Meyer Sound PANTHER Transforms Sound at New Psalmist Baptist Church

To ensure the best sonic experience at events celebrating 50 years of pastoral leadership in 2025, New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore turned to a Meyer Sound PANTHER large-format line array system. The new system, installed by Charlotte, North Carolina-based integrator WAVE AVL, replaced an outdated setup and provided the church with a custom-finish, state-of-the-art sound solution tailored to meet the demands of the church’s sanctuary.

Deaven Wood, Production Coordinator for New Psalmist Baptist Church, explained their choice to go with a Meyer Sound PANTHER system. “New Psalmist chose Meyer Sound for our new PA system because we sought a reliable, state-of-the-art solution that could adapt to the diverse demands of live production. We’ve long admired Meyer Sound’s reputation for excellence,” Wood says. “Our integrator, WAVE AVL, provided invaluable insights into how this system would meet our needs and support our evolving requirements.”

The primary function of the design is to support the weekend services and conferences at New Psalmist. The sanctuary seats more than 3,500 people and is broken into main floor seating, additional seating in the balcony, and stadium-style seating in the side loges. To cover all the seating areas, the loudspeaker system design is a mix of line array and point-source components. The loudspeakers combine to form a unique stereo cross-matrix system, which was designed by WAVE and modeled in Meyer Sound’s MAPP 3D system design and prediction tool.

Two main left and right arrays comprise PANTHER loudspeakers. Two shorter arrays of LEOPARD compact linear line array loudspeakers provide side coverage.The point-source loudspeakers for over- and under-balcony fills are a combination of UPQ‑D3 full-size loudspeakers, ULTRA‑X40 compact loudspeakers, and ULTRA‑X20 compact wide-coverage loudspeakers. ULTRA-X20 loudspeakers are also incorporated as front fills. The low frequencies are supported by 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements. The full system is managed by Galileo GALAXY 816 and 408 network platforms. New Psalmist also requested the loudspeakers to be painted a custom white. The church streams all of their services to YouTube, adding to the importance of having a system that looks as good as it sounds, blending seamlessly into its surroundings to minimize distractions and keep the focus on the message.

WAVE handled most of the design, with input from the Meyer Sound team for the AVB networking and RMS Remote Monitoring System. Wood explained, “With this Meyer Sound system and Milan, which is the application layer built onto the AVB network protocol, it adds a framework of interoperability for professional A/V devices. With our RMServer, which is our ‘Remote Monitoring System,’ we have the ability to monitor the health of every single device in real time. That allows us to troubleshoot and diagnose an issue with precision. Overall, the combination of AVB, Milan, and the RMServer provides a robust and efficient solution for professional audio networking. By addressing key requirements such as reliability, stability, scalability, and audio quality, this technology enables the creation of large-scale, high-performance audio systems.”

“The system turned out phenomenal,” says Rob Bender, Chief Executive Officer of WAVE AVL. “It’s a large room with very high ceilings so we knew it was going to be a challenging installation, but our team made it happen. We were able to leverage existing power in the ceiling, and the new Meyer Sound system was lighter than the previous system, which helped with ceiling loads and structural approval.” He continues, “Meyer Sound was great to partner with on this project. In a season when many manufacturers had trouble meeting delivery timelines, they stepped up in a big way to make sure we could meet the client’s timeline.”

“The installation process was a resounding success, thanks in large part to our integrator, WAVE AVL,” adds Wood. “This entire experience has provided us with fresh inspiration for future endeavors in all areas of our AV infrastructure. They were invaluable throughout, providing expert guidance and support. This experience has fueled our excitement for the future of live production technology.”

As far as responses to the new sound system, Wood had this to say: “The reactions to our new PA were beyond expectation. As we lowered the old system and hoisted the new one into place, onlookers were captivated. The first time we powered it up, everyone was truly amazed by the clean, crisp, and well-rounded sound. Meyer Sound has proven to be an excellent choice for our new PA system. Their products consistently deliver exceptional quality and performance. We’re confident that our new system will elevate our productions and provide our congregation with an unparalleled audio experience.”