Inside the World's First Permanent Church Installation of the DiGiCo Quantum 852
First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Georgia, has become home to what is described as the world's first permanent church installation of the DiGiCo Quantum 852.
The installation represents a significant step for large-scale worship production, bringing DiGiCo's flagship mixing platform into an environment that combines traditional worship, contemporary music, a full orchestra, choir, broadcast production and an extensive monitoring system.
The church previously operated with two DiGiCo SD10 consoles for Front of House and monitors. However, as productions grew in scale and complexity, the existing setup began to reach its limitations. Following approximately three years of planning, the team completed the upgrade in 2024.
A Complex Room and an Equally Complex System
The Quantum 852 is installed in a sanctuary with its own acoustic challenges, including a half-balcony, sloping floors and an unconventional room layout.
The PA system is based around d&b systems, with a combination of Y12 and Y8 arrays, B22s, S24s and A24s providing coverage throughout the venue. The result is a system that requires careful tuning and monitoring before the mixing process even begins.
A Busy Day at Front of House
At FOH, the Quantum 852 handles a large and varied production.
The channel count includes a full drum kit, bass, electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, upright piano, Hammond B3, playback, orchestra, choir and a pipe organ containing approximately 3,000 pipes.
Playback is handled through Digital Performer, with separate guide and click mixes created for the band and orchestra.
The console's routing structure is designed around the production itself, grouping instruments, drums and orchestra sections into dedicated processing and control groups. This approach allows the engineering team to manage a large number of channels without losing control of the overall mix.
Good Cop and Bad Cop: Drum Processing
One particularly interesting part of the FOH workflow is the drum processing.
The drum mix uses parallel compression through two groups named Good Cop and Bad Cop.
Good Cop provides a more controlled and dry signal from the drums, while Bad Cop introduces a much more aggressive compression treatment.
Both paths feed into the main drum group, giving the engineer flexibility over how much density and energy is introduced into the final drum mix.
Choir, Orchestra and the Challenge of Open Microphones
The choir is captured using multiple AKG 414 and Neumann microphones, with additional processing used to improve clarity and headroom.
However, the combination of a choir, orchestra and contemporary band creates another challenge: a large number of open microphones.
This limits how heavily effects such as reverb can be used in the room, as excessive processing could quickly introduce unwanted ambience, noise and an unnatural tone.
As a result, some effects processing is used more heavily for the online and broadcast mixes than for the Front of House mix.
The church's pipe organ follows a similar approach. Although it is captured using multiple AKG 414 microphones, the microphone mix is used primarily for the online feed due to the way the organ interacts with the sanctuary's acoustics and architecture.
A Dedicated Monitor World
While Front of House operates on the Quantum 852, Monitor World is centred around a DiGiCo Quantum 338.
The system supports wireless in-ear monitoring using Shure PSM 1000 systems, serving vocalists and musicians across the production.
The monitor environment is organised around the different groups on stage, including the rhythm section, orchestra and vocals.
Dedicated camera feeds also provide additional visual awareness for the monitor engineer, while programmable talkback channels and wireless communication systems allow the technical team and musicians to remain connected throughout the service.
The installation also places significant emphasis on equipment organisation, with dedicated storage and identification systems for microphones and in-ear equipment.
Technology Supported by Workflow
While the Quantum 852 is undoubtedly the centrepiece of the installation, the wider infrastructure is equally important.
The system incorporates redundant fibre infrastructure, dedicated rack locations, organised wireless systems, camera feeds and integrated communication.
Together, these elements support a production that involves a large number of musicians, engineers and technical systems operating simultaneously.
The installation demonstrates how large-scale worship production is increasingly adopting workflows and infrastructure commonly associated with touring, broadcast and major live events.
A Milestone for Worship Production
The permanent installation of the DiGiCo Quantum 852 at First Baptist Church represents an important development for church audio production.
With the ability to manage a full orchestra, choir, contemporary band, playback systems, broadcast feeds and extensive monitor requirements, the installation reflects the growing technical demands of modern worship environments.
However, the system is about more than the console itself.
The video highlights the importance of detailed routing, organised infrastructure, communication and teamwork in managing a production of this scale.
The Quantum 852 may be the headline, but the wider installation offers a closer look at how technology, workflow and people come together to support one of the most complex permanent worship audio systems currently in operation.
Credits and Acknowledgements
This feature is based on the video tour and behind-the-scenes coverage of the world's first permanent church installation of the DiGiCo Quantum 852 at First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Georgia.
Special recognition goes to the technical and production team involved in designing, installing and operating the system, as well as Tom, the Front of House engineer featured in the walkthrough, and Megan, the monitor engineer at Monitor World, for sharing insight into the workflows behind the production.
Credit also goes to the musicians, volunteers, production staff and technical teams whose work supports a production of this scale.
Original video and coverage: The creators and production team behind the original YouTube feature.
Equipment featured: DiGiCo Quantum 852, DiGiCo Quantum 338, Shure PSM 1000 and the wider audio infrastructure at First Baptist Church.
