Based in Allendale, New Jersey, Outreach FX (OFX) recently equipped local churches with two EAW Radius sound reinforcement systems – meeting the contrasting demands of each.
‘One of the core constituents of OFX has always been churches. Everyone who works here comes from the church world and we understand how they work and what they need to succeed. Radius works extremely well in many church applications,’ explains Chad Smith, Project Manager/Designer for OFX.
‘The flexibility of the system, combined with how simple it is to deploy and how easy it is for volunteers to use, makes it ideal for churches.’
The Radius systems have been installed at the Philadelphia Christian Center and at the new Owings Mills Reistertown satellite campus for Columbia, Maryland-based Bridgeway Community Church.
‘The Philadelphia Christian Center sanctuary had a fairly high ceiling in a fan-shaped room, while the Owings Mills Reistertown space was wide with a very low ceiling,’ Smith recounts. ‘In both cases, Radius provided clean, even coverage of the seating areas and helped create the environment each service required.’
For the Philadelphia Christian Center installation, where the sanctuary seats 400 on the floor and another 200 in the balcony, Smith specified two arrays of five RSX208L three-way, self-powered loudspeakers. Two RSX218 dual 18-inch subwoofers provided additional low end with each located in the far corners of the floor. Two RSX12M stage monitors are on stage for use by speakers and musicians.
To cover the Owing Mills Reistertown sanctuary, Smith opted to hang four small arrays – each made up of two RSX208L loudspeakers – across the length of the stage. He also used four RSX18 18-inch subs, one placed behind each array, for additional low-end support. Both systems run over Dante, which allows audio and communication along a single Cat5 cable and reduces cabling cost and set-up complexity.
‘I tuned each system with the Mosaic software, which is very robust,’ Smith says. ‘The ability for us to deploy a software solution that our client can use that we can also fix as needed is genius. If there is a problem we just send them their set-up file, they upload to their iPad and everything is reset.
‘We knew going into the Philadelphia install that they were planning to move to a bigger space next year and wanted to take the system with them. With Radius, they can. I have no qualms about adding to the system so that it can cover a bigger sanctuary while still sound just as good as it sounds in their current location.’
