The Space
In the summer of 2020, the Radiant Church of Bay City moved from their previous meeting location in a high school gym to their new home in an old Catholic church. The space was beautiful, complete with stunning stained-glass windows lining the walls, high ceilings, and plenty of space to accommodate their parishioners.
As they finalized their purchase of the space, they brought D16 on to develop an update-and-upgrade plan for their audio, visual and lighting in the space.
The Challenge
Like many Catholic churches, the open space and high ceilings brought significant acoustical challenges. Sound reverberated quite strongly in the original space in a way that wasn’t compatible with Radiant Church’s style of worship. One of our main goals was to find efficient, aesthetically-pleasing ways to reduce the unnecessary reverb.
The second main issue was the space’s lighting. The church had 1970’s-era chandelier-style lighting with incandescent bulbs, accompanied by an older dimming system that dimmed the church’s lights in specific sections. The Radiant Church team wanted more control over lighting in the space, more modern lighting technology (like LED bulbs), and upgraded lighting for the church’s stage.
The Solution
To tackle the reverberation issue, we completed a significant acoustical treatment of the space. We installed 46 reverb-absorbing 2’x4’ wave panels, covering a large portion of the rear wall and two side walls with panels. The panels we chose provided maximum broadband absorptions, meaning they’d absorb a wide range of sound frequencies evenly and prevent tonal imbalances in the space.
To update their sound system, we provided two proposals that matched the scope of what they needed for the space. They ultimately decided on a reasonably-priced KLA sound system that provided greater sound control to aid with spatial acoustics.
We also outfitted the space with a new dimming system that allowed them to control all house lights and stage lights at their discretion. To maintain some of the space’s aesthetics, we outfitted the existing chandelier lights with LED bulbs that provided DMX control from their lighting software. We also upgraded their stage lighting with some Chauvet Intimidator Spot lights as well as Chauvet SlimPAR lights to add color to the stage, replacing the previous ellipsoidal lights.
Lastly, the Radiant Church team asked us to properly mount the projector they already owned in the new church. We got them set up with a brand-new 9’x16’ projection screen for the stage and installed their existing confidence monitor on the church’s back wall.
Audio
To reduce the acoustical issues by absorbing multi-frequency sounds, we installed 46 ProSoCoustic Wave Series acoustic panels. Incorporating these 2’x4’ panels along the back wall and side walls of the church allowed us to prevent excessive reverb while evening out potential tonal imbalances.
Because controlling sound is incredibly important in their space, we set Radiant Church up with mid-range QSC components including 6 QSC KLA12 multipurpose two-way speakers and 2 QSC E218SW non-powered subwoofers. Together, they provide the space with well-directed sound across a wide range of frequencies.
We also chose to integrate a QSC PLD4.3 power amplifier because of its high-quality, reliable application to live sound. It evenly distributes power across all four channels, optimizing the performance of their QSC speaker and subwoofer setup.
Lastly, to control their new audio and visual technologies, we implemented a QSC Core 110f processor. These are ideal for rooms of their church’s size that require control over an assortment of analog and network channels for both audio and video.
Video
In addition to mounting Radiant Church’s projector, we also installed a Da-Lite 94023 9’x16’ permanent wall-mounted projection screen just behind their stage. It’s large enough that even visitors in the back of the church are able to see lyrics, announcements, and other important information projected on the screen clearly.
Lighting
We installed 4 programmable Chauvet Intimidator Spot 260 lights at the church. These high-tech lights can showcase white light and a wide range of colors as beams, prism effects, or patterned effects. The full-color LCD screen makes them easy to use to create beautiful synchronized light shows in conjunction with the 4 Chauvet SlimPAR T12 USB wash lights we also installed around the stage.
We integrated a Doug Fleenor Designs DMX8DIM lighting control system for easy control of the church’s house lights. The system offers an energy-efficient, low-maintenance dimmer providing eight outputs. The DMX8DIM is perfect for Radiant Church’s new house light setup with LEDs. This works together with the Doug Fleenor Designs PRE10 button station we also integrated, which provides the church with up to ten lighting presets at the push of a button.
Finally, we implemented an Antari F-1 Fazer fog machine. In addition to their new lighting setup, the self-cleaning machine produces a high-quality dry fog to help Radiant Church achieve their desired worship service ambiance.
The Net Result
We provided Radiant Church with the ability to control their church’s atmosphere through their incredibly flexible lighting system to suit whatever purposes they have. Their audio coverage is much smoother than before without interference from audio slapback, and their setup allows them to carry out their mission in their new space more effectively.
