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Sound Systems Integration
To integrate these designs into the new architectural vision of the Sanctuary required a true team effort. Audio systems integrator SPL Integrated Solutions worked hand-in-hand with JaffeHolden, architect Kevin Marshall, FUMC representatives Darrell White and Mark Theobald, Schoenstein Organ Builders, Construction Manager Jeff Hamilton and Project Superintendent Frank Schmidt of W. S. Auch and Company, and Electrical Contractor Mahalo Corporation. Every part of the system needed to be considered as part of a larger whole: from final mounting and colors of visible system elements, to coordinated locations for audio, lighting and HVAC controls, to conduit routing for technical power, lighting, and audio systems.

"Designing functional systems is only one part of the equation. It's more about working closely with a client to truly understand their needs so the solution is their solution, not just a solution."

Many churches employ high-technology in their worship services, and expect that active hands-on mixing of the services is part of that system. At FUMC, Theobald was quite clear that for traditional Sunday services, the church wanted a technologically advanced solution to further the quality of their message, but that the solution needed to be a system that was automated, intuitive, and above all, hands-off.

Team members also worked closely to make high-tech sound solutions as architecturally unobtrusive as possible. Elements of the main audio reinforcement system visually blended with the architecture. Discrete line-gradient microphones serve the lectern and pulpit, front fill loudspeakers are hidden behind decorative grilles adjacent to the lectern and pulpit, and the main reinforcement array and smaller reinforcement fill loudspeakers for the transepts and chancel are painted to blend into adjacent woodwork or walls. Smaller speakers used for the electronic architecture are similarly discrete: early lateral energy loudspeakers high in the side walkway arches reflect energy off the side walls, main reverberant field loudspeakers are hidden above the decorative up-lighting cove running above each side wall, and low-frequency support loudspeakers are mounted into the upper wooden trusses.

An Automated System
Providing for a very hands-off system added a new level of sophistication and integration. To eliminate the need for a system operator, the electronic architecture system runs a constant background program evaluating the content of the sound in the room, automatically transitioning between the default "music" setting and the dryer "speech" setting. At the same time, the various wireless microphones used for pastors as well as the fixed lectern, pulpit and altar microphones are all being automatically mixed and gain-staged to provide uniform reinforcement of the spoken word.

Normal control of the system is limited to simple Symnet ARC remote control panels that provide system on/off control and a limited-range master overall volume knob. For most services, these functions are all that are needed. Providing this coordinated functionality was another collaborative effort. SPL's project engineer, Jim Johnson, and JaffeHolden's Mark Turpin together wrote the programming for the Symnet system, coordinating communications and control with Steve Ellison of Level Control Systems, who coordinated the complementary VRAS programming.

When powered up, the FUMC system comes online with the electronic architecture system in the default music mode and the reinforcement system in auto-mix mode. From here, the electronic architecture system immediately starts running speech recognition software to evaluate the room acoustic content and actively switch between modes as needed. For special events, the Symnet ARC panels also provide the ability to manually select the speech, music, or organ ERES modes, either briefly (with the automatic seeking program still running) or locked (with the automatic seeking disabled). This latter choice, for instance, is used to ensure the room stays in "organ" mode throughout a dedicated organ concert.

Although this highly "hands-off" mode is ideal for most services, the FUMC Sanctuary is also used for guest musical artists where a hands-on mix is both appropriate and expected. The reinforcement system in the Sanctuary was also designed to allow for this use, with discretely located input panels on either side of the Chancel providing a variety of microphone, line-level and video input options, along with patchable monitor speaker returns from eight available channels of remote monitor amplification. Tie-lines connect all these capabilities between the Chancel, rack room, and a FOH connection box recessed into the floor at the back of the main level Sanctuary seating.

The Chancel wall connector panels also provide multi-connectors to allow quick Sanctuary setup of FUMC's portable sound systems used in other venues around the Church campus. Direct inputs to the Sanctuary main speaker arrays allow the sound technician using a portable system to use the main Sanctuary reinforcement loudspeakers, the portable system speakers, or any combination of the two. Dry speaker lines from the rack room also allow the portable system amp rack to be remotely located in the rack room (where extra power is provided for this purpose) instead of the rack being visible in the Chancel.

The end result for First United Methodist Church is, to quote the Church's music director, nothing short of miraculous. The church choir spread out through the sanctuary to sing as a congregation and for choir members, looks of wonder turned to tears of joy as they sang. The following Sunday, Senior Pastor Bill Ritter looked out over the congregation after the opening hymn, and quietly said "after twelve years in this pulpit, for the first time today I have truly heard you sing."