With the performing arts its chosen worship channel, the Harvest House Church in Boone, North Carolina, includes a recording studio, dance studio, art studio and performance venue. As part of the ongoing operation of the facility, the church management recently upgraded the sound reinforcement capabilities using WorxAudio CDL series loudspeakers, and a PreSonus StudioLive 32 console and StudioLive 32R rackmount digital mixer.

A/V design/build firm Selah Media Productions services the house of worship and commercial markets, and was contracted to design and install the new system – becoming one of the first integrators in the US to deploy the new loudspeakers.

‘This project was an extensive A/V retrofit,’ explains President, Buck Roberts. ‘We upgraded the space from older PreSonus equipment that included WorxAudio Wave series loudspeakers and a PreSonus StudioLive 32.4.2AI mixing console.

‘This upgrade represented a substantial improvement in sound and control capability since the space will now be used as a performing arts center in addition to its use for worship services. The upgraded SR system encompasses the new PreSonus CDL12 constant directivity loudspeakers, a 40-input StudioLive 32 console, StudioLive 32R, NSB 8.8 AVB-networked stagebox, and an SW5E 5-port AVB switch with Power over Ethernet.’

The Harvest House Church auditorium measures 70ft x 65ft, with the stage facing into the length of the room. Removable seating accommodates roughly 400 people. The space was acoustically treated by Selah Media Productions during the initial installation several years ago.

The new loudspeaker set-up includes six CDL12 constant directivity loudspeakers, with three enclosures each flown for the left and right sides of the stage area. The CDL12 combines point source and line array technology, radiating a highly focused pattern with consistent SPL throughout the frequency response range, both on- and off-axis. These are accompanied by four ULT18 Active Sound-Reinforcement Subwoofers – two per side, positioned on the floor. For stage monitoring, six PreSonus EarMix 16M AVB-networked personal monitor mixers are deployed, along with two PreSonus Air10 active loudspeakers to be used as required for floor monitors. An NSB 8.8 AVB-networked stagebox provides additional I/O as needed.

At FOH, the StudioLive 32 is augmented by the StudioLive 32R mixer configured for use in stagebox mode. A PreSonus SW5E AVB switch handles the system’s network configuration, connecting the StudioLive 32, the StudioLive 32R mixer, plus the EarMix 16M monitor mixers.

‘The CDL12s offer groundbreaking technology and the scalability of the system is exceptional,’ Roberts says. ‘The wide horizontal dispersion of the boxes eliminated the need for side fills, and the 60° of vertical throw easily reaches from the front to the back of the room – with no need for front fills. The CDL12’s eight 2-inch drivers aligned in a segmented circular-arc high-frequency array centered in front of a 12-inch woofer is phenomenal. You can keep increasing volume without the high end ever getting harsh.

‘The system is on a dedicated Wi-Fi router for remote system control using various PreSonus apps, such as WorxControl for the CDLs,’ Roberts adds. ‘Because of this, we have the ability to configure the system for any type of event that may take place in the space. Equally, the console is easy to use and configure – and it sounds great. With PreSonus’ AVB networking, it’s easy to patch channels and makes the system perfect for this venue.’

With the new sound system fully operational, Roberts reports the system has been a huge success: ‘The feedback from the staff at the church has been overwhelmingly positive,’ he says. ‘The pastor was amazed at what we are able to do with the system and the tech director says that the audio is at every seat sounds the same.

‘Musicians love the monitoring system and its ability to give each person the ability for stereo in-ear mixes. Similarly, the venue manager reports this new setup gives them the ability to boost the number of events that get booked. The bottom line is that the CDL loudspeakers and PreSonus Series III ecosystem is our new go-to product group for system integration. In terms of value and functionality, nothing else comes close.’