For years, La Croix Church in Cape Girardeau, Missouri struggled with an aging sound system and an acoustically “dead” sanctuary, the result of an overly aggressive acoustic treatment. The consequences were uneven sound coverage, poor speech intelligibility, and a lack of congregational participation during worship. Recently they hired AV integrator Panavid to help find a solution.
“Due to their 19-year-old sound system, the experience for the congregation wasn't consistent from seat to seat, and because of the lack of reflections in the sanctuary, the congregation was less comfortable singing in times of worship," explains Rob Allen, Panavid’s Senior Director of Business Development. "La Croix came to us and asked if we could fix it with a beefier, more modern system. When a higher-end system is asked for, d&b audiotechnik is our first go-to and with the acoustic challenges that they had, Soundscape was a no-brainer."
They installed a state-of-the-art d&b audiotechnik Soundscape system in the facility. The solution features En-Scene and En-Space software and A-Series augmented arrays to address the acoustical challenges of the church’s sanctuary and create a more engaging environment for the congregation.
An old sound system and poor acoustics weren't the only challenges faced by Panavid. "Their room has tiered seating, so vertical arrays would have introduced site line issues. Above the stage, there was existing acoustical treatment, HVAC, catwalk, projection, and lights that we had to install around,” says Mike Cirrito, the lead technician on the project. "It was complicated. We were limited to using their existing fly points in the previous speaker locations. That's why A-Series was perfect for this installation and ArrayCalc simulation software was indispensable."
"For the front stage, we went with A-Series because they can fly horizontally, are a third of the size and weight of the preexisting system, yet still drive comparable output levels," continues Cirrito. "And the hardware accessories offered by d&b audiotechnik provide flexibility in installation. We placed the A-Series where they needed to go, without introducing site line problems, and we did so efficiently. We were able to hang the three-cabinet center cluster from a single fly point, where the previous set up required three points."
Cirrito also explains how ArrayCalc ensured a smooth deployment. "Knowing that there were heavy limitations in speaker placement, we put the exact measurements into ArrayCalc along with the components that we wanted to install. The way ArrayCalc displays coverage patterns and frequency responses in a scenario like this was instrumental. All of that was done ahead of time and then imported into the R1 management software at install. It never ceases to amaze me how close everything is to the prediction, once measured."
In addition to the loudspeaker deployment, Soundscape offered multiple benefits for the installation. Cirrito says the mix separation and depth of field provided by En-Scene, along with the overall improvement in clarity provided by the d&b audiotechnik loudspeakers, resulted in much better vocal intelligibility for the congregation. The acoustic dryness of the Sanctuary was addressed via En-Space room emulation and further enhanced through the implementation of a voice lift configuration where Panavid hung microphones over the congregation and fed them through En-Space to create a more engaging and participatory experience during worship.
"We chose the voice lift application to improve ambience during worship elements, but we're discerning in how we use it,” Paul Smollen, La Croix Church’s technical director, explains. "During the speaking part of the service, we switch En-Space off to give maximum clarity and focus to the pastor or presenter on stage, then when the worship band comes on, we enable En-Space to bring the entire congregation into the experience."
“The results of the installation have been overwhelmingly positive,” Smollen concludes. “Our d&b audiotechnik system has elevated the quality of our weekly church services. The clarity is much improved, the power and punch of the music reproduction is better and overall coverage seat-to-seat is noticeably better, particularly the bass coverage thanks to the eight flown subs. We can now comfortably run our weekend services at higher volume levels because of the smoothness of the system, and when you add in the immersiveness from Soundscape with En-Scene and En-Space, it's truly engaging.”
