As a non-denominal church that partners with people and organizations locally and around the world to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, 7 Mountains Church offers a unique worship experience. Guided by Lead Pastor Josh Motley and Co-Pastor Chris Motley, the ability to keep the congregation engaged recently led church officials to upgrade their sound reinforcement system. This led to the deployment of new loudspeakers drawn from the Vantec Series catalog of Valencia, Spain-based DAS Audio.
KLA Productions of Yorkville, Illinois, a design/build AV integration firm that handles audio, video, and lighting projects for the house of worship, education, and commercial markets, was contracted to design and deploy the new sound system at 7 Mountains Church. After a successful demonstration session for church management, the company ultimately deployed a combination of Vantec-20A 2-way powered, curved source line array enclosures, augmented by Vantec-118A powered subwoofers. KLA President Kevin Brummel, who was assisted on the project by Installation Supervisor / Assistant System Designer Brad Smith, discussed the project and his reasons for deploying the DAS Audio Vantec Series.
“7 Mountains Church offers a very contemporary worship experience,” Brummel reports. “The atmosphere is casual, and music plays a vital role in their services. Both a praise band and vocal team are integral parts of the worship experience. The sanctuary itself is roughly 50-feet deep by 90-feet wide, with the stage area facing into the width of the space. Seating is moveable and maximum congregation size is roughly 150 people.”
“As for the loudspeakers, a high level of speech intelligibility and strong music reproduction characteristics were deemed essential,” Brummel adds. “This led to the Vantec-20A and Vantec-118A enclosures. Their size and performance characteristics proved ideal for this space. Ultimately, we flew six Vantec-20A loudspeakers in a left – center – right 3-cluster arrangement, with each loudspeaker cluster consisting of two loudspeakers. For low frequency support, we also deployed two Vantec-118A sub bass enclosures. These cabinets are located on the floor to the left and right sides of the stage.”
In addition to their acoustic performance, Brummel notes the Vantec Series loudspeakers carried additional benefits for the 7 Mountains Church project. “We were also extremely impressed with the compact, lightweight, and stylish appearance of the Vantec-20A loudspeakers,” Brummel explains. “Further, the fact that the DAS Audio flyware made mounting the enclosures quite easy was yet another important attribute. I should also point out that, since the Vantec Series is self-powered, we didn’t have to concern ourselves with the headache of finding storage space for a rack of power amplifiers. The Vantec Series is a total package that creates a very compelling sound system.”
Brummel also found DAS Audio’s customer and technical support services helpful. “Carlos Henao, DAS Audio’s U.S. Accounts Manager and other members of the Miami, FL DAS team had our backs from the very beginning,” says Brummel. “We’ve had a great relationship with the company since we first purchased our Aero-40 rig.”
The DAS Audio Vantec Series loudspeakers were deployed at 7 Mountains Church during August 2020 and the equipment was immediately placed into service. Since that time, Brummel says, “The pastor and his people all had great things to say about the way the new system sounds and how clean-looking the job is. We also replaced all their lighting with LED fixtures, and everyone loves the options they have with the new lighting. Pastor Motley has been extremely pleased with the new sound system’s performance. It’s been a positive experience for all involved.”
To learn more about the services of KLA Productions, visit the company website at https://klachicago.com/.
