Diversified upgraded audio systems for Hope Church in Memphis, USA, opting for a JBL Professional system from Harman Professional Solutions.
Founded in 1988, Hope Church is a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Its technical team contacted Diversified after considering how a JBL VTX series audio system, already installed in the church’s main 5,000-seat sanctuary, could be configured better to improve impact and clarity while retaining an intimate feel.
Hope Church’s audio director Tim Kanter worked with Jeff McOlgan, account executive at Diversified Systems, and the Harman applications team to conduct a system review and, using Ease and Line Array Calculator software, designed and implemented a new configuration in the challenging acoustic space.
The sanctuary sound solution installed by Diversified is based on a traditional left-right system configuration of two ten-unit arrays of JBL VTX V20 speakers, with two outfill arrays of ten V20 speakers each to increase the horizontal coverage in the large room. Five AE Series speakers were added in delay fill positions to cover the separate rear raked seating areas. A high-output centre fill enclosure also offers a strong focal point for the front-centre seating area. Finally, 12 VTX S28 subwoofer enclosures in 3-box cardioid groups were also horizontally steered for more even lateral coverage. Hope Church’s newly upgraded audio system ensures the ability to address all seating areas with consistent SPL distribution and less unwanted dispersion.
JBL Pro senior ppplications staff prepared Ease files and provided LAC3 and Performance Manager software files to develop the refreshed system concept.
Using the LAC3 program allows EQ contours to be added to ensure even front-to-rear coverage across multiple audience seating planes with the added ability of exporting this complex information directly to the GLL loudspeaker file in Ease. After addressing any modifications in Ease, to account for horizontal coverage, the LAC file could then be referenced in Performance Manager addressing the complete networked audio system.
The subwoofer system was also reviewed and modified using the LAC program. Adding delay to the outer subwoofer clusters widened the coverage across the sanctuary width, and the cardioid configuration reduced first-order reflections off the front wall surface, which produced a tighter and well-defined low frequency impulse response.
Both Diversified and Hope Church have praised the consistency of audience coverage, and reduced energy returning onto the worship riser.
Kanter said: “There are huge improvements noticed by everyone we have talked to. The biggest system improvements include more clarity, punch, better sound at lower SPL levels, with a lot less sound on stage.”
