Woodside Bible opens Lake Orion campus with R-H

USA: From modest beginnings, Woodside Bible Church in Lake Orion, Michigan, has grown to become a cornerstone of the metropolitan Detroit community, with 12 campuses serving southeastern Michigan's contemporary Christian population. Woodside's Lake Orion campus was originally founded in 2009 as a portable church, operating out of an area middle school. Recently, the church acquired a new 7,900 sq-m building for the Lake Orion campus to call home.

‘Because it was a former retail space, there were a number of structural changes that needed to be made,’ details Bob Sullivan, principal of Advanced Lighting and Sound in Troy, MI. ‘There were issues with bringing power and other infrastructure up to code, as well as a need to accommodate an existing set of escalators between floors.’ The sanctuary, which seats around 750 people, ‘is oddly rectangular but somewhat asymmetrical to accommodate the escalator,’ he adds.

A Renkus-Heinz VARIAi variable array loudspeaker system was installed to address the acoustic challenges while satisfying Woodside’s sound reinforcement needs. The system is comprised of two arrays, each utilising two VAX101i-15/12 and two VAX101i-22/12 boxes. ‘We chose the VARIAi for its ability to shape the coverage for the room, in both the vertical and horizontal planes,’ says Mr Sullivan. ‘With the VARIAi’s variable coverage patterns, we were able to configure a system using fewer cabinets than we would have needed with a standard line array. That flexibility was essential in meeting the room's acoustical challenges, as well as the project's budget constraints. The ease of installation and the system's clean design were a plus for the church.’

The system also includes a Yamaha QL5 console at front of house, with Rio 3224 and Rio 1608 Dante-compatible I/O racks. An Aviom personal monitor system using D800 Dante connectivity also connects to the network. Crown XTi amplification completes the package. ‘We were able to allocate for some minimal acoustical treatment, which helped tighten things up a bit,’ adds Mr Sullivan.

‘Advanced Lighting and Sound has worked with Woodside Baptist Church for more than 10 years, providing audio, lighting and video for all its campuses and workshop spaces,’ Mr Sullivan concludes. ‘This was one of the more challenging projects, and thanks to the VARIAi system, one of the most rewarding.’

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