Worship AVL January–February 2017

Most houses of worship have a statement of goals to go hand-in-hand with their credo. By the nature of the institutions, growth can be assumed as a fundamental goal. How growth is anticipated and accommodated is very much a part of the role of a technical ministry.

We’ve talked here before about taking the occasion of a new year’s dawning to inventory the elements of your HOW’s technical infrastructure. Such an inventory should include a performance evaluation of each piece of gear or software. Can each production element perform as expected? What is the anticipated longevity of each link in the chain?

Longevity and performance should be evaluated in terms of a HOW’s goals may require improvements in AVL systems. The path to growth may be through a change in service style or by implementing video streaming, for instance. Realisation of growth goals may demand more space, requiring more infrastructure. Church planting and satellite congregations may require totally new systems to link campuses, as well as new installations at new locations. HOWs that aggressively employ technology in the pursuit of their goals will be expected to keep up with the evolution of those technologies. Where the future can be anticipated, new gear should accommodate the next generation of performance standards less such gear prematurely become a weak link in the signal chain. ministry have a plan in place to realise that vision?

KNOWHOW

s@worshipavl.com

Frank Wells Editor

A church with an immersive perspective

USA: National Community Church (NCC), based in Washington DC, is a non-denominational, multi-site ministry with a unique way of bringing church and community together daily. For example, what was once a crack house has now been refurbished into a very popular coffeeshop, where the outreach programmes. NCC uses a number of Regal-chain local movie theatres to host weekly worship services, some with tech installs by NCC that help the spaces better

theatre, which NCC now calls ‘The completely upgraded recently. NCC played a part in that renovation, which included an in-ear monitor and mixing system. The space is also available for rent for performances or galas. The discovery of the Klang 3D inear mixing solution for The Miracle Theater was a fortunate coincidence. Mike Semmel, production director looking for the latest ways to integrate new features into the

Technologies, a company from Aachen, Germany, as a compatible option so he researched it. ‘For us, the Dante compatibility was the big selling point. Also, due to our

room for a monitor console. This allowed us to clean up the stage a bit leaders, to change their own mixes

how Klang technology allows 3D placement of sound sources within

a two-channel mix, including the option of facilitating head-tracking; a musician can turn their head, and the mix dynamically changes, making the placement of sounds follow head position, as in real-life.

Chris Douglas, worship leader at Klang:fabrik in-ear mixing system. He enthuses: ‘The 3D space and feel is awesome. It is about as organic as playing with IEMs can get. With normal stereo, you are able to space instruments out, but it lacks depth,

really changes that. If I am the front man in the band or subbing in on bass, I can position everything as it

by lauding the working relationship

‘how active the team is in dealing with issues as they arise as well as always looking to improve and update the interface. There are a few items in the software that are a bit challenging

Further to the 3D mixing experience, Mr Douglas concludes ‘the 3D space really opens up a new space in your monitor mix, giving every part its designated space. The ability to hear your role and stay out of someone as the band leader because I can of my band because I know for sure

www.klang.com

www.theaterchurch.com

A sonic pilgrimage for Korea’s Global Mission Church

churches in the USA.

In 2008, the GMC opened a spiritual retreat centre in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-do, the Pilgrim House. The facility includes a sanctuary, prayer and seminar rooms and a beautiful campus that is home to the 1km

statuary illustrates scenes

17th century Christian novel, Pilgrim’s Progress

2009 and employing engineers with decades of experience, is headed by

For Pilgrim House, KmTech selected ISP Technologies LT1XF three-way cabinets with Beyma High Fidelity

(HDM) 112 cabinets, Vector FS full-spectrum cabinets, and High

KOREA: The Global Mission Church (GMC) is headquartered in Bundanggu, Seongnam city, Gyeonggi-do, Korea. Founded in 1994 as a church with 60 members, it is cited as having 20,000 regular attendees in two main

recently had a loudspeaker overhaul, with solutions from ISP Technologies installed by the USA loudspeaker

KmTech. The Seoul-based consulting

Ceiling speakers along with the HDDS BRC1 to power them (ISP Technologies patented, modern approach to applications traditionally served by 70V systems).

in its choice prior to installation, and the clarity of the installed system. ISP promotes its goal of excellence in vocal-band/mid-range clarity, and factory tuning each cabinet for ‘ruler houses of worship.

www.isptechnologies.com

www.jiguchon.org

www.kmtav.com

Musicians mix their own monitor mix with the Klang app

The NCC praise band on stage

The Klang app allows the placement of sound sources within a 3D soundfield

The main sanctuary is among the spaces employing ISP Technologies loudspeakers

The Pilgrim House podium with ISP monitors

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PM10 test drive ensures Rama Katha comes to Abu Dhabi

UAE: Hotel provided the base for nine

available to rental houses and event demonstration of the console at the

it required a professional sound system to ensure everyone could

Korean churches old and new go dLive

KOREA: Construction of the Holy Flames Methodist Church has recently built complex can accommodate a impressed by its preamp quality and

iconline.com

io.com

and there are the four custom opportunity to experience an entirely www.allen-heath.com

www.samasound.co.kr

Pastor Yoonha Kim

Construction recently finished on the new Holy Flames Methodist Church

Rama Katha took place at Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace Hotel

The Yamaha Rivage PM10 in action

INDIA: In the Rupnagar district of the state of Punjab lies the town of Anandpur Sahib, which is often referred to as ‘the holy City of Bliss’. The holy town is closely linked with the religious traditions and history of Sikhism, and to preserve this, serves as the home of the Virasat-e-Khalsa, also known as the Khalsa Heritage Complex. Virasate-Khalsa can best be described as a museum that contains over 500 years of Sikh history, showcasing the heritage of the Khalsa – the name given to the

director, Amardeep Behl. ‘We carefully integrated the Christie projectors into the exhibits and complemented them with meticulously designed art and composed music to create an emotional impact and immersive experience for visitors.’

The 40 projectors that the design house implemented comprised 29 of Christie’s M Series 3DL models and 11 G Series 1DLP units. The results have reportedly impressed the client and visitors.

Columns in an open space

ITALY: The commune of Porto Torres lies within Sassari, the second largest city in Sardinia. And within Porto Torres is the newly constructed 8,000 sq-m Holy Spirit complex that comprises several multi-purpose halls and a sports area, in addition to the recently inaugurated Holy Spirit Church.

collective body of all initiated Sikhs. The facility was designed by Moshe Safdie and is formed of two complexes separated by a ravine. A bridge allows visitors to pass from one side of the ravine to the other as they explore the exhibition galleries, two-storey research and reference library and rare archival materials storage facility, and attend seminars in the 400-seat auditorium.

To immerse visitors in the exhibits, Virasat-e-Khalsa has been installed with several projectors that beam images onto large, curved surfaces, as well as for projection mapping applications across the galleries throughout the complex. Having provided similar solutions for a number of large projection projects across India, New Delhi-based design house Designhabit was contracted. During those previous projects Designhabit had utilised solutions from Christie to much success, which led to the deployment of 40 of the manufacturer’s projectors at Virasate-Khalsa.

‘We were given spaces as high as 18m and galleries of large volumes. With the extraordinary historical, emotive, spiritual, cultural content available, we decided to make it a dynamic, storytelling museum,’ recalls Designhabit managing

‘We are very pleased with the performance and reliability of the Christie projectors used in the various exhibition zones,’ says Mr Behl. ‘The visuals have added more depth and dimension in telling the story of Sikhism and the birth of the

be enchanted by these exhibits that feature visual, sound and light effects.’

‘Virasat-e-Khalsa is a world class museum that depicts Punjab culture and the history of Sikhism, and is fast becoming one of the most popular museums in the world,’ adds Christie India general manager, Michael Bosworth. ‘We’re honoured that the museum has chosen our state-of-theart G Series and M Series projection systems to be installed in the many exhibition galleries to showcase the rich heritage of the Khalsa community and the history and culture of the Punjab. Designhabit has done a marvellous job of integrating our visual solutions with traditional history and heritage, which in turn inspires visitors with a renewed relevance of the message of the great Sikh gurus for the world today.’

www.christiedigital.com

www.designhabit.com

www.virasat-e-khalsa.net

The church features an open-plan architectural design with a worship space that’s 36m wide and 16.5m deep, not counting the choir and chapel areas. A major challenge therefore presented itself when it came to selecting a solution for the church due to its open structure. The sanctuary lacked suitable installation points, with the perimeter walls, wide apart as they are, serving as the only available anchor points. Tasked with providing the Holy Spirit Church with sound reinforcement was Sassari-based company, Costec, led by chairman Tonino Loi. Drawing upon its previous project experience, the installer selected RCF’s VSA column speakers as a viable solution. This saw a pair of VSA2050 columns installed on the side walls, one per side of the sanctuary, while a VSA1250 has been hung near the altar, providing reinforcement for congregants seated in the front rows. This setup, while small and coverage throughout the space, due to the deep throw of the speakers and the 130-degrees horizontal dispersion they are capable of. An additional VSA1250 column was installed adjacent to the altar

and serves solely as a monitor for the church choir. Monitoring in the sacristy is handled by a DM 41 two-way compact speaker and the small closed chapel beside the altar has been reinforced by a slim-line CS3082 column speaker with AM

A control mechanism has also been setup to enable the steering of the audio signal towards the seating area and to avoid the sound spilling towards the ceiling or into the empty parts of the sanctuary. This also ensures intelligibility by removing reverberations.

Outside, P2110-T coaxial two-way speakers have been installed on walls of the building to deliver audio to the churchyard. These include a perforated aluminium front grille and water-repellent fabric backing. ‘The P Series speakers are horn-loaded, directivity in an area as large as the external yard,’ notes an RCF engineer. ‘They are also weatherproof.’

The installation was reportedly conducted in good time, and upon needs. The inauguration attracted approximately 1,500 worshippers, all of whom experienced the new sound system.

The Holy Spirit Church

RCF’s VSA column speakers were installed

Freedom of movement during performances of Ramlila

INDIA: Ramlila is a dramatic reenactment of the life of Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, and culminates in a retelling of the 10-day battle between the titular protagonist and Ravana, the tale’s antagonist who is depicted as the demon king of Lanka, Rakshasa. Ramlila, which can be referred to as Rama’s Lila or Rama’s Play, is often performed during Sharad Navratras, which marks the beginning of the Hindu Autumn festive period, starting with the Dussehra festival. Performances are often staged to take place in time

for Rama’s victory over the demon king. The actors will then usually form a procession throughout the city or town that the play has taken place in, until the town square or a central is acted out.

For a recent production of Ramlila in New Delhi, pro audio rental company, DJ Devil, was called upon to supply an audio solution. The event, which is described as the ‘most prominent and popular’ version of Ramlila in the region, is organised by the Dwarka Sri Ramlila Society.

To cater to the audio requirements, DJ Devil deployed its newly-purchased JTS CM-214i omni-directional headset microphones, which allowed the performers freedom of movement, while being heard by the entire audience. The rental company’s new JTS inventory was purchased from

dealer in the region that also serves as a reseller for brands such as Mackie and Dynatech, all of which are represented in India by Sonotone.

‘The purchase of the JTS CM-214i

headsets by DJ Devil clearly depicts their focus and intention to provide a world class vocal audio solution for their events, and it is so heartening to learn that a highly reputed and large scale event like the one organised by the Dwarka Sri Ramlila Society treated their audience to crystal clear microphone audio delivery thanks

Decibel Pro Systems. ‘JTS products, being so easy to use and extremely high on performance and quality, have received amazingly positive feedback from the rental market at large and we’re so glad to learn that many of the prominent players in the market are looking up to JTS as an undisputed true value for money brand.’

www.decibelpro.in

www.dwarkaramlila.com

www.jts.com.tw

www.sonotone.in

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DJ Devil had added the JTS CM-214i headsets to its inventory

Ramlila reenacts the life of Rama up until his battle with Ravana

The headset microphones in use

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Elation at Mount Pleasant Community Church

USA: The city of Mount Pleasant in Michigan is home to Central Michigan University. As such, the Mount Pleasant Community Church enjoys a lively congregation, a large proportion within the 19-25 age bracket.

‘As a result, they are always exceptionally diligent in looking for ways to make the worship experience more inclusive and inviting,’ explains Mike Mrozinski, project development manager at LiveSpace, the Grand Rapids-based systems integrator that recently upgraded the church’s lighting system. ‘They have a very contemporary worship experience

Doha church’s audio solution is worth the wait

QATAR: Churches the world over present acoustic challenges in the form of high ceilings and highly reverberant surfaces. This is no different in Doha, where St Peter & St Paul Coptic Orthodox Church features a mostly marble interior, a mezzanine and a 15m high domed ceiling at the entrance.

To solve the audio problems faced by the church, Doha-based Techno Q was called in, with its head of design, Maged Amin, leading the project. The forward in 2013 when the systems

they were going for, but still seemed like they were putting a band-aid over a broken leg. They lived with this solution for several years until they decided to

a house light solution that was more in line with the high production standards that they brought to every other aspect of their service.’

The new system is an LED solution formed of Elation Professional’s Colour Pendant series colour-changing luminaires. Four Colour Pendants were hung above the stage and a further 32 were integrated with the ceiling across the worship space. LiveSpace also installed a new lighting console.

Five Lakes Marketing, which represents Elation, also provided support on the project. ‘We have worked with Rob Ludwig at Five Lakes for several years now and have called upon him many times,’ says Mr Mrozinski.

each weekend so we stressed the ability to create a more immersive and engaging environment.’

Mount Pleasant Community Church had installed a lighting solution its worship space over a decade ago, however these were soon deemed environment. To remedy this, a series of par cans were later installed in the ceiling. ‘While this did give them a greater degree of control, the coverage was not as smooth as they had hoped,’ Mr Mrozinski adds. ‘The par cans got them halfway to the look and feel that

The new lighting solution has reportedly impressed at Mount Pleasant, creating ‘an immersive and inclusive worship experience while also seeing use during its Vacation Bible School and community events. ‘The church leadership liked the idea that they could have the ability to create a similar lighting look as what was being created on stage,’ concludes Mr Mrozinski. ‘Beyond the colour abilities, the coverage and dimming curve has proven to be the most even worked with in the past. The client could not be more happy with the end result.’

www.communitychurchlife.org

www.elationlighting.com

www.lsavl.com

integrator was initially contracted.

Iconyx range of steerable arrays to church was not ready to make such an investment so quickly, Mr Amin remained patient and of the opinion that his design would provide the best possible audio solution for the church.

‘From the church’s point of view, they were investing in technology that was new to them,’ explains Mr Amin. ‘We ran a lot of simulations, working had to convince the clients that we had the right plan. During services and events the church becomes very crowded and there is a lot of noise in

to cover the entire area evenly. The interior is marble with high ceilings and a very high dome. It’s a very challenging environment.’

Techno Q collaborated with the audio manufacturer during the project’s lengthy commissioning phase to ensure that the church received a solution that would provide even coverage throughout the sanctuary. That solution, now installed, comprises a pair of Iconyx

IC24-R-II arrays that cover the main while two IC8-R-II arrays cater for the upper balcony area.

‘We deployed beam steering in such a way that the coverage avoids the dome and still successfully reaches the rear seating,’ recalls the Middle East, Norbert Bau. ‘After

the church came to listen to the the church to the front, and as he did so he started smiling. Then he asked what kind of magic we had done!’

‘I was very happy with the results,’

performance and coverage. It’s a very high-end solution.’

www.copticchurchdoha.com

www.renkus-heinz.com

www.technoq.com

Two Iconyx IC24-R-II arrays cover the ground floor

St Peter & St Paul Coptic Orthodox Church

The church comprises a main worship space on the ground floor, with a balcony area above

Four rows of eight Colour Pendant fixtures were integrated in the ceiling

Mount Pleasant Community Church upgraded its lighting system as it stages dynamic services for its services that are higly populated with young people

La Junta Church updates and upgrades for growth

USA: The congregation of La Junta Church of the Nazarene is formed of approximately 230 members, a number that continues to grow. A part of the church’s popularity is that its services include a full praise band. However, suffering from an outof-date sound system, La Junta Church had been experiencing sound reinforcement issues.

‘The previous system had old, mostly blown speakers that should have been replaced 10 years ago, two mediocre outboard EQs and a crossover that was not doing anything,’ recalls Lucas Lafferty, co-owner of DK Audio Video, SI that was contracted to design and install a new solution.

HD1801 subwoofer with an 18-inch speaker to deliver the required lows. For mixing and processing, outboard gear was removed and additional mixer channels added, as a Mackie DL32R rack mount digital mixer was installed. The praise team uses 28 mixer channels onstage.

‘The praise team adapted to the DL32R very quickly,’ Mr Lafferty reports. ‘They have found the DL32R easy to learn and use. They’re growing, so they needed a lot of channels, and they love the onboard processing. The old EQs and crossover are gone.

monitor mixes. With Mackie’s Master Fader app, the sound guy can walk around the stage with an iPad, ask each musician what they need, and give it to them. At least two of the musicians are using Master Fader to mix their monitors on their iPhones.’

La Junta Church is also making use of the DL32R’s matrix functionality. ‘We’re running in mono and we matrixed everything into a single channel output,’ says Mr Lafferty. ‘We also send a feed to the

the highs. With the DL32R processing and routing, we don’t need a separate room DSP system.

