Asbury Church adopts L-ISA immersive audio
Asbury Church adopts L-ISA immersive audio
Asbury Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has installed an L-Acoustics L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal sound system to improve coverage and accommodate the contrasting audio requirements of its traditional and contemporary worship services.
The congregation, which attracts around 3,300 worshippers weekly, was founded in 1962. Its sanctuary hosts a choir and orchestra service at 9am, followed by a worship band at 11am. Combined services can require up to 126 inputs on the mixing console.
The previous PA system was nearing the end of its service life and suffered from uneven coverage, including areas with reduced high-frequency response and overlapping zones of increased sound pressure. Following an evaluation of several manufacturers, AV systems integrator DC Pro specified L-ISA to provide spatial control and consistent coverage across the auditorium. “No other system offered the creative flexibility required to support two polar-opposite services every Sunday at the level of excellence Asbury expects,” said DC Pro CEO Daniel Connell.
The system’s frontal configuration comprises five arrays of L2D loudspeakers, forming the L-ISA Scene. Eight Kiva II enclosures in each of the left and right extension arrays widen the sound image, while two additional arrays of eight Kiva IIi provide coverage to the sides of the auditorium.
Low-frequency reinforcement comes from 12 KS21i subwoofers flown behind the central array in three groups of four, configured for cardioid performance. Twelve SB10i subwoofers along the stage front extend low-frequency coverage to the front rows, supported by 10 X8i enclosures providing spatialised front-fill.
The surround system includes six X15 coaxial enclosures along the upper sides of the auditorium, 11 X8i mounted on the balcony face and 15 X6i on the rear wall of the over-balcony section. A further 15 X6i provide under-balcony delay coverage, supplemented by two X12 enclosures above the far sides of the balcony. Six X8 enclosures serve as stage monitors. LA7.16i and LA1.16i amplified controllers power the loudspeakers, while an L-ISA Processor II handles object-based audio rendering.
Since installation, Asbury production director Daniel Yarbrough has reported improved separation between instruments and more consistent coverage throughout the room. “All I have to do is move it spatially to create separation and add a little width on something, and we create that separation through spatial balancing,” he noted. “I’m not having to work nearly as hard to try to find that spatial balance in the room and glue everything together. We have great balance in every seat across the entire room right now, which is just an unbelievable win for us. There is no compromise in the mix quality at every seat in the house.”
