Rolling Hills Covenant Church (RHCC) in California was founded in 1957 and dedicated its first church building in 1959. To future proof the sound of its worship center—which was added after sustained growth of its congregation in the 60s and 70s—the church recently revamped things with a new CODA Audio system.
During the 1980s, RHCC expanded its emphasis on the arts as part of Christian worship, with a strong focus on the role of musical excellence in services. Setting high standards of music performance demands audio quality to match, and during a recent remodeling of its main gathering space, which saw new seating and stage layouts, the Church undertook an overhaul of its technical systems, including provision for a new sound system.
RHCC director of Technical Arts Ministries, Brian Johnson, engaged with Scott Ramsey of AV installation specialists Broadcast Support—which has been his local go-to provider for rentals and major installations for more than 10 year—to discuss a solution. “After taking into account our requirement for a premium sounding, lightweight solution, Scott recommended a CODA Audio system, specifically their new compact N-RAY line array,” Johnson recollected.
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The main gathering space at RHCC is a fan-shaped auditorium which seats around 950 people, with a 40-foot wide stage approximately 70 feet from the rear seats. The modified layout of the space demanded that a system not only deliver premium sound and full coverage, but that it was lightweight enough to not overburden the room’s ceiling support structures.
“Scott connected me with Steve McNeil of MacWest, CODA’s rep firm in the region, who was able to line up a demo of the N-RAY for us at a nearby house of worship," Johnson explained. "I must be honest and say that I was skeptical that a compact line array could deliver, but after the demo I was thoroughly impressed. The system sounded full and the coverage was perfect—I wouldn’t have known it was a compact array if it had been hidden from sight.”
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Satisfied that the CODA Audio N-RAY was the right choice, Johnson worked in conjunction with Broadcast Support and the CODA Audio USA to design a system for RHCC. The team used CODA Audio’s proprietary prediction software, System Optimizer, to ensure complete and even coverage across the auditorium.
Broadcast Support installed main hangs comprising seven N-RAY units and two SCN-F 15-inch sensor controlled bass extensions per side. A further eight SCV-F sensor controlled 18-inch subwoofers were located beneath the stage, with six HOPS5 (double 5-inch high-output point source) deployed as front-fills.
“Unlike our previous system, the coverage is incredibly smooth across the seating areas, and everyone at the Church is super happy with the N-RAY," Johnson said. "It met our requirement for light weight without any drawbacks to the sound quality. The N-RAYs with the SCN-F bass units add a surprising amount of low frequency extension, and the mid/highs are super smooth. They transition well to the larger subs underneath the stage. The front fills also sound great while keeping a low profile.
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“For anyone doubting what a compact line array can do, I’d highly recommend giving CODA’s N-RAY system a listen. For a lot of small to mid-size rooms, it’s just perfect—anything larger would simply be overkill. We’re grateful to Broadcast Support for the recommendation and their expert help in delivering this excellent project.”
