d&b SOUNDSCAPE AUDIO SYSTEM IN AUDITORIUM
functionality, Wells and his team took that
process and its inherent challenges in stride.
“We knew what we were signing up for in
that realm,” he says. “Nobody had done this
before, we didn’t know exactly how it would
pair with the dLive or how it would interact
in our 240-degree room, but we were really
happy with the results once we had every-
thing up and running.”
Adds Burrell: “It’s kind of like … learn-
ing how to mix again, or at least taking a
really different approach to mixing. There
are some aspects of it that are simply unlike
what you’re used to, but I think Justin has
really learned how to use it effectively.”
As trailblazers of sorts, Wells and his
team are still adjusting their approach to
using Soundscape despite now having a
good handle on its functionality – all with
the goal of maximizing its effectiveness and
enhancing the worship experience at First
Assembly.
A recent example is their experimenta-
tion with miking guitar amps, using differ-
ent mics in different configurations to see
if they can get the image even wider – “and
just playing around with some of the cool
features within Soundscape, doing things
42 PROFESSIONAL SOUND
you just can’t do with other systems,” he
tacks on. “Honestly, we’ve really been enjoy-
ing the workflow on the dLive, and it’s been
great for getting some of our volunteers
and other users onto it and up to speed.
There’s still a learning curve there for new
users, for sure, but we haven’t had any big
hang-ups and are really enjoying the experi-
ence and the results.”
Burrell says he sees a lot of potential for this
type of technology within houses of wor-
ship going forward – both from a practical
and experiential perspective.
“The 360 and 3D capabilities of Sound-
scape are really cool. There’s so much you
can do with it, but it’s also a really effective
imaging tool in the live environment,” he
says. “It’s a new technology that a lot of
people are talking about, and I think the
market is still figuring out the different ways
it can be implemented, but this is a terrific
application. This is a valuable tool – not a
gimmick – and it’s easy to experience why
with [First Assembly’s] system.”
Wells and his colleagues at the church
aren’t just pleased with its current perfor-
mance, but also its future potential. “We
didn’t want to go halfway and then find we
had to go through the process again in five
years’ time because we never achieved our
goals the first time around,” he says. “With
the audio system, we made a clear decision
that it was the most important component
of the changes we were making [to our
auditorium] and as such it was an easy
decision to postpone some investments
elsewhere. It was a sacrifice, but a small one
and the cost was not a huge impact at all –
certainly not compared to the impact the
system has had. Everyone top-to-bottom,
the church elders, the congregation, people
who choose to come from out of town –
and we get a lot of them – really enjoy it
and we constantly receive compliments on
the listening experience.
“We value excellence at First Assembly,”
he adds in closing. “This brings music to a
place at the heart of worship. Excellence it-
self will inspire others to strive for excellence
in themselves and their wider community.”
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief
of Professional Sound.