Faith Community Church

Faith Community Church (FCC) had a plan to update its aging audio system to a traditional Left-Center-Right approach. However, after being presented with an immersive system demo comprised of EAW’s ADAPTive AC6 Column Loudspeakers, the choice was clear.

The new system included 19 AC6s (nine in the front and 10 surrounds) to create a 360-degree immersive design. The venue also incorporated three Otto Subwoofers and 13 MKD526 2-Way Full-Range Dual-Woofer Loudspeakers as stage-lip front fills.

The move to immersive was suggested by Michael Garrison, President and Owner of Michael Garrison Associates (MGA). As the integrator on this project, Garrison was well-versed in the stand-out nature of EAW’s ADAPTive series. “There are many great loudspeaker products from very respected manufacturers that we could have chosen for this project,” he said.

“But the AC6’s unique performance capabilities, excellent sonic quality and great overall value easily won the day! And the church leadership’s previous experience with EAW’s ADAPTive product line made the AC6/Otto combination the unanimous best choice for FCC.”

EAW’s ADAPTive technology directs sound only where it needs to go to fill the gaps that other systems cannot. This immersive system creates an incredible effect of support.

“What we saw was the potential of this, of what if we could pipe our vocals through those surrounds, adding some reverb and a little bit of delay to make it feel like the room is 10 times bigger than it is?” says Jacob Pierce, Administrative Pastor at FCC.

The sensation of 10,000 people around you, when in reality only being in a room of 500, is truly powerful. Pierce commented, “it helps people engage more and more because they don’t feel like they’re out on an island all by themselves when they’re worshipping.”

The main challenge for this space was finding a sound system that worked in the wide and shallow sanctuary room. EAW’s ADAPTive technology allows vertical coverage to be customized to what’s best in the space and for the sound to be aimed only where it needs to be.

The even sound coverage provided by AC6 is crucial to supporting an immersive environment and bringing it to life. The AC6 packs quite a punch for its size. High trim heights ensured that these speakers weren’t interfering with visual elements like video screens or sight lines.

Immersive is one of the hottest topics in professional audio, and EAW’s ADAPTive technology is making it happen.

An ADAPTive loudspeaker system, when paired with an appropriate DSP processor, delivers an immersive experience for houses of worship of any size. FCC is a first-time installation combination of EAW ADAPTive technology and FLUX SPAT Revolution immersive control software. EAW’s AC6 column loudspeakers and Otto subwoofers create the sensation of a sanctuary that feels ten times larger and filled with ten times more people than are actually present. This enhanced sense of space and support, created by ADAPTive, makes the worship experience even more engaging.

“The ADAPTive part of this is unlike anything else… it’s shocking. This is the solution for churches,” says Jacob Pierce, Administrative Pastor at FCC.