Two Cities, a rapidly growing church in Winston-Salem, NC, recently opened the doors to its brand-new home and hub, equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system in collaboration with d&b and Special Event Services (SES, a Concert Stuff brand). With a vision to create a versatile space not only for worship but also for community gatherings and events, the church has invested in a cutting-edge audio infrastructure to ensure an unparalleled auditory experience for all who enter the doors to its 1,300-seat worship center.
Established just over 7 years ago, Two Cities has experienced exponential growth as a church. Its previous worship center held only 450 members and after the pandemic, attendance skyrocketed. The church was able to purchase one of the last remaining pieces of vacant land in its home city of Winston-Salem and develop it into a truly bespoke home and hub for Two Cities’ congregation and community.
As a dedicated member and volunteer at Two Cities, Michael Brammer, CFO of SES was involved in the process from the very beginning, consulting on the building itself and bringing in SES as the AVL designer and integrator for the full project. SES Integration installed all the audio, lighting, video, rigging, and installed acoustic treatments.
“From the very beginning we knew this was going to be a job for d&b.” states Brammer, “In addition to being a world leading product, there was familiarity and comfort with d&b from the church’s technical and pastoral staff. It just so happened that XSL was announced right as we were designing the main worship center, and there could not have been a more perfect product for the room. Its size to performance ratio is unmatched in the industry and the directivity and control from the SL-Series is exactly what we needed.” XSL is the smallest sibling of the SL-Series family of loudspeakers that delivers an uncompromised solution for a wide range of venues and events.
Brammer orchestrated a few demo sessions with other members of the Two Cities technical team allowing them to listen to different products and deployments. Through this process they chose the configuration of the XSL system and flown SL-SUB deployment that was ultimately installed in the facility. The sound system comprises XSL and A-Series loudspeakers (used for outfills), positioned to deliver optimal sound quality and uniform coverage throughout the auditorium and d&b’s unique ArrayProcessing is used to provide a seamless listening experience for every seat in the room.
Leveraging d&b’s cutting-edge technology and SES’s expertise in audiovisual solutions, the project team has created a rich audio environment that exceeds the expectations of the church staff and congregation, who have submitted nothing but positive feedback.
“We could not be more pleased with our PA install; d&b is simply world-class when it comes to amplified sound, and that’s exactly how we feel about the finished product we received,” states executive Pastor David Vogel. “With the precise planning and execution of SES matched with d&b’s superior-quality DSP and loudspeakers, our project expectations were more than exceeded.”
Brammer says, “The quality and responsiveness of the system is incredible. Everything sits perfectly in the mix and there is no shortage of headroom at all. The audio is clear and crisp without being harsh and the low end is warm and musical. This system is a pleasure to both mix on and listen to every weekend! Personally, I think Two Cities is now one of the best sounding modern houses of worship around.”
Brammer continued to express excitement about the project’s impact, stating, “We are immensely proud to have partnered with Two Cities on this project. The goal was to create a state-of-the-art engaging environment with pristine audio quality, and the d&b system helps us do just that very effortlessly. I am immensely proud of the entire team for their design and execution of this job.”
For more information on SES, visit www.specialeventservices.com.
For more information on d&b audiotechnk products, visit www.dbaudio.com.
