FBCW’s L-ISA implementation was nearly 25 percent less expensive than a traditional left/right based system by using cost-effective A15i and A10i loudspeakers. (photo credit: Ashley Nash)
First Baptist Church Woodstock is a thriving church with a rich history in the northwestern Atlanta suburb of Woodstock, Georgia. Offering both vibrant, timeless worship services with a 60-piece orchestra and 150-voice choir under the direction of Cliff Duren, an award-winning writer, arranger, and producer of choral music sung in churches all over the world, and impactful contemporary worship gatherings led by Jake Holman, FBC Woodstock is respected for decades of excellence in ministry, impact in its community, and influence to other churches large and small. So, when the church’s original sound system began showing its age, church leaders saw an opportunity to reimagine audio by upgrading to new technology in its 7,200-seat venue. The ideal upgrade would both create an environment that would feel equally intentional for those very different creative styles and set the tone for the future of worship at the church.
There would be no paint changes, no carpet changes, and no seating changes. The challenge would be to find and leverage the right audio technology to take the sanctuary environment and elevate it.
Hosting two distinctly different styles of worship each week is a reflection of the heritage of FBC Woodstock and how long this church has been a beacon in this area. “Woodstock is special,” observes Lead Director of Production Josh Belokonny. “There are many different types of people that attend here, and all ages. There's a very dedicated body of believers that have been here for a long time, along with new faces that we've just seen in the last couple years. It’s a wide range.”
While the original sound system had been used for both traditional and contemporary worship services, it had not been upgraded since the building’s construction in 2004. The production teams found the original mono center cluster speaker system to be less than ideal for either style of worship. And, with known hot spots throughout the room, coverage was a nagging problem.
The new L-Acoustics system “provides an opportunity for everyone to be way more unified and to have this sense that we're all in this moment of worship together,” says FBCW Production Director Josh Belokonny. (photo credit: Ashley Nash)
The objective: music that moves the masses
“Designing and installing a new sound system obviously represents a sizable investment and a lot of work,” notes Belokonny. “But it was clear that this was the right time to invest. And, of course, we had to get it right since you only get one opportunity to make a move like this and it needs to last for a decade or more.”
To manage the details of the sound system design, FBC Woodstock partnered with technology and integration specialist Diversified. “Our goal is to raise the bar of expectation with every church that we partner with,” says Tim Corder, director of strategic accounts for Diversified’s Worship Environments team. “We are at our best with organizations that see technology as critical to their mission, and to that end it is our honor to bring new ideas to the table, think outside the box, and guide a team through a process to achieve transformative results.”
“… we had to take into account that typical array designs would present sightline obstacles for large sections of seats to the large projection screens on either side of the stage. So the physical design of the audio system became important, too.”
—Josh Belokonny, Lead Director of Production, First Baptist Church Woodstock, Woodstock, GA
Diversified was charged with helping the church update the main sanctuary with great audio that would marry its two different styles of worship so that the experience would feel authentic to both of them—with equal excellence. Adding to the design parameters was the fact that this would be a technology-only upgrade. In other words, the sanctuary itself would not be renovated. There would be no paint changes, no carpet changes, and no seating changes. The challenge would be to find and leverage the right audio technology to take the sanctuary environment and elevate it, along with using the remaining budget to improve other pain points such as stage lighting, video screens, and the team’s aging intercom system.
FBCW Production Director Josh Belokonny mixing a recent service on the church’s DiGiCo Quantum338 console and L-ISA Controller (right screen).
The specific objectives for the new audio system would be to address issues that the old system had presented over time. “In addition to hotspots, there were obvious tonal inconsistencies throughout the room that made it difficult to provide a consistent experience for everyone,” explains Belokonny. “There is also a lot of architecture that is very specific to this space. For example, we had to take into account that typical array designs would present sightline obstacles for large sections of seats to the large projection screens on either side of the stage. So the physical design of the audio system became important, too.”
Devising a world-class system
The Worship Center’s main Scene system comprises five arrays of five A15i Focus enclosures over one A15i Wide, backed by four central hangs of two KS28 subs.
While other system designs were considered, both the Diversified team and the church’s production team felt that the L-ISA immersive sound technology developed by L-Acoustics would not only elevate the sonic issues in the space, but also provide the best experience for worship. “When I first heard L-ISA technology deployed at a local church, I was blown away. My first impression was that it was almost too good to be true,” Belokonny recalls.