Aurora projection

‘Slowly but surely everything has come together really well,’ he concludes. ‘They have been very happy with the overall capabilities of the system and with the sound.’

www.dkaudiovideo.com

www.lajuntanazarene.org

www.mackie.com

Design Atem 2M/E switcher feeds the video to the projectors.

USA: Calvary Aurora is a small, nondenominational church that takes its name in part from the home rule municipality in which it is based. Aurora is located in Colorado, west of California’s Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa and comprises children’s, youth and adult ministries that are aimed at people from all walks of life.

Calvary Aurora recently opted to upgrade its video projection systems to further engage its worshippers. Brett Nelson from Nelson Audio & Light was contracted to design and install the system.

‘Calvary Aurora’s services are contemporary, so they can take advantage of the ability to project a variety of content, keeping services upbeat and interesting,’ explains Mr Nelson. ‘The sanctuary’s centre screen usually shows a themed picture or an abstract background video while the outer screens typically display live video of the worship team or pastor. Lyrics can be overlaid on all of the screens.’

Mr Nelson and his team deployed two Eiki LC-HDT2000 and a pair of LC-HDT700 HD widescreen projectors. ‘We chose Eiki projectors because

they deliver an exceptionally bright picture and have the richest colour reliability,’ says Mr Nelson.

The LC-HDT2000 projectors deliver front projection onto the 10m wide central screen. They are fed from Renewed Vision’s ProVideoPlayer software running on an iMac via a Datapath X4 that splits the video before the signal reaches the projectors, which handle the edgeblending themselves. Meanwhile, the LC-HDT700 HD units provide front projection for two Da-Lite tensioned screens, one per side. A Blackmagic

‘One of our key challenges on this job was how to properly achieve a sharp, 10m wide centre image, while ensuring the side images would be a close match in colour and brightness,’ notes Mr Nelson. ‘There isn’t a lens available that’s supposed to do the extreme wide angle we needed to handle the centre screen from such a close distance. When I voiced this concern, Eiki experimented with their lenses to see if they could push the limits and they came up with a lens that could handle the job. That level of support is very reassuring.

‘According to Jason Klein, church media coordinator, everything’s been going great,’ Mr Nelson reports. ‘They’ve been training volunteer switcher and camera operators to use the equipment. The images and videos all look great. The visuals really add a new level of impact that most churches services simply don’t have, all of which helps make their services all the more compelling.’

www.calvaryaurora.org

www.eiki.com

www.nelsonaudio.com

de central screen and two side screens at Calvary Aurora

La Junta Church of the Nazarene’s services feature a full praise band

The Mackie system at La Junta Church

4K Mosaic streaming

USA: Located along Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, Mosaic is a church that welcomes congregants from all walks of life, both locally and from afar. In addition to those that attend its three weekly Sunday services, the church has amassed an international virtual following through its live streams, podcasts and mobile app. With thousands tuning in to watch the sermons on its website as well as using the Andoid and iOS apps, Mosaic recently looked into upgrading its video production environment to include 4K.

Sermons are streamed online four times a week, with the Mosaic website also hosting an archive of videos that worshippers can choose to watch on demand. The church’s sanctuary is designed as a ‘low lumen, theatrical type of lighting environment’, which creates a challenging video production environment. This, in addition to the fact that Mosaic’s founder and lead pastor, Erwin Raphael MacManus, wanted to future proof the church’s video content, led to the exploration of 4K streaming.

Mosaic turned to Sunnyvale-based systems integrator, VMI Inc, which

evaluated the cameras and lenses available to determine the best solution on the market. ‘We found that Sony cameras equipped with Fujinon lenses produced the sharpest

for Mosaic,’ recalls John Delmont, systems sales and integration consultant at VMI. ‘Our company has forged a strong long-term relationship with Fujifilm Optical Devices, and we find their lenses to be consistently top-ofthe-line.’

The solution resulted in the purchase of four lenses from Fujifilm’s Optical Devices Division, consisting of two UA22x8 4K, ²/³-inch portable zooms, a ZK4.7x19 Cabrio 19-90mm lens and a ZK12x25 Cabrio 25-300mm lens. The UA22x8 portable lenses have been paired with Sony’s HDC-

4300L camera, while the two Cabrio lenses are used with a pair of Sony’s PMW-F55 CineAlta camcorders.

‘We strive to be innovative in the ways that we use technology to convey our message and connect with our community,’ says Lawrence Fudge, executive pastor at Mosaic. ‘Our goal in this project was to create 4K productions from start to finish, and our Fujinon lenses have helped us to

be one of the first worship centres to achieve that.’

Since the church’s investment, the cameras and lenses have been put to use for concerts as well as Mosaic’s weekly services.

www.fujifilmusa.com www.mosaic.org pro.sony.com www.vmivideo.com

Fujinon’s ZK12x25 Cabrio 25-300mm lens

Mosaic streams its sermons in 4K

The UA22x8 4K lens Sales Enquiry:

Countryman at the ministry

USA: Named after its founder, Kenneth Hagin Ministries, is a travelling ministry that tours the world, as well as operating both the Rhema Bible Training College and Rhema Bible Church. Based in Oklahoma, the ministry is active in 52 countries and hosts revival meetings, church services and college classes across its 200 campuses. To cater for its worshippers that are unable to attend any of its physical locations, Kenneth Hagin produces daily podcasts and weekly television broadcasts.

In his role at the ministry, Mr Moore looks after audio, lighting and video projection at the main campus. ‘In the 18 years that we’ve been working with Countryman, the company has been very responsive. We use the E6 Earset microphones in a few of our college classrooms and use them hardwired into a 70V speaker system. When we needed a different gain on the microphones to match the older mics, Countryman supplied the correct microphone promptly,’ he notes.

Mr Moore also oversees the

To capture the audio for live, recorded and broadcast applications, a microphone solution was required that could cater reliably for all three. This is provided by Countryman and its E6 Earset and H6 Headset microphones. ‘We regularly use 15 E6 and two H6 mics,’ explains the ministry’s technical director, JT Moore. ‘We also use a few Isomax microphones along with an additional 12 that we keep on hand for dramatic productions.

‘We developed our relationship with Countryman microphones when our founder, Kenneth E.Hagin, was in his late seventies and needed a mic with more gain before feedback, as his voice was growing weaker,’ Mr Moore continues. ‘The Countryman Isomax headset achieved the best performance. When the E6 Earset microphone debuted, we switched to the lighter, smaller microphone. We have E6 microphones that have been in use for over 15 years without fail. We use it in its standard position over the right ear, primarily for speech reproduction for our pastors.’

production of special events that the ministry puts on. ‘Every Christmas, we have a children’s musical,’ he reveals. ‘These productions feature 10-15 child actors. In the past, we used a lot

stands to try to pick up their vocals. We then began using the E6 mics on the lead actors and they have greatly improved the overall sound.

‘We’ve always loved the quality of sound reproduction we get from our Countryman microphones,’ Mr Moore concludes. ‘They are super lightweight, so our pastors are not bothered by the weight of wearing a microphone. The black mic blends very well with the background and the mic’s small element offers great gain before feedback. You can clearly hear the pastor and the crowd without experiencing any unnecessary room noise. Even though these mics are small in size, they are very robust.’

www.countryman.com

www.rhema.org

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Kenneth Hagin wearing a Countryman mic

“I refuse to become a victim of bad LED lighting”

Woodstock City Church lights the way

USA: Woodstock City Church is a non-denominational Christian church located in the Georgia-based town with which it shares its name. It is part of the North Point Ministries network, which comprises a total of six churches in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and recently relocated to a new campus due to the increasing size of its congregation. The church operates contemporary services that include music and games, and to further enhance this, commissioned the installation of new lighting

‘At Woodstock City Church, one of the ways we accomplish our mission is by creating engaging services,’ explains the church’s lighting director, Rob Shawver. ‘We provide weekly worship services that are commonly full-on, concert-style productions. For example, we did Firework by Katy Perry on the fourth of July. Other times, we will host smaller, more intimate services, and we use the lights to supplement the production. Our goal is to enhance the experience rather than introduce distracting elements.’

To deliver the concert style of lighting to the church’s 4,000 strong congregation, Mr Shawver and his team chose to invest in 34 Martin

project was supported by worship technology

reportedly chosen for their ability to produce productions.

we’ve designed a lighting rig from the ground up, and we were excited to work with the Harman team to build a state-of-the-art rig for our church,’ enthuses Mr Shawver.

The rig incorporates 21 Mac Viper AirFX, a pair of Atomic 3000 DMX strobes and 11 Rush MH

and they give us so many creative options,’ Mr Shawver notes. ‘The colour mixing is smooth, and the colours have excellent punch. We absolutely love that they can mimic a beam as well as a super-wide zoom. We use mid-air effects to create really dynamic lighting and evoke the emotion that complements the music. They’ve been amazing.’ With the lighting rig up and running and dazzling the congregation at Woodstock City Church each week, feedback has reportedly been positive. ‘We’ve received great feedback on our new Martin lighting rig, and people are always telling us how beautiful the lights are,’ concludes the church’s and their customer service has been great – they make us feel like we’re part of their team.’

www.e2idesign.com

www.martin.com

www.woodstockcity.org

Intelligibility inside the sanctuary at Natuzza Evolo’s tomb

ITALY: Natuzza Evolo was an Italian Catholic mystic who was said to have of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. In life, she was well known among the Italian Catholic community and would receive many visitors who would travel to her hometown of Paravati to seek advice and guidance, while some claim that she cured them of ailments. Ms Evolo passed away in 2009 at the age of 85 and her funeral was attended by six bishops, 100 priests and thousands of Catholics. Since then, The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Souls Sanctuary has been constructed around her tomb in Paravati.

The sanctuary spans 150,000 sq-m by the Natuzza Evolo Foundation inauguration from the Archdiocese of Mileto. It comprises four chapels and a large space that can accommodate up to 900 people. To ensure speech intelligibility during meetings and sermons, founder and CEO of UK-based Grand Acoustics, Toni Soddu, was contracted to design and install a sound system to provide

reinforcement in each of the chapels and the walkways that connect them.

‘My brief was to provide a user-friendly sound reinforcement system that was unobtrusive and included the very latest technology. Church ceremonies, and the ambience surrounding them, are very different from music events, so it was important to have microphones that could perform perfectly with many different aspects of speech,’ explains Mr Soddu. It was imperative that I chose the right microphones. DPA was top of the list because I’ve used these

microphones for many years and I know they are extremely reliable. They sound fantastic and are exceptionally well designed, providing optimal vocal reproduction even in a church where hard marble surfaces can make reverberation times quite high. As we have installed an active monitoring system, we also needed microphones that had high rejection to feedback.’

Mr Soddu and his team installed eight d:screet podium microphones

microphones with wireless adapters as

d:screet

well as eight d:screet necklace mics. The necklace microphones are noted as featuring DPA Microphones’ d:screet 4061 Miniature Omnidirectional Capsule.

the sanctuary plenty of choice so they now have the right product for every application,’ adds Mr Soddu. ‘The d:screet podium microphones are great

microphones are ideal for ceremonies where there are multiple celebrants and the d:screet necklace microphones are perfect for single celebrants, especially priests who want an invisible solution that doesn’t detract from their necklace microphones, the celebrants can also move around freely.’

www.dpamicrophones.com

www.fondazionenatuzza.org

Woodstock City Church has invested in a new lighting rig

DPA Microphones provide intelligibility

podium mics were deployed

Patience is a virtue

AS ONE OF THE OLDEST CHURCHES IN KERALA, Kuruppampady’s St Mary’s Jacobite Syrian Cathedral Church has a rich story to tell. Believed to have been consecrated in 1355 (some experts even think it could even have been as early as 1067), the building collapsed entirely when impacted by heavy rain and thunderstorms in 1657. While a renovation was undertaken straight after to repair the damage, it would be another 300 years before its next major renovation project; taking the building up to its current size of approximately 67m x 10m. The main altar bears the name of the holy mother, Mary, while to the left and right are the altars of St Thomas and St George respectively. Pre-existing audio reinforcement was from a PA system manufactured and provided by a local company. Well aware of the limitations of that system, the church management enlisted a local supplier to design and install a new PA. A good relationship, however, failed to materialise, and it was up to audio consultant Ajesh MK and his team at Amrutha Sound Solutions to pick up the pieces. Perhaps that was a blessing in disguise?

Despite its small size, the sanctuary’s high ceilings and long-rectangular shape is far from ideal for audio transmission. In addition to this for the team at Amrutha Sound Solutions, power stability was a real concern.

explains Mr MK. ‘In Kerala, the electricity is distributed via electric posts rather than underground gives trouble to the entire system. To combat this I suggested to the church that they use a generator during masses. This was really the main challenge. Aside from this, the church management was very how I wanted. They gave permission to place the speakers wherever I wished and also allowed me

convenience which was a great help.’ Surrounding all three altars are Electro-Voice 15–inch ELX115 two-way loudspeakers hung low up the wall – four in the main altar and four for each of the side altars. A further four ELX115s each provide reinforcement in the nave and front porch. For foldback, four Electro-Voice ETX 10P compact powered cabinets are wall-mounted, two by the altar and two in the transept. An Allen & Heath Qu-16 digital console in the transept provides both the front of house and foldback mix.

‘After completing everything, the priests, the entire choir team and the devotees are all happy with the new system,’ concludes the audio consultant. ‘They’ve told me that the new system gives more clarity and more volume and it’s no longer a strain for them to sing during mass. The system gives the same coverage all over the church and, thanks to our use of EQ to reduce standing waves, there is much less reverberation compared to the old system. While obviously there is still some reverberation due to the architectural characteristics of the building, I’ve solved this issue with the help of the right speaker placement and the right dispersion

resonance or standing waves.’

www.electro-voice.com

St Thomas and St George altars sit to the left and right of the main sanctuary

The acoustics are plagued by high ceilings and very reflective surfaces

Crown amplifiers are hidden in a cabinet beneath the Allen & Heath Qu-16 mixer

St Mary’s Jacobite Syrian Cathedral Church is one of the oldest churches in Kerala

Electro-Voice ELX115s are mounted at a low height to keep reverberation down

SMALL VERSATILE LOUD

Active Line Array Series*

LA122A - Active Line Array Element

2220Wprg 2-Way amplification 135dB max SPL (Full-space)

LAs118A - Active Arrayable Subwoofer

2960Wprg amplification

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* Networkable DSP, control software included

The hills are alive

JUST AS THE HILLS ARE ALIVE with the sound of music is synonymous with Julie Andrews, Hillsong Church is as much a byword for Australian music creation as it is Christian Pentecostal worship. Whilst over 30,000 people attend its services each week in Australia alone, Hillsong Music regularly tops the global charts, with albums achieving gold and platinum sales status. Named after the Baulkham Hills suburb of Sydney where it was established in 1983, Hillsong has grown exponentially to become a multi-site church with campuses in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Darwin and Noosa. In addition, its musical talent has helped to establish international campuses in New York City, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Barcelona, Cape Town, Düsseldorf, Konstanz, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Moscow, Kiev and Lyon amongst others.

Churches and the Australian branch of the Assemblies of God, Hillsong has also extended its network reach within its own borders courtesy of a growing number of extension services that are being constructed. Just as importantly, a ground-breaking broadcast network helps to connect those living beyond the suburbs who are unable to physically attend services. That very

same broadcast and postproduction audio infrastructure serves a dual purpose by interlinking services between the main campuses and outreach posts. Director of audio and infrastructure for Hillsong’s creative technology department, Ricki Cook, was the one of the primary team members commissioned to design Hillsong’s new live broadcast and postproduction facility. In doing so the church created one of the most advanced video IP networks in the country, which has recently gained the attention of several national broadcasters and outside broadcast companies.

Broadcast

Based on Avaya’s Fabric Connect Technology, the project team of Ricki Cook, Luke Irvine, Sebastian Heck and Brett Randall agreed to connect the diverse A/V infrastructure over the primary data network. ‘Crucially, it had to run in real time and was mission critical,’ explains Mr Cook. Having evaluated various encoders and streaming products, the team opted for Lawo’s Virtual Studio Monitor (VSM) video-over-IP control and monitoring system. This followed a successful evaluation of multi-stream switching within the Lawo V__Remote4 units via the VSM, as trialed by the church and

Hillsong Church has made improvements to the technology powering its broadcast, postproduction and live worship facilities. Richard Lawn takes a tour

The flexible space can be partitioned into lecture rooms at the sides when not in use for full services

Shure distributor Jands installed extensive UHF-R wireless and PSM1000 in-ear systems managed by Shure’s Wireless Workbench software

The convention centre at the church’s Hills location was opened in October 2002

Lawo distributor Professional Audio & Television (PAT). PAT ultimately supplied a total of 14 V__Line video-over-IP units to the Baulkham Hills campus ensuring accurate multi-stream video source switching. Whilst Hillsong streams J2K to each campus where the bandwidth is available, other facilities with less bandwidth availability receive and send video in H.264 or via the web.

Offering four video-over-IP encoders and decoders, frame synchronisation for each channel, frame and line phasing in addition to variable A/V delays for each channel, the V_Link4’s were proven to produce productionquality video-over-IP. Features such as embedding and de-embedding

de-embedding, video processing and frame synchronisation. ‘It is always an exciting proposition if a customer pushes the technology as far as possible,’ enthuses PAT MD Patrick Salloch. ‘This was made possible through a very close collaborative approach with the excellent knowledge of the Hillsong technology team and has resulted in one of the largest videoover-IP systems in Australia. The fact that it is controlled by VSM also makes

content contribution systems.’

the Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney main campuses.

