Turbosound installations

First Church of the Nazarene, USA

Venue: First Church of the Nazarene
Location: Pasadena, CA
Venue-type: House of Worship
Loudspeaker system:
8 x Floodlight TFL-760H encosures
2 x Floodlight TFL-768 custom enclosures
3 x TSW-118 bass enclosures
4 x TSW-718 bass enclosures
16 x TCS-30 infills
2 x LMS-700 loudspeaker management systems

Built in 1980, capable of holding upwards of 4,000 worshippers and surrounded by a 12.5 acre campus, the First Church of the Nazarene is one of the first, as well as the largest, examples of the trend towards so-called "mega-churches" in the US. While it remains an icon of a 20th century phenomenon, this exquisite facility upgraded its sound system to position it for the needs of the 21st century, with sound system design expertise from Turbosound.

The new installation incorporates many diverse Turbosound components to achieve the church's goal of building a single system that could work just as well for a single voice as for a rock band. The main system, comprised of three hanging clusters, utilises Turbosound Floodlight components. The centre cluster features six TFL-760H mid/high enclosures in a three wide, two deep configuration with three TSW-118 low frequency enclosures. The left and right clusters consist of one custom TFL-768 four way full range enclosure, and one TFL-760H mid/high enclosure per cluster. Four floor mounted TSW-718 subwoofer enclosures round out the main system. Front fill is accomplished by eight TCS-30 5" two way cabinets painted to match the altar's royal blue theme, while eight white TCS-30 contractor series enclosures provide under balcony delay support. Signal processing is handled using Audient ASP-231 graphic processors and Turbosound LMS-700 digital controllers. MC2 amplification powers the system.

A complex story had unfolded long before this stage was reached, one that underscores the changing nature of churches in society and the increasing importance of high-quality sound to their purpose. "The mission and the nature of the ministry had changed since the church was first built," observes Bill Bouse, Director of Technical Services for the First Church of the Nazarene. "It was no longer simply about one voice emanating from a single pulpit. Church today has evolved into a multimedia experience which often includes some very complex music, traditional and rock. We needed a system that could do all of that, and still ensure that we could get the message across."

Taking these new demands on the facility into account, Bouse and his department at first made several attempts to design their own system. "We didn't want a typical 'church' sound system, something that was off-the-shelf," he says. "We needed something that would really address our particular needs. The trouble was, it's not easy to get someone to install a system if they didn't also design it, and we weren't happy with the kinds of plans that had been offered to us until then." Bouse continued to research the sound system and design industry, calling colleagues across the country. After receiving design proposals from a multitude of suppliers, as he put it, all roads eventually led to Turbosound. "It was amazing, but that's the name that kept coming up, over and over again," he recalls.

This quickly led to a new team to consider the church's sound system needs, which included: Arne Toshner and Ed Bigger of ASK Marketing, Turbosound's Southern California Sales Rep; Laurie Burke and Mick Sturgeon of Delicate Electronic Sales, who served as the system contractor; and Paul Giansante and Dan Abelson of Audio Independence Ltd., Turbosound primary equipment supplier, who together provided Bouse with a plan that worked for all of his requirements. What's more, they were willing to demo their ideas for Bouse, a move few companies would ever commit to. "They put in a representative system that was comprised of about 60 percent of what it would eventually come to be," says Bouse. "It took all of about 15 minutes for us to make up our minds - this is the system that we wanted and needed."

	First Church of the Nazarene, USA

	Venue: First Church of the Nazarene Location: Pasadena, CA Venue-type: House of Worship Loudspeaker system: 8 x Floodlight TFL-760H encosures 2 x Floodlight TFL-768 custom enclosures 3 x TSW-118 bass enclosures 4 x TSW-718 bass enclosures 16 x TCS-30 infills 2 x LMS-700 loudspeaker management systems

	Built in 1980, capable of holding upwards of 4,000 worshippers and surrounded by a 12.5 acre campus, the First Church of the Nazarene is one of the first, as well as the largest, examples of the trend towards so-called "mega-churches" in the US. While it remains an icon of a 20th century phenomenon, this exquisite facility upgraded its sound system to position it for the needs of the 21st century, with sound system design expertise from Turbosound. The new installation incorporates many diverse Turbosound components to achieve the church's goal of building a single system that could work just as well for a single voice as for a rock band. The main system, comprised of three hanging clusters, utilises Turbosound Floodlight components. The centre cluster features six TFL-760H mid/high enclosures in a three wide, two deep configuration with three TSW-118 low frequency enclosures. The left and right clusters consist of one custom TFL-768 four way full range enclosure, and one TFL-760H mid/high enclosure per cluster. Four floor mounted TSW-718 subwoofer enclosures round out the main system. Front fill is accomplished by eight TCS-30 5" two way cabinets painted to match the altar's royal blue theme, while eight white TCS-30 contractor series enclosures provide under balcony delay support. Signal processing is handled using Audient ASP-231 graphic processors and Turbosound LMS-700 digital controllers. MC2 amplification powers the system. A complex story had unfolded long before this stage was reached, one that underscores the changing nature of churches in society and the increasing importance of high-quality sound to their purpose. "The mission and the nature of the ministry had changed since the church was first built," observes Bill Bouse, Director of Technical Services for the First Church of the Nazarene. "It was no longer simply about one voice emanating from a single pulpit. Church today has evolved into a multimedia experience which often includes some very complex music, traditional and rock. We needed a system that could do all of that, and still ensure that we could get the message across." Taking these new demands on the facility into account, Bouse and his department at first made several attempts to design their own system. "We didn't want a typical 'church' sound system, something that was off-the-shelf," he says. "We needed something that would really address our particular needs. The trouble was, it's not easy to get someone to install a system if they didn't also design it, and we weren't happy with the kinds of plans that had been offered to us until then." Bouse continued to research the sound system and design industry, calling colleagues across the country. After receiving design proposals from a multitude of suppliers, as he put it, all roads eventually led to Turbosound. "It was amazing, but that's the name that kept coming up, over and over again," he recalls. This quickly led to a new team to consider the church's sound system needs, which included: Arne Toshner and Ed Bigger of ASK Marketing, Turbosound's Southern California Sales Rep; Laurie Burke and Mick Sturgeon of Delicate Electronic Sales, who served as the system contractor; and Paul Giansante and Dan Abelson of Audio Independence Ltd., Turbosound primary equipment supplier, who together provided Bouse with a plan that worked for all of his requirements. What's more, they were willing to demo their ideas for Bouse, a move few companies would ever commit to. "They put in a representative system that was comprised of about 60 percent of what it would eventually come to be," says Bouse. "It took all of about 15 minutes for us to make up our minds - this is the system that we wanted and needed."