoofer. He and his family are members of The Redeemed, a bluegrass gospel group that plays the hall two nights a month.
“Martin Audio has definitely hit the spot with the CDD speakers,” Johnson concludes. “They’re affordable, efficient, and have a really natural sound, which means small churches can now afford to put in an excellent sound system.”
