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Asbury United Methodist Calls on American Audio for New Worship Venue NEXO System

“After hearing a NEXO demo at last year’s InfoComm exhibition, we were sold on the quality, especially at its price point,� says Edwards. “Once we submitted our initial design to NEXO and Yamaha engineers, we proposed the GEO S12 system to the church instead of a higher-priced system by an another manufacturer.� Four S1210 and two S1230 cabinets are used in each of the three arrays for LCR coverage. A NEXO PS10UV2 cabinet was added to each side array for use in outside seating coverage from the opposite array. This signal is processed using a cross-matrix and multiple delay system to minimize timing inconsistencies. Yamaha Installation Series IF2205 speakers are used as front fills at six locations across the stage front with each pair receiving a separately processed, mixed and timed signal from the LCR buss of the console.

“The final results were exactly as the NEXO prediction software

said the system would work,� says Edwards. “With all of our years of experience, we have never had this level of prediction accuracy and quality from a system like we obtained with the GEO S12.� A NEXO NX242ES processor is also used along with a BSS processor. Lab Gruppen and Crown amplifiers power the system. “The church is very impressed with the quality, power, and clarity of the NEXO GEO S12 line arrays.�
Madison, Alabama⎯Around 1981, Madison, Alabama began to grow from a small sleepy cotton town to a bustling suburb of nearby Huntsville. Cotton fields were slowly turning into new homes, stores, churches, and schools. As a result of the town’s growth, the Madison United Methodist Church started growing as well. In 1986, the church officially changed its name to Asbury United Methodist, naming it after Francis Asbury who was the first Methodist bishop appointed in America. Since that time, membership has grown from 329 to its present congregation of 2,598 today. Due to its proximity to NASA, many of its employees serve as church volunteers.

Recently, Asbury United Methodist built a new 1,500-seat worship venue called the Grace Building. During the early architectural design phase, American Audio, Inc. (Ruston, Louisiana) was hired to design and budget for sound, lighting, and video systems for the new facility. Additionally, they were contracted to review room acoustics, wall shapes, conduit systems and AVL power needs for the facility. “Budget was a big issue since the church wanted the quality of a high-powered touring system, but at a cost-effective price point,� states Gwin Edwards, President, American Audio, Inc.

Officially opening on Easter Sunday, two services were held and filled to capacity. The church holds two concurrent services, traditional and contemporary, providing two worship times each Sunday morning. Five different church bands are used as well as a choir. The contemporary services are held at the new Grace Building. “On a typical week, we have at least three vocalists, drums, bass and electric guitar, keyboards and piano, along with an acoustic instrument,� states Beau Miles, aCross Generation Technical Director. “Occasionally, we have a violinist and/or a percussionist. The big challenge, though, isn’t just the instruments but the bands. We have five of them, ranging in all different styles. The NEXO boxes allow the versatility for any sound we throw at them to sound wonderful whether it be Rock, Folk, Funk, Contemporary Christian music, etc. Our sound guys have moved from mixing in the back of a gym to mixing in a 1,500 seat auditorium,� Miles adds. “It’s been an easy transition, and a full and richer worship experience.�

“Working with American Audio was a great pleasure,� adds Miles. “They listened to the desires of the church and met and exceeded all expectations. The attention to detail makes the company one of the best! The bands and congregation have been blown away. We have to tell our bands ‘there is no where to hide in this system; if you hit a wrong note, it will be heard.’ After our first service one of our bandleaders came and told me ‘the bar has been raised and that it was professional quality sound.’ The clarity and fullness of the system is unbelievable. The congregation has been able to worship freely without straining to hear or understand our Pastors and Leaders. The system makes my job easy. I don’t have to worry about failures, and can focus on the Sunday service instead of having to worry about the reliability of the system!�

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About Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc.:
Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. (YCAS) provides a full line of integrated professional audio products offering complete systems solutions for the broadcast, sound reinforcement/installed sound, touring, commercial recording, and post production markets. With the addition of NEXO to the product line, the company remains the official U.S. and Canadian distributor for all NEXO speaker models. YCAS offers comprehensive in-house and field product training for its customers, a dedicated dealer network, and 24/7 technical support.

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