MalibuPres moves to new sanctuary with EAW
Published: WORSHIP
WORLD: Designed and installed by North Hollywood-based integrator Audio Techniques, the new sanctuary of Malibu Presbyterian Church in California has been outfitted with an Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) sound system. The new building has been five years in the making after the church’s previous worship space burned down in a wildfire.
Known as MalibuPres for short, the church presents both contemporary and traditional services. Following the loss of the previous building, the church erected a 250-seat temporary structure to serve as the sanctuary until construction was complete. This was outfitted with six flown EAW KF300 loudspeakers and two dual 18-inch subwoofers position to the left and right of the stage.
Whilst being described as a ‘beautiful space’, the new 300-capacity sanctuary is constructed primarily from glass and steel, with large windows on either side. Despite this, Audio Techniques’ Bob Ludwig found the space less acoustically challenging than he imagined.
‘We thought the acoustics would be horrible given the building materials, but fortunately the church brought in an acoustician who did a really fine job in alleviating any issues,’ explained Mr Ludwig. ‘Treatments include strategically placed curtain strips as well as compressed fibreglass that covers about 80 per cent of the ceiling while providing an attractive look.’
The main sound system now in use comprises a pair of EAW QX564i full-range cabinets, one flown on either side of the front platform. ‘The QX Series is absolutely ideal for applications like this, where there's a need for strong full-range performance from a compact, easy-to-fly package that's also easy on the budget,’ offered Mr Ludwig. ‘They meet a lot of needs in terms of both substance and style.’
The SB100 subwoofers from the temporary facility were repurposed and housed in acoustically optimised enclosures built to the left and right of the platform. Front fill is supplied by four EAW JF80 compact cabinets placed equidistantly along the platform, with four more ceiling-mounted JF80s offering additional mid/high coverage in the balcony, time-delayed to match the main loudspeakers.
The church’s musical director, Josh Kaufman, was also involved throughout the design and installation process. The day before the grand opening, Mr Ludwig and Mr Kaufman tested the system and decided not to use any EQ, as it sounded ‘pretty fantastic’ right out of the box.
‘Josh suggested we might need to fine tune it once we heard it in a room full of people, but at that point it sounded perfect,’ Mr Ludwig concluded. ‘After that first service he said “don’t touch a thing”, and we haven’t. The acoustician did his job right and EAW did their homework. It's a relatively simple system but delivers exactly what MalibuPres needs. The QX Series plays a really big part in making projects like this work, exceeding the expectations of the client.’