Unite180’s remarkable journey stands as a testament to unwavering faith. Initially established as a youth ministry, it swiftly recognized the limitations of traditional church structures in effectively reaching and nurturing young believers. In 2013, under the visionary leadership of Pastor David and Chanelle Grobler, Unite180 embarked on a transformative chapter, becoming an independent ministry and paving the way for significant expansion.
The growth of Unite180 has been remarkable, with campuses now situated in Pretoria, Potchefstroom, Nelspruit, Windhoek (Namibia), and Stellenbosch. Streaming locations extend to George, Bloemfontein, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The church’s reach has expanded to include uGroups (a small group network), Sunday Services, uSchool of Ministry (Bible School), and Homerun training courses. Presently, Sunday service attendance averages around 5,500 people, supported by over 22,000 active Unite180 accounts on the In Church App. Notably, in 2023 alone, more than 1,800 new believers were baptized.
While the past decade has been marked by miraculous events and testimonials of salvation and healing, a tangible manifestation of God’s faithfulness materialized in the form of Unite180’s main campus – Unite City. This impressive 2,500-seater auditorium, located in Pretoria, opened its doors in 2023. The journey to establish Unite City was a testament to perseverance, taking two years to secure the land. The construction phase coincided with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite initial financial constraints, with a leap of faith, Unite City was successfully completed in 2023.
In the third quarter of the preceding year, the DWR Distribution team, led by Jaco Beukes, was honored to supply an L-Acoustics K3i system to enhance the audio experience in the new auditorium.
Addressing the specific audio needs, Unite180’s technical team devoted time to exploring optimal sound solutions. After extensive demonstrations and research, they ultimately selected L-Acoustics, praising it as a truly world-class system supported by excellent service from the local distributor, DWR Distribution. While the church initially invested in a slightly smaller L-Acoustics system for their previous venue, the transition to Unite City prompted an upgrade to the K3i system to better suit the larger space.
“Being a young, vibrant and very energetic church, the demand for a full range PA with enough headroom was apparent,” Jaco Beukes from DWR explains. “With the assistance of L-Acoustics it was decided to utilize the new K3i Full-range, a compact, 2-way active, dual 12″ Line Source. The full system consists of 18 K3i (nine per side) powered by four LA12X amps (two Amps per side) supplying four circuits for each line array. This gave us the ability to maximize the Autofilters from Soundvision, dramatically improving the HF and LF coverage in the room. On the low end we were able to remove all the subs from the ground and only have flown subs. To keep up with the K3i, we opted for four KS28 sub-woofers in a cardioid configuration located behind each K3i Array (eight subs in total) which are powered by another two LA12X amps.”
The KARA Out-fills and X8 and 5XT front-fills have all migrated from the previous venue to the Unite City campus. The new install included upgrade kits for all 8 KARAs, of which the Panflex came in very handy to focus the energy of the KARA II where needed.
In addition to the installation, there was four X12 Stage Monitors, powered by a LA4X. “This means that the coverage on stage follows the same sonic signature that the rest of the audience enjoy,” Jaco explains.
Signal to the system is via AVB from a P1 at Front Of House while backup signal is via AES from a DiGiCo SD12 stage rack on stage. Jaco comments that Brendan Keizer from Afrika Audio, the predominant FOH engineer at the church, immediately noticed a sonic improvement running AVB.
The K3i system was not available immediately so a temporary system was required for outfills and delays. “Fortunately, DWR had a couple A15s and A10s that Unite180 Purchased while we waited for the K3is to arrive,” said Jaco. Post installation, the temporary system was then distributed to various Unite 180 facilities.
“The transition from the temporary system, now effectively deployed in several other of the church’s locations, to the K3i was truly a remarkable experience,” expressed a representative from Unite180. “While the previous system maintained the high-quality sound we had come to expect from L-Acoustics, the size of the new setup and its ability to deliver consistent, top-notch sound to every seat in the auditorium was a game-changer.”
The Unite180 team concludes, “In our worship experience, sound and lighting are not intended to be the main focal points; rather, they serve as extensions of our commitment to exemplify the Kingdom of excellence we are part of and believe in. The worship experience aims to glorify God and create an atmosphere conducive to believers experiencing God and living out their faith. The current system, coupled with skilled sound engineers, contributes to establishing an environment where mature believers can focus solely on God and live out their faith during the worship experience.”
The system has seen ongoing improvements, and Unite180 envisions providing a similar high-quality sound experience with L-Acoustics at their other locations in the future.
In summary, the new SYSTEM at Unite City consists of:
18 x K3i
8 x KS28
8 x KARA IIi
4 x X12
4 x X8
2 x 5XT
6 x LA12X
4 x LA4X
1 x P1
1 x LS10
Once the new installation was complete, the church’s temporary audio system was distributed to various unite 180 facilities and consisted of the following:
Potchefstroom Campus System consists of:
4 x A10 FOCUS
2 x A10 WIDE
4 x SB18i
2 x LA4X
Brooklyn Campus System Consists of:
4 x A15 FOCUS
2 x A15 WIDE
4 x KS21 (shared with uRoom)
3 x LA4X
uRoom Hall System Consists of:
2 x A10i FOCUS
2 x A10i WIDE
2 x LA4X
2 x KS21 Subs (shared with Brooklyn Campus)
