Based in Plano, TX, Prestonwood Baptist Church is known as one of the largest megachurches in the United States. Its annual production, The Gift of Christmas, features a nearly 1,000-member cast and choir, as well as a live orchestra and live animals. To ensure the audio experience matched the monumental scale and theatrical demands of the show, Prestonwood partnered with integration firm Spectrum Sound to replace its aging PA system with a comprehensive d&b audiotechnik Soundscape with En-Scene and En-Space deployment featuring SL-Series line arrays and subwoofers.
“The capabilities for an immersive audio option soon became the core of the discussion, and we arranged a Soundscape demo,” explained Zach Mitchell, operations manager, Spectrum Sound. "It was not difficult to make the decision for a Soundscape installation once we went down that road. The sonic clarity and spatialization we now have in our weekly services are just unbelievable, but The Gift of Christmas is really where the system is used to its maximum potential.”
Running almost two hours and featuring pyro, laser, and lighting effects, The Gift of Christmas is the church’s most intricate production. “We have around 200 console snapshots, with about 25 snapshots automated with control bus routing and fader movements via Create.Control," said Mike Smith, head of audio, Prestonwood. "Making manual operation of such a complex mix would be next to impossible. Included in our automation are En-Scene and En-Space changes to enable immersive audio experiences that adapt throughout the production.”
Executed in conjunction with d&b and Spectrum Sound, the design process went through several refinements due to the room's enormous size, wide shape, and curves. “The final design required five hangs of the SL-Series line array on a custom curved truss,” shared Mitchell. “Our selection of d&b XSL loudspeakers was strategic due to their cardioid behavior, keeping stage noise down, and their perfect size to fill Prestonwood’s large room.”
Spectrum Sound implemented the large installation in three distinct phases, starting with surrounds and fills to accommodate the church’s active schedule. Mitchell said the final phase, when the main PA went up, started on a Sunday afternoon and was ready for a rehearsal on Thursday, so there was time for pre-programming before weekend services. "The installation was incredibly easy and went in flawlessly thanks to the planning and system design work we did with ArrayCalc and then d&b’s efficient rigging features,” he added.
The d&b audiotechnik system configuration includes 20 XSLi8, 30 XSLi12, eight KSLi-SUB, and six SL-SUB for the main PA components. Numerous point source loudspeakers are placed throughout the room including four V7P, two Y7P, four 24S, six 24S-D, and 35 44S. Processing is provided by a DS100 signal engine running Soundscape with En-Scene and En-Space software. The entire system is connected through three DS10 audio network bridges and powered by three D80, 33 40D, and nine 5D power amplifiers.
According to Smith, Prestonwood's musical team arranges and orchestrates the music for every service and production. Now, they are designing new elements with Soundscape in mind because they have the tools to "translate their creativity" into the 7,000-seat main sanctuary.
“The overall benefit of Soundscape is that it opens up the sonic palette," Smith added. "Previously, mixing was constrained, and we needed to shove everything into two points. Now, we can spread things apart and we don't have sound objects fighting in the same frequency spectrum. This freedom means we use so much less EQ and processing than before. Plus, the ability to create and distribute sound within its sonic landscape allows the team to run the mix in a way that feels more present, without it necessarily being louder."
En-Scene spatialization software is tapped for localization effects that align with the visual spectacle. “One powerful example occurs in the Living Nativity act when the choir physically enters from the back of the room,” Smith explained. "We start that cue with the choir stems placed in the back of the hall and the sound moves forward and follows them, perfectly matched to their location all the way up to the front stage. It’s a really cool effect.”
The results of the d&b Soundscape installation have been extremely positive. “We’ve received praise from everyone on the upgrade, from the worship leader and the band to the choir, to the congregation themselves,” Smith shared. “But the favorite feedback I’ve received came from two elderly people that who told me, 'We don't know what you did differently, but it now sounds so good in here, we don't have to mess with our hearing aids anymore. We can now hear everything.' That right there, knowing we’re able to reach everyone in the audience, was worth a thousand compliments.”
