Sagebrush Church

Sagebrush Church, one of the largest churches in Albuquerque, New Mexico, features a campus with a 2,000–3,000 seat, theater-style Worship Center. With full bands, weekly services, events, and live-streams, clear, consistent audio is essential. Despite upgrading to advanced LED video walls and lighting, their sound system fell short.

The experienced AV team worked to extend its life but ultimately recognized its limitations and the compromises of the audio. After extensive research and troubleshooting, they chose a fresh upgrade—selecting a point source design with 1 SOUND’s Contour Series.

The team’s approach changed from troubleshooting their existing line array system after their experience with 1 SOUND Tower Systems. “We both really enjoyed that system and how it feels,” said Daniel Trillo, Systems Engineer. “If we could get that same experience in the Worship Center—where it feels impactful and good to actually listen to—then that’s what we wanted.”
In choosing to go with a 1 SOUND system based on sonic quality, they knew the design would have to go against their original idea of a system design into a point-source approach with delays.

The final design uses six Contour CT212 flown as main left, center, and right clusters. The Contour CT212, although only 20” wide and 30” tall, has a maximum SPL of 145 dB and a medium-long throw. These were hung with their Fly Bar accessories. Seven Contour CT28s are deployed as delay fills for the balcony. For low frequency, six 1 SOUND SUB2112s were flown near the stage to provide controlled low-end energy without muddying the mix. Sagebrush integrated existing L-Acoustics KS21 subwoofers, repurposing them as ground subwoofers at the stage. Eight Cannon C8i loudspeakers are mounted along the front edge of the stage to deliver the energy and clarity needed for the first rows. The Cannon C8 has a compression driver delivering a punch, matching the presence of the Contours, and ensuring every seat has the same experience. Powersoft Unica amplifiers power the system, giving precise control over every element.

This deployment resulted in a visually discreet powerhouse system to support full band performances while maintaining clarity and intimacy with spoken word. The significance of this design is not just what the system produces for the audience but what it does not produce on the stage. The Contours are controlled down to about 200 Hz, meaning its sound stays true to its dispersion pattern into the low-mids. This results in a cleaner sound environment on the stage with less noise and unwanted spill, allowing the microphones to do their job.

The Sagebrush AV team had been troubleshooting their previous setup and even resourced 1 SOUND to help before exploring a full redesign. “Lou (1 SOUND’s Founder & Designer) wanted to take care of us more than he wanted us to have 1 SOUND,” Ryan Peddycoart, Production Director, explained. “Even though it wasn’t his system, he wanted to see if there was any way to resolve our issue first.”

When it became clear the existing system couldn’t meet the room’s needs, 1 SOUND sent a demo system “the next day”, featuring four Contour CT212 mains and four SUB2112 subs, plus two CT28s to address delay coverage. “The main concern was that it was a point source in a room that needs to throw about 110 feet and still remain clear, intimate, and impactful—without overwhelming the front rows,” Peddycoart said. “We listened to the Contours, and it was transparent and really natural.”

This space has some low ceilings, and having to use delays that might be closer to the audience could pose a challenge, as Peddycoart explains, “I never heard a system with delays I really liked…” Peddycoart and his team used two Contour CT28s to test if delays were the right choice in this design before committing to a fully integrated point source approach.

“A secondary concern was an odd low-end build-up in our space that was apparent in the previous system. This deployment with the SUB2112s really helped us control that and keep the coverage where it needed to go and not excite parts of the room,” said Peddycoart. The solution was designing an arc array with the subwoofers for the flown deployment and the ground deployment, which created a more even and wide splay of coverage, mitigating this low-end buildup that was happening previously in the center of the room.

Utilizing multiple Contour point sources allowed Sagebrush to achieve even coverage throughout the space while keeping the stage and screens unobstructed. With even coverage, controlled low end, and unmatched clarity, Sagebrush Church now has an audio system that fully supports the scale, energy, and impact of its worship experience.

Pastors, musicians, and staff all noticed a difference with the new system. “During tuning, the pastor stepped on stage and asked, ‘Is this everything on?’” Peddycoart recalled. “He said he could hear himself clearly and had never experienced that before. Saying he doesn’t have to yell to be heard. It feels natural even behind the boxes,” said Peddycoart. “Worship staff also reported more consistent on-stage energy, which makes their in-ears feel better. Having been here for years, I see the energy is definitely coming back up,” says Trillo. “We’ve gotten a lot of compliments saying it’s really nice that we now have coverage everywhere. And everything feels the same everywhere, which was one of our main goals,” said Trillo. “The worship staff mentioned seeing a lot more hands up. I think that’s reflective of engagement with this new system,” said Peddycoart.

Taking a risk on a point source approach in this larger church proved worth it with the capability of the Contour Series. “The system is much easier to mix. I don’t feel like I’m fighting the system anymore. I can push things up, and it already feels right. It doesn’t feel like I have to do as much to get the sound that I want.” Trillo added, “I can hear what the engineer is doing in real time. It doesn’t feel like the system is pushing back,” mentioned Peddycoart.

After the success of the system, the Sagebrush team chose to deliver this new clarity and experience to their live video studio by deploying 1 SOUND’s Panorama 65, a single loudspeaker delivering mono+stereo+sub across the full field. “The Panorama 65 has been other-worldly,” Trillo said. “Our video director can pick out individual instruments, hear the full bandwidth of services, and feels like he’s part of the room again.”

For Sagebrush Church and their AV team, this project wasn’t just about equipment—it was about partnership. “Lou always said the relationship starts now, not ends with the final result,” Peddycoart shared. “We’re still getting check-ins and support. This is the only company that’s ever treated us anywhere near this level.”