The Garden Grove, Calif.–based Crystal Cathedral recently upgraded its sound system with the help of design firm Acoustic Dimensions and systems integrator Electrosonic.
Built in 1980, the Crystal Cathedral is home to Crystal Cathedral Ministries, and its services are televised internationally on the Hour of Power. The Cathedral is built predominantly of glass, and its sanctuary seats 2,890 people. More than 1,000 singers and musicians can perform in the 185-foot-long chancel area.
The Crystal Cathedral is currently hosting Creation, a multimedia production featuring special effects, acrobatic dancers and an 86-speaker sound system supporting an original score. Creation is running through September, and plays at the Crystal Cathedral several times a week. The production required a comprehensive new sound reinforcement system, which now includes the upgrade to the facility’s existing in-house resources.
Systems integrator Electrosonic handled installation of the equipment, which included 29 JBL VerTec VT4888DP and four VT-4882DP line array elements. The custom-engineered products for the venue feature cosmetic modifications, including the substitution of white grilles for black and the deletion of handles. Additionally, five JBL PD5322/95 models especially equipped with JBL DrivePack units and BSS Soundweb signal processing technology round out the gear.
For systems design, Electrosonic turned to Craig Janssen of Acoustic Dimensions. A specialist in the house-of-worship field, Janssen met the needs of the cathedral, providing support for a variety of different services in an acoustically challenging space. “As with any house of worship, we put a huge priority on clarity and speech articulation, particularly in a large glass room” Janssen says. “The church also needed a versatile sound system for its musical programs; they primarily feature traditional music, but there is also a lot of contemporary music being played.”
“The challenge of the Crystal Cathedral project was to achieve an optimal combination of power, versatility and control,” says Andrew Rutkin, director of custom product engineering for JBL. “The capabilities of VerTec, now enhanced with JBL DrivePack technology, perfectly support the many different requirements of the cathedral, bringing sophisticated, flexible loudspeaker technology to a sophisticated, multi-use worship space.”
For more information on Acoustic Dimensions or on this article, please visit www.acousticdimensions.com (or call 972/239-1505), www.electrosonic.com , or call 952/931-7500.
