Congregation rocks out with QSC at Christ's Church of the Valley
Nov 18, 2004 10:55 AM
When Christ's Church of the Valley (CCV) began feeling the need to upgrade its sanctuary sound, it took the task seriously to heart. Led by Pastor of Worship and Technical Ministries Greg Linzay, the search for audio befitting the church's high-energy, alt-rock worship style ultimately led to the doorstep of Design2020, a Charlotte, NC-based consulting firm offering audio, acoustics, video, and lighting design services.
"The church sound team knew what they wanted when they first came to me," recalls Design2020's Armando Fullwood. "They also had done a tremendous amount of research, and knew the technologies available that could meet their needs. It was left up to me to turn their vision into high-performing reality."
Given the alt-rock inclinations of CCV's music ministry, the church essentially requires the same kind of sonic horsepower as found in standard touring rigs these days, along with equal amounts of intelligibility. With seating for 800 in its sanctuary, even coverage across the full depth and width of the room was also desired.
Taking all of this into consideration while developing his design, Fullwood specified loudspeaker elements from QSC including offerings from both the ISIS WideLine product group and AcousticDesign Series.
Possessing an open, natural sound and the widest horizontal dispersion pattern (140°) of any line array system currently on the market, the WideLine loudspeakers incorporate a selectable three-way, bi-amp or tri-amp design. Each housing dual 10-inch, long excursion LF transducers and a single 1.4-inch exit compression driver, four of the enclosures were hung per side above CCV's sanctuary stage. Running in a bi-amp configuration, Fullwood chose to power the cabinets with PL 230 and PL 236 amplifiers from QSC's PowerLight2 Series.
Used as frontfills, eight of QSC's AcousticDesign model AD-S82 loudspeakers provide a little extra warmth in the front pews. Lightweight, multipurpose two-way boxes, each sports an 8-inch LF transducer and a rotatable HF section.
With QSC's Brian English and Jon Graves providing able assistance when it came time to tune the system, the rig was first tested using musicians who perform regularly at services. "With WideLine, you had a clear sense of balance regardless of where you sat in the room," Fullwood said, providing his take on the day his creation made its working debut. "The coverage was indeed smooth and even, there was nice stereo imaging, and the energy was incredible. A succession of drummers took to the risers to try the system out, and we couldn't get them to leave, not even with an offer to buy lunch. They just played on, clearly relishing the sound. We finally went to eat, and they were still at it when we got back."
The general reaction of the rest of the CCV congregation to the retrofit has been equally positive. "One of the primary project goals was to build a new system that would bring something to everyone," Fullwood adds. "If we hadn't chosen the route we did, that may not have been possible. This system does it all, from the quietest spoken word to the most dynamic musical passages. If all goes according to plans, it will still be here doing the same thing for many years to come too."
From its location on W. Covina Blvd. in San Dimas, Christ's Church of the Valley lies at the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, not far from the Angeles National Forest. Services are held each week on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
QSC Audio Products, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of power amplifiers, loudspeakers, signal processing, digital signal transport, and computer control systems for professional audio markets worldwide. For more information, visit www.qscaudio.com.
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