The damager caudes by arson in 2008 almost destroyed Omaha’s Greater Beth-El Temple. The congregation moved its activities elsewhere, the temple underwent a complete renovation. Left virtually an empty shell after the fire, the building required new floors, a ceiling, a stage, seating – and sound system.
Popular among Omaha’s African-American community, the Apostolic Christian church services include a full musical ensemble playing contemporary Christian and gospel music. Theatrical performances and concerts are also regular events at the temple.
According to John Manhart of Direct Pro Audio, the contractor who designed and installed Greater Beth-El’s new audio system, low profile looks combined with large sound capability were paramount in selecting the new system: ‘Greater Beth-El needs a sound system that blends well aesthetically with the temple’s décor but still provides enough output to handle their sound requirements,’ he explains. ‘They want to avoid big hanging speaker boxes that might block the view of their stage backdrop and projection screen.’
Direct Pro Audio turned to a Renkus-Heinz Iconyx IC Live Digitally Steerable Array System. The installed system includes two ICL-FR-Dual loudspeakers, each with 16 drivers per side.
The speakers have been painted to blend almost seamlessly into the temple’s stage area and are mounted permanently on both walls flanking the stage. Two IC Live sub-woofers are tucked into a nook just below the speakers.
Other system components include a Roland M-300 digital mixing console and a variety of Audix wired and wireless mics.
The renovated temple has seating for approximately 600, but a moveable airwall located in the rear of the temple provides space for up to 800 people. ‘The IC Llive system is low-profile, custom painted to match the décor, and has great quality sound output,’ Manhart reports. ‘ Nothing else on the market can really do that.’
More: www.renkus-heinz.com