VPLS circuits exist between the main interstate Hillsong sites, whilst web streams are transmitted from the main centres to the smaller outreach sites. Direct feeds can be obtained via Amazon or Google, hosting the streaming and transcoder servers.

Postproduction

The mission control A/V infrastructure runs over the primary data network in real time and includes Lawo’s VSM video-overIP control and monitoring system together with 14 V__Line videoover-IP units for multi-stream video source switching

including SRCs, RGB colour correction and two surround-to-stereo downmixers per embedder offer the production team multiple options. In addition, Quadsplit multi-viewers waveform and vector display, timecode insert, test pattern generator and video ID generators for each channel ensure that Hillsong’s broadcast distribution network can operate. The network has been completed courtesy of the Lawo V-remotes installed in the other campuses with Madi interfaces and SDI inputs and outputs in the rear.

The VSM system provides a total of 45 ports to control a Ross Video NK-3G144 SDI router, AJA KiPro recorders and players, a Riedel Artist communications frame and Lawo V__PRO8s and V__Link4s. The system was further expanded recently with the addition of a Lawo Nova73 audio router. The Ross Video router features 144 x 144 cross points and six openGear frames populated with cards for traditional SDI equipment, whilst the V__Pro8s provide embedding,

At the heart of the network is a 10U high Lawo Nova 73 HD Core converting up to 8,192 analogue and AES inputs and outputs into the digital domain for transport via Madi, Ravenna

optic LAN IT infrastructure that runs throughout the campus. A tab in the web browser depicts Dante cross-points for all the different locations with Madi routing and a custom GUI provides an overview of the 48kHz operation, clock-synchronised switching to video frames and internal DSP. Hot-plug capability and online

made during live broadcasts, whilst Star² technology ensures fail-safe redundancy.

‘Live production and broadcast was previously separated, but with the routers it is now more logical to operate them together,’ furthers Mr Cook. ‘The VSM panels are broadcast grade routers with a full blown GUI. The system is fully automated, so that when you plug in a device into any port in the network, our database recognises the

have been created so that they can all be recognised and conversely, anything

Communications Artist frames are used for intercommunications on a

Having embraced networked audio to enhance its broadcast capabilities both within the Baulkham Hills campus and throughout the Hillsong network, the team then turned their attention to the postproduction facilities. The primary broadcast audio room currently houses a Euphonix S5 Fusion console, a Mac Pro and Pro Tools HDX system together with DiGiGrid DLS and DLI interfaces. The DLS and the DLI ensure audio is distributed throughout the network, including a feed to a second control room for backup recording and broadcast monitoring.

During broadcast, Hillsong uses the built-in server of the DiGiGrid DLS to run Waves plugins via the Waves Multirack Soundgrid plugin host

application. In postproduction, Waves plugins run on the Soundgrid server, controlled via the Waves Studiorack host application within a Pro Tools HD system. This set-up requires two Digilink ports on the DLS and one port on the DLI. The remaining DLI Digilink port connects to a spare Avid 192 interface for additional routable local I/Os. In each of the operational modes — broadcast and post — a 128-channel Madi stream is converted to a Soundgrid audio network via two DiGiGrid MGB Madi-to-Soundgrid audio interfaces. Together with a Mac computer, a Waves Soundgrid server and the Waves Multirack Soundgrid plugin host application allow Waves plugins to run in real time on the Euphonix S5 console.

The S5 is coupled to a Juniper Ethernet switch which in turn is linked via optical Ethernet to a second Juniper switch. This is connected to the SC264 DSP engine via Ethernet, providing work surface control of the console’s processing engine. An Apogee Electronics Big Ben master reference clock generator is connected to a Lucid GEN-X6 clocking unit, that is the clock to the SC264 and the two DiGiGrid MGB units. Madi connections provide bi-directional audio between the MGB interfaces and the SC264, while the MGB pair’s Soundgrid connections come from the same Juniper switch that couples console control information to the SC264. Digital audio between the Euphonix engine and Soundgrid thus share the same optical Ethernet link between the two switches.

Also coupled to Ethernet through same switch as the S5 are the DiGiGrid interfaces, the Apple Mac Pro running Waves’ Multitrack and Avid’s Pro Tools (primary recorder) and an Apple Mac Mini (secondary recorder). The Mac Mini runs Waves’ Tracks Live and Soundgrid driver in addition to the

The monitor position at the Baulkham Hills campas

The Adamson E12 system is further boosted by six ceiling mounted T21 subwoofers operating in cardioid mode and steered to the worshipers

PROJECTS

Whilst the Mac Mini and the DiGiGrid interfaces receive and send audio via the Soundgrid Ethernet network, the DLS and DLI serve as bridges between Soundgrid and the Pro Tools Digilink connections on the Mac Pro. The DLS also serves as a DSP engine for plugins via Waves software, whereas an Avid 192 I/O provides local analogue and AES3 interconnectivity to the system. Finally, an Avid HD Sync serves as a loop sync slave and time code interface to Pro Tools.

‘Waves Soundgrid solutions have changed the way we look at realtime processing and networking in our complex,’ comments Mr Cook. ‘We are now great believers that Waves solutions for live sound can meet the increasingly demanding production needs that other similar organisations have yet to respond to.’ The production team also uses Waves when mixing shows at major locations.

FOH engineer Andrew Starke uses the Waves Multirack Soundgrid plugin host to run Waves plugins on Hillsong worship tours on several different consoles.

Into the arena

The Baulkham Hills Convention Centre regularly hosts 4,000 seated worshippers during its Sunday services. As the existing loudspeaker system was earmarked for an upgrade, Hillsong production facilities manager Steve Le Roux insisted that whatever loudspeaker system would rolled out across the Hillsong network

both in Australia and worldwide. ‘We invited all the main speaker brands for many demonstrations over a period of time,’ Mr Le Roux explains.

‘It started when we were looking for a new system that would better meet our needs for the city centre worship space in Sydney. At the same time, we knew that there were existing systems in other venues that needed to be upgraded, plus new churches under construction that would require sound reinforcement. It made sense to be incredibly thorough in order to decide upon one manufacturer to work with for everything. We’d already installed Adamson systems in a number of our

were accustomed to the intelligibility and clarity of the Y10s. But when we heard the latest Energia E12 system supplied by CMI Music & Audio, the power was incredible – it came out the clear winner.’

The new FOH system was installed in late March following an in-house design predicted in EASE. ‘The Canadians helped us enormously with the system design following help initially provided by Ewan McDonald. The L-R FOH upgrade combines E12 cabinets with Adamson’s recently released E119 19-inch subwoofer. ‘The subs are both compact and extremely powerful,’ adds Mr Cook. ‘They provide serious low end when needed while blending seamlessly with the PA.’

The E12 system is further boosted by six ceiling mounted T21 subwoofers operating in cardioid mode and steered down towards the stage. The E119 subwoofers are run in theatre mode and provide just as much LF extension as the T21’s. Rack-mounted above on the overhead catwalk grid, power the entire system. Dante network cards have been inserted to provide full monitoring and control,

whilst redundancy back-up has been

Finally several clusters of Metrix cabinets have been ceiling suspended

The majority of other Hillsong sanctuaries planning to install new sound systems are mid-sized venues, which will utilise S10 line arrays and S119 subwoofers for their main sound reinforcement. ‘We were impressed with the compact S-Series system,’ furthers Mr Lake. ‘It clearly stood out after extensive shootout and real world testing scenarios. The sound is very clean, the control in demanding acoustic environments is amazing and the low end capability makes it actually sound like a much bigger system. It handles everything you throw at it no matter how dense your arrangements are, clarity remains impeccable where other systems give up. The music performed at our churches varies depending upon the service. It was sounded great with everything. After listening to many different demos it was a delight to hear Adamson – we knew their products would take us into the future.’

Having selected a uniform loudspeaker brand for its PA needs, Hillsong has now turned its attention to the digital consoles it employs to mix live performances. ‘There has never been any uniform platform and it was hard to relocate engineers who had worked on one board to another and train them. Also it’s slightly harder to network different manufacturer’s consoles so we decided to buy into one brand. I’ve always been a big fan of DiGiCo since the launch of the D5 and have since operated on the SD5 and SD7 boards, which are both

to their interfaces quickly. All the tour riders and main theatres use them,

so there is a high level of acceptability and familiarity amongst operators. Most importantly, we can now train the audio engineers on this one single platform rather than standalone FOH and monitor positions which had different makes of desks previously. The DiGiCo consoles are extremely intuitive, analogue friendly and sound great.’

‘We wanted to create a decentralised system and connect the other venues from time to time. The idea is to host different feeds – not one central programme feed so the team has

anything,’ adds Mr Cook. ‘The Waves Multitrack has worked perfectly for the past 12 months for which we are currently running 128 channels into Pro Tools with two Sound Devices players on hand for redundancy back-up.’

The versatile Convention Centre is transformed at the end of the Sunday service from an auditorium into nine partitioned individual lecture rooms. The BoH system utilises a Q-Sys Core 1100 system that is connected to another Core 1100 for redundancy purposes. Providing individual DSP settings, the network extends across the campus including a further 24 classrooms in the adjacent building. Hillsong Church could be confused for being more musical than religious, which of course is not the case. But certainly, the manner in which the audio technology has been integrated into the broadcasting, postproduction and live sound facilities is a testimony to its ambitions and its collective pool of knowledge. There are never any shortages of volunteers wanting to operate in the auditorium, recording studios, video production and editing suites and their experience operating the latest technology vastly enhances their career opportunities. Ascending many steep, technologically challenging inclines has currently placed Hillsong at the peak of the summit. However, it can be safely assumed that the team will be willing themselves on to scale further hills.

www.hillsong.com

Powered by Lab.gruppen PLM10000Q amplifiers, the L-R FOH upgrade combines Adamson E12 cabinets with Adamson’s E119 19inch subwoofer.

The Baulkham Hills Convention Centre regularly hosts 4,000 seated worshippers during its Sunday services

The convention centre at the church’s Hills location was opened in October 2002

Restoring faith

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH in Thane, an urban area north of Mumbai, has undergone a restoration which has breathed life into one of the area’s oldest and largest parishes. The Portuguese-style church, constructed in 1581 and originally named St Anthony Friary, was the only church in the vicinity to escape destruction when the Marathas captured Thane in 1737.

The limestone walls of the church were creating a lot of reverberation, which needed to be addressed, and the previously-installed system wasn’t helping. As part of the 18-month renovation, the acoustics of St John the Baptist, which have long been a problem for its 100,000-odd parishioners, were addressed by installing a system consisting of Martin Audio O-Line micro line arrays with CDD8 ultra compact speakers supplied by Mumbai distributor, Integrated Entertainment Solutions (IES).

‘In the past we had an old sound system, which wasn’t very clear, and there were speakers everywhere,’ explains parish priest Father Allwyn D’Silva. ‘People were complaining, so we decided to sort it out as part of the larger overhaul of the church.’

Conservation architect Vikas Dilawari had already been called in to work on the fabric of the heritage structure. ‘The plaster was coming off the walls and the windows needed repairing; we tried to restore it as much as possible,’ continues Father Allwyn. ‘When it came to sound we also needed an expert. One of our parishioners, Dylan Hilton, works in he suggested a brand of speaker system that we should try.’

Mr Hilton is a former pupil of the church’s St John’s School, and remains a parishioner and regular churchgoer. He’s clearly proud of his church. ‘This is a heritage site, so while there was a need to update the sound system, it wasn’t possible to mount multiple speakers on the wall, or anything covering the murals and paintings,’ he says. ‘We had a limited scope within which to work. We also had to keep everyone happy, and at the same time come up with something that sounded good. We decided to go with something small and powerful and I had it in mind to use Martin Audio.’

Mr Hilton, whose company provides audio consultancy and systems integration services, had used Martin in some of his previous installations.

while avoiding feedback was a real challenge,’ he says. ‘We needed to use

height and project sound downwards so it would cover every row. We couldn’t have too many speakers throughout the church. We’ve actually managed to cover the entire space with only one delay system for the back, where the ceiling height is lower.’

A Martin Audio O-Line system has vastly improved the quality of services

in one of

Mumbai’s oldest churches. Caroline Moss visits

The church wanted the speakers to be unobtrusive while providing a very clear sound

Father Allwyn D’Silva

St John the Baptist Church in Thane has been equipped with a new sound system

This is one of the first CDD installations for IES The Allen & Heath GL2400 console

Martin Audio engineers in the UK worked out the height at which the calculated the exact angles to cover the seats. ‘The solution we came up with

‘We work a lot with Martin Audio and have installed it into around 10 sites one of the volunteers in charge of St Saturdays and three daily masses during the week. ‘Each service is hear properly. This is where Martin church.

‘Our congregation covers a wide to older people who liked to sit in the front because with the former system church in enough time to get the front

The younger members of the congregation are also happy. ‘It means ‘We used to have to go to another venue for this because the acoustics

The Martin Audio O-Line system has been used in an L-R array of eight with the walls of the church. A CDD8 ultra compact speaker has been system. A further three CDD8s have three in an overspill area on one side distributing Martin Audio for 10 years.

The system is driven by a Martin another brand distributed by IES. System control is via three Martin package put together by the distributor SM58 and Shure podium microphones.

‘We came to the church to demonstrate the O-Line system to told them what we recommended for the church system. We sent our plans back to Martin Audio to get their engineers there came back to us with to use.

‘The church wanted the speakers to be unobtrusive while providing a very clear sound. So Martin Audio helped

that the people sitting in the front get equal coverage to the people right

‘Combined with the delay system for high ceilings and reverberant walls.

‘We used the O-Line software to

or echo. The church is eventually going to have a choir upstairs so we also planned to include this as part of the main system. The connectors and wiring are already in place so that

Church services at St John the Baptist can include a little live music featuring mainly keyboards

service group comes in each Sunday after the morning masses for a live session. ‘We also have a small retreat on a Saturday or Sunday where the blessed sacrament is kept at the front of the church and really soft music says Mr Pereira. ‘There are different vocalists and musicians playing at is required each time. As a musician I been taught a bit about sound by Dylan. I am one of the volunteers who needs to be here in case there are

programmed with presets for different operation a simple task.

The newly-renovated church was

the intelligible new sound system of St John the Baptist was revealed to a grateful congregation.

there have been absolutely no issues

also serves at St John the Baptist. ‘Lots of people who attend our services it works very well for our worship. We

properly. The improved sound has really made a big difference to the quality of

www.martin-audio.com

www.iesolns.com

Three CDD8s have been used at either side of the church

Cleo Pereira, Dylan Hilton and Kekul Sheth

Father Daniel Fernandes

The limestone walls of the church were creating a lot of reverberation

The O-Line system is in an L-R array of eight cabinets per side

Audio on lockdown

LOCATED A 25KM DRIVE SOUTHEAST of the Malaysian capital, Kajang has been the home of the As-Saadah mosque (aka Kajang Prison Mosque) since its construction a decade ago. Yet despite these relative new beginnings, the building has suffered from persistent audio issues throughout this time. Well aware of the detrimental effect this was having for the congregation, committee members undertook several unsuccessful attempts to upgrade and correct the problems. Conceding defeat, mosque sound specialist Acousticon was eventually approaching to lend its professional expertise to the task.

turned into a complete overhaul, recalls Acousticon technical director, Azizi Ala. ‘There was an obvious issue with the existing system design causing poor performance; it was inappropriately designed to cater for 2,500-person congregations’ he says. ‘Firstly, we realised the original design offered no DSP for tuning purposes, such as delay management, level equalisation and speaker response. Aside from that, the ceiling speakers had very poor directivity and the compact box speakers for sound distribution across the prayer area generated low intelligibility (STI) results.’

With a 15m-diameter dome and 10m-low ceiling height, the mosque, like many others, suffers from the Dome Effect, where sound waves focus under the dome to the detriment of speech intelligibility. ‘However, this situation is exacerbated by high reverberation at Kajang Mosque,’ Mr Ala continues. ‘We recorded an RT60 time of 2.44s during our onsite measurements, whereas a typical mosque of this volume – 12,274m3 –should have an RT60 of 1.7-1.8s.’

This was further compounded by the existing ceiling speakers that were installed close to the outer ring of the dome area, indirectly exciting

all resulted in a less than optimal noise criterion (NC) of NC60, whereas according to the ANSI standard, a typical house of worship should be capable of achieving an NC30-NC35.

wall-mounted fans had been installed to provide cooling across the prayer area and throughout the building. This was creating substantial unwanted background noise that was especially prominent in the 480Hz to 1.9kHz range so important for speech.

A completely revamped system design was proposed to the mosque committee in order to guarantee

performance, utilising new equipment right through from the source to the speakers. The design and installation was guided by EASE software, with new speaker locations proposed to cover the 45m distance from the front to the back of the mosque, as well as to accommodate the 16 50cm-diameter pillars in the women’s prayer area. The EASE simulations highlighted the effect of the columns on blocking sound transmission in this space, but this was overcome by incorporating a greater number of speaker locations.

Prior to the recent installation works, Acousticon had measured an STI of 0.45 in the women’s prayer area.

Across the rest of the venue this improved slightly, averaging an STI of 0.47. However, a high signal to noise ratio of 10dB, thanks to the large number of fans being used for cooling, was still a major concern.

