A recent sound reinforcement upgrade at the worship center on the campus of All Nations Church Onnuri (ANC) in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles by local integrator Troy Choi of Solid Sound Solution utilizes CODA Audio loudspeakers to deliver coverage to the facility’s 1,200 seats in a fan-shaped, slightly asymmetrical arrangement, as well as a wide balcony.
ANC had long utilized a system employing a center cluster of loudspeakers in mono, and it was showing signs of deterioration, demanding frequent repair. At the same time, the church wanted to significantly improve the clarity and coverage for both music and speech reinforcement, inviting a number of vendors to demonstrate different systems, including Choi, who demonstrated CODA Audio N-RAY loudspeakers.
“The N-RAY is a beautiful, high quality and compact box that looks gorgeous when it hangs in the air, and produces crystal clear high frequency even at low SPL,” he says. “For all its compact appearance, it’s actually a very powerful beast. Years ago we needed big boxes to create a big sound but now compact boxes make big sounds. N-RAY is the best example.
“Around a year ago I installed an N-RAY system at Grace Ministries International Church in LA,” he continues. “They’ve since had many big events and the results have been brilliant — to be honest it’s the best high-frequency sound I’ve ever heard — so I had a lot of confidence that it would be the ideal choice for ANC’s needs.”
The early stages of the project saw Choi and CODA Audio USA technical director Michael Creason evaluate where reflected sound could prove challenging in the room. Using CODA’s System Optimiser software, they were able to make accurate predictions to help ensure that the system design matched the requirements of the site.
“The system needed to be aesthetically acceptable whilst retaining concert-level headroom for high energy praise,” Creason says. “It also needed to serve both the existing mix position at the front of the balcony and a new one at the rear of the main floor, whilst giving the ability to separate the balcony zone when not in use. The main N-RAY hangs are supplemented with loudspeakers from our APS (arrayable point source) and HOPS (high output point source) ranges to take care of the balcony, outfill and frontfill areas. The uniform sonic signature across our range of loudspeakers means that we are able to ensure total consistency of quality and coverage.”
The main hangs comprise eight N-RAY elements and a single SCN sensor controlled low-frequency extension per side, supplemented by four SCV sensor controlled subwoofers flown in a cardioid array. A central array of three APS cabinets act deliver fill to the balcony, while a single HOPS8 loudspeaker per side acts as outfill and four HOPS5 act as frontfills across the stage lip. In addition, a revitalized stage monitoring system a CUE Four and four HOPS8 loudspeaker.
“Everyone is just blown away by N-RAY,” Choi concludes. “Expectations in the church were definitely high — they had been patient with their process of identifying the right choice of system, so it had to be perfect. We were painstaking in our work to make sure that every aspect was spot on, and while it was a challenging job, we have been rewarded with a universal thumbs-up from everyone involved.
“After the first Sunday service with the new system in place — I was there to mix and train — senior pastor Tae Kim came to me with a big smile and said that he felt immediately comfortable delivering his sermo, and that members of the congregation had commented to him about the improvement in clarity. The church’s technical director, Daniel Shin, who was involved in researching and choosing the system, declared that it far exceeded even the highest standards he had considered.”
