Uniquely-shaped sanctuary tamed by Danley

USA: Faith Evangelical Free Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado has occupied its current 300-seat sanctuary for over a decade. Audio issues created by the shape of the space moved the congregation to search for an update of its sound system. ‘Finding the right loudspeakers for their blended contemporary/traditional services was a challenge because of the unique shape of the sanctuary,’ said Kris Johnson, co-founder and chief operating officer of Colorado Springs-based Sight & Sound Technologies, the firm that handled the sound system renovation. ‘There are two huge beams separated by a 7.5m run from the front of the sanctuary to the back, and there’s a pretty dramatic slope down on either side of the beams. The height of the whole ceiling also changes, with the lowest height right above the stage.’

Mr Johnson continues, ‘I like Danley’s approach to designing loudspeakers and subwoofers, and this seemed like it would be a good application based on the pattern control, phase coherence, and fidelity we needed. I feel like I have a pretty good gut sense of what constitutes great sound, and Danley has a good scientific sense of what constitutes great sound. I understand sound on a practical level, and it’s gratifying to have it matched up by Danley’s grasp of the underlying physics. To help Faith Evangelical Free Church make an informed decision, Darby Reps (Danley’s Colorado rep firm) came in and gave them an inspiring demo.’

Mr Johnson chose from amongst Danley’s selection of coverage patterns and settled on a simple stereo hang comprised of one Danley SH-60 per side. A single Danley TH-212 subwoofer sits to the side of the stage and is said to provide Faith EFC with a musical low-end that rounds out the system for an all-enveloping experience. To simplify the installation and to provide fewer avenues for tampering with the system (however well intentioned) Mr Johnson chose Danley’s optional self-powered versions for all three boxes. He also fitted Faith EFC with an Ashly Protea 4.8SP 4x8 loudspeaker processor. The church’s volunteer tech staff manages the sound system via a Behringer X32-channel digital mixer paired with an S16 digital snake. A Mackie SRM350­ provides on-stage monitoring.

‘Because the rest of the system components were available before the SH-60s, we had a unique opportunity to hear how much of a difference the Danley loudspeakers made,’ Mr Johnson elaborates. ‘We updated the mixer, the processor, and the stage monitoring, and tuned things up as best I could with their old loudspeakers. The exercise was also good because it highlighted some areas we could improve just with better training of their volunteer staff: when I mixed a service on the old loudspeakers, it was a noticeable improvement over their previous services, and I was able to transfer the needed skills to their staff. But once we got the Danley loudspeakers in there it was night and day. The clarity and musicality they have now is incredible.’

www.danleysoundlabs.com
www.faith-efc.org
www.sightandsoundtech.tv