What L-ISA offers is a new way to design, process, mix, and experience multichannel sound that overcomes the pitfalls of traditional audio system designs that introduce a “baked-in” distraction: audio radiating from locations that don’t line up with what you see on stage. Distractions in what you see and what you hear not lining up is something that the L-ISA designers say is an impediment that our brains have had to work around since the advent of concert sound. According to Belokonny, “We in the sound industry are basically always striving to create more space and be able to have more clarity and depth in our mix. L-ISA gives us all that, as well as more room for imaging than a traditional system design can accomplish. Frankly, until I heard it, I was surprised that it was even possible.”
The L-ISA system design provides ideal “L-ISA Zone” coverage to over 70% of the seats in the space.
Belokonny and church leaders were also pleasantly surprised that the L-ISA implementation was actually nearly 25% less expensive than a left-right traditional, array-based loudspeaker system. A significant part of the savings was the result of the design’s implementation with L-Acoustics' efficient A15 series of loudspeakers. “Designing with A15 meant more bang for the buck and an overall value between performance and investment that really couldn't be touched with any other solution,” says Corder. Budget savings allowed the project to also include an expansive 80-foot-wide LED wall on stage and the Clear-Com matrix intercom system. “At least one of those pieces would've had to go away if we didn’t realize the cost savings in the loudspeaker system,” he states.
According to Josh Maichele, application project manager, house of worship at L-Acoustics, the choice of A15 loudspeakers presented a number of other advantages, as well. “There were a couple of reasons to favor the A15 design: first and foremost because the technology and the sound of the boxes mimic our larger K Series products, so the smaller system has that big box’ feel.”
Maichele also notes that the design was able to get the necessary long throw, not only because A15 is a line source but because they were able to bend the array faster with the A15 Wide option, allowing the design to reduce the line length with the same coverage as compared to other larger format line sources.
The L-ISA design for FBC Woodstock consists of five line source arrays, each with six boxes, coupled with eight center-flown KS28 subwoofers. “The configuration of subs being centered directly behind the center channel allows us to achieve maximum subwoofer efficiency,” says Nick Geiger, audio lead for Diversified’s Worship Environments team. “So, we're remarkably able to cover this room of 7,200 seats with only eight flown subs. The degree of low frequency SPL and impact would never be possible with a more conventionally deployed design.”
Geiger adds, “We have a pair of extension arrays that are using the A10 ultra-compact line source box along with a pair of outfill arrays that cover the very far edges of the room, also comprised of A10 loudspeakers. A number of low-profile 5XT coaxial speakers line the front of the stage as front fills.”
Corder notes, “Partnering closely with L-Acoustics on the design helped to ensure that we would have enough horsepower, but because we had so much to accomplish with the available budget for this project, this system as deployed hits a sweet spot in the reality of providing the typical SPL that is needed every week with an appropriate amount of additional headroom necessary for larger events without excess.”
An end result for the ages
“Working with Diversified and L-Acoustics, we now have a sound system that is consistent throughout the venue,” Belokonny says. “It has helped to create an environment where everyone can be more unified, share the experience, and have the sense that we're all in the moment, together.”
He has also noticed the excitement and peace of mind the system has brought to the production teams who are now more confident in their work. “I know the improved audio experience will similarly create excitement in the choir, with the musicians, and embolden our worship leaders,” he says.
“At first, working with the powerful concepts of L-ISA technology may seem daunting,” says Geiger, “using object-based mixing where you're panning things in real space … but when you break it down, you realize that the fundamentals of mixing involve just gaining up a channel and panning it to where you want it—not just left or right. With this technology, as a mix engineer, I can spread the energy out across the whole stage which allows the audience to be more connected with the music and the vocalists.”
Budget savings allowed the project to also include an expansive 80-foot-wide LED wall on stage and the Clearcom matrix intercom system.
Corder adds, “Coming out of the pandemic, our clients have increased pressure to provide the best in-person experience that draws attendees off their couch to join a service in-person. I truly believe that we have created an audio environment here that is going to change the trajectory of the in-person gatherings for FBC Woodstock and move everyone who comes to experience a service. Our experience has shown that this technology is truly a game changer.”
