SACRAMENTO, CA — The Vietnamese Martyr’s Catholic Church (VMCC) has installed a Renkus-Heinz Iconyx digitally steerable audio system for its 900-seat sanctuary, with a CFX121 system covering the Great Hall that’s used as an overflow area for larger meetings and performances.
VMCC turned to full-spectrum AV systems integrator Quality Sound of Stockton, Calif. for the audio systems. “Iconyx was my go-to choice from the first look at the project plans,” said Gary Roda, Quality Sound’s house of worship expert. “Its balance of performance and aesthetic appeal is unique.”
Roda said Iconyx’s ability to focus sound precisely made it a good solution to the problems posed by the unique church’s complex shape and reflective materials.
The large, nearly square nave with a sloped T-bar ceiling has a large open clerestory above the presbytery. Materials include a massive solid granite altar, ambo fixtures imported from Vietnam, an all-glass sidewall, polished marble floors and hardwood pews.
Behind the rear wall, also largely glass, is the Great Hall, 25 percent larger than the church proper, used as overflow seating or separately for meetings or performances.
Speech intelligibility was Roda’s number one concern, given the language characteristics and room conditions. The system also had to handle the wishes of the church’s more traditional elements alongside those of a strong younger contingent that expects rock music performance levels.
The church choir often performs with full-range contemporary music accompaniment directly in front of the loudspeakers. “Choosing a loudspeaker design that would meet the performance goals and also suit the Sanctuary aesthetics would have been tough without Iconyx,” Roda said.
To combine high output with precise directional control, Quality Sound mounted two Iconyx IC24 arrays on the walls flanking the altar. Their wide (140° horizontal) output worked well at providing the even coverage needed for the nave, and the tight vertical pattern control steers the sound over and past the multiple choir mics located close by.
Two ceiling-mounted PN212-SUB subwoofers supply the low-end impact that the younger members of the congregation enjoy. “The subs are configured as a central cardioid array,” Roda said, “to focus the sub-bass reinforcement into the nave and avoid exciting the clerestory space. We continue to be impressed by the very ‘musical’ full-range punch of the Iconyx/PNX212-SUB combination.”
Two CFX121M floor monitors powered by a QSC CX503 amplifier supply foldback to the choir and other performers. One channel of a QSC ISA 500ti amp drives a pair of wall-mounted CFX121 trapezoidal cabinets that cover the overflow area in the Great Hall, while the other drives a distributed ceiling speaker system in the Side Chapel.
Other equipment includes a Biamp D60EQ foldback amplifier, Listen Technologies assisted listening, and a Midas Venice 320 mixing Shure ULXP wireless with Countryman E6 earset mics, live instruments through Countryman Type 85 DI’s, and Ace Backstage Choir Stick microphones with Shure MX elements and a TC Electronics processor. With so many possible room configurations and events, easily recalled presets were a must. Roda programmed these into Biamp Nexia digital processors.
“We can configure the system for various uses including unattended automixing of oft-used microphones at the touch of a button,” he said.
For more information, please visit www.renkus-heinz.com.
