Worship AVL March–April 2018

Issue 51 March–April 2018

I’ve been dabbling with home automation in recent months, controlling audio, video and ancillary electronics along with lighting via a hybrid network of my home Wi-Fi network, an RF-based universal remote with a Wi-Fi hub, IR (infrared) translators and repeaters, network-aware power switches and LED light bulbs, Amazon Echo devices and mobile phone/iPad apps. There are still aspects sophisticated as well as simpler to manage. A four-word voice command can turn on and select the proper inputs on multiple devices in an A/V chain, for example. I can turn lights on and off from anywhere in the world with a phone app. Even though it is consumer technology, this tech has applications in HOWs for tasks such as controlling an A/V system power-on sequence or starting up a series of informational displays throughout a facility. Once you begin

simplify mundane tasks.

PROJECTS TECHNOLOGY 34

IN THIS ISSUE 26 56

A personal note to you as a WAVL reader. A bit over two years ago, I began working with the Blank Canvas team to help take Worship AVL from a quarterly publication to six issues annually. Building on its solid foundation and with greater publication frequency, WAVL serves worship technical ministry staff with reliable, authoritative and accessible content. I’ve enjoyed learning and sharing your stories. I’m proud to have been a part of this transition and this team, and look forward to continuing to contribute content into the future, while leaving the dayto-day editing and content management chores to the extremely capable Blank Canvas editorial and production staff.

Frank Wells Editor

Sound engineer standards at Reigate Baptist

UK: Matt Kefford, the gathering pastor at Reigate Baptist Church, is an electrician by trade and also performs as a musician with experience as a sound engineer. He was therefore the driving force behind a recent audio system upgrade at the house of worship, personally overseeing the purchase and installation.

‘One of the things we had always struggled with during services was audio clarity,’ Mr Kefford explains. ‘The mix was always muddy no matter what we did, and we couldn’t have it very loud because the sound wasn’t pleasant. I found it so frustrating.’

The pastor explored his options, obtaining quotes for new solutions from a range of systems integrators, including Stage Electrics. ‘I got a call from Stage Electrics who told me they had the ideal person to help,’ remembers Mr Kefford. ‘They said he had done a lot of work in churches, so would be perfect as he could share his experience with us.

‘We were still paying the mortgage on the new property, so we didn’t have the money spare,’ he continues. ‘But it’s my passion to do everything as well as I can, so I was inspired to go away and try to write a grant application.’

The ‘ideal person’ at Stage Electrics was system designer Jamie Gosney, who kept in contact with Mr Kefford while he applied for grants, many of which were rejected. ‘Jamie actually came and recorded a live album of our church band for us, which we still use,’

year we were able to release the funds to do the project.’

While Reigate Baptist awaited funding, Stage Electrics demonstrated

several systems at the church and, by the time the money was available, the system had been designed. This comprised an EM Acoustics Halo-C line array loudspeaker setup, controlled by a DiGiCo S31 digital mixing console.

‘As well as its incredible clarity, we suggested Halo-C because it has a wide horizontal dispersion that suits

which is wide, but shallow in depth,’ explains Mr Gosney. ‘The previous system the church had was point

in terms of coverage and tricky to keep off the hard surfaces of the building – the interior of the church has a lot of brickwork and glass that, along with its peculiar shape [the back wall of the auditorium is curved], were causing acoustic issues. Using Halo-C meant we could direct the sound into the congregation and keep it off possible.’

The Stage Electrics team also worked to ensure that the system wasn’t too visually intrusive. ‘The church is very

modern and its clean lines required a compact system, so the EM solution

aesthetics of the building,’ notes Paul Roughton, business development manager at Stage Electrics. ‘We also provided training on the S31,’ adds Mr Gosney. ‘The desk is very intuitive, a number of presets can be saved for the varied events that take place at the church and it can be set up with a single mic for small meetings if necessary. So, although the church is lucky enough to have sound engineering expertise, which isn’t always the case, it doesn’t actually need an experienced operator for every meeting.’

‘With the S31, the caretaker simply comes in and puts the right settings

on the console for whatever client we have in,’ reveals Mr Kefford. ‘We have one girl here who had never done anything with sound before, but really wanted to be involved. She started watching videos on YouTube, watching the other sound engineers every week and she’s been to DiGiCo HQ for a demo. Now she’s running the desk on her own. The S31 is so intuitive and easy to remember.’

Capturing vocals at the start of the signal chain are Sennheiser microphones. The church already possessed solutions from the German manufacturer and opted to add two ew D1 Vocal Sets with e945 supercardioid capsules to its inventory, along with a wired e945 microphone. ‘The clarity, the signal range, everything is superb,’ says Mr Kefford of the Sennheiser mics. ‘The e945 sits a considerable distance away from people’s faces and it still picks everything up perfectly without any distortion.

‘The process from initial enquiry to installation has taken several years for different reasons,’ the pastor concludes. ‘Jamie really impressed me with his professionalism; not only with his advice and experience but also because he valued us as customers, always making us feel like he wanted to spend time with us rather than just sell us a system, and that same customer service goes for the manufacturers, too.’ www.d

Matt Kefford with the DiGiCo S31

The church relies on Sennheiser mics

One of the EM Acoustics line arrays

professional audio engineering

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V ivid imagery across the states

USA: Almost 1,000 miles separate the First Baptist Sweetwater church in Longwood, Florida, and St Paul’s Wolf’s Evangelical Covenant Church in York, Pennsylvania. Yet, both churches offer a similar blend of the traditional and contemporary in their services. Both also required clear, bright and vivid imagery for a range of visual reinforcement applications.

