Key to the new system are the three Powersoft M Series HDSP+ETH amplifiers that drive the loudspeaker arrays, which are flown in an LR configuration above the raised stage in the church’s 600-seat auditorium.
An M50Q HDSP+ETH four-channel amplifier drives the Renkus-Heinz CF101 mid/high cabinets, while an M30Q HDSP+ETH two-channel amplifier powers the CF15S subwoofers. A Powersoft M28Q HDSP+ETH four-channel amplifier provides power to a pair of wedge monitors, two flown choir monitors and a number of Galaxy Audio Hot Spot vocal monitors.
‘The overall sound is amazing,’ ,’ says Chris Austin, President of Icon Media who provided systems design and installation. ‘The DSP [in the Powersfot amplifiers] has all the power that we need and the networkability is fantastic. But one of Powersoft’s greatest assets is Ken Blecher, the company’s Executive Vice President – he was always available for assistance and to help with any questions that arose during this, and all other projects where Powersoft amplifiers were used.
‘Rack space saving, power efficiency that is second to none and Powersoft’s damping control,’ Austin adds.
The HDSP+ETH digital signal processing and Ethernet connectivity options provide high levels of control and monitoring through Powersoft’s Armonía Pro Audio Suite software. Having used Armonía to optimise the speaker system, Austin made sure that no one could tamper with the DSP settings. ‘We left no interface connected to it, so nobody can go in and alter the settings,’ he reports.
Austin is so pleased with the performance and quality of Powersoft’s entire range that the amplifiers are now his first choice for any system design. ‘We had been using another brand pretty exclusively for the last several years when I heard about Powersoft. The rep delivered some samples to us, and after using the software and listening to them we were so impressed that we decided to switch all of our system spec’s over; now we’re specifying Powersoft on all of our systems. We have not been disappointed,’ he says, also noting, ‘Their customer service is excellent.’
A PreSonus StudioLive 32.4.2 digital mixing console that the church had previously purchased controls the set-up – audio from the console is fed to a video switcher that distributes sound and picture to displays in the nursery, foyer and other parts of the building. The A/V signal is also recorded into a Mac Mini computer and webcast as an H.264 stream. In addition, Icon Media supplied Sennheiser wireless mic systems for the pastor and his team, and Audix wired microphones for the choir.
Icon also supplied and installed a JVC HD camera, a Christie HD projector and a Stewart Da-Lite projection screen.
‘It’s not one of our driving design goals but we did try to keep everything very energy efficient and ‘green.’ That goes a long way with everyone,’ Austin closes. ‘We rocked their world.’
