Church of the Nazarene, commonly known to its congregants and locals as The Naz, has built a large and diverse congregation in the Columbus suburb of Ohio, in the US. The church offers a mix of both contemporary and classic worship services, as well as hosting many conferences and concerts from touring Christian artists.
The Nazarene’s 2 800-seat sanctuary has long struggled with sonic issues, including poor intelligibility and uneven coverage, and they were more than ready to upgrade their sound system. Technical director Matt Groves and FOH sound engineer Doug McLaughlin undertook the job of researching possible solutions. They looked at several major loudspeaker brands and invited several in for demos.
According to Groves they all sounded fine but the Renkus-Heinz IC2 really stood out. They demonstrated the beam steering by putting Groves and McLaughlin up in the balcony with the IC2 cabinet on stage. Then a laptop was opened up and the speakers were steered directly at where they were seating on the balcony, so it could hit them directly upstairs. Once they heard the sound, the decision was made. The system, installed by Tech Art Production, comprises of a left-centre-right, dead-hung configuration, with three IC2-FR modules in the centre flanked by five more on either side. Each full-range IC2-FR module contains four eight-inch speakers and four vertically aligned one-inch high frequency drivers. To deliver the bass needed for the church’s powerful contemporary presentation, the arrays are supplemented by six DR18-2R-powered subwoofers, hung in two groups of three between the main IC2 arrays. As in most contemporary houses of worship, this installation required both musicality and intelligibility, and the IC2 system delivers.
“The music sounds amazing, and the spoken word is crystal clear in every seat, even under the balcony,” says Groves. “The IC2’s digital steering enabled us to aim a beam down to hit the front rows and another to cover beneath the balcony. And we have completely eliminated the slap-back echo from sound bouncing off the balcony facing.”
Groves also appreciates the economy of cabinets required to cover the church’s wide, cavernous sanctuary. “Having 120-degree dispersion lets us cover the full width of the room, even the side wings, with just the three LCR arrays,” he reports. “To do this room with standard line arrays would take two groups nine or 10 boxes in a curved hang, plus extra speakers to cover the dead spots. Our biggest arrays are only five cabinets tall, and we have clean sightlines from every seat. There are no front fills, no side fills, and no speakers under the balcony.’
The early Sunday service is the classic presentation, with an 80-voice choir, 20-piece orchestra, plus a rhythm section. Thirty minutes after that service ends, the room is reset for the contemporary service, with the choir loft walled off and the stage reconfigured. There is also a hybrid service on Saturday. The system’s advanced RHAON control software can instantly recall multiple configurations for each service’s different demands.
“The contemporary service is a pretty high octane and edgier presentation that includes a rhythm section, six vocalists, a whole lot of bass, and is very guitar-driven,” says Groves. “The traditional service needs less bass reinforcement, which we have set up in the RHAON software as a preset. Both sound fantastic from every seat in the house.”
The Renkus-Heinz IC2 has proven to be a perfect fit for the Grove City Church of the Nazarene. “From the first service onward, we’ve gotten nothing but compliments on the system,” says Groves.
