Shawnee, OK | November, 2014 - Shawnee's First Baptist Church was founded in 1892, 15 years before Oklahoma gained statehood. After their main sanctuary was damaged by a tornado in the 1930s, the church rebuilt, and that structure serves as the main sanctuary to this day.

While the historic building has been well maintained over the years, its aging sound system had not been so fortunate. Church officials and congregation members alike were increasingly frustrated by intelligibility issues in the main sanctuary, and inconsistent coverage in the balcony and under balcony areas. The church turned to Edmond, OK-based AVL Systems Design, who recommended the steered-beam technology of Renkus-Heinz ICONYX IC Live.

"The main sanctuary seats about 800 people, and has a balcony area in the rear," explains Danny Nix of AVL Systems. "In addition to the intelligibility and coverage problems with the old system, there were reflection issues that needed to be addressed."

The new system comprises two ICONYX IC Live ICL-FR-DUAL columns, hung from the ceiling to avoid damaging the walls. "We used the IC Live's beam steering capabilities to fill the balcony and the main floor of the church and we used four Renkus Heinz PNX61 Two-Way Complex Conic Loudspeaker Systems for under balcony coverage," said Nix. "The IC Live's beam steering technology eliminated the need for front fills, which made for a cleaner look overall. As a final touch, we painted the boxes to match the color of the walls."

In the end, church officials were pleased that the ICONYX system not only addressed the sanctuary's intelligibility and coverage issues, but also blended in seamlessly with the décor as well. 

"Everyone at the church has been very happy with the results," said Nix.