Acousticon determined that an SNR the required sound pressure level for audibility and chose to install 22 TOA TZ-S60W cabinets throughout the main prayer area and around the columns.

On top of that, a further four TOA SRH3S line array cabinets were installed underneath the dome area. According to Mr Ala, these speakers incorporate Syndrive technology which helps to

After failed attempts to resolve audio issues at Kajang Prison Mosque, committee members opted for Acousticon’s expert approach, writes Simon Luckhurst

Kajang Prison Mosque commitee members with Acousticon’s Mohd Nobeli Bin Karim

Customised speakers were developed for some of the line array cabinets; Columns posed a challenge in the women’s prayer area

negotiate the dome effect by radiating direct sound out to the congregation

so much of the design concerning necessary to do any acoustic treatment issues through proper system design

www.acousticon.com.my www.toamys.com.my

mic positions came to the detriment

A 3D EASE simulation of the layout

TOA SR-H3S line arays mounted to the wall

The Lexicon and Biamp equipment at home in the rack

k k k

Building the tour

Bethel Music’s recent tour of South Africa saw Blue Array Productions tasked with meeting the worship band’s technical needs. James Ling

MOST HOUSES OF

WORSHIP

ARE blessed with a dedicated and skilful team of volunteers who can handle most of the technical requirements thrown at them on a weekly basis. However, sometimes special events take place that require the support of professionals. An obvious example of this comes from a major worship band tour.

As with all professional performers, worship bands have technical riders –the equipment they require to put on a show. No matter how well-equipped a HOW is, the likelihood is that there will be equipment or expertise required that the venue cannot supply. In this case, local rental companies are often the best source.

This was recently the case in South Africa where Bethel Music played four dates across the country with the support of Blue Array Productions. ‘We were contacted by Tyron Ivins from City Hill Church who was involved with the previous shows Bethel did in South Africa to quote on the tour,’ recalls Kobus van Rensburg, managing director of Blue Array Productions. ‘They were looking for a more specialised touring solution that included high-end audio, video, lighting and of course, highly skilled engineers and technicians. This was an absolute must for them to be able to create and produce an intimate and meaningful worship experience. They did not have to look any further than Blue Array Productions (audio) and Stage Effects (lighting and A/V) for this complete

touring solution.’

Having been awarded the contract, Blue Array began planning the technical setup. ‘We went into discussions with Clint Aull, production manager and FOH engineer for Bethel Music on this tour,’ explains Mr van Rensburg. ‘He supplied us with their Vectorworks drawings of their stage layouts and lighting and A/V plots. It did not take long for him to be

as well as the experience and standard of excellence we brought to the table.’

The tour would see Bethel Music play four venues in three cities to crowds ranging from 1,000 up to 20,000 people. Starting in Pretoria and heading over to Cape Town via Durban, the band performed at Voortrekker Monument Amphitheatre, City Hill

Church, Hillsong Church and Grand West Casino Arena.

‘All four shows required different the different venues respectively,’ says Mr van Rensburg. ‘We supplied cards for FOH and monitors running a full Waves and Avid compliment of plugins.’ The rental house also deployed a stage rack with 48 inputs and 24 outputs as well as a Fiberplex

‘The whole band uses in-ears so no wedges were needed,’ continues the managing director. ‘We supplied 12 Shure PSM 1000, four PSM900 and eight UR wireless systems to cater for all their wireless needs. We then

used Shure Wireless Workbench for scanning, monitoring and synthesising acceptable frequency combinations. Blue Array was also responsible for the splitters, microphones, DIs, power distribution, cabling, crew and engineers.’

Monument Amphitheatre in Pretoria required the largest rig. The 20,000 capacity venue was covered by 40 d&b audiotechnik J-series cabinets for main

three delay towers were equipped with 18 Q-series cabinets. Low end was the main arrays as well as 24 B2 subs

for the system was via 34 d&b D80 network which were controlled on a tablet running the manufacturer’s R1 software. Finally four sets of Teqsas Laser Inclinometers were called into action for the setup.

‘The most challenging show was at Voortrekker Monument purely just because of the venue’s size,’ offers Mr van Rensburg. ‘The distance from crowd barrier to the very back row is over 116m and the width of the venue ranges from 70m in the front and over 180m wide at the back. The inclination angle from front to back is also quite

last row. After designing the PA in d&b’s ArrayCalc, we were convinced that every seat would be well covered, and

Avid Venue Profile consoles were used at FOH and monitors for each performance

it was a necessity since we had a sold out show with over 20,000 people in the audience.’

Moving on to Durban, the system was notably smaller for the 3,600 capacity City Hill Church. Here 16 V-series cabinets made up the L-R main arrays the same number of V12s for frontshows took place at the city’s Hillsong campus. This was the smallest venue the band played at 1,000 people and made use of the church’s in-house d&b system. This comprised 12 V-series cabinets running ArrayProcessing via the manufacturer’s 30D installation handle low frequencies. Control was again via the R1 remote network.

graphs and API collaboration with Lake Controller software. A Lectrosonics

‘The tour went down very smoothly with no real issues worth noting,’ says

Array. ‘The biggest challenge was the turnaround time between shows, but

how quickly the d&b PA systems can be designed and deployed. Rigging d&b very little and the control network just

‘What a pleasure to simply open up our ArrayCalc design in the R1 control software and to have all the settings

of other settings) “dumped” into the

eye,’ he continues. ‘No other PA system works this quickly, reliably and easily and gives you such a consistent level of audio quality, scalability and control.’

Rensburg is clearly happy with the performance of his team and the equipment. ‘This wasn’t a loud rock/ dance show, but a more intimate and detailed audio production and we were translated to the audience, from the front row, all the way to the last seat in the back row. The highs were crisp, the mids were full and warm, the lows were deep and punchy throughout the whole venue and we were very pleased with the coverage.’

This high-level of planning ensured a hitch and showed the advantage that houses of worship can get from calling in professionals for major events.

www bluearray co za

to the in-house system, but this time Grand West Casino Arena was covered line array elements with four stacks of

While the PA changed to meet the needs of each venue, the way they were driven remained the same for Gigacore 16XT managed switches processors and three Atterotech for delay signal and control. Live Capture tuning software was used for the alignment and voicing of the PA

d&b audiotechnik systems were used for three of the concerts

Bethel Music played four concerts in their recent tour of South Africa

Three of a kind

THE PA PEOPLE HAS BEEN OPERATING FOR more than four decades. A systems integrator that serves as a contractor in sound reinforcement, A/V systems, lighting and communications systems installation, The PA People specialises in a number of sectors. However, throughout the company’s 40 plus year existence, it has gained vast experience in integrating systems at churches and educational institutions.

Recently, the systems integrator was contracted to provide upgraded equipment and draw upon its expertise at three churches in New South Wales.

Orthodox Church located in the suburb of Rhodes in Sydney, which required a new audio system as the old one had suffered from environmental damage. ‘The audio system was located near the altar at the front of the church,’ explains Josh Jones, senior project manager at The PA People. ‘Because of this the equipment was covered in incense, which caused some of it to fail. It was also not secure with controls readily accessible within the church.’

The PA People replaced the old mixers with a more secure control with the inclusion of a button also facilitates iPad wireless control. ‘We relocated was sealed and ventilated to minimise impact of solution was to upgrade the system components and existing mic input panels that were rewired. The mix can be controlled via the iPad control interface offered

In addition to providing coverage throughout the main sanctuary, the operational feed is also distributed to joined together with terminal strips fed by one or two

amp channels. We were able to employ the Yamaha

structure.’

Hills suburb. ‘We had an old system that was not meeting the diverse needs of multiple users in our music ministry and church programme,’ recalls the

roof that meets in the middle, which results in an unusual acoustic environment. To combat the PA People removed the existing system and deployed system with reasonably tight pattern control to give horns, cry room, foyer, sacristy and the main hall.’

via an iPad. To allow the parish to continue using the same microphone setup, the previously installed stage mic input panels were reconnected. The church’s existing mixer for the band feed with the

experiencing ‘renewed clarity’ and is in the process of reorganising elements of its services, such as the choir. ‘The PA People were fantastic. They listened to our needs and were very supportive throughout the

upgrade the sound solution at St John’s Anglican in sandstone. In addition, it is listed on the Register of the National Estate as well as possessing New South Wales state heritage listing.

‘The previous system was in need of an upgrade because of its age and the desire of the church to cater to its growing needs and activities,’ reveals The PA People’s manager, installed systems, Brett Steele. ‘Not everyone could hear what was being said from the front of the church. The church also wanted to have more capacity for musical instruments.’

with two TIO digital stage boxes, one for the north transept, the other for the chancel. JBL’s CBT 70 J

respectively to the band onstage during services. Video sources are managed by an Atlona video

colour matched to blend in with the sandstone walls of the church. ‘

www.abusefein.org.au

www.papeople.com.au

www.parishofbaulkhamhills.org.au

www.stjohnsanglican.org.au

St Mary & St Merkorious Coptic Orthodox Church

St John’s Anglican in Darlinghurst

St Michael’s design comprises a pitched roof

St Michael’s new system meets its needs

St John’s is a NSW heritage listed site

Proper installation is just as important as investing in the right gear. James Cooke follows Australian systems integrator The PA People as it completes multiple church audio installations

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Spreading the word

Having placed a high level of importance on its technical infrastructure, Friedenskirche in Braunschweig is looking to expand its reach via streaming.

DELIVERING YOUR MESSAGE TO

as wide an audience as possible is at the heart of what many houses of worship are trying to achieve with their technical infrastructure. For some this is ensuring that every seat in the sanctuary can see and hear everything that goes on clearly. For others, the reach needs to be greater.

Streaming has become a popular way for houses of worship to reach a wider audience both in their own homes and at satellite locations. But delivering services live over the internet requires a great deal of planning and the right infrastructure.

Located in the German city of Braunschweig, Friedenskirche is a Baptist church founded almost 150 years ago that has a very modern outlook and has been down this path. The church has a congregation of more than 1,200, who worship every week at a purpose-built complex manned by a technical team which looks after all areas of audio, lighting and production, to deliver live coverage of its range of services. Alongside the core team, an eight-strong production team is also deployed, including three camera operators and a vision mixer, who also acts as lead creative director. While meeting the needs of its core group of worshippers, church elders also wished to establish a number of satellite congregations to spread their message further.

Key to this plan is a robust video infrastructure for both the live

production and online delivery, something the church has been working on for a number of years. ‘We

happening at the church, and we had also helped to produce content if local television channels wanted to cover an event,’ explains Hans-Christian Schaub, technical lead at Friedenskirche. ‘The church that we now worship in was purpose built in 2005 and we ensured that an SDI multicore infrastructure was prescribed in our architect’s plans. This has formed a very reliable backbone for every evolution of our audiovisual production and has allowed us to continue to experiment with new technologies.’

In 2010 the church produced a vision

document which set out that it wanted to establish satellite congregations. Meeting this aim was a key driver in expanding Friedenskirche’s visual infrastructure. ‘We began by streaming one camera feed during our worship service into a smaller neighbouring room,’ recalls Mr Schaub. ‘To do that, we connected the camera directly to a small streaming H.264 encoder, so that we could have a multicast playing directly on our intranet. In the smaller room we had a PC and VLC player showing the stream. We used this

2012 in order to stream our Christmas services into a smaller room, allowing more people to attend the service. However, by December 2014 only a

few people were regularly watching this stream. So we started with a new concept and created a separate service for streaming viewers. We have a joint greeting at the beginning and end of the service and we also looked at changing the seating arrangement in the room. This grew the numbers in the around 70 in this congregation.’

The A/V signals throughout the church complex, including this stream, are handled by a Blackmagic Design Smart Videohub 40x40, which feeds large screens situated in the church’s main auditorium and two smaller side rooms, including a family worship room. ‘It is important for us to provide families with a comfortable and welcoming space for them to worship together, but at the same time feel connected to the wider congregation,’ reasons Mr Schaub. screen our services to any part of the church providing it has a screen.’

The success of this infrastructure has seen a greater emphasis placed on visual technology. As such, Friedenskirche has recently undergone an upgrade to ensure its live production and streaming capabilities match its ambitions. ‘Our previous equipment was getting old, so we had to buy new kit and we decided on the Atem 1 M/E Production Studio 4K, because it has a very good price to performance ratio and also because it can be operated by software running on a PC, as well as by a traditional

James Ling

There are three live camera feeds taken from across the auditorium

Dr Heinrich-Christian Rust preaching at Friedenskirche

mixer panel,’ says Mr Schaub. ‘In addition, Blackmagic’s entire product use. What’s also apparent is that every aspect has been designed to meet the and router extremely easy to use, and robust enough to stand up to regular use from a very demanding production team.

‘The production desk takes the three live camera feeds from across the auditorium into the Atem 1 M/E Production Studio 4K, and content is pushed back out to screens around the the content live streaming via our the sermon element of the service and saved into our online archive, so that production side, Friedenskirche has streaming. ‘Because the upload from Amazon Web Services,’ recalls the for additional server resources only access the livestream very easily via

receives the full HD stream from our services. It has been a useful tool to help reduce the technical challenges.’ Taking this a step further, the church

the project’s success. ‘At the beginning the Atem 1 M/E Production Studio 4K and three cameras connected over SDI on,’ he notes. ‘All image sources and video recorders are connected through is very easy to connect each video source to the appropriate output. We

audience did not just lead to enhancements to the video signal an upgrade. While its Kling & Freitag PA remains, the church has recently CL5, so that sound for the livestream can be mixed separately.

the ability for each of them to have

a separate mix for the livestream. This is being done over the medium term Dante. The price/performance ratio purchase.’

Having gone through the process of creating a technical infrastructure capable of streaming its services to a

is currently exploring the possibility of streaming services live to other locations around the city. ‘We are in the planning stages of a café in live stream there on Sundays,’ reveals Mr Schaub. ‘The plan is to start in the

able to reach people in their favourite congregation. A café is a great place to do this.’

on making the system as robust and as easy to operate as possible, a process that is still ongoing, and Mr Schaub believes this has been key to

audio mix for the livestream. We are for example through a live chat.’

step is to make sure the technology is robust,’ he offers. ‘It’s good to entire process: cameras, video mixing, administration of image sources and encoding, lyrics, DSL connections throughout the venue and the video streaming server. It requires a lot of

and still is resource: every Sunday you

as interactive as possible. This is our next project.’

We want to be able to reach people in their favourite places, where you wouldn’t normally come into contact with a church

The church is looking to streaming as a way to expand its reach

The Friedenskirche livestream

The Atem 1 takes the feeds from the cameras and pushes these out to the screens around the church

WFX 2016

WFX migrated a state north in 2016. Frank Wells followed the trail to see what this year’s event offered attendees

WFX 2016 FOLLOWED THE EVENT series’ successful formula: dozens and dozens of training sessions and seminars ranging from worship technology to ministry management. In the shadow of the Kentucky Kingdom amusement

park, the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, hosted the event. WFX attendees could hone their skills, learn new technologies and operational procedures and visit with the makers of worship technology products all in one place.

technology on display, and input from exhibitors on their experiences

‘Vitec is an expert in streaming,’ said Mark D’Addio, VP business development and emerging markets at V itec Multimedia. ‘Different types of streaming: streaming over internet, streaming over an enterprise network, streaming from point-to-point.’ For the WFX attendees, ‘it’s all about, for us, streaming from the main campus to a remote campus or multiple campuses,’ he continued, touting

Vitec’s deployment of high quality streams, the latest in compression technologies like H.265, interface with Renewed V ision’s video server product for time slip play out or for synchronising multiple streams and robust protocols to protect the stream against packet loss, even in an unmanaged network like the public internet. ‘A lot of churches that we’re talking to have maybe a 2,000-member congregation or

less, and they’re usually going just point to point, to one remote site,’ said Mr D’Addio, adding that these churches all have plans to expand and that Vitec is able to facilitate such expansion including support for social network applications.

For UK audio console maker, Cadac, 2016 saw the company’s third WFX show. ‘It’s been busier for us this year than last year,’ said James Godbehear, marketing manager for Cadac. ‘I think more people are now aware of who we are, and of course

you’ve got a new toy here, never seen before, which is generating a bit of interest.’ That ‘new toy’ is the Cadac CDC seven, which expands upon the compact CDC six by raising the input channel count from 64 to 96, increasing the number of input likes more faders,’ quipped Mr Godbehear) and adding a second touchscreen. Cadac boasts that the CDC series has the lowest latency

interface. ‘I think the biggest shock to people is how cost effective it is,’ we’ve had people dragging other people across the hall to our stand.’

WFX 2016 was the second time that Teradek exhibited at the event, where it showed its line of wireless video devices for remote video capture, camera control, real-time monitoring, colour correction and webcasting, along with its cloudplatform for complex IP video systems. WFX provides ‘a good interested in the video side of their industry,’ said Jon Landman, VP of sales for Teradek. Mr Landman called the attendees ‘a high level bunch of videographers and streamers, and people looking to stream and looking to learn, from within this vertical, so it’s a good show for us.’ At WFX 2016, Teradek introduced Sphere, a 360-degree virtual reality camera interface, streaming encoder and iPad). ‘We want to be different, we want to do something new,’ said Mr Landman, concluding that Teradek has brought VR ‘down to a price where it’s absolutely acceptable to virtually everyone here.’

