House of God Productions, a leading provider of audio, video, and production services for houses of worship, recently partnered with dBTechnologies to elevate the live sound experience at Jesus Culture's San Diego and Sacramento locations. The announcement from dBTechnologies says, “The dBTechnologies ViO Series has not only provided amazing audio quality but also delivered an intuitive solution that can be used by both professional production staff as well as novice church volunteers.”
Started more than 20 years ago as a youth movement, Jesus Culture has grown into a global worship phenomenon, establishing their church in Sacramento in 2014 and expanding to San Diego in 2021. As their ministry continued to flourish, so did their need for a more sophisticated audio solution. Justin Lusignan, Founder of House of God Productions, Daniel Blackman, and Nate Miller from Jesus Culture's production staff share their insights into this upgrade and why they now recommend dBTechnologies to other houses of worship looking to enhance their sound quality.
“I had been working with Jesus Culture for a number of years on various projects and last year, they asked for help in procuring live sound reinforcement for an outreach event in San Diego,” says Justin Lusignan “I suggested they work with a local ViO partner for this year’s event.. A number of key people from Jesus Culture flew in for the demo and suffice to say, they were blown away by the VIO system’s performance.”
After experiencing the performance of the dBTechnologies VIO Series, Jesus Culture leadership decided to upgrade the church’s sound reinforcement system, first in San Diego.
“In San Diego, our existing audio system wasn't suited for larger events, it was essentially portable PA speakers on stands,” comments Daniel Blackman. “We were impressed with the dBTechnologies VIO system's performance, especially the L210s. Their coverage was fantastic, and they packed a punch. So, we decided to upgrade the audio system in San Diego. With Justin’s help, we landed on L210s for the mains, X205 for front fills, X206 for side fills, and S118 18-inch subwoofers. Since the installation, I've been thrilled with dBTechnologies' performance, and it was the natural choice when we then upgraded our system in Sacramento.”
The installation in Sacramento posed its own set of challenges. Jesus Culture’s existing system was transferred from a previous location that had a theater style configuration. Their new location had much different spatial dimensions, most notably much lower ceilings with only 9 feet of clearance. The former system that they were using overpowered attendees at the front of the room yet lacked the throw necessary to reach the back of the room. In addition, the system’s subwoofer set-up was resulting in complaints from the neighborhood. The broad assortment of the VIO Series and their consistent tonality provided the flexibility Lusignan needed to address these challenges.
“For Sacramento, we needed a clean slate and configured a VIO System tailored to meet the specific needs of the room. We had two main flys of VIO X206 line source boxes, side flys of the same X206 boxes, three point source X205 front fills, three X205 delays, and two groups of S118 subs in cardioid configuration” explains Lusignan. “I believe that the VIO X206 boxes are some of the best speakers dBTechnologies makes. They offer great sound quality and incredible versatility. I was amazed at how well they could match the tonality of other VIO series speakers, allowing us to create a consistent sound throughout the space. This tonal consistency is crucial when working in worship environments where different artists and bands perform.”
Everyone from church production staff to worship leaders, to churchgoers themselves have praised the new dBTechnologies sound systems. The church’s production staff says the VIO System provided transparency, balance, and flat response that met the church's needs and the power to fill the space with sound, even in standing-room-only events.
“Now that we've got ample headroom thanks to the VIO System, we can really fill the room up. Recently, the Upper Room Worship Band came to perform to our congregation, and we had our maximum capacity for the venue in attendance. We had to take all the chairs out; the event was standing room only! The VIO System filled the room with sound and performed great.”
“Transparency is vital to me when it comes to choosing a sound system. While I hadn't worked with dBTechnologies before this installation, the transparency, balance, and flat response of the VIO system stood out to me,” says Nate Miller “And considering the size of the smaller boxes we have installed, the VIO system delivers impressive low-frequency output. We've received numerous compliments.”
This approval has extended beyond the church itself. Miller adds “Having the VIO S18 subwoofers in cardioid configuration provides incredible rear rejection. We have neighbors nearby, and before when using subs in omnidirectional configuration, we faced complaints about noise. Now, we can push the bottom end without disrupting the neighbors. It's been a significant improvement in our sound quality and our relationship with the neighborhood. Everyone is happy.”
The installation went smoothly as well, and when it was all said and done, Jesus Culture staff explains the installation’s cost savings.
“We used the VIO Series’ built-in processing and tuning capabilities for the installation, which simplified our setup. The fact that these are powered boxes, without a need for external amplification also simplified things and saved Jesus Culture money,” says Lusignan. “The ease of saving system settings to the speakers was also a game changer! In Sacramento, we ran all the data cables from the PA to a RdNet controller, which allowed for quick adjustments. In San Diego, we didn't need the controller, so we unplugged all the data cables. The system had already saved the necessary settings to the speakers themselves, simplifying the installation process. This feature offers flexibility, and it's another great cost-saving option.”
“Churches typically rely on donations, so it's essential to provide them high-quality solutions that they can afford. dBTechnologies offers great sounding products at competitive pricing," Lusigan continues.
Lusignan expressed his enthusiasm for the better solution provided by the dBTechnologies VIO Series, and he believes that the VIO System's intuitiveness makes it applicable for houses of worship.
“There's a fine line to walk when serving houses of worship. You can provide high-quality gear, but if the church staff doesn't know how to use it, you’re not really helping them. We aim to provide user-friendly upgrades and we work with churches to train them on the equipment we provide. It's about finding the right balance between quality and usability, especially when working with volunteers who may not have extensive technical expertise. The VIO System provides amazing audio quality and consistent coverage, so it’s definitely an upgrade for the church. It’s also incredibly intuitive, so it’s an audio upgrade that churches can easily use, even with volunteer production staff.”
For these reasons and more, Lusignan, Blackman, and Miller are unanimous in their enthusiasm for recommending the dBTechnologies VIO Series.
“I definitely tell other churches ‘If you're going do a powered system, the dBTechnologies system is what I recommend having,” says Blackman. Miller agrees, “Yes, absolutely! VIO is a great-sounding system, and I'm very happy with it. VIO is a fantastic product at a great price and has exceeded our expectations. I'd highly recommend it to others.”
Lusignan summed it up “dBTechnologies has left a strong impression on me. The build quality, audio fidelity, and ease of use of the VIO Series make it a compelling choice for audio systems. I find the system durable and reliable, which is essential when working with churches and live events. The competitive pricing of dBTechnologies VIO Series also makes it an attractive option for churches and organizations working with a limited budget. dBTechnologies is a brand I'm excited to work with, a brand I feel confident in recommending to my clients and I'm excited about the potential for future projects using the VIO Series.”
