The largest houses of worship weren’t always large. Most had humble origins in storefronts or high school gymnasiums. The growth of their ministries required vision and good stewardship of limited resources. At the same time, good speech intelligibility and inspirational music programs were also key success factors. These require quality, professional sound reinforcement. But how can a fledging congregation make the right choices? Is there a way to acquire a sound system that’s right for our current, smaller services but that can also be integrated into a larger system as our congregation and ministry grow?
Here’s an approach to consider. QSC has specified a number of sound systems designed for a variety of typical worship spaces. These spaces are of various sizes and represent the types of facilities a church might use at various stages of growth. Each successively larger sound system incorporates all the equipment from the previous, smaller facility. In fact, the largest system uses all the equipment from the smaller systems (except for covers and transport dollies no longer needed for the permanently installed system).
QSC is a well-respected, forty year old company located in Orange County, California and is a leading, global supplier of professional audio equipment.
Stage I System
This basic system is intended to provide sound reinforcement for speech, vocals and acoustic music. It is extremely simple to transport, set up and operate – even for novice volunteers. It will provide the coverage and acoustic output for a small rented space such as a storefront or similarly sized venue.
Equipment List
- 2 x QSC K10 or K12: 2-way powered loudspeakers.
- 2 x tripod stands.
Stage II System
A growing congregation and the advent of a praise team make greater demands on the sound system.The next step is to go to larger format, 3-way loudspeakers for the main (front of house) sound system. We recommend the KW153 loudspeakers, which are also powered. The K10 or K12 speakers from the Stage I system will now be used as stage monitors for the praise team or as amplification for electronic keyboards.
Depending on the performance volume of the praise team, this system will provide speech and musical reinforcement for 100 to 300 worshippers.
Equipment List
- 2 x QSC K10 or K12: 2-way powered loudspeakers (repurposed as stage monitors).
- 2 x QSC KW153: 15” 3-way powered loudspeakers – main (front of house) sound system.
Stage III System
As the congregation grows into larger facilities such as school gymnasiums or auditoriums, the sound system requirements also grow. A praise team with a contemporary worship band combined with a larger space will require a line array system and subwoofers. The QSC WideLine-8 is an ideal choice. It’s extremely compact so transport and storage problems are minimized. The WL212-sw subwoofers are powerful yet they are also compact and serve as a base for mounting the WideLine-8 line-array system for groundstacked use.Transport accessories are included in the Stage III equipment list. All the equipment from the Stage II system will be used. This system will handle speech and moderate to high-level music in a facility such as a high school auditorium.
The KW153 loudspeakers will now be used as sidefill monitors for the praise team. Depending on the needs of the musicians, additional K10 or K12 loudspeakers may be required. These loudspeakers may also be used to support traveling ministry activities.
Equipment List
- 2 x QSC K10 or K12: 2-way powered loudspeakers (repurposed as stage monitors).
- Additional K10 or K12: as needed for stage monitors.
- 2 x QSC KW153: 15″ 3-way powered loudspeakers (repurposed as sidefills).
- 8 x QSC WL3082: (WideLine-8) line array loudspeakers.
- 4 x QSC WL212-sw: (WideLine-8) subwoofers.
- 4 x QSC PL380: dual channel power amplifiers.
- 1 x SC28: digital system processor.
- 2 x CP3082-4: caster pallet (dolly) for transporting four (4) WL3082 line array elements, includes padded cover.
- 2 x CP212-2: caster pallet (dolly) for transporting two (2) WL212-sw subwoofer enclosures – includes soft cover 27.5″ tall to fit a two unit tall stack.
Stage IV System
At this point, the congregation has moved into a dedicated facility and the entire Stage III system can move in with them. Here’s where the scalability of the WideLine-8 system becomes apparent. Up to eight more WL3082 line array loudspeakers may be added without the need to purchase any additional amplifiers.Depending on the nature of the musical program, additional subwoofers may be needed. These will then require an additional PL380 amplifier. It is assumed that the system will be flown so suspension hardware has been added.
This is a very capable small concert sound system that can deliver speech and moderate to high-level music in a typical mid-size to large contemporary worship facility.
Your facility may also require distributed audio systems in hallways, cry rooms and green rooms. QSC offers a variety of processors, amplifiers and speakers for these applications. Your local QSC authorized dealer employs skilled staff capable of designing and installing these systems.
Equipment List
- 4 x QSC K10 or K12: 2-way powered loudspeakers.
- Additional K10 or K12: as needed for stage monitors.
- KSub: as needed for drum monitor subwoofer.
- 2 x QSC KW153: 15″ 3-way powered loudspeakers (repurposed as sidefills).
- 16 x QSC WL3082: (WideLine-8) line array loudspeakers.
- 8 x QSC WL212-sw: (WideLine-8) subwoofers. Substitute with GP212-sw if all subwoofers are ground stacked.
- 5 x QSC PL380: dual channel power amplifiers.
- 1 x SC28: digital system processor
- 2 x AF3082-S: small array frame, supports up to twelve (12) WideLine-8 elements with 10:1 design factor.
Email sales@muzeekworld.com or call 877-477-6432 ex. 101 for pricing and questions