Community system for Alexandria First Presbyterian Church
Published: WORSHIP
WORLD: JD Sound and Video recently designed and installed an audio and video system into the Alexandria First Presbyterian Church in New Jersey, US, which included Community Professional's Entasys column arrays and VLF series subwoofers.
‘It's not a large building, and it's not very ornate,’ said JD Sound's Joe DiSabatino. ‘But they've invested wisely with the technology they've installed.’
Mr DiSabatino explained that the building's old stone walls and hard surfaces make for a highly reflective acoustical environment, and stated that achieving good spoken word intelligibility has long been a challenge. ‘It's a large, boxy room with high ceilings, hard plaster walls and lots of hard wood,’ he said. ‘It sounds great for the choir, but not for the sermon.’
JD Sound recommended a pair of Community Entasys column loudspeakers to cover the entire space. ‘We set up a temporary system for them to use during a service, and they were immediately convinced,’ said Mr DiSabatino.
The church often uses music in its programme, leading Mr DiSabatino to recommend a pair of VLF208 subwoofers to fill out the frequency range. ‘We built the subs into the altar – underneath the stage. They provide just that little bit of extra low end and kick.
‘The columns are painted to match the walls, and are barely visible,’ he added. ‘Crown amplifiers power the system, and a Rane HAL system provides DSP and enables the church to make multi-channel recordings of their services, with an eye toward webcasting in the future.’
The church's previous system, a pair of Community CSX loudspeakers, has been relocated. ‘The kids have a gathering spot elsewhere in the church, and the original Community system is still working fine, so it was perfect for that,’ he explained. ‘The Entasys system was the perfect solution,’ he concluded. ‘Coverage is consistent to every seat, even under the balcony, and we've got far more gain before feedback. And they sound terrific.’