A recent upgrade to the technical infrastructure at the Word of Faith Dominion Church (WOFD) in Lake Mills, Iowa, has seen Audio Video Electronics (AVE) install a Martin Audio Torus constant curvature line array. The technical upgrade was undertaken in two phases, with a new mixing desk and control up on the balcony, forming the first phase, and the ‘racks and stacks’ following in phase two.
Having reviewed a number of options, AVE Sales Consultant, Kerry Graffunder, replaced the church’s existing PA, which was no longer delivering the coverage or clarity, with a pair of Torus hangs to the left and right of the stage and a Blackline X218 subwoofer in the centre. Close-field coverage is provided by a pair of Martin Audio differential dispersion DD6 loudspeakers under two angled scrims at the front of the stage. The new set-up is powered by a pair of Martin Audio’s iKon iK42 multichannel power amplifiers.
‘We have many different HoW installations using [Martin Audio] CDD point source under our belts, but this was our first time wetting our feet with Torus,’ project lead, Karl Selander, explains. ‘We had not really had an opportunity to explore the Torus line previously, but when we looked at the different options, it was clear that CDD wasn’t the right fit for the room.’
By placing a T1215 (15° vertical pattern) atop a T1230 (30°) Selander achieved both the throw and width of coverage required for the an 80ft x 80ft room, in which the 17ft stage reduced the net coverage area to little more than 60ft.
A house of worship specialist, Martin Audio has long been on AVE’s list of preferred brands. The O-Line micro-array marked one of AVE’s first forays into that market with the brand. ‘It was for a specific customer and seemed a really good fit,’ Selander notes.
Moving on to Torus – which uses a hybrid approach between line array and point-source – Selander led an exacting collaborative review, enlisting design support from Martin Audio’s US office, fronted by Martha Callaghan. This ensured he was using an optimum solution. and giving up to 200 congregants. While WOFD was fairly forgiving when it came to reverberation, unlike some worship houses, Martin Audio’s own technical support team assisted by Display software modelling to ensure optimisation.
In fact the installation team had faced very few challenges, as Selander explains: ‘The rigging solution we came up with ensured we could securely mount the T12 grid. It was relatively simple to get the angles correct using Unistrut [brackets] attached to the existing purlin and optimise the pan and tilt angles. It went up extremely quickly.’
Presets in Martin Audio’s VU-Net software for the Torus configuration gave the head start needed, with the recommended FIR filters placed on the appropriate amplifier channel. ‘We then just needed to dial in any problem frequencies within the room. After that, it sounded great straight out of the box.’
‘The size of the cab was easy to work with, and the tech crew there had no problems moving anything around,’ Selander says. ‘The adjustments that were available with the waveguides were simple to understand and use and the support from Martin Audio was spot on. We had all the information we needed right out of the gate.’
‘It was the correct decision,’ Graffunder adds. ‘It’s given the Ministry a ton of extra benefits.’
