Vue Audiotechnik Delivers Crystal Clear Sound for WAMC'S Unique Facility

	WAMC's VUE al-8 System

World Agape Mission Church (WAMC), established for Korean immigrants by the Reverend John Kim in Los Angeles in 1977, recently installed an extensive loudspeaker array from Vue Audiotechnik to address its acoustical and aesthetic needs. The church's unique interior layout -- a central seating section with a high oval ceiling and left/right sections where flat ceilings are lower -- posed a sizable challenge to achieving clear and balanced sound while also preserving its beauty. The exclusive design of the Vue system was the ideal solution.

With the mandate to preserve the ceiling's dramatic appearance, a compact line array system featuring five Vue al-8 loudspeakers per side, custom painted to match the ceiling color, provides perfect left-to-right and front-to-back coverage. Vue Audiotechnik V6 Systems Engines, fed via AES/EBU at 24-bit/96kHz resolution from the church's digital console, drive the al-8 line array system.

"The arrays and loudspeakers look and sound wonderful," says Michael Yoo, president of Genesis Technology LLC, the system integrator that executed the sound design and installation at WAMC. "We installed two Vue i-Class i-2×4.5 ultra-compact two-way loudspeakers to handle front fill during large services when WAMC adds additional seating to accommodate more people. The i-2×4.5's low profile makes it perfect for the application, and its compact size makes it virtually disappear."

Another challenge the church faced was the incline of its floor, which causes the ceiling to be just nine feet high in the rear of the building. "John [Kim] is a former professional audio engineer, so it was very important to him that everyone hears the same sounds, no matter where they sit," explains Yoo. "We chose Vue's passive a-Class a-8 cabinets in white, which feature the same signature family sound as Vue's premium h-class products and matches the sonic characteristics of the church's al-8s. For side fills in the front seating area, we chose white Vue a-10 cabinets to extend the sound and discreet appearance throughout the church."

Jeff Taylor, Vue Audiotechnik's VP Americas, personally visited the church to create a custom preset for the system. "John really appreciated Jeff coming out to fine-tune the system," continues Yoo. "He set up SystemVue networking on their laptops, which makes their lives much easier."

SystemVue connects all Vue DSP-enabled products to a computer via a wireless or wired Ethernet connection. A companion SystemVue software provides access to a single unit or a network of products and allows for system optimization monitoring of input/output, volume, mute, delay and a broad list of other parameters through an intuitive user interface.

According to Yoo, the final result is unprecedented clarity and output, along with total control that allows the church to achieve high SPL without disturbing anyone in the densely populated neighborhood. "When they would push the previous system to get a uniform level from front to back and left to right, one spot would become very 'hot' and caused complaints from tenants in the apartments next door," he says of WAMC's old speaker system. "The Vue system has such tight control that when we tuned it with the windows open, the neighbors didn't mind; with the windows closed, you don't hear anything outside. Inside the church, the system sounds crystal clear and the vocals just pop. I'm a believer."

In addition to traditional and contemporary Christian music, choirs, orchestras, and even opera performances, WAMC also hosts weddings, conferences, and large seminary student gatherings. "The Vue system flawlessly handles this variety of tasks," adds Yoo. "The most surprising thing is that it sounds even better at higher SPL -- that's the power of the loudspeakers' Beryllium HF diaphragms. This was our first project using Vue Audiotechnik and we have decided to turn to Vue for future design/build projects. We all just fell in love with the company and its customer support."