On 3 September 2026 Biamp published a case study showing how River Valley Church in Grants Pass, Oregon, turned an unopened casino into an 800 seat sanctuary using Community LVH-906/APB and LVH-909/APB steerable venue horns, with coverage designed in its VenuePolar plugin. For anyone in London planning Biamp church audio in a hall, venue or converted building with glass, low ceilings and tight sightlines, it is a useful worked example of modelling sound before a single loudspeaker goes up.
Image: Biamp.
- Biamp announced on 3 September 2026 that River Valley Church had converted an unopened 38,000 square foot casino in Grants Pass, Oregon, USA, into an 800 seat worship facility.
- The main system uses four Community LVH-906/APB and two Community LVH-909/APB steerable venue horns, according to Biamp.
- Community IP8-1122/66B and IC6-1082/96B point source loudspeakers add supplemental coverage, with Community IS8-218B subwoofers for low frequencies.
- The design was produced by integrator Arrow+Jay with the Biamp design team, using the VenuePolar plugin for EASE Focus 3.
- Biamp says an avoidance zone aimed at the stage keeps the house system's energy off the platform, which improves gain before feedback.
- The source is Biamp's own press release and its River Valley Church case study page.
What Biamp announced
Biamp's press release of 3 September 2026, issued from its headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, describes a building that was never meant for worship. River Valley Church took over a casino in Grants Pass that had never opened and made it a worship space with room for 800 people; Biamp's case study adds that it is the flagship campus of the church's multi site ministry. That is a floor area of roughly 3,500 square metres.
The integrator. The systems integration firm on the project was Arrow+Jay. Biamp's case study page says the firm guided the church from the first concept and feasibility work through architectural design, technology selection, installation, commissioning and staff training.
The room problem. The architects wanted an open, welcoming space, so the back of the sanctuary has a lot of glass and other hard, reflective finishes. Biamp lists the other constraints as limited mounting height, sightlines that ruled out many loudspeaker positions, no possibility of delay fills, and a need for high gain before feedback. According to the case study, neither a traditional line array nor a conventional point source system suited the room.
The answer. The core of the system is six Community LVH steerable venue horns: four LVH-906/APB and two LVH-909/APB. Biamp says the LVH-900 range uses its own steerable array technology, so the coverage pattern can be shaped in software rather than only by where the boxes hang. Amplification and processing come from Community amplified loudspeaker controllers, namely the ALC-404D, ALC-1604D and ALC-3202D.
Arrow+Jay's Brian Engle put the effect of that pattern control plainly in the case study: "We were able to shade that back line so hard and were getting such a tight pattern sonically that reflections off the glass are basically not an issue."
Biamp church audio lessons for London buildings
The building type matters more than the location here. A London congregation, arts group or community organisation taking on a space designed for something else, such as a former shop, office, cinema, warehouse or a modern hall with a big glazed frontage, may meet the problems River Valley faced, even at a smaller scale.
Churches moving into new premises. If your church is taking on a commercial unit or a former entertainment venue, the finishes that make it feel bright and open are often the ones that make speech hard to follow. Glass, polished concrete and plasterboard all reflect sound.
Venues with a mix position at the back. Biamp notes that the front of house desk at River Valley sits at the rear of the sanctuary and still hears a clear, balanced mix. That is a familiar layout in London halls where the desk has to go wherever there is space.
Multi purpose halls. A room that hosts a service on Sunday, a concert on Friday and a conference midweek needs both clear speech and enough low end for music. River Valley pairs the steerable horns with IS8-218B subwoofers, which Biamp says supply the low end needed for contemporary worship and special events.
What to settle before you choose loudspeakers
The River Valley story is really about order of work. The table below sets out what was done there and the question a London project could ask at the same stage.
| Constraint at River Valley | How Biamp says it was handled | Question for your building |
|---|---|---|
| Glass and reflective surfaces at the rear | Steerable LVH horns shaped to keep energy off the back wall | Where are your hardest surfaces, and can coverage avoid them? |
| Limited mounting height and sightlines | A relatively small number of steerable cabinets in place of a line array or point source layout | Which positions are ruled out by screens, lighting or listed features? |
| No delay fills possible | Main system designed to reach the back rows on its own | Can your rear seats be covered from the front? |
| Feedback risk on stage | An avoidance zone in the FIR steering aimed at the stage | How loud does the stage need to be, and where do the microphones sit? |
Model first. VenuePolar is a plugin for EASE Focus 3, software from AFMG, and, Biamp says, FIRmaker lets designers try any number of coverage variations. Biamp says it works out how many LVH cabinets are needed, the splay between them and the aiming angles, then applies equalisation and produces speaker files for the ALC amplifiers. Biamp also offers a loudspeaker design service, run by its applications engineers, for houses of worship, auditoria and other venues; its site says this is available to dealers, distributors and end users worldwide.
Budget for fewer, better placed boxes. Biamp reports that the finished system covered the 800 seats with fewer loudspeakers than first expected. That is a claim about this room only, but it shows why a predicted design is worth having before you compare quotes.
Think about growth. Biamp describes the system as scalable, so the church can add to it as its ministry grows. If your congregation or audience is expanding, ask how a design can be extended without starting again.
How this fits a London church or venue
Most London projects will not need six steerable horns, and nothing in Biamp's release suggests every hall should use them. The transferable part is the process: survey the room, map the reflective surfaces, agree which mounting points are acceptable, then predict coverage in software before anything is ordered. You can read how we run a project, from first visit to handover, on our process page.
1Install designs, supplies and installs audio and AV systems, including meeting rooms, Teams Rooms and video conferencing systems. Many church and venue buildings also have meeting and training rooms that need audio conferencing, and our AV installers in London cover both sides of a building. For the meeting room side of the Biamp range, see our earlier Biamp Devio UCX post. Once a system is in, maintenance and support keeps settings, firmware and staff training up to date.
Questions we are often asked
What loudspeakers did River Valley Church use?
Four Community LVH-906/APB and two LVH-909/APB steerable venue horns, plus IP8-1122/66B and IC6-1082/96B point source loudspeakers and IS8-218B subwoofers, according to Biamp.
Is VenuePolar separate software I have to buy?
Not confirmed. Biamp describes VenuePolar as a plugin for EASE Focus 3 that designs coverage patterns for the LVH-900; the release does not say how it is licensed or whether there is a charge.
Can steerable loudspeakers help in a church with lots of glass?
Yes, in this case. Biamp says the LVH-900 pattern was shaped to keep sound off the glass rear wall, so reflections were minimal, though every room needs its own model.
Did River Valley Church need delay speakers at the back?
No. Biamp states that delay fills could not be used in the building, so the main system was designed to cover the whole seating area itself.
Was 1Install involved in the River Valley Church project?
No. The project was carried out by Arrow+Jay with the Biamp design team in Oregon; we are reporting Biamp's published case study.
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