2016 Dates: 21 - 22 September, Louisville, KY

2017 Dates: 11 - 12 October, Dallas, TX

Venue: Kentucky Exposition Center

Total exhibitors: 225+

Attendance: 800+ HOWs

Contact: www.wfxweb.com

Chauvet Professional hosted a number of informative sessions during WFX 2016, including this presentation on leadership Atendees interface directly with manufacturers and service providers

Matt Larson, Taidus Vallandi, Chip Sciacca and Ryan Shelton (l-r) of DiGiCo, with the new S31 (left) and S21 compact digital consoles

Team Cadac: Nick Fletcher, Emily Watson and James Godbehear with the new CDC seven console

A WFX 2016 training session on IEMs

Vitec’s Mark D’Addio with the company’s line of video streaming solutions

Yamaha featured digital audio consoles and Nexo speaker systems at WFX 2016

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Dante certification heads to NAMM

WORLD: Audinate will host two-days of hands-on training at NAMM 2017 as part of the company’s Dante

the show’s TEC Tracks will host an Introduction to Dante session during its Live Sound Day.

‘One of our goals is answering the industry’s call of expanding learning opportunities within the professional audio markets,’

director of professional development for NAMM. ‘Securing this opportunity

Calrec uploads Brio tutorial videos

WORLD: Following the release of its Brio console, Calrec Audio has uploaded a series of videos to its website and YouTube channel that provide system demonstrations and tutorials to new and potential owners.

is another demonstration of our commitment to offering added value for all of our audio professionals.’ The training will offer three educational courses beginning with the programme’s First Steps into Digital Audio Networking, a 90-minute course recommended for those people who are brand-new to audio networking or are unsure if they should delve into

second course is the Dante

Level 1, which is also 90 minutes and designed to provide a useful background in audio networking for audio professionals and does not assume any previous background in computer networking. The third course, Dante Training and

course designed for intermediate to advanced users and should only be taken once Level 1 has been completed.

‘At Audinate, we are committed to the delivery of industry-leading training on audio networking and Dante,’ shared Audinate vice president of marketing Joshua Rush. ‘To that end, we are excited to work with NAMM this year to offer – free – our popular Dante

take place on Friday, January 20th and Saturday, January 21st in the Laguna Meeting Room, located on the fourth participants should register to attend by visiting: https://www.audinate.com/ namm17.

www.audinate.com

www.namm.org

Reynold and Sun Infonet take dLive training to Hyderabad

INDIA: Sun Infonet’s Allen & Heath dLive workshop headed to Hyderabad recently with support from local company, Reynold Inc. Taking place at the Hotel Katria & Towers, the day-long dLive programme covered complete training on the desk’s installation, operation and troubleshooting. A dLive S7000 was demonstrated together with a DM64 MixRack to show the features and networking capability of the console when using its Dante network card. The session was led by Sun Infonet product manager, Rohit Reddy. Reynold Inc regularly conducts such workshops with the NewDelhi based distributor, explained Reynold’s branch manager, Mr

Each video is under two minutes in duration and focuses on a particular operational task or functionality.

‘These videos address the need to provide widespread training to new and prospective customers and distributors alike,’ explained Calrec’s vice president of sales, Dave Leston.

To access the videos, visit www. calrec.com/brio-training-and-demovideos.

www.calrec.com

Nandan. ‘By conducting such workshops, participants keep themselves updated with the latest features of Allen & Heath mixers and also gain hands-on knowledge and experience,’ he said.

‘I was surprised to see the interest shown by participants as they wanted to know more and more about dLive,’ added Mr Reddy. Riding on the success of the recent sessions, the two companies are planning to host more seminars in the region in the future.

www.sun

The workshop was led by Rohit Reddy

Reynold Inc and Sun Infonet regularly conduct workshops

Calrec has released a series of Brio training videos

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Selecting a vocal mic

What goes into choosing the best vocal mic for a given application? Gordon Moore demystifies the process

Wireless mics, like the Shure model being used here by Hillsong artist, Taya Smith, typically have interchangable capsules

MICROPHONES HAVE A WIDE range of applications and purposes as well as a wide range of sonic characteristics from one model to the next. What works for one application doesn’t work well for another. So how do you select a microphone when choosing it for vocal purposes?

Vocal mic choice begins with the selection of the element, the

transducer component in the head of the microphone – many elements are available in both hard-wired and wireless versions. The ‘best’ microphone sound is highly subjective and in many cases based on the ear of the performer or the sound engineer. A microphone that may sound great for a crooner such as Sun Nan or Rain Bi will be a terrible choice for a

1/2PAGE HORIZONTAL

The Audio-Technica AE4100 is a dynamic handheld vocal mic

a good idea of the ability of the microphone to pick up very low levels. Practically speaking, this is rarely a problem with vocal microphones. You are not recording extremely quiet nature sounds here, you are recording a singer who even at low levels (such as when they are humming) will be loud enough to generate a good signal level.

Additional factorshandling noise and weight

If the singer is handling the microphone a lot (changing from one hand to the other, shifting their grip constantly), clapping, moving their hands and arms wildly while dancing, then handling noise becomes very important. If the microphone is locked into a mic stand, this may be less of an issue.

Is the microphone too heavy for the performer? Dynamic microphones tend to be heavier. If they are well balanced, they can be very comfortable to handle. If you are testing a wired microphone in the store, try it with a full length cable

thumps in the audio in response to plosives will be distracting. Windscreen design is where many lower cost microphones perform poorly.

Additional factorsproximity effect

Proximity effect is an increase in lowfrequency response when the vocalist has the microphone very close to their lips. This can be very distracting in some cases. On the other hand, it is a very popular effect when selecting the microphone for a bass singer when you want that

vocalist assist you. Never try to test a microphone by listening to yourself. I have witnessed many experts test a new microphone by putting on headphones and then speaking into the microphone while listening. This will never give you an accurate sonic picture. Here’s why.

When you are wearing headphones, your ears will be a fairly short distance from the transducer of the headphones. Additionally, your eardrums are also a short distance from your vocal chords through the oral cavity and bone conduction. When you speak, you will hear yourself directly and then again from the headphones.

in your ears as your ears and brain try to sort the sound between two sources carrying the same signal. This is no different than hearing your voice from two different speakers at different distances. The audio content is altered by digital consoles which add their latency to the signal creating even

the distortion? If the answer is yes, then the microphone can handle the higher levels. If no, then the microphone cannot handle high SPL levels and should be eliminated from consideration.

Test 2

listen carefully to the frequency response. Does it shift or change character at higher SPL levels? Is it a desirable shift (sometimes it might be quite pleasant)?

Test 3

done by you without a singer or source. Handle the microphone as it would be lot of noise or is there good isolation?

Test 4

Place a different sound source (your cell phone playing music or test tone is a good choice) about 5m away at reasonable levels (70dB SPL). Make sure it is also at the same height as the microphone. Set the microphone so it is pointing directly at the source and in a horizontal position. Then, monitor both your meters and your audio in the headphones while you rotate the microphone horizontally (slowly) until it is pointing directly away from the source. This test is most accurately done in an anechoic chamber but outdoors away from also (just make sure the wind is not blowing). Is the directional rejection good enough for your purposes? The source level should drop dramatically as the microphone points away from it. Super cardioid and hyper cardioid mics will drop away sooner but come back some when they are 180-degrees off axis.

Test 5

Additional factors - windscreen effectiveness

Does the windscreen help prevent wind noise? This is easy to test. While monitoring the microphone, use a handheld, non-electric fan to create a gentle wind across the screen of the microphone. Some microphones will exhibit fairly loud low-frequency rushing sounds. Does the microphone have vocalists make with words that have words that start with P, D, T? Heavy

low end to really punch through. Some radio hosts for example like a lot of proximity effect in their microphone to make their voices punchier in the broadcast. Proximity effect can be counterbalanced by using the low-end console.

Performing listening tests

If you are testing the sonic qualities of a microphone before purchase, it is most important that you do so with a good mixer and good closed-back

The truly professional approach to auditioning microphones is to have a singer with a pleasant voice singing far enough away from you that you can hear them only through the headphones. You can also use a good monitor speaker playing back

(no instruments). Listen carefully using moderate levels and good gain structure so you don’t induce distortion.

Test 1

the same passage at a much louder level. Did you detect distortion at the higher level? If yes, then adjust the gain of the mixer input lower and try again. Does lowering the input gain

highly subjective and the primary reason there are so many good choices on the market. Ultimately, it must meet your personal requirements and give the pleasing sound you seek. Many professional performers will actually buy and carry their own personal microphones. If your lead vocalist is not happy with your choice, help them audition their own personal microphone and make their own personal purchase. Then they can be assured their microphone is the one that gives them their personal sound.

Select your microphones carefully and your efforts will enhance the worship experience. Remember that good microphones are available in a wide range of prices and that ‘you get what you pay for’ is a fairly good rule. Show good stewardship by choosing well, based on quality, construction and the sound.

The frequency response of microphones can differ radically, illustrated here by four Shure models (images courtesy of Shure)

Double-ear supported headworn mic from Point Source Audio’s Series8 are available with omni or cardiod patterns

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Special effects

What is video processing and how can a house of worship implement it and best put it to use? James Cooke

VIDEO PLAYS AN EVER-GROWING role in houses of worship. It can be used to provide live visual reinforcement on a large screen or monitor within a sanctuary to give those seated at the back a better view, while more and more HOWs will stream services and events online or even broadcast to satellite campuses and television audiences. As setups become more advanced, worship A/V technicians and volunteers may

industry techniques, including the use of visual effects. This is known as ‘video processing’, which much like the term DSP used in audio, refers to the signal processing of video and the editing process in which footage is manipulated.

‘Video processing refers to processing a video signal to accomplish 3D rotation, transitions, blending (for projector systems), Chroma key and other means of modifying a video

marketing and communications director at Analog Way. He notes that common effects include ‘opening/ closing and transition effects, such as crossfades, wipes, stretch and slides, along with cropping, scaling, Chroma and Luma Key. Images can also be improved through borders, shadows or by varying the colourimetry’.

‘A lot of HOWs actually operate like small broadcasters in a sense,’ adds David Colantuoni, senior director of product management at Avid. ‘They might record a lot of video data for a particular worship event and capture it for re-broadcast. Much the same as a traditional broadcast, an event might go out live, recorded, and then be edited afterwards with different video effects used to enhance the production. There might need to be transitions put in or you might need to colour correct some of the footage. A common situation is when you have a multi-camera shoot with three cameras and one of them was off from whitebalance and you need to use colour correction tools to make that camera

look like the others.’

As with all types of systems and software, there are many options out there for A/V technicians to explore. These cover both hardware and software solutions.

‘Depending on the amount of outputs needed, any product in Analog Way’s Midra or LiveCore series can be used in a house of worship. A video processor is required for any kind of video processing. The processor is used between the source contents and the displays,’ Mr Vitali explains.

‘Our video processors based on the LiveCore platform include premium A/V switchers and offer many basic and advanced video effects depending on the series they belong to. The LiveCore series is used for larger and more elaborate installs requiring more inputs and outputs along with advanced processing options. The Midra series

Windows and Mac, that uses multicam functionality to allow editors to choose between shots, much like using a video switcher.

includes mid-range products that adapt to small installs, requiring few outputs and effects. Analog Way’s switchers offer very low latency, probably the most important feature to consider to further enhance a purchase. If the pastor on the screen doesn’t match the real pastor or the audio feed, you are better off without any video screens at all!’

While Analog Way’s switchers, such as the Ascender 48 - 4K – PL, are physical devices, Avid’s Media Composer is a software package, compatible with

‘There are different plugins for different types of effects and architectures,’ says Mr Colantuoni. ‘There’s OFX (OpenFX) which is an open standard and we have AVX (Avid Video extensions), which enables manufacturers that partner with Avid, such as Boris FX, to produce different effects that plug right in to Media Composer. An integrated UI allows a particular effect to show when the software is installed on the system and you can interact with it directly on a video clip. So, for instance, you might want to apply colour correction to a particular clip on an Avid timeline and there are different plugins out there that you can use to do that. It works in the same way as creating a simple effect on an audio clip.’ Avid’s senior director of product management also notes that most modern computers are

equipped to handle Media Composer. In a worship setting, video effects applications, such as displaying hymn lyrics onscreen, to more general functions, including the aforementioned colour correction. ‘There’s a lot of different things you can do in a HOW situation. You might add transitions; you might add compositing to add effects that convey information onscreen, backing up a speaker. It’s limitless where you can go,’ Mr Colantuoni reveals. ‘A good example of something more advanced is tracking, where for instance you may need to blur a particular face out of a moving shot. There are sophisticated effects you can use to keep that tracking shot blurring out that person while they are walking. Tracking automatically predicts where things are going to go. Other applications could include changing the colour of a moving object in a video. It can get very sophisticated.’

‘Staff will need to be trained on how

The Ascender 48 - 4K - PL is part of Analog Way’s LiveCore Series

Software solutions, such as Avid’s, can be implemented on most modern PCs

Philippe Vitali, Analog Way marketing and communications director

to run all the video processor functions and have clear understanding of how to create content to achieve the desired results,’ says Analog Way’s marketing and communications director. ‘To help volunteers and professionals use our products, we design user-friendly devices and software for intuitive control through features including drag and drop, and graphic content. Each device shares a similar interface to

series to feel comfortable with any of our switchers and then be quickly operational and the company has developed comprehensive training

keying techniques, such as lighting, colourising, or the ability to cut a person or object out of a shot.’

‘Chroma key uses a solid colour as an alpha channel in order to remove all the green from a video

source so that content behind the video source becomes visible,’ Mr Vitali elaborates. ‘For example, this feature is used in the case of titling to make lyrics appear at the bottom of the screen. Using Chroma key is one method to accomplish lower-third, as well. In addition to Chroma and Luma key, Analog Way has developed

an additional level of keying for all LiveCore products, Cut & Fill, for extremely advanced setups. This method can create a stripe of text on top of a video source. Video processing is needed to accomplish this effect.’

It is recommended that those new to video processing keep it simple to begin with. However, as experience is gained and skills develop, the imagination is seemingly the only limit on what can be done.

‘Video effects aim to enhance the worship experience and captivate the congregation’s attention,’ concludes Mr Vitali, while warning that they can be overdone. ‘Using too many effects simultaneously like circle or sliding a negative result on the audience and distract from the message being conveyed. That can also come across as unprofessional’.

www.analogway.com

www.avid.com

programmes to ensure a richer user experience. To allow volunteers to easily create video effects, Analog Way also designed the Web RCS, on-board software that has intuitive control of all seamless switchers based on the LiveCore platform.’

‘You do need a little bit of training if you were going to do compositing work for instance,’ furthers Mr Colantuoni. ‘Compositing is the layering of different types of effects on top of each other – you’ve seen it on TV where graphics appear or somebody’s face is blurred out of a shot – as an editor, you do need some training to do the more advanced functionality like that, but in general, I think products and applications are becoming more simple to use, so you can jump right in and do work on a basic level, and then as you grow and learn, you get better at it and

‘For generalists, Media Composer tools are simple enough even for Chroma keying,’ he continues. ‘Chroma key is much like when you see the weather person standing live in front of a green or a blue screen with the image projected onto it. There are simple adjustments you can make to do this. A person might have clothes that blend in with the background (e.g. someone wearing green clothing in front of a green screen), so you can make simple adjustments to bring them forward in the shot to make them appear like they’re not embedded in the screen. It’s easy to do and can be picked up without a lot of training. Then there are more advanced Chroma

ISLAND 1/2 ISLAND

Analog Way’s Web RCS onboard software

Avid’s Media Composer is a software-based solution

Lighting fixtures and applications

John Black

FRESNELS. ELLIPSOIDALS. MOVING lights. LED lights. Par cans. Strip lights. Followspots. The list goes on. The array

a look at some of the most common applications.

lens to stage). On the rare occasion Profile

also take a look at. category listed.

Flood fixtures

and dance performance spaces to

ETC Source Four LED profile fixtures

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It didn’t matter how far back their seats were. Or how cavernous the hall was. All they heard – all they felt – was sound that was warm, intelligible and personal. With clear, precisely-controlled sound from Iconyx Gen5 steerable loudspeakers, their seats were the best in the house. To learn more or for a demo, visit www.renkus-heinz.com.

©2016 Renkus-Heinz

©2016 Renkus-Heinz

renkus-heinz.com/iconyx-gen5

Steerable sound isn’t just about being heard, it’s about being understood.

insert accessories into the gate – the area between the lamp and the lens. One accessory, called an iris, consists of shutters oriented in a circle, allowing the user to further narrow the light beam. Patterns – called gobos – can also be inserted into the gate, allowing users to project simple or complex images. Gobos are made out of steel (for 2-dimensional projections) or glass (where the applications can extend to high-resolution, coloured patterns).

model designation, based on the

are predominantly used as front lights and can be used for any throw distance due to the ability to exchange lens tubes of different degrees. The smaller

will be able to project the light beam.

to add texture to a stage or project scenic or customised images through the use of gobos such as images of leaves, clouds, architectural outlines,

further texture on the ground, actors, and in the air when used with a hazer.

