Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama, was in phase two of a multi-stage update to various buildings within the campus when audio became the issue. “The old system was 15 years old. It was time to take that system and retire it and go into something new,” Justin Crisp, media director for Whitesburg Baptist Church explains. “While the new sound system was not actually part of the plan, it was something that we were able to do to enhance the plan, for us to clearly spread the Word within our facility. Which brought us to the Meyer Sound system. We demoed quite a few different systems, and the Leopard rig was what we felt was the best for us.”
Seth Daniel, Founder and CEO of The Daniel Group, located in nearby Florence, Alabama sought out Meyer Sound to assist in the design and engineering of the loudspeaker system. Daniel recalls, “We just started the conversation with ‘Hey we need to get this room straight.’ It was a clarity issue, there were some coverage issues, it was kind of a mixed bag of things. The idea was to improve the overall audio quality in the room: better intelligibility, better coverage, and more power. They were really concerned with the low end in the room.”
The church typically holds two services per Sunday; one is more traditional, with a 135-member choir and a 30-piece orchestra, and the other is more contemporary with a six-or seven-piece band and six praise singers. However, Daniel adds, “With the old configuration there was a lot of low-frequency build up over the stage area that was causing some issues, especially for the choir.”
The new system comprises a number of Meyer Sound solutions including Leopard compact linear line array loudspeakers, configured 10 per side as a left-right main system. Fill systems consist of ULTRA-X22XP compact narrow coverage loudspeakers for the balcony, UPQ-D2 full-sized narrow coverage loudspeakers for side coverage and one UPQ-D1 full-sized loudspeaker serving as a center, down fill. ULTRA-X20XP loudspeakers are deployed as front-fill loudspeakers across the lip of the stage. Handling the critical low-frequency content are six 2100-LFC low-frequency control elements, hung three next to each Leopard array in a cardioid configuration. Two MJF-208 high power stage monitors rest on the platform, and two Galileo Galaxy 816 Network Platforms are used to drive the system.
Daniel says, “We replaced the existing system with the Leopard system which we chose for its size and performance. The 2100-LFC were chosen because we had to fly the subs and still needed to have a substantial low-frequency response in the room. The client was adamant that they have plenty of headroom in the low frequencies, so the 2100-LFCs in cardioid configuration to get the low-end energy out into the room, and not over the stage, were the only option for that.”
Adequate coverage to the extreme side areas was another target for the new system. “We had a vision for what we were looking for as far as what the system needed to accomplish and the main thing was to have the congregation hear everything clearly without having hotspots or dead spots,” says Crisp.
The worship center seats approximately 2,000 people. From overhead, it looks like an octagon elongated on two opposite sides, with the platform on one elongated side, and the control area under the balcony directly across the room from stage. The seating areas extend around the remaining sides of the room, with the balcony situated above the main seating area.
Meyer Sound’s MAPP 3D system design and prediction tool was used to model the configuration and behavior of the system prior to it being installed. Dean Bailey, Director of Engineering from the Daniel Group worked closely with the Meyer Sound Design Services team on the system design. Crisp says, “We showed the leadership the MAPP drawings to let them see what they would be getting and what the coverage was going to be in the room.”
Daniel comments, “The installation was pretty straightforward. The old system was removed and replaced with the new one within a week. It was our goal to give the Whitesburg team time to have rehearsals on the new system, and then unveil it to the congregation.”
Crisp was especially excited about the performance of the 2100-LFC system. “It works fantastic! Once we hung the Meyer Sound system our musicians said that it’s almost like a new room. They are not getting all the low frequencies on the stage, and they just feel like it’s a much cleaner environment for them on the platform.”
Daniel also shared a comment he received, “I got a text from Worship Pastor Mark Willard, and he says, ‘The fidelity is just worlds better. It's at a completely different level than before. Intelligibility is greatly improved. Piano, drums, my guitar, the vocal mics, all noticeably better sounding. I am VERY pleased.’”
