New York Church Revamps Audio System

Valley Stream, NY (August 15, 2024)—Bethlehem Assembly of God has long been a part of the community in Valley Stream, NY—certainly long enough that the church recently opted to upgraded its 500-capacity sanctuary’s audio and lighting systems to better convey its music and message. A big part of that upgrade included the church opting to become one of the first East Coast installations of DAS Audio’s new SARA system.

The system was conceived and designed by veteran audio engineer Burton Ishmael, who just finished mixing FOH for Madonna’s recent world tour. The system is based around left and right arrays totaling 16 DAS Audio SARA-100 compact powered line array systems with 3000 Watts of Class D 4-channel amplification. All that is supported by four SARA-SUB 18-inch compact cardioid powered subwoofers, and four DAS Audio EVENT-26a ultracompact line array cabinets, used to handle front fill duties. The system processing is covered by a DAS Audio MATRIX-66 unit controlled by the manufacturer’s latest control and management software, ALMA. Installation was handled by Jamaica, NY-based Advanced Event Services.

Westover Hills Church Updates Audio System

As Ishmael explains, the project was not without its challenges. “It’s a pretty traditional A-frame design, about 60 feet wide and 70 feet deep with a balcony, and that means big wooden beams, high ceilings, and lots of reflectivity. It’s just not acoustically friendly. Add to that an older heating system and a foyer with open doors, and you’ve also got temperature gradient issues. It’s a classic case of a sanctuary designed for a certain era.”

The site features highly reflective walls, which were perfectly fine for a different kind of religious service in the past when the worship facility was first built. “Years ago, when most of the service was preaching and spoken word, performance didn’t matter as much,” he notes. “Once they started doing live music and bringing in drums and amplification, the room’s acoustics became an issue, and it only got worse over time. Now you want to put live drums in there? It just calls for a different approach. The previous system was pretty long in the tooth, and the SARA system really gave us the ability to give them a huge leap in sound quality.”

As a result, he opted for the SARA system and its ability to steer the sound onto the congregation and away from the walls and other reflective surfaces. Says Ishmael, “The crew are saying it’s much more of a concert experience, and it’s so much easier and faster to get the mix you’re looking for. The worship pastors feel empowered to try new and different things now, and they don’t feel limited by the technology.”