LINCOLNTON, NC — Russ Moore, owner of Hames Pro, specified two QFlex 16 digitally steerable, multi-channel, array loudspeakers for Boger City Baptist Church to help overcome coverage and clarity issues within the church’s square-shaped sanctuary, especially in the back pews, where intelligibility had suffered from back-wall slapback.
More details from Tannoy (www.tcgroup-americas.com):
Boger City Baptist Church, based in Lincolnton, NC, is a traditional mid-sized church with cathedral ceilings, wooden pews and plenty of flat, hard surfaces. After dealing with coverage and vocal clarity issues for years, the church leadership called upon Russ Moore, owner of Hames Pro, in Greenville to design and install a system that would resolve these issues once and for all.
The sanctuary is a square room with the altar centered on a raised platform that stretches across the width of the room. Choral risers and an organ chamber are located on the platform directly behind the altar. Ultimately Moore specified two QFlex 16 digitally steerable, multi-channel, array loudspeakers for placement to the left and right of the organ chamber.
“When I want to steer the sound and keep it controlled I turn to QFlex loudspeakers,” explains Moore. “The relatively small footprint of the loudspeakers is an added bonus. We mounted them on the wall 13 feet off the ground and they were barely noticeable, which is always a plus in churches.”
QFlex 16 arrays are self-powered cabinets loaded with eight 3-inch low frequency and eight 1-inch high frequency drivers and designed for a maximum SPL of 94 dB at 110 feet. Moore’s team utilized Tannoy’s BeamEngine GUI to set specific parameters for each loudspeaker – i.e. distance from the ground, distance to first pew/last pew and height of beamwidth.
“After tailoring each loudspeaker we dialed in the system further with Tannoy’s proprietary VNet software,” Moore continues. “We were able to optimize the loudspeakers given the acoustic environment of the space, which created a very controlled coverage area – which is exactly what the church needed.”
Hames Pro also upgraded front-of-house, located rear-right, with a new 40-channel Allen & Heath GL 2800-40 digital mixing console. At the same time they assisted the church with their ongoing multi-media efforts by installing two Vaddio video cameras and a production view controller (also by Vaddio). An 18 x 20 video screen on the back wall rounded out the multi-media upgrade.
“Our goal was to cover the seating area while eliminating slapback from the back wall,” concludes Moore. “Not only did we accomplish that but we did it with high quality loudspeakers that further enhance the worship experience. The church leaders and congregation were delighted.”
