Designed by Paul Henry Architects and Project Managers Ltd, and built by Midlands-based Adonis Construction, the new church includes energy-saving features and all the mod-cons of a modern building. Funding for the project has come solely from members and friends of the church, representing a significant commitment and major investment by the community into the South Lozells/Handsworth area of Birmingham.
Nexo dealer Fuzion plc supplied a package of sound reinforcement equipment for installation by Cloud One and the NTCG's own expert, Rowen Spence, a freelance sound engineer specialising in gospel music and conferences. Key components of the new sound system were Nexo Geo S12 and Geo S8 loudspeakers, powered by Camco Vortex 6 amplifiers.
The church auditorium has two levels in a typical theatre-style layout. The Geo S12 line array modules are flown three a side, covering the ground-floor seats. For the balcony, clusters of three Geo S8 full-range compact cabinets are flown above the stage. There are a few additional PS8s providing necessary centre-fill for a very wide audence area.
"In terms of the auditorium's acoustics, there is an acoustic ceiling and wall panels so the reverb time is minimal," saysNTCG's Rowen Spence. "The system produces a warm clear sound, which can get quite loud quite quickly so you don't have to push it." The installation spec includes a Symmetrix system controller which provides general system EQ, alignment/delay and limiting. It has also been set up to zone the system, so that either the ground-floor or balcony level can be muted, with wall-panel control available.
At front-of-house is a Yamaha M7CL digital console which, like the Nexo PA, has been chosen to be as rider-friendly as possible. "We plan to have a lot of artistes coming over from all over the UK and the USA, and we are hoping that the visiting engineers will be impressed with our new set-up."
The NTCG regularly hosts a full live band on stage, accompanied by worship leaders, backing vocalists and the choir. However, the new venue will also be used for presentations, conferences and headline concerts, so the loudspeakers will have to deliver a wide range of material. "We're still experimenting with EQ and the FOH sound on different types of events, but so far, it has performed well across the board," says Spence. "We might add a couple of PS8s to the widest part of the auditorium, and maybe additional subs if we start to major in musical concerts."
(Jim Evans)
