Worshipping in the Clear
Jul 29, 2014 11:00 AM
Meyer Sound Mina line array loudspeaker system has been installed in the new 950-seat auditorium of Church on the Rock in Lubbock, Texas. The contemporary-style church reports that Mina is bringing a greater sense of unity and participation to services while allowing the church to deliver rock-show levels if needed.
“Compared to the system in our old sanctuary, the Minas are much more intelligible,” says Michael Koontz, technical director for Church on the Rock. “You feel much more engaged with the singers and musicians, like you’re right there with them. It’s no longer a passive experience; you feel actively involved.”
Leslie Rich, the church’s worship leader for the past 12 years, has also noticed a significant improvement. “The sound is very clear and full,” she points out. “In our old facility, it felt like we were constantly working around problems. Now, our sound team tells me that it’s much easier to get the sound they want, which is critically important to translate what we do on the worship team out to the congregation.”
In addition to two arrays comprised of nine Mina loudspeakers each, the system includes seven UPJunior-XP 48 V VariO loudspeakers as front fills, six 500-HP subwoofers flown in a cardioid configuration, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system with one Galileo 616 processor for system drive and optimization. Lubbock Sight, Sound and Security handled system integration, with owner Alan Rich consulting on design and handling project management.
“We considered a few other systems but really liked the ease of the Meyer Powered Design,” Rich says. Sight lines were minimal, which was an important consideration since the stage is equipped with three flown screens. The small system footprint still delivered the needed SPL to the back of the room.
During installation, the integrator did discover the structural beams were running the wrong way. “We solved this issue by employing Polar Focus rigging, which gave us the ability to pan and tilt the arrays to provide the perfect angles,” Rich says.
The system at Church on the Rock also incorporates a new Behringer X32 digital mixing console; 11 Behringer Powerplay 16 P16-M digital personal mixers, including six extended with Shure wireless IEMs; and six channels of Shure wireless microphone systems, including one beltpack equipped with a Countryman lavalier mic for the senior pastor. To even out some trouble areas, absorption panels were installed around the back half of the room.
PRODUCT AT WORK
Meyer Sound Mina
Featuring a small footprint, the Mina is a 1.5ft long and weighs 41.2lb. It’s an ideal curvilinear array system for applications where a low-profile, high-fidelity system is needed—such as small theaters, houses of worship, ballrooms, corporate AV, and even theme parks—as well as front-fill and under-balcony applications. It’s capable of producing up to 128dB SPL over its wide 100-degree horizontal coverage area. The QuickFly rigging with captive GuideALinks simplifies use in flown or groundstacked arrays, alone or with M’elodie and/or 500-HP subwoofer.
