Long Island’s Valley Stream is a New York City suburb that has long been a haven for young families escaping the crowded city. And for a great many of those families, Bethlehem Assembly of God has been a hub of their community. The multi-ethnic congregation has long been a beacon in the area, and its charismatic ministry and contemporary, high-energy approach make it a draw for hip, young congregants from all across the community.
Music is a big part of Bethlehem Assembly’s services, and the church recently upgraded their 500-capacity sanctuary’s audio and lighting. A big part of that upgrade included the church becoming one of the first East Coast installations of DAS Audio’s new Sara system.
The system was conceived and designed by veteran audio engineer Burton Ishmael and is based around left and right arrays totaling 16 DAS Audio Sara -100 compact powered line array systems with 3000 Watts of Class D 4-channel amplification. Four Sara -SUB 18-inch compact cardioid powered subwoofers deliver steady bass, and four DAS Audio Event-26a ultracompact line array cabinets handle front fill duties, and system processing is covered by a single DAS Audio Matrix-66 unit controlled by DAS Audio's latest control and management software, Alma. Installation was handled by Jamaica, New York-based Advanced Event Services.
As Ishmael explains, the project was not without its challenges. “It’s a pretty traditional A-frame design, about 60 feet wide and 70 feet deep, with a balcony, and that means big wooden beams, high ceilings, and lots of reflectivity. It’s just not acoustically friendly. Add to that an older heating system and a foyer with open doors and you’ve also got temperature gradient issues. It’s a classic case of a sanctuary designed for a certain era, and now you want to put live drums in there. It just calls for a different approach. The previous system was pretty long in the tooth, and the Sara system really gave us the ability to give them a huge leap in sound quality.”
Ishmael gives high marks to DAS Audio's new Sara system and its ability to steer the sound onto the congregation and away from the walls and other reflective surfaces. “Years ago, when most of the service was preaching and spoken word, performance didn’t matter as much. Once they started doing live music and bringing in drums and amplification, the room’s acoustics became an issue, and it only got worse over time.”
The upgraded system has been a hit with parishioners and technical crew alike. “The feedback we’ve had from the worship leader is that people are telling him how they now feel surrounded by the sound, encapsulated by it,” says Ishmael. “The crew are saying it’s much more of a concert experience, and it’s so much easier and faster to get the mix you’re looking for. The worship pastors feel empowered to try new and different things now, and they don’t feel limited by the technology.”
Working with the DAS Audio team has been a long and fruitful relationship, Ishmael observes. “DAS Audio is a company that has been a very dear part of my success. They are serious about what they do, and I’ve watched them grow and create amazing technologies over the years. They care about their product, and they care about the delivery and the service and the needs of their customers. Honestly, I cannot recommend them highly enough.”
