To support a varied spoken word and music program, Highland Park Baptist Church of Muscle Shoals, Ala. has specified a Meyer Sound JM-1P arrayable loudspeaker system for its new, 1,000-seat worship centre. The new space was designed to retain the intimate feel of the church's old 450-seat room.

"The warmth of the system really stands out," says Jeff Beech, worship arts pastor for Highland Park. "There's no brittleness. The music just wraps around you—you can hear every detail of each instrument.

"We wanted to maintain the close connection we felt in the old room, so we built the new space wider but hardly any deeper," Beech continues. "The Meyer Sound design is precisely tailored to the room dimensions, and gives us exceptional uniformity of coverage. I took a sound level meter and walked from side to side, and couldn't see more than one dB of difference, which is remarkable."

Spoken word sermons have also benefited from the installation, according to Dean Bailey, technical director for the church. "We're delighted that the Meyer Sound system gives us the headroom, clarity, and punch to involve the whole congregation in not only our music but our pastor's teaching as well," he points out. "What comes through is clearly intelligible and absolutely natural. Many PAs give voices a boxy, amplified characteristic, but with the JM-1Ps it sounds like he's standing right in front of you."

The main system employs left, center, and right clusters of four, three, and four JM-1P loudspeakers, respectively, and three 700-HP subwoofers. Twelve MM-4XP self-powered loudspeakers provide front fill, and one rear-facing UPQ-1P loudspeaker is used as choir monitor. A Galileo loudspeaker management system with one Galileo 616 processor provides drive and alignment. The system was designed and installed by Florence, Ala.-based Icon Live Technologies under the direction of Seth Daniels.

A DiGiCo SD8 digital console at FOH takes inputs from Shure and Audix microphones, while Aviom personal mixers and Audio-Technica wireless IEM systems with Aurisonics ASG-1.5 earpieces provide on-stage monitoring.