Metropolitan Bible Church (affectionately called, “the MET”) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada recently celebrated the opening of a new facility headed by a stadium-style sanctuary that can seat over 1,200, with plans already set to expand this space to accommodate a congregation of 2,200.
The high-end sound reinforcement system serving the room is headed by Electro-Voice very compact XLD line arrays. After confirming the XLD’s performance with EASE data and working with EV’s tech support team to cross-check details, Wall Sound installed 12-box-per-side XLD281 arrays flown at stage left and right, with a center hang of four XLCi215 subs.
Alan Borschewski, Facility Manager and Lead Audio Technician for the Metropolitan Bible Church explains why its EV system is an essential part of this thriving church: “The church required a rider-friendly system capable of accommodating the needs of any visiting touring bands, as well as providing exceptional audio quality for the wide-range of services held in the space, which include contemporary services with a blend of hymns and contemporary songs, and typically have a full choir and a complete band.”
Ten EV TG5 amplifiers power the left and right hangs, and one TG7 amp drives the flown subs. Each amplifier comes equipped with RCM-26 remote control DSP modules.
In addition, four EV ZX1 boxes are used as front-fills.
“We initially flew the subs because we didn’t have room beneath the stage,” says Borschewski. “But now that they’re up, we’re very pleased. The coverage is very even and not at all like ground-stacked subs, where the first two rows might get a rumbling effect. We don’t get that at all. Everyone is talking about how great the sound is, about the wide coverage and intelligibility the XLD281s provide. The sound is very even, both front-to-back and side-to-side.”
EV IRIS-Net supplies system control and monitoring, running via AES-50 audio transfer from front of house to the amps.“What I really needed from IRIS-Net was to be able to turn the amplifiers on and off remotely, instead of having to run back and forth from an amp rack,” Borschewski explains. “With IRIS-Net, I can monitor everything, hit one button, and the whole thing powers off. It’s so easy. With other systems there’s a lot of extra wiring and more gear in the rack, but IRIS-Net helps streamline things, both in terms of hardware and operation.
“I also used the GPIO on the amps to connect to a fire alarm contact closure,” he adds, “so when a fire alarm is triggered, the amps mute. We truly have control over everything. I love IRIS-Net because it takes care of all the details. I get to stop micromanaging and start having fun running the system.”
In addition to the impressive installation in the main sanctuary, Wall Sound also installed EV ZX5 loudspeakers and SbA760 subs in the church’s 200-seat theatre, primarily used for youth services.
The new system will get to stretch its legs later this year, when the Metropolitan Bible Church plans to host a Promise Keepers event, and a Southern Gospel concert. Borschewski reports that the church is very happy with its new sound; when the time comes to upgrade the stage monitors and augment the system for the sanctuary expansion, EV will be at the top of the list.
