Westside Family Church goes immersive with L-ISA
Westside Family Church goes immersive with L-ISA
Westside Family Church in Lenexa, Kansas, has implemented L-Acoustics L-ISA immersive sound technology paired with A10i loudspeakers to enhance the worship experience. Founded in 1976, the Southern Baptist church has expanded significantly over the years, which has seen the development of a multisite ministry model that includes satellite campuses and an online presence.
The new system has been installed to provide clarity and coverage while working within the auditorium’s architectural constraints. “The design presented several unique challenges,” explained Marc Breda, project lead at Vantage Pro AV, the church’s integration and technology partner. “First, the main worship space has an unusually low ceiling for a room of its size. We also had to work around a centrally located catwalk that further limited our usable trim height.” Additionally, the church uses a projection screen for its services, measuring approximately 10.4m x 4.3m, so maintaining clear sight lines for important visual content throughout the seating area was crucial.
Using Soundvision 3D audio modelling software, the team chose an L-ISA design utilising A10i as the primary loudspeaker. A mixture of both Wide and Focus models comprise the main scene array, buttressed by KS21 subwoofers, all powered by a pair of LA7.16i amplified controllers. “The new system nicely fits the room’s geometry,” said Breda. “It’s a moderate fan shape with stadium seating in the back, which lends itself well to an L-ISA design.”
Taking the project further, the church wanted to enhance the audio experience with an immersive system. “It’s been fun to watch their tech staff really lean into the L-ISA immersive technology. It’s taking their worship experience to another level,” noted Vantage Pro audio team lead Duke DeJong.
The church’s longtime AVL engineer, Obed Castillo, noted the difference of immersive sound was profound enough to bring him back to the mixing console, which he had stepped back from due to the lack of clarity making it difficult to distinguish frequencies. “L-ISA completely changed that,” he confirmed. “The clarity is exceptional – even subtle EQ adjustments are immediately noticeable. Plus, the system's localisation capabilities give me new creative options. Instead of relying solely on EQ, I can enhance elements in the mix by adjusting their spatial positioning. The results have been so inspiring that I’ve gone from mixing just three services a year to being at the console any time a volunteer is not available and I can step in at FOH.”
L-ISA technology has provided the audio team with a user-friendly system that offers new capabilities, enhancing creativity. Castillo cited a story when one of the church’s video operators attended the L-Acoustics training sessions and created a practice mix at home. “Their mix had a unique visual perspective, making creative use of the spatial capabilities,” he said. “Despite coming from a video background, they produced excellent sound. This really demonstrates how intuitive L-ISA is making immersive audio mixing accessible to our entire production team.”
“It has us thinking in a different way about sound and presentation,” concluded Derek Davis, worship and creative arts director. “The system offers so many creative possibilities that we’re discovering new ways to enhance our worship experience every week. The results we’ve already achieved are incredibly rewarding and we’re excited to continue exploring L-ISA’s full potential.”
