Healing Place Church

The Orlando and Pensacola offices of Pro Sound and Video, a Solotech Company, recommended and installed a d&b Soundscape 360 system with Vi-Series loudspeakers.

Soundscape processing added fidelity and headroom while reducing the burden on the mix engineer. “The speaker system is automatically optimised for every performer separately,” stated Nick Malgieri, Advanced Systems Specialist, d&b audiotechnik Americas.

“This allows every speaker to automatically handle a different mix of signals which alleviates issues with fidelity and headroom. The engineer often requires less channel processing and plugins because the system doesn’t require as much mix processing. Adding surrounds then elevates the capabilities even further.”

En-Space is used on console channels as desired but can also be fed via 8 DPA mics which are suspended from the ceiling enabling the engineer to selectively change the acoustics which are experienced by the crowd. “A noticeable increase in the congregation’s engagement was noticed on the first weekend,” said Malgieri.

Because of the more inviting acoustics provided by Soundscape, the audience felt more comfortable singing and cheering, something that must be experienced to be understood. It’s also fast and easy to commission. Adding the suspended mics took about 30 minutes to program. Malgieri also added that the ability to route background vocals through surround speakers helps people feel included, comfortable, and engaged with the music.

In addition to a Soundscape 360° system, the loudspeaker configuration includes Mains: (5) arrays of eight Vi-Series, Flown SUBs: 4x SL-SUB, Front fills: 13 44S, Ground subs: 10 21S-SUB, Extensions: six 24S-D, Surrounds: 15 10S-D, Overheads: eight 8S, 22 40D and two D80 amplifiers, four DS10s and one DS100 audio network bridge, and touchscreens for Soundscape control.

The installation process posed several challenges, primarily due to the infrastructure that was already in place. The building, which was 12 years old, had a failing PA system with speakers flashing on and off. This prompted the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the entire audio system to improve the sound quality and ensure it would remain functional for the next 10-15 years.

The church desired uniform sound quality throughout the seating area, given the venue’s capacity of 3,000 people just in the main area. Achieving this objective was the primary goal of the project, and Soundscape was chosen to ensure consistent audio quality throughout the space.

An additional challenge was the limited technical experience of the volunteers who operate the audio system. To address this, an intuitive and easy-to-operate system like Soundscape was deemed necessary to ensure that the operators could use the new system effectively.

“The pursuit to find a new system was driven by the desire for excellence to every seat in the arena,” states John Tillman, Technical Director, Healing Place Church. “Initially going into it, we thought Soundscape would add those bells and whistles for our big events, but I think it’s had more of an impact on our week-to-week basis than we expected. I feel like I’m now able to produce the sound I’ve always had in my head. And knowing what the congregation’s response used to be and now seeing that response trickle up to the outer edges of the room is just fantastic.”

“Soundscape provided immersive sound that engaged the audience from the front to the back,” stated David Leuschner, Business Development, Pro Sound.

Leuschner added: “Not only was this an upgrade to the previous listening experience, but it allowed the church to create immersive surround, and point source experiences for their contemporary services, as well as their special Christmas or theatrical services. We chose the Vi-Series because it fit the room best and made it sound so smooth. The system has the power and clarity that we needed and maintained a wide coverage as well. The client had a demo of the system and fell in love with it.”