New Life Church is unveiling its new location in Corpus Christi, Texas, housed in a structured tent that now features a d&b audiotechnik Soundscape audio system with En-Scene and En-Spacemodules. The church’s leadership says the system installed by E2i Design resulted in a dramatic transformation of the tent’s acoustics, improving the depth and localization of the worship band in the mix, and increasing engagement from the congregation through the innovative voice lift technique.
The church's location, adjacent to a military airstrip, required the construction of a non-acoustically optimal, tent structure with its inherent lack of reflective surfaces. E2i Design officers say the d&b audiotechnik Soundscape with the En-Space was an ideal solution. "Tent fabrics don't offer the same reflectivity as permanent construction," says Evan Hamilton, Chief Technical Officer at E2i Design. "Soundscape with En-Space enabled us to create natural-sounding reverb times with resonances better than many traditional church environments."
The decision to include the Soundscape En-Scene module proved to be instrumental to the venue’s transformation. "New Life Church has a large worship band with six singers," says Hamilton. "En-Scene allows us to place those musicians in the mix, corresponding to where they are on stage, and provide a great sense of localization to everyone across the congregation. En-Scene is incredible, you gain depth and spaciousness in your mix where you never previously had it."
In the process of deploying Soundscape, E2i Design realized that lackluster tent acoustics affects the sound experience of those on stage and also negatively impacts the experience of the congregants. "I am particularly proud that we leveraged Soundscape to provide an even more immersive environment through a voice-lift system," says Hamilton. "With mics hung over the congregation and piping them through En-Space, everyone in the audience experiences a greater sense of presence, especially while singing along…they feel like they’re in the same acoustic space as the band making them feel more connected."
E2i Design was able to provide a cost-effective solution to New Life Church by repurposing the existing d&b audiotechnik xS-Series system, which was previously deployed at the church’s old location. "When constructing New Life Church's new location, their dream was to create an immersive worship experience, even though it was in a tent," says Hamilton. "We were immediately off to a great start with their previously purchased, xS-Series system. We integrated it with the DS100 and some additional d&b loudspeakers, and now New Life Church has a full-scale, Soundscape PA."
"The planning and approvals required due to the church's proximity to the military airstrip made this a long process," continues Hamilton. " Now that the church is finally open, they have so much pride and passion for their new home because of its uniqueness and how amazing it sounds. Hector Lebron, New Life's technology director, said they 'loved their earlier d&b audiotechnik system and now they're blown away by their new Soundscape system.' He also added 'We've received nothing but positive feedback from the congregation.'"
When asked if he'd recommend d&b audiotechnik Soundscape for other church installations, Hamilton volunteered another compelling feature for houses of worship. "Yes, absolutely, but there's another huge benefit to Soundscape for churches, beyond the apparent immersive aspect," Hamilton concludes. "Soundscape with En-Scene empowers a volunteer who knows absolutely nothing about audio, let alone immersive audio, to easily create a phenomenal mix with space and depth. Plus, because elements don't compete against each other, your overall volume is down across the board. We've had so much success with clients by showing them this one thing alone, I find it one of Soundscape's most compelling features.”
About the System Configuration
The complete system installed by E2i Design for New Life Church included: 5 x xS-Series 24S-Dloudspeakers for the mains, 2 x 10S-D point source as extensions, 6 x 21S subwoofers, 8 x 8Sloudspeakers as surrounds, and 6 x 44S loudspeakers for front fills. The system is powered by a combination of 30D and 5D amplifiers. A DS10 Audio Network Bridge Networking handles signal routing, and processing is provided via the DS100 Signal Engine running Soundscape with En-Scene and En-Space software. Half of the 8S speakers and two 24S-D were sourced from New Life Church's earlier d&b audiotechnik installation.
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