TAMPA – The sound system at 2,600-capacity Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal M.I. Church was upgraded recently as part of a new AV setup that includes Aero Series 2 and Avant gear from D.A.S. Audio. Mick Hall, account manager for GC Pro (Guitar Center Professional Division), was involved in the design and installation
"This project was an extensive facility upgrade of a building the church recently purchased," Hall noted. "Management's goal was to create an immersive worship experience and, as such, they were looking to acquire a comprehensive setup that integrated audio, lighting, and video for their new sanctuary. For sound, there were numerous conditions that led to the selection of the D.A.S. equipment.
"A high level of speech intelligibility and solid music reproduction characteristics were a huge consideration in the selection of the loudspeakers," Hall continued. "Services are very upbeat and contemporary. There's a huge praise band and vocal ensemble that augment the church choir, so music is a key element in the services.
"After auditioning a number of loudspeaker systems, the decision to deploy D.A.S. Audio was made. Simply put, D.A.S. offered superior sound quality, was entirely self-powered (which eliminated the need to house racks of power amplifiers separately and also simplified system cabling), and offered the long throw characteristics essential to properly fill the space. Top this off with the system being a great value and it essentially sold itself."
The sanctuary's seating area measures roughly 180 feet in length, is 130 feet wide, and has a ceiling height of 28 feet. To provide consistent coverage throughout the space, 14 D.A.S. Audio Aero 12A powered, 2-way, mid-high line array modules serve as the House mains. They are flown and configured as seven elements per side over the stage / altar area.
These are augmented by several Avant 12A powered, 2-way enclosures. A single Avant 12A, each one positioned at the extreme left and right sides of the front area, serve as downfills to provide coverage for the extreme sides of the space.
Another two Avant 12A loudspeakers serve as center downfills for the area immediately in front of the stage.
Additionally, a single Avant 12A is mounted to the rear of each flown Aero 12A loudspeaker cluster and is aimed down at the stage area. These serve as monitors for those on stage.
Finally, two additional Avant 12A enclosures provide delay fill to the rear balcony.
Six D.A.S. Audio LX-218A powered subwoofers provide low frequency support. There are three enclosures per side, housed in custom recessed cubicles beneath the stage front area.
Eight D.A.S. SML-12A powered multipurpose monitors are also available for on-stage monitoring. These can be freely positioned depending upon the nature of the activity on stage.
Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal's AV system installation took place during the latter three months of 2010, with the bulk of the audio system installation taking place during December. The church had its grand opening service on New Year's Eve.
"Our client is ecstatic," said Hall. "We've received numerous compliments about the sound system's performance." He also credited D.A.S. Audio of America's Miami-based staff for its help. "In the months following the installation, our client has given GC Pro numerous referrals. When a project leads to repeat business, that's as good as it gets!"
For more information, please visit www.dasaudio.com and www.gcpro.com.
