COLUMBUS, OH – Despite its hundreds of ministries, thousands of volunteer opportunities and congregation of approximately 8,000, Vineyard Church of Columbus strives to preserve a "small" church feel where members won't feel lost in the shuffle.
Metro Audio Video, LLC helped the church undergo a significant overhaul of its multipurpose room with gear from D.A.S. Audio.
Co-owned by Ed Whitney and Mike Hockenberry, Reynoldsburg, OH-based Metro Audio Video designed and installed the church's new sound system, which included eight D.A.S. Audio Variant 25A powered, two-way mid-high line array elements, two Variant 18A powered subwoofers and three AX-V25 steel bumpers to hang the system.
"When the church decided to renovate, they wanted to get away from the look of a gymnasium," said Whitney, noting uses for the space including meetings and banquets to small concerts. "They erected a multi-level stage area and they didn't want big, unsightly loudspeakers to overwhelm the room and interfere with the line of sight. Aesthetics were very important.
"The room is approximately 90 feet by 75 feet and has a drop ceiling," Whitney added. "The space is structured such that it is wider than it is long-with the stage / altar area facing into the width of the room and the FOH (front of house) mix position situated along the opposite wall. There is some acoustical wall treatment in addition to carpeting. Moveable seating for approximately 900 people is used.
"Music plays a vital role in the church's worship service and there is both a praise band and a large, 150-voice choir," Whitney continued. "For these reasons, we had to find a loudspeaker setup that provided solid music reproduction, a high level of speech intelligibility, and wide dispersion. Most significantly, large, unsightly loudspeakers were out of the question."
The D.A.S. Audio Variant system was well-suited to the project. The loudspeakers are flown in three clusters: left-center-right. The left and right hangs each consist of one Variant 18A subwoofer plus three 25A modules underneath. The two remaining Variant 25A enclosures serve as a center fill.
"The D.A.S. Variant loudspeakers are compact, self-powered, and have excellent flyware," said Whitney. "Since there was no room for the subwoofers under the stage area, the fact that the Variant system places the 18A sub at the top of the cluster proved to be exactly what we needed.
"The system is flown at approximately 15 feet and I was particularly impressed with the ease of interconnecting the system," Whitney continued. "After installing the AX-V25 bumpers, the subwoofer and the three elements all clip together. The setup is small and light, yet provides a full, rich sound that creates even coverage throughout the space."
Vineyard Columbus' new system was installed in May 2010 and placed into service in early June. Whitney noted that, in addition to the quality of the Variant loudspeakers themselves, he was impressed with D.A.S. Audio's customer/technical support services. "We arranged a demonstration of the system during the consulting phase of
the project and Carlos Henao, D.A.S. Audio of America's U.S. Accounts Manager, came out to us, ground stacked a demonstration system, and did a terrific job pointing out the features and benefits of the equipment. His efforts really helped seal the deal."
With the system now in full operation, Byron Houchins, Vineyard Columbus' director of media, said everyone at the church is pleased. "The sound quality is excellent and consistent no matter where you happen to be seated in the room. Equally important, the loudspeakers aren't visually distracting. This is the best sounding system we've ever had."
For additional information, please visit www.metroaudioltd.com and www.dasaudio.com .