Automated fixtures

by all of the additional controllable qualities of the mechanical systems

manufacturers are producing hybrid

have made them indispensable

positions, but are more commonly placed above, behind and on a stage for use in creating a multitude of

patterns on indexed wheels, enabling use for texturing the stage, actors or air and projecting customised

events in the same service, without having to be physically present at the

Fixtures as tools

based on the controllable qualities

lights include a wide variety of pattern wheels, colour wheels, shutters, gears to control pan and tilt, and so on. All of these systems are able to be controlled by the user via a lighting controller to create a host of creative and complex

can come with a number of lamp

produced by a Fresnel.

both. These hybrid lights feature a number of lenses allowing for qualities of the beam to be changed. The

wash elements, users can purchase a single model and use it for whatever beam type they need for a given application.

just about any situation and have become common in concert, theatre, house of worship and even school lighting rigs. Their versatility and ability to control so many features

allow for multiple colours of light to be projected.

include the ability to control pan and tilt, allowing the user to focus a single

as well as create complex movement in a house of worship rig allows a

services in a day or even between

manufacturer to manufacturer, as well are just tools. The lighting designer or technician must consider the lighting needs, intended purpose, and design goals for the event or situation, and best meet those. Finally, it is also important to remember that lighting is a creative process and just because a purpose doesn’t mean it can’t be achieve a desired effect.

Changing up colour can be used to emphasise transitions in event content

in’s automated Quantum Wash flood

Light beam shape and projected patterns can be used to create mood

High End Systems SolaWash FX 2000

Scheduling tech tasks

shares Frank Wells

Around

What tasks?

How often?

What, when and who?

Grounding principles for clean audio

ONE OF THE MOST ANNOYING PROBLEMS IN an audio installation is noise. Signal and power wiring implementation, together with gear design, determine the susceptibility of a system to noise. Digital systems are not immune to noise issues, but the audible audio artefacts are analogue phenomena, and even ‘all-digital’ sound reinforcement systems have analogue on the front end for signal capture and on the back end for monitoring. Generally, the same wiring practices that make for a quiet analogue installation make for a clean digital installation.

Hum and buzz are particularly aggravating forms of noise. Hum is an audible 50Hz or 60Hz contamination of a signal path (power line frequency related, the frequency varying between countries) or the early harmonics like 100Hz/120Hz. Buzz is comprised of higher frequency harmonics, which would include the type of noise often attributed to lighting dimmers. Hum can be caused by a faulty or poorly designed power supply inside of a piece of gear, but is more commonly related to wiring and interface issues.

Power systems – simplified

Electrical power, alternating current used to power gear (and refrigerators and blow dryers – everything that plugs into a wall socket) is distributed from a power plant to end-users via wires. Very high voltages leave a power generation plant to be knocked down by a step-down transformer to a mid-level voltage for local distribution. Three offset phases of current are commonly distributed. In turn, those voltages are stepped-down by another transformer to the voltage that enters a building

for internal distribution. There is not a single world standard for the voltages reaching a wall jack, though 230V AC is most common with the range being 200V AC to 240V AC. A minority of countries, using a split transformer, distribute 100V AC to 120V AC to individual power outlets.

An electrical circuit requires a circular path to function, from step-down transformer to a load and back. Take a simple lamp. Through a plug, one wire connects to the hot and one to the return of the outlet. The light bulb is electrically connected to

these two points, with a switch making or breaking the loop from hot, through the bulb, to return.

The safety return path: earth or ground

Outlets have a third connection: earth or ground. This is a safety connection and rule one of system wiring is, never defeat the safety ground on an the safety ground on a plug. Whilst the proper return path for an electrical current always involves one leg of an exterior step-down transformer to the other

Grounding rods at a building’s electrical entry point provide a safe path for potentially lethal currents from lightning strikes

earth as an alternate path. An earth return is not

advantage of that alternate path, gear and life can be protected from lightning and equipment fault. The safety earth contact on an electrical outlet is properly connected through a separate wire to a building’s electrical breaker panel, where each earth lead connects to a single point. That point is connected to the outside transformer’s neutral, and to a local earth — typically via a rod driven into the ground. Inside gear, the safety earth is connected to the hardware chassis. Properly designed gear with only a two-wire plug (like most consumer gear) is safe, though it is more susceptible to lightning damage.

It’s common for a number of outlets to be daisychained from one breaker feed. As all electrical wiring has some resistance, there will be differences in electrical potential at the earth connections from

Hum and buzz can plague an audio installation. Frank Wells shares how to address, if not outright avoid, grounding related issues

A circuit breaker panel with the wiring exposed

ty power drop to wall outlets

outlet to outlet. Those differences are least between outlets on the same branch (sharing the same breaker) and conversely highest between outlets on different branches.

Unbalanced audio signals and leakage

the power supply of a piece of gear has to complete a path from source to return, audio signals require a completed circular path. Inside a piece of gear, there is a signal path and a common return. This return is called ground, but is simply a common signal-completing 0V reference path and is not to be confused with earth ground. Power system related noise in analogue audio systems is primarily related to leakage currents based on the differences in electrical potential between outlets, such currents

are made. The simplest interface is the most problematic – unbalanced connections, where the signal is on one wire and the circuit is completed by a return wire (usually an outer shield surrounding the signal lead) connected to circuit 0V. As there will always be some differences in earth potential from electrical outlet to electrical outlet (based on wire resistance), there will be differences in the 0V potential of pieces of gear when referenced to electrical neutral/earth. Thus, some electrical system leakage current

signal return line, meaning there will always be some noise induced into the signal referenced to that 0V. When unbalanced connections are made between gear with three-prong electrical power connections, leakage currents can be greatly compounded by the connection between signal path 0V and the equipment chassis (and thusly to power neutral/earth).

Balanced connections

Contrary to popular explanations, balanced audio signals are not always equal voltage and of opposite polarity referenced to ground, though inputs do respond to the difference between the signals. The impedance, however, of each differential leg of an output (or of the two legs of an input) are equal, referenced to ground. The better the impedance match, the better noise components induced equally into each leg are cancelled by differential inputs. The advantage of balanced circuits is that the audio

circuit is completed by the two legs of the signals, independent of ground connections. In three-wire audio connections (two balanced signal wires plus shield), the purpose of the shield is as the name implies: to aid in the rejection of primarily high frequency noise (up to and including radio frequencies). Leakage currents are shared between pieces of gear when the shields are wrongly considered a necessary connection

on both ends. The shield should only be connected on the source end, save for the option of a receiving end connection via a small value capacitor that will only pass RF signals.

Good wiring practice

Proper electrical wiring is the start with noise-inducing and potentially dangerous issues like grounds and

neutrals bonded or reversed, or hot connections reversed. Consult with an electrician knowledgeable in A/V systems when mains wiring has suspected issues. Never run audio and power connections in the same conduit; when possible, cross such wiring at right angles. Keep systems on the same branch circuits and electrical phase, particularly with unbalanced gear.

When unbalanced interconnections must be used, keep leads as short as possible, and always less than 3m. Use high quality inline transformers to eliminate problems

Use balanced connections whenever possible, with twisted-pair, shielded cables correctly terminated. Always use high-quality wiring and connectors.

While books can and have been written on grounding and interface, these fundamentals offer a base to build upon.

Integrated Systems Europe offers an extensive range of training sessions from CEDIA and InfoComm International alongside those organised by exhibitors, media partners, trade associations and consultants. ISE 2017 offers you four days of know-how and personal development. Take your enterprise to the next level!

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Maintaining video quality

Video display calibration is the way to ensure the visual elements of your service are received in the best possible way. James Ling

WHETHER IT’S TO ADD CHARACTER to a service or just to enable the whole congregation to see what is going on, the visual setup is a vital part of the modern worship experience. A high-quality visual system can be a

of worship, so it is important to ensure that the end result is one that the whole congregation can be proud of. While the entire signal chain is important, the display gets the most prominence as this is the congregationfacing part of the solution. As such, it is key that these show that the investment has been made wisely. A simple task to aid this is display calibration, the process of ensuring the image is shown in a uniform manner across every screen.

There are two main technologies to consider when it comes to calibration, projectors and LED screens.

LED screens

screens perform through regular use. ‘Over time, LED walls do not really change a great deal,’ offers Dominique Denis LED market development manager EMEA for Christie. ‘The only real change is in terms of brightness which gradually decreases over a long period. An LED display will drop to about 50 per cent of its brightness after approximately 100,000 hours. Even if it runs 24/7, this is a very long time; it is a slow, gradual process. As

LED is something which is easy to maintain. As long as the LEDs are not damaged, there is no real degradation to the components themselves. For a house of worship application, the environment can be dusty, which is

something you need to be wary of. I would expect that a display should last eight to 10 years before there is any need for replacement.’

‘LED brightness will degrade over time but not in the same level amongst each of the LEDs, so the result will be

a lower level of uniformity between the panels,’ furthers Absen sales director, Frank Zhang. ‘LEDs are known for their longevity, so it will typically take years before the brightness has lowered to an extent where the panel needs to be replaced. Absen’s auto calibration technology helps to maintain good uniformity between the panels in order to get a uniform screen. Also, colour shift is another result of usage over time, but it usually is very limited.’

The way to combat brightness degradation according to Mr Denis is by setting the initial brightness value lower. ‘You can set up the brightness initially to something like 80 per cent for example, and then gradually increase the brightness settings over time,’ he offers. ‘This will mitigate the effects of a gradual decrease in brightness. This is something which can be easily analysed with your eyes and adjusted accordingly by house of worship staff.

‘Behind LED walls are controllers,

Projector calibration is important for multi-projector setups such as at Rock of Ages

Dominique Denis from ChristieAbsen’s Frank Zhang

Mark Wadsworth of Digital Projection

Christie’s Velvet Apex Series of LED displays

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which can be easily adjusted to the required brightness,’ continues Mr Denis. ‘There are also more sophisticated calibration tools which can be used – such as spectrometers – but some training is required for this.’ Mr Zhang picks up on this point

other technology can be used in the calibration process. ‘The screen brightness can be re-calibrated using Absen’s control system and a Canon 7D or 70D camera which are widely available worldwide. However, we recommend that calibration should be done by a specialist. Absen provides free training to clients and engineers to learn the skills and to be able to service the screens themselves.’

One of the most important things to consider is how often you need to perform this calibration. As both men have said, the lifespan of these products is best measured in years. As such, the time between calibrations is equally long term.

‘We recommend that tests and measures should be made once every two years for peace of mind,’ says Mr Zhang. ‘Away from the calibration, when it comes to the day-to-day maintenance of these systems, basic skills are required to swap components in the event of failure. But a regular technician would be more than capable of handling this with some basic product training.’

‘Calibration can be carried out after install to ensure your tiles are all of the same colour and rendering,’ furthers Mr Denis. ‘Normally they would degrade at the same levels, so there should not normally be a

heavy use is a reasonable timescale. Obviously this is dependent on how much the display is in use – if it is only used for several hours a week, it is unlikely to need calibration.’

Projectors

When it comes to projectors, the considerations are the same as with LED screens but the approach needs to be somewhat different. ‘Projectors have evolved over the years to provide better durability and reliability to meet the increasingly demanding market

requirements,’ offers Siew Jin Kiat, general manager (SE Asia), printers and visual instruments division, Epson Singapore. ‘The more commonly used light source for projection technology is conventional lamp-based and recently, laser light source. Another light source for low brightness projection is the LED light source, used primarily in mini projectors.

‘Lamp-based projectors can provide end users up to 10,000 hours usage in Eco mode (based on Epson entry

continues Mr Kiat. ‘Towards the end of its lifespan, the projector will become dimmer. Lamps will have to be replaced in order for the projector to maintain its level of brightness. Lamp-free projectors provide end users

Projection uses are not organic so they don’t suffer the same degradation that affects the colour like some other technologies do.’

accuracy of colour and alignment.’

‘The intervals between calibrations and measurements depends on the application that the projectors are being used in,’ adds Mr Wadsworth.

projectors in a multi-channel set-up to create a large image, you would need to recalibrate each time the lamps are changed. This really is where laser projection comes into its own, the long lifespan means that these recalibrations are few and far between.’

Importantly, as with the LED screens, both men agree that the calibration of these systems is something that can be easily handled by worship technicians. ‘Corrections can be made by a staff,’ states Mr Kiat. ‘There isn’t any specialised tools or training required, as readings can be taken off the screen or even directly from the projector’s lens. Although a calibration colourimeter is recommended to ensure accuracy.’

with maintenance free usage of up to 20,000 hours depending on the environment. Epson’s latest L - Series laser projectors have a builtin ‘Constant Brightness’ feature that can deliver consistent brightness for up to 20,000 hours.’

‘Digital Projection utilises DLP technology at the core of all its products and this technology is much more stable over time,’ adds Mark Wadsworth, international marketing manager for Digital Projection. ‘The DLP chip is a solid state fabrication, made up of millions of tiny mirrors and will not suffer from colour degradation or colour shift over time, so the images that it produces will look the same after many years as the day it was installed.

The mirrors in the DLP chip are also encased in a sealed unit, making it contaminants making it maintenance free. Finally, the DLP chip that Digital

As already noted, the key to brightness degradation is the light source for the projector. ‘Depending on the illumination technology, the brightness of the image will change at different intervals,’ notes Mr Wadsworth. ‘Laser-illuminated projectors have a linear decay from 100 per cent brightness output to 50 per cent at 20,000 hours. This stability is down to the use of laser phosphor technology instead of traditional lamps. Where lamps are used, the brightness starts to degrade far quicker. Lamps age over their life of 500 to 2,000 hours, typically producing roughly half of their original illumination at the end of their life. This means that customers with lamp-based projectors actually lumens far below their initial spec in a cycle that repeats with every lamp replacement. The laser illumination system within laser projectors offers a much more stable lumen performance, with lumens following a very linear through 20,000 hours.’

The area where calibration is particularly important comes with systems requiring more than one projector. ‘Calibrations for adjustment of alignment and colour uniformity would mainly be needed for multiprojector systems, where there may be shifting and colour differences in the different projections over time,’ offers Mr Kiat. ‘Recalibrations may be

to adjust the installation and ensure

‘Simple things like changing lamps are often undertaken by house of worship staff,’ agrees Mr Wadsworth. ‘Generally all that is needed is access to the projector and a screw driver. Software also makes it simple for staff to change any setting. If the projectors need recalibrating in a blended solution, then the HOW staff would need specialist light meters to measure the brightness and colour of each channel before using the projector software to input these values in each projector.’

It is clear that whatever your display technology, calibration is a simple process that most HOW staff can undertake. While it does not need to be done too often, it is important to schedule it in to your maintenance programme to ensure your visual system performs to its best ability.

www.absen.com

www.christiedigital.co.uk

www.digitalprojection.com

www.epson.com.sg

Absen’s A6 screens in action It is important that all screens in a visual setup look the same as seen at Shantou church

Seats behind rising pillars can benefit from screens

Epson’s 25,000 lumen projector Digital Projection’s E Vision 6500 laser projector

KK102

• Reduced reverberation and increased intelligibility

• Even coverage close to source and at a distance

• Thin column producing 130 dB (peak)

Dimmer control in the LED lighting age

Worship AVL

FOR A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, and an explanation of the technologies currently in use for lighting control

WAVL spoke with

WAVL: Please describe the traditional

NKP:

ETC’s Echo controller system

constant voltage and a separate power is turned off part way

electronics that power the Driver-controlled

channel for each colour and for overall intensity where it used to only need a

well proven having basically worked

power as their brightness levels are controlled by a circuit that receives a data signal which the output level fed by a controllable intelligent circuit breaker linked to the low voltage controller that provides the

WAVL: Describe the nature of lighting

NKP:

Each of these kinds of protocols has of high voltage power cables and

NKP: controlled by a driver that requires

WAVL: What are the power and

NKP:

require less power and they provide

Digital protocols such as streaming ACN (sACN) and DMX constantly send packets of information from controller

controllable features (colour, position, Analogue 0V to 10V controls function Ethernet and DMX control systems to check manufacturers’ requirements

ETC’s Daylight Diffusor LED fixture

NKP: of installation that traditional manufacturer training in proper

are being connected? Because control signal is helpful to look at each relays and because more by a single circuit, there are

such as ETC’s Echo Zone Controller, Echo Room Controller, or ColorSource

system, like Unison Echo, can consist

control system can connect an Eos that distributes sACN to Sensor dimmer sACN to DMX and distribute that

WAVL:

NKP:

colours and the appearance

lighting should pay careful attention to the colour rendering qualities of

WAVL:

WAVL:

panels such as ETC’s Echo Relay

www.etcconnect.com

1/2PAGE HORIZONTAL

1/2PAGE HORIZONTAL

PTZ cameras

A HOUSE OF WORSHIP LOOKING to either record or playback imagery in one form or another has several options on its plate; options that differ greatly with capability, but most importantly with price. While a lot of the more elaborate video production setups are unlikely to be found at

smaller worship venues, any house of worship employing video production will probably have at least one or a few PTZ cameras in its arsenal – such is their usefulness. Like all forms of technology investment, there are important decisions that need to be taken before any purchases are made, but before we look at the different options, what makes a PTZ camera a PTZ camera, and how might one appeal to your congregation?

camera position, and the performance of single-chip cameras has taken huge strides to close the gap between affordable and high-end cameras,’

’Although, be sure to leave enough in your budget to be able to add at least a few more camera points of view.’ PTZ stands for the fairly zoom’. That is, a PTZ camera is typically capable of performing remote directional and zoom control. This is a very broad techniques used to achieve the same purpose.

Integrated or standalone?

