EAW's DSA Speakers Solve a 75-year-old Sound Challenge for Tulsa's First United Methodist Church
Feb 17, 2005 2:05 PM
Tulsa's First United Methodist Church is a beautiful example of Tudor Gothic style architecture. The cross-shaped building features impressive 75ft. vaulted ceilings with massive oak trusses, solid stone walls, and stained glass windows all around. But it was these very elements that were responsible for some serious sound reinforcement challenges that, until recently, had plagued the church since its dedication in 1928.
With all the hard surfaces and the cavernous ceilings, sound ricocheted all over the building, garbling speech throughout the 1100-seat space. Over the years, church leaders consulted many audio engineers, but most dismissed these challenges as impossible to solve without acoustical treatments, which would have negatively impacted the church's beloved aesthetics.
But in early 2004, church leaders heard a more optimistic answer from consultant David Rauch of Bridge Communications. Rauch's enthusiasm stemmed in part from his recent discovery of a new family of loudspeakers from EAW called the DSA Series (Digitally Steerable Array Series).
DSA Series speakers use a very sophisticated digital signal processing technology that allows steering of the speaker's output pattern. Using the accompanying DSA Pilot software, system integrators can vary their vertical coverage pattern from 15 to 120 degrees, as well as aim the coverage up or down by as much as 30 degrees. In this way, sound can be carefully directed in the vertical plane away from troublesome reflective surfaces, and toward the listening audience. "We checked out all the manufacturer's line array speaker demos, but EAW's DSA Series really stood out for its clarity and unique steerable coverage capabilities," commented Minister of Worship Joseph Bias. "Another major selling point was how unobtrusive the enclosures were. The column design didn't call any attention to itself — no big black boxes to mar the aesthetics."
Rauch visited Tulsa for a firsthand look at the church's situation, and then worked closely with Randy Whitworth of Lakeland, Florida-based Landmark Audio to design a new system around the DSA speakers and the church's existing Yamaha M3000 console. Two DSA 230s were mounted above a single DSA250 on each of the two columns flanking the chancel and the DSA Pilot software was used to "dial in" the DSA's output to fit the room.
The system was completed just in time for the church's biggest concert event of the year which was held in early December 2004. "We had three performances with more than 80 people in the choir and a 32-piece orchestra. The sound was the best we have ever had," Bias said. "The clarity of the voices in the choir, the fact that the sound energy was aiming right at the people instead of the walls or the floor — it was simply outstanding. "Just as noteworthy was the congregation's confusion about where all this great sound was coming from. Painted to match the columns where they were mounted, the DSA speakers were practically unnoticeable. "Now, the aesthetic appeal of our building - the stained glass, the stonework, the flooring - no longer interferes with our sound reinforcement needs," remarked Bias. "Finally, after almost 80 years, our church sounds as magnificent and glorious as it has always looked."
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