At the introductory end, the PTZ part of the equation likely lies in the camera itself, ie the camera has control

capabilities built-in and simply needs an operator or controller interface for providing control. At the top end of the scale, PTZ-type solutions are still widely-used by ministries utilising fully-blown television broadcast production, however these setups are far more likely to enlist traditional broadcast video cameras adapted to accept remote input. These types of systems are commonly referred to as robos, an abbreviation of robotic

Video’s CamBot solution, which also integrates object tracking, allowing for the process to be further automated. This is a good place to start. Does your venue require a complete solution or equipment

cameras, generally of a simple type with limited “on-air” movement,’ adds Shotoku sales director, James Eddershaw. ‘A pan and tilt head is required for each camera, along with a suitable lens control interface and an

this approach are achieving optimum of movements and allowing cameras to be used for multiple purposes. Unless you already own the cameras, however, the cannot be overlooked.

a ministry, standalone PTZ solutions are often used to provide additional camera positions for the lowest cost, such as point-of-view shots. ‘Static position shots can get boring so make sure to vary PTZ camera positions and add several lowpriced cameras to get additional POV

most appropriate: standalone or

important. At the top of the list of considerations is resolution – often the most important (but not sole) attribute governing image quality. Be wary, however, that manufacturers have a habit off misleading customers when it comes to resolution. Bigger is only better up to a certain point, and after that attributes such as the sensor

such as the sensor size also indicate how the camera might behave in sub-optimal environments, such as low-lighting.

Nowadays, houses of worship should ideally be looking for full

up to standard. There are plenty of

Shotoku’s TG-27 pan and tilt head

and thanks to the proliferation of ever-higher resolutions in consumer technologies, poor image quality will have a massive effect on the overall perception of the quality of services.

‘First and foremost, choose a camera that provides the best video quality performance within the budget expectations. Essentially make sure to maximise your ROI to make your money go as far as possible,’ continues Mr Musgrave. ‘Second, make sure to choose an adequate focal range or optical zoom range that will do the job determined by the size of the space and the distance the camera is installed from the shot. Can you zoom all the way in to achieve your goals?’ he asks. ‘Thirdly, I would strongly advise you to demo cameras anywhere and everywhere possible for evaluation prior to purchase.’

While a lack of budget is a common complaint in houses of worship, Mr Musgrave sees this as a positive in this instance, explaining that one of the biggest purchasing mistakes he sees churches making is the assumption that price drives quality, without even evaluating lower priced alternatives. ‘At this point there are PTZ cameras for every budget, and while you want to get the best ROI, don’t let price drive the entire decision,’ he furthers. ‘Evaluate

camera alternatives at every price point, the lower the price the more camera positions you can install. Just make sure to install cameras that will bring you the best video quality expectations.’

Connectivity

This will largely depend on your existing setup and probably be either SDI, HDMI or Ethernet. If you don’t won’t be required. The lowest cost PTZ cameras have consumer HDMI output connections, with appeal to most houses of worship, though having cable length limitations. Models accepting Ethernet connections allow for the possibility to receive video and send power down a single existing

standard network cable, aiding the installation process.

Miscellaneous

It’s easy to presume image quality is the be-all and end-all of video camera concerns. It is massively important, but it’s also extremely easy to evaluate. Features often overlooked are also often the cause of some big headaches down the line. For example, how smooth is the panning mechanism? Many PTZ cameras are designed for the security market and are low-cost, can be remote-controlled and remotely-viewed – some attributes that make them appealing for HOWs. If the mechanism isn’t smooth, camera movement could send the resulting image jumping

across the screen which wouldn’t be suitable. How loud is the operating noise? Traditional congregations are likely quiet environments and any camera noise must not be audible over the background noise.

As you can see there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to PTZ cameras, but the features themselves are reasonably self explanatory. A thorough understanding of what needs to be achieved will lead to the right solution. Research is key but

evaluation is paramount. Ask friendly congregations what solutions they use, or alternatively look at renting various units so you can ‘try before you buy’.

www.marshallelectronics.net www.shotoku.tv

Marshall’s VS-PTC-200: The preferred controller for CV620 cameras

Ross Video’s VR-one PTZ head mounted with traditional broadcast camera

Robe’s Spiider is thus named for the web-like effect it creates

Along came a Spiider…

Robe's new multi-function light is intended to 'redefine the parameters of moving LED wash technology'

BUILDING UPON its LEDWash series, Robe has unleashed the Spiider, an LED wash luminaire that the parameters of moving LED wash light technology’. This is because in addition to functioning as a wash, the Spiider can be used as a beam or to

for LED wash light stage luminaires.

A single 60W RGBW LED multichip is surrounded by 18 30W RGBW LED circle, the remaining 12 creating the outer circle. This creates the visual effect of a spider’s web, from which the unit draws its name. And drawing upon its LEDWash series cousins, Spiider includes features such as a virtual colour wheel, tungsten lamp emulation, wireless DMX. It also boasts a zoom

output of more than 50,000 lumens at 5m.

The Czech lighting manufacturer has also been working on a ‘bespoke make PAR cans suitable for stage and broadcasting applications. The result is Halo, a circle of encapsulated to a par 64 sized colour frame. It

reportedly produce different effects via DMX controls. The unit can also be used alone, without the need for par cans and can be rigged in various adjust speed, colour and fade times individually or simultaneously. Available initially in an RGB version, Halo is connector cables.

Finally, following the success that Robe has encountered with its small Viva LED moving light, a CMY version has been produced. It includes all of the features of Viva, with the addition of CMY

a 270W white LED light engine that can reportedly run for 20,000 hours. With a that Robe states ‘produces a piercing beam that can be iris to give a very intense output’, Viva CMY’s widest smooth outputs or background projections with variable frost. Colours can be applied on the Viva

Award-winning beam shaper turns heads

CLAY PAKY’S

shaper was the recipient of the Plasa Award for Innovation at Plasa 2016. The moving head features a 1,400W Osram discharge lamp and an optical unit that together reportedly deliver a high light output system comprises four independently overlapping blades, which can be used simultaneously on four separate focal planes to shapes of varying sizes and proportions.

Also new from the Italian manufacturer is a moving LED bar with the ability to transform into a

Osram Ostar RGBW LEDs, each of which is coupled to an optical unit formed of a motorised system with a double mirror. This allows each light beam to be aimed independently of the others, or to be locked within states results in an effect replicating

Heading outside, the Odeon series, architectural lights. Flood and linear varieties are available with over 30 models, all designed for the differing needs of architectural installation.

wheels in addition to rotating or static gobos. Fast pan/tilt movement functionality is also a feature, as is Robe’s EMS (Electronic Motion Stabiliser) technology.

www.robe.cz

well as RGBW, tunable white and

HOW’s design needs.

Finally, designed for low power consumption and high colour quality, the Hepikos is a 700W washlight reportedly capable of emitting a sharp and thick beam for creating coloured aerial lighting effects. This

185mm PC front lens and narrow

www.claypaky.it

Clay Paky’s Scenius Profile won the Plasa Award for Innovation

Higher-power X4 Atom sees double

A NEW 30W version of the X4 Atom by its manufacturer, German Light Products. The new higher-powered version is reportedly capable of achieving double the brightness of its lower-powered sibling while also introducing greater optical

ETC and Robert Juliat get colourful

ETC AND Robert Juliat have joined forces to enhance integration between their respective products. Reportedly encouraged by requests from theatre lighting designers, the two companies have fully-integrated into ETC’s Eos console, providing ‘full control of the complete colour spectrum’. ‘We have made colour selection, matching and control the consoles,’ said David Lincecum, VP of marketing at ETC.

The collaboration means that users can reportedly synchronise their Dalis

cyclight to a precise colour, or match any manufacturer’s gel palette, while spectrum at will. ETC has also carried

them with its lighting desks. Using the same calibration process with in-house analysis of Dalis’ eight LED

from this colour analysis and precise control, resulting in the creation of a

www.etcconnect.com

www.robertjuliat.com

Zylight goes white for houses of worship

LED LIGHTING solution

manufacturer Zylight has unveiled Fresnel and IS3c LED panel light of worship. The new models are manufacturer states ‘are popular in worship and professional environments because they blend in

With a growing number of HOWs reportedly adopting LED lighting due to the cost-saving implications, green credentials and reduced

Fresnel with an adjustable beam 70-degrees. The Fresnel beam effect are provided by a focusing system. The IS3c LED panel light meanwhile, is a fully dimmable, wide

and high-output soft light. It has built-in controls that adjust colour temperature and colour correction.

wireless control via DMX and ZyLink.

ZyLink Bridge is a wireless fob that provides a communication link –or a bridge, if you will – between the ZyLink iOS app and the ZyLink wireless control included in the need for a wireless network.

www.zylight.com

The new 30W RGBW light source is stated to be from the same family used across the entire X4 range. The other stand-out features of the going from a 34-degrees wash to a 3.5-degrees beam, as well as an IP-

interlock system for quickly coupling multiple units together.

With the introduction of the 30W

model GLP has also launched a new 6-way power supply unit. The 30W X4 Atom can therefore be run from either the manufacturer’s 6-way or of which incorporate standard 4-pin XLR cabling to feed the unit.

swap-out of their current units to add the higher power functionality without cost.

www.glp.de

Middle Atlantic intelligently fills the gap

MIDDLE ATLANTIC’S Select Series PDU with RackLink offers vertical, compact and traditional rackmount enclosures intended to simplify installation while reducing the cost of service by providing ‘intelligent power optimised for A/V systems’. ‘This

traditional enclosures to hard to reach displays and everything in between,’ states Middle Atlantic’s Scott Lowder.

The Select Series PDU comprises

rackmount, nine-outlet rackmount, integrate RackLink technology which the manufacturer describes as ‘providing integrators with realtime visibility and control over the power distribution and status of any installation from anywhere in the

world’, and is designed to provide reliability and ensure uptime via

and automatic problem resolution. IPenabled control of the device can also be achieved both locally and virtually, over the internet and through mobile devices (via apps).

A new unit has also been added to Middle Atlantic’s RSH Series of

model features a custom-cut faceplate that accommodates the particular component being installed. This single rack unit saves installation space when installing smaller devices

The shelf features a ‘face-after’ faceplate design that can reportedly accommodate multiple device mounting and clamping solutions.

www.middleatlantic.com

Robert Juliat’s Ludwig Lepage (centre) with ETC’s Ray Hill and Matt Halberstadt

The 30W X4 Atom

Middle Atlantic’s Select Series PDU

GLP’s new 6-way power supply

Lighting the Fuze in any location

ELATION’S FUZE Series has been designed to provide a wash of coloured light in any environment. With four versions initially available, the series utilises single-lens RGBW COB LEDs that reportedly offer a wide colour palette and a uniform series are the Fuze PAR Z60 IP, Fuze PAR Z120 IP, Fuze Wash Z120 and Fuze Wash Z350.

meanwhile, are both single source PAR moving heads. The Z120 has a 120W quad-colour RGBW COB

7-degrees to 55-degrees motorised zoom is included in the Z120, while 10-degrees is the starting point for the Z350.

Elation has also unveiled the ZCL Series of ACL-type LED effect lights.

PowerCon inputs and outputs. All are designed for use in broadcast with voltages and frequencies are catered for by an auto-sensing power supply. Designed to appear as one coloured lamp as opposed to comprising wash a surface or subject without the multi-shadows created from traditional angle zoom ranges, full electronic dimming, variable dimming curves and high-speed strobing.

The PAR Z60 IP and Z120 IP are both IP65-rated single source PAR luminaires with 60W and 120W quad-colour RGBW COB LEDs respectively. Both include a fourbutton control panel and LCD menu display, are designed for use in noise sensitive environments by operating

7-degrees to 39-degrees motorised this to 55-degrees.

360 Bar, ZCL 360i and ZCL Bar Z300 IP, the units combine a high-power RGBW multi-chip with a 4-degree to 44-degree zoom that uses a zooming collimator lens for a 4-degree colourchanging beam. Each of the three units also feature a strobe effect and full-range electronic dimming.

installation and customised setups are promised by way of the multiple sensing power supply.

Creating a moving bar effect with the ZCL 360 Bar possesses the

while the ZCL 360i is a single beam moving effect luminaire that consists of a single 90W RGBW LED and the collimator optic lens. Both are capable of 16-bit continuous 360-degrees pan

Passing the batten to a colourful Ovation

CONTINUING ALONG the same

the Ovation E-910FC RGBA-Lime ellipsoidal, Chauvet Professional has introduced the Ovation B-2805FC and Ovation B-565FC battens to the

system of its ellipsoidal forefather, designed to produce vivid colours and bright whites. The lighting manufacturer states that these new

Due to their reportedly bright output, the B-2805FC and B-565FC can be employed as cyc lights or as washes on a large scale. They include a

in any orientation without slipping

from position. A wide range of control options can be adopted with the

control up to 10 sections individually. Programming the battens has also been designed for simplicity, with a Virtual Colour Wheel that has been developed to match Rosco gels and colour temperature presets.

The Ovation B-2805FC is a linear

RGBW LEDs and the collimator optic lens, is an IP65-rated bar moving

a softer wash effect.

www.elationlighting.com

280 8W LEDs. The Ovation B-565FC, meanwhile, is a smaller model

that features 56 8W LEDs. As the manufacturer notes that the new Ovation models consume less energy, reduce heat emissions and result in lower maintenance costs.

www.chauvetprofessional.com

The Fuze Wash Z120 single source PAR moving head luminaire

The Fuze Wash Z350 features a 7-button control panel with moving head yokes

The Ovation B-565FC is the smaller of the two batten fixtures

The Ovation B-2805FC is a linear fixture

The Fuze PAR Z60 IP is IP65-rated

Armonía Pro Audio Suite offers customisation

THE V2.8 software release will add multiple new features, including a customisable Operator View window tab to Powersoft’s Armonía Pro Audio Suite. It is designed to offer customisation options for to remotely manage and monitor on X series and DSP4 models. multiple functionalities, including mute, gain, delay, scene recall, necessary, and can be resized and pictures can also be imported.

engineer, operator or guest. Different user to interact or modify only predetermined functionalities.

allowing users to select from presets emanating from different sources,

X series models and Ottocanali DSP+D models. Way names can now be added to X series models and Ottocanali DSP+D models using icon to notify alarm state, standby series models and Ottocanali DSP+D limited functionality access.

faults, power supply faults, fan

Ottoncanali series.

of Armonía includes a number

Impedance on DSP4, History Monitor

dynamic login or logout support

presets and print capabilities on X series and DSP+D models.

www.powersoft-audio.com

The upgrade is available from the Powersoft’s Support Forum

JoeCo beats the competition black and blue

LaON’s digital wireless intercom systems go mobile

LAON TECHNOLOGY has added to its series of digital wireless intercom systems with the release of the mobile LT150. The mobile intercom system comprises the MBS150 mobile base station and the BP150 beltpack, as well as the BAT150 and BAT50 rechargeable battery packs for the MBS150 and BP150 respectively. The BAT-CHG125 battery charger powers up the battery packs.

The system reportedly provides interference-free and licensefree UNII band 5GHz operation and features AES256 encryption technology to avoid unauthorised

wiretapping and interruptions. Duplicated communication coverage is offered to add reliability via what the manufacturer describes as Triple Diversity: space, time and frequency. This ensures that the strongest signal is selected from a pair of antennas and is transmitted and received at two different times on a pair of different frequencies.

With its two antennas, the system also includes a vertical and horizontal antenna setting, designed to assist with the selection of the strongest signal, as

DiGiCo expands with S31

OFFERING AN expanded worksurface, S31, a new bigger brother to DiGiCo’s small-format S21 mixing console has been unveiled.

The S31 offers an additional 10 faders compared to the S21 and an additional multi-touchscreen, taking the total to three.

The 96kHz model possesses the

the S21, with 24 mic inputs and 12 line outputs on the rear of the console, as well as the two DMI ports offering up to 64 I/O per slot

and a UB Madi interface for DAW recording. It has 46 busses, 10 control groups, 16 assignable 32-band graphic EQs and eight FX engines. The triple screen design provides 10 channel strips per screen allowing control on 20 simultaneous channels. The newly designed drag, swipe and drop channel layout system allows operators to move channels and busses across the surface to design their own custom fader layouts.

Constructed from aerospace graded aluminium extrusion, the desk features polycarbonate overlays, RGB LED Hidden Til Lit technology coupled with touch sensitive faders/encoders and integrated LED light bar.

www.digico.biz

well as to prevent dropouts. Meanwhile, the LT150 system can facilitate three independent talk groups with each beltpack able to be assigned to either a single group or several.

Another feature is the remote controlling ‘unlatch’ functionality, which allows users to cancel unintentional transmission from a base station to a belt pack; LaON notes that this is particularly useful when a user forgets to turn off their device. The MBS150 and BP150 units both possess an OLED display of the menus.

www.laon-tech.com

ePlayer1 receives a firmware update

FOLLOWING THE launch of the Ecler Essentials brand in 2016, the manufacturer has released a streaming and local media player, ePlayer1.

the ePlayer1 with AirPlay support, allowing content from compatible Apple devices, as well as iTunes on both Mac and PC, to be streamed to the player via the service. In the same vein, DLNA support is now enabled. This means that ePlayer1 can receive content via DLNA from a range of servers such as AllConnect, MediaTomb and Windows Media Player, smartphones and tablets. Also included in the update are ‘events’, which are triggered by GPI1, GPI2 and silence detection. The events include actions that

can be programmed, including preset, source recall, play, pause, rewind, fast-forward and priority source playback. Meanwhile, the new ‘store&forward’ functionality delivered by the update synchronises the contents in the remote server with a local storage device every day. This reportedly facilitates safe playback during the working day, bypassing internet streaming problems.

www.ecler.com

LaON’s LT150 mobile intercom system

Ecler Essentials ePlayer1 now features Airplay support

DiGiCo’s S31 offers an expanded surface

Shure’s SM58 turns 50

AS PART of the celebrations that Shure is holding to honour the 50th anniversary of its iconic SM58 microphone, a 50 anniversary edition has been released, featuring all of the characteristics and specs of the original.

The SM58-50A Limited Edition microphone has a print, historical user guide and a celebratory sticker.

‘The SM58 has been at the

The SM58-50A has a

centre of unforgettable musical performances for 50 years and has left its mark on generations of audiences and performers,’ stated Shure product specialist, Soren born to perform, and any SM58 can depend on that same great sound that so many have shared in. We are thrilled and honoured to celebrate this milestone.’

RTW enters the music world

RTW IS venturing into the music MM3 MusicMeter. The MM3 is aimed at customers looking to implement loudness metering into music-based applications. The MM3 features vectorscope, PPM/TruePeak or VU, real time analysers, loudness against time

graphical loudness display and zoom modes. The display can be adjusted for vertical or horizontal modes. MM3 support includes analogue, SPDIF and USB audio inputs and an SPDIF stream.

transfer and additional control from

manufacturer is the APRO-CLC01

Continuous Loudness Control (CLC).

JTS hits the stage with TC-22

THE LATEST microphone capsule from launched to bring ‘an extremely Available systems and the other for Sennheiser

targeted at stage applications.

The TC-22 reportedly offers a 50Hz to 18,000Hz frequency response and

board connector.

www.jts.com.tw

German Institut für Rundfunktechnik (IRT). The CLC signal processing control and regulate to a given programme-loudness value and

loudness (TASA and SAWA), and free scalable instrument size. Both the Loudness Tools and Mastering Tools stand-alone versions.

and USB Connect. This also adds support for Mac OS X 10.11 ‘El Capitan’ and adheres to the recently released standard charges in the EBU Loudness Recommendation (EBU R 128). Users can read the Smax and Mmax values as a freely selectable feature and can turn both measurements on or off.

4.0 of RTW’s Loudness Tools and support for Mac OS X 10.11 ‘El Capitan’ and implements user requested features such as a selectable 12th - octave RTA, cinema

USB Connect also receives some additional control features, including Time and Ref +/- and automatic fed to the TM3-Primus via USB from DAWs.

www.rtw.com

MM3 MusicMeter is taking RTW into the world of music

JTS’ TC-22 capsule for wireless systems

Røde mics get Rycote suspension

RØDE IS aiming to improve isolation in a number of its products with the addition of Rycote’s Lyre suspension system. The Australian manufacturer has added the technology to its Stereo VideoMic Pro on camera mic, SM3-R camera shoe shockmount, SM4-R boompole microphone stand shockmount and PG2-R pistol grip.

In addition to the new suspension system, Stereo VideoMic Pro also includes a matched pair of condenser capsules, improved foam windshield and a thicker Kevlar-reinforced braided cable. The improvements reportedly allow the mic to be used in conjunction with the RødeLink Wireless System, or in Wi-Fi heavy locations, without the fear of RF interference damaging audio takes.

Meanwhile, the SM3-R camera shoe shockmount and SM4-R

boompole microphone stand shockmount both feature the Rycote Lyre suspension system, with four possible mounting points for the Lyres. This allows them to be compatible with the whole range of

One-man live production

SONY’S LATEST MCX-500 multicamera live producer has been created for single users that operate multi-camera setups. Designed with small-scale applications in mind, the all-in-one switcher is said to offer ‘the performance and technical heritage associated with Sony’s market leading A/V solutions, but at an affordable price’, making it particularly suited to HOWs.

The MCX-500 includes features taken from the manufacturer’s MVS series, such as its broadcast-quality chroma key algorithm, and has also been designed to offer an easy-touse interface, suitable for a HOW’s voluntary A/V team. The switcher includes four channels and the option for nine inputs such as four 3G-SDI, two HDMI, a pair of CVBS and an RGB input for title overlays. Compatible with a ‘wide range of video cameras’, the device features PiP and Keyer overlay functions, several transition

in addition to the four channel video inputs, including XLR and embedded audio from SDI or HDMI.

It is reportedly able to adapt to with AVCHD formats without an external recorder, meaning that users can edit or distribute a video as soon as recording ends. A GUI option is provided to allow remote control from

an external device, while Ustream integration has also been included for those looking to stream services and events online.

The HXR-NX5R, meanwhile, is the newest addition to the NXCAM camcorder family. It offers multiformat recording capabilities and improved network functionality, such as FTP and live streaming, built-in Wi-Fi and simultaneous backup recording via its dual SD card slots. Sony states that the three 1/2.8-type Full HD Exmor CMOS sensors and 40x Clear Image Zoom double the camera’s optical zoom without loss of image quality.

Additional upgrades that the HXR-NX5R brings include a 3G-SDI terminal, enhanced control options by way of a direct menu function and a

Røde pencil condenser microphones or shotgun mics. In addition to the Rycote suspension system, the PG2-R pistol grip has a newly designed lightweight handle that aims to provide improvements in ergonomics and functionality. Each of the updated mounts feature a newly designed cable management system created to accommodate most types of audio cables, providing a strain relief point between the recording device and microphone. To complement this, the

cable, the PG2-R Pro Cable. Featuring a strain relief junction box that clips into the cable management system, the cable provides a de-coupled audio connection between the recording

device and microphone with the aim of maximum isolation.

www.rode.com

responsive joystick and the choice of advanced XAVC S 50Mbps or established AVCHD/DV recording

as well as what the manufacturer

adjustable brightness LED video light to minimise the need for external lighting equipment’, ‘advanced noise reduction and remarkable detail reproduction’ and technology that makes use of DSP. The camera’s

provide a wide viewing angle.

The successor to the RM-1000BP, Sony has released the RM-30BP

compact multi function remote commander. Initially compatible with the PXW-FS7 v4.0 as well as the HXR-NX5R and MCX-500, the manufacturer has plans to expand the portfolio of devices that the remote commander will work with. It can be used as a handheld device, placed on

a table-top or attached to the arm of a tripod and provides remote control such as recording/display functions, shutter speed, white balance, lens control and playback and multicamera control for up to three units. Finally, Sony has increased its portfolio of Trimaster El OLED master monitors with 17-inch BVM-E171 and 25-inch BVM-E251 replacing the BVME170A and BVM-E250A monitors and providing 4K production features.

pro.sony.com

Rycote’s Lyre suspension system has been added to Stereo VideoMic Pro

The MCX-500 multi-camera live producer

The HXR-NX5R is the latest addition to Sony’s NXCAM camcorder family

The SM4-R boompole mic stand complete with Rycote suspension

Christie keeps everything under control 24/7

DESIGNED WITH continuous operation in mind and aimed at tiled

released as part of a new series. landscape orientation.

per side bezel and are capable of working in conjunction with

An “out of this world” entry-level laser system?

HOUSES OF worship looking to services are presented an option operate and priced at the lower end of the spectrum.

Suitable for use in basic laser

contrast.

www.christiedigital.com

Epson targets high brightness market

DESCRIBED BY the manufacturer as is its highest lumens projector. Aimed has been designed for large venues and outdoor projection.

light source and inorganic components.

hours before the brightness decreases.

Kling & Freitag balances passion with precision for uncompromising audio quality and 'German engineering'.

We are driven by a desire to provide and technically guarantee music and sound as a genuine sound experience. This is what each product by Kling & Freitag stands for - or, as we say, 'Passion built in'

stepper motors create the patterns that the unit produces.

www.laserworld.com

lenses and is able to rotate and tilt

www.epson.com

Epson’s EB-L25000U projector

Christie’s FHD492-XV flat panel monitor

Laserworld’s EL-230RGB is an entry-level option

Blackmagic in 4K

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN’S

DeckLink range has gone 4K with the introduction of the DeckLink Mini Monitor 4K and DeckLink Mini Recorder 4K PCIe capture cards. These new models include the same features as their HD cousins, but with the addition of Ultra HD (UHD) and high dynamic range (HDR) capabilities. With OEMs and developers in mind, the Australian manufacturer has made both DeckLink Mini 4K units fully compatible with Desktop Video SDK for building custom playback and recording solutions.

In addition to UHD and HDR, both the monitor and recorder versions

support all formats up to 2160p30, including, SD and HD. They are low

and HDMI 2.0a connections capable RGB video, as well as Rec 2020 colour and support for HDR formats and metadata. A full height and a half height PCI shield are both included with the two DeckLink Mini 4K cards to enable installation within a standard computer PCIe slot or into

DeckLink Mini Monitor 4K provides SDI and HDMI playback and monitoring and its outputs switch between all video formats automatically. DeckLink Mini Recorder 4K, meanwhile, captures video directly from SDI and HDMI sources, such as decks and cameras, feeding it to a computer. It has been designed for versatility, reportedly allowing for integration into mobile live capture environments. Both models are compatible with uncompressed and compressed

New DeckLink 4K capture cards have been released

them compatible with most major professional editing, colour correction and visual effects software suites.

Blackmagic has also been busy providing further updates to its Video and video recorder. Users can now

145 and 45 bit rates and to choose between DNxHR HQ, SQ and LB formats when recording.

exposure tools are introduced to Video

Assist 4K via the 2.2 update, simplifying the exposure setting process in different parts of the image. This is done by

colour ranges with a solid colour overlay and assists camera operators with maintaining consistent exposure between shots.

Blackmagic’s VideoAssist 2.2 has added a range of new features

including QuickTime, making

A redesign that stays Inline

containers with the Video Assist 2.2 Update. This reportedly improves the system’s compatibility with an Avid system running on Windows while removing dependencies on the .mov users to select from DNxHD 220,

Video Assist 2.2 also expands upon the device’s focus assist functionality by allowing users to select from red, green, blue, black, white or traditional focus peaking indicators. The manufacturer notes that this ‘makes it easier for customers to accurately adjust focus in a wider range of scenes and under a variety of different lighting conditions’. Users can now control the screen orientation manually, turning off the auto rotate function.

www.blackmagicdesign.com

Faster transfer aboard the AU-XPD3 expressP2

PANASONIC’S NEW expressP2

designed to cater for applications

AV Stumpfl has redesigned its Inline 125 products

WHILE THE redesigned Inline 125 reportedly maintains the ‘sleek invisibility’ of its ancestors,

internal drive mechanisms of

manufacturer states that the redesigned models are a result of customer feedback and offer reductions in dimensions and weight as well as more stability to provide users with easier installation and less likelihood of damaging the screens in transit.

The surface dimensions of the

screens remain the same as before, although the new Inline 125s will be approximately 30mm shorter in length. This has been made possible by designing a new shaft of hardened aluminium alloy that reportedly ensures stability in addition to a new modular arrangement of the internal mountings, bearings and drives. The

screens have also been given new control options in the forms of cable,

www.avstumpfl.com

necessary. As such, it can support editing including 4K. Making use of Thunderbolt 3 technology, the transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps. including 4K/120fps and HD/240fps. The manufacturer

states that its new card drive offers a solution to those who wish to

caused previously by data sizes. for expressP2 highlights how Thunderbolt 3 delivers the bandwidth and speed needs of the broadcast industry,’ explained Jason Ziller, director of Thunderbolt marketing at Intel.

pro-av.panasonic.net

The Panasonic AU-XPD3 expressP2 card drive

Extending a clear view

AS THE world is viewed ever-more has added to its catalogue with the inclusion of a new line of 4K UHD HDBaseT Extenders that support HDMI 2.0 and HDR video standards and offer internal re-clocking

The H2 line comprises the EX-

Each of the models provide HDBaseT distribution of audio

RS-232 serial control and PoH

panel LEDs which indicate signal connection and HDCP presence. The H2 line extenders all feature a installation footprints to a minimum and support 2-channel PCM and

distances of up to 35m for 4K and transmitting uncompressed video

chroma subsampling rates of 4:2:0 and 4:4:4.

and threaded DC power ports and Ethernet pass-through facilitating

sent back to the receiver and to other locations.

www.wyrestorm.com

Bolt offers low-latency video transmission

MAKING THE bold claim that Teradeck is approaching realisation of that goal

lossless’ 4:2:2 video over the

The latest transmitters also boast licence interference-free operation in reconnection when moving back

in HDMI to SDI converter and removable coloured top plates to aid

www.teradek.com

A m

An entry-level media management option

VITEC IS targeting the less experienced (PX ML). The media management solution has been created to save users time with

designed for organisations that are new to media management with ‘a few limitations for smaller workgroups’ or those with single-

solution for dedicated multi-

operating within modern virtual environments.

Vitec’s PX Media Library is designed to offer affordable scriptbased workflow management for automated content processing

editing of related metadata as well as access to import and export capabilities.

The manufacturer states that the platform ‘offers affordable scriptautomated content processing and a customised user

organisations that wish to stream a special event. Linux server OS and built-in rights management

www.vitec.com

DigiLink Media Transport Platform new IP Gateway

ARTEL VIDEO

to meet growing demand as more to IP-based solutions. The DLC450 expands the IP capabilities of the DigiLink Media Transport Platform

Ethernet networks. It supports auto-sensing of standards-based and broadcast-

encapsulation as well as optional algorithms when integrated with

interface that enables end users to bridge IP data.

www.artel.com

The flagship EX-70-H2X

The Teradeck Bolt 3000 transmitter

deo

First Baptist Church

are another high point for us,’ adds Mr Bailey. ‘We as the ability to train on one console and be able to use them all.’ From the broad view, Mr Bailey shares, his favourite thing about the FBC infrastructure is, systems.’

The FBC campus plays host to over 4,000 worshippers each Sunday. ‘Our 2,800-seat Worship Center houses our “blended” worship service, including a 40-plus piece orchestra, a 200-voice choir, and the praise team,’ Mr Bailey shares. ‘Our 1,000-seat historic sanctuary houses our contemporary worship service, called Day One, which features a high-energy band-led worship experience.’ FBC occasionally hosts concerts or

FIRST BAPTIST

CHURCH (FBC)

OF DALLAS, Texas, USA, has been a part of its community for over 100 years. The church has a campus spanning six city blocks, making it one of the largest property owners in downtown Dallas. Over the decades, buildings were added as the congregation grew and its needs evolved. The FBC demonstrated the realisation of a new master plan on Easter of 2013, when the church opened a US$130million renovation blending a modern infrastructure with elements from the church’s historic past. ‘One of the most unique features of the new worship centre is how the sanctuary leverages technology to create an immersive experience,’ highlights Bryan Bailey, minister of media. ‘The new Worship Center includes a 145-foot wide projection screen with a sevenprojector blend.’ In addition to the curved Da-Lite rear projection screen and Barco HDF projectors, the video system is enabled by coolux’ Pandora’s Box show control system. ‘coolux is vital to the signal and the screen we want,’ says Mr Bailey. ‘The Grass Valley split between IMAG, broadcast, web, simulcast and other feeds.’

There’s also a pit lift for the church’s orchestra in the main sanctuary. A moveable wall can rise up behind the preaching position to serve as a video backdrop for the broadcast portion of the Sunday services, allowing the broadcast to have its own visual environment. This preaching- and teaching-based broadcast, Pathway to Victory,

is aired on 1,100 television and cable outlets; that count includes distribution in 13 countries. Lighting is equally sophisticated, with full broadcast capabilities complementing the live event lighting – the latter taking priority as the focus is on the live congregation’s experience. The automated theatrical wash the walls in colour, both onstage and around the congregation, for a more immersive audience experience. The white ceiling allows an evenly bounce-lit seating area.

Also critical to the immersive experience is a loudspeaker system anchored by an 18-cabinet

system is supplemented by over 30 additional EAW loudspeakers, variously used under and over balcony

Lab.gruppen amps to power the system. Audio mixing is via DiGiCo SD7 digital desks. ‘The DiGiCo consoles

special educational or training events on the campus. Overall, says Mr Bailey, ‘We have 11 venues on worship venues, multipurpose venues, student and children’s venues and a chapel.’

All that infrastructure requires a substantial staff for operation and upkeep. The eight full-time staff include Mr Bailey, with content and videos overseen by a director of media production, a video editor/ producer, a motion graphics producer, the lead audio engineer, an A/V manager, a media coordinator, a video engineer and a part-time volunteer coordinator. ‘Our Sunday volunteer crew includes 43 positions as sophisticated as FBC’s, matched by the level of detail and design in worship service production, the staff and volunteer crew needs to operate as a synchronised unit. ‘We have a structured training programme that allows us to train at a very high level.’ Of all the factors that make his job satisfying, Mr Bailey singles out the process of ‘training volunteers and watching them succeed at producing services at a high level of excellence which few other churches are able to achieve.’

www.firstdallas.org

Bryan Bailey, minister of music

Large houses of worship can have infrastructures that rival broadcast operations and major event complexes. Yet, as Worship AVL discovers, such a facility can operate at a professional level while blending staff and volunteer labour

Master control for video at FBC

Worship incorporates a choir and orchestra at FBC

FBC’s historic sanctuary is now home to its contemporary, band-led, Day One worship service

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Calvary Church - Napierville, IL