‘First Baptist Sweetwater’s services are a unique blend,’ says Rob Robinson, co-owner of Creative Sound & Lighting Solutions, the company hired

to deploy a new projection system at the Floridian church. ‘During services, the church uses both a traditional choir and orchestra, yet services lean towards the contemporary. The sanctuary is like an amphitheatre in that it is narrower at the stage and expands outward. In terms of dimensions, the area is 15m across at the stage and it opens to roughly 45m across the back of the room. It seats 1,300 people and includes a balcony.’

Creative Sound installed a pair of Eiki EK-510U 7,000 ANSI lumen, WUXGA,

triple LCD projectors to meet First Baptist Sweetwater’s need for bright, vivid imagery. Mr Robinson also notes that they were chosen for ‘their ability to accept both analogue and digital video inputs in all colour standards up to 1080p’. Both projectors aim content onto custom screens on the opposite walls of the chancel. ‘We got lucky in the fact that the church’s wall dimension was a near perfect 16:10 aspect ratio,’ adds Mr Robinson. ‘The projectors themselves are actually way up high, hidden on the lighting catwalk. What made these projectors perfect for this installation is the way that we were able to lens shift down to the screens from approximately 2m above.’ Meanwhile, Reynolds AV was contracted to supply the setup for St Paul’s Wolf’s in Pennsylvania. ‘Services at St Paul’s Wolf’s lean towards the more traditional with a blend of hymns combined with some contemporary music,’ explains Karl Reynolds, project manager at the installation

people and was structurally renovated around 1928. At that time, beautiful stained-glass windows were installed. The cozy atmosphere balances the traditional importance of the worship

Christian broadcaster sources

vivid, clear visuals to help engage the congregation. To accomplish this, we selected the Eiki EK-811W, which handles a variety of content, including PowerPoint presentations, lyrics and videos, along with output from a Sony HD PTZ camera for Children’s Time.’

The Eiki EK-811W, 8,000 lumen WXGA DLP laser projector beams visual content to a Draper screen designed for ambient light rejection, also installed by Reynolds. ‘This results in crisp, clear image reproduction that really stands out,’ says Mr Reynolds. ‘Our customer is very happy with the completed project. From

concern about the ambient light from the stained-glass windows. When designing the projection system, we measured the ambient light with a light meter to ensure optimum image quality on the screen during typical usage. The Eiki projector delivers exceptional images and bright, easycouldn’t be happier.’

www.creativesoundsolution.com

www.eiki.com

www.fbsweetwater.org

www.reynoldsav.com

www.wolfschurch.org

IP-based remote video solution

KOREA:

independent radio station in South Korea in 1954, CBS has developed a long-standing reputation of broadcasting high-quality news and entertainment content. Its nationwide radio network has since expanded into 14 branches, and, in 2002, the broadcaster established its own Christian television station. Committed to producing high-quality content for all forms of mass communication, earlier this year CBS had been looking for a solution that would enable its news team to transmit reliable HD

on its social media channels and website. The multimedia group found what it was looking for in TVU Networks, purchasing a TVU One mobile IP video transmitter.

‘We chose TVU Networks because their easy-to-use IP transmitter

delivers the best picture quality and most reliable transmission in the industry,’ says Sang Hwan Lee, deputy manager, digital engineering department at CBS. ‘CBS prides itself on being the leading broadcaster of

Christian content in Korea – from original programmes and sermons, to specials and teachings. Our diverse mission programmes have fostered the growth of the Korean church. We’re using our new TVU

One to reach more people and better connect with our audience. With TVU’s integrated solution, we’re able to capture and transmit video for broadcast and for sharing on social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, as well as for live streaming content.’

CBS’ news department is also using of its real-time news show, Daily Nocutnews. ‘We’re very pleased that

transmitter, TVU One, to improve its operations,’ says Paul Shen, CEO of TVU Networks.

‘Being able to share news and events online in real-time gives CBS a whole new way to strengthen its viewership.’

www.cbs.co.kr

www.tvunetworks.com

First Baptist Sweetwater

TVU Networks’ TVU One mobile IP video transmitter

Reinforcing Pope Francis

was the Línea Estratégica team, which had deployed a similar setup when the Pope travelled to Ecuador in 2015. The Ecuador event had drawn similarly large crowds. ‘We had to cover an area that was 1km long by 800m

events, choosing a combination of K2s, K1 subs, V-Doscs and Kara cabinets.’

Mr Soto had helped with the design for that event too, along with his colleague Marco Pineda and the manufacturer’s Soundvision software. The system has ultimately comprised a hang of 12 K2s topped with a K1-SB sub either side of the stage, plus 10 hangs of 10 K2s

10 V-Doscs and 10 towers of 10 Kara cabinets positioned across the front of the stage at 50m intervals.

COLOMBIA: When Pope Francis recently visited Colombia, Línea Estratégica provided the audio system to ensure the more than half a million worshippers in attendance could hear the supreme pontiff’s words up to 1km away. To reach this distance, and at a width of 200m across the makeshift venue of Olaya Herrera Airport in the city of Medellin, in excess of 300 L-Acoustics cabinets were deployed. Línea Estratégica utilised L-Acoustics’ Soundvision 3D design software to

conceptualise a system that saw 24 distributed arrays of 12 K2s topped with a K1-SB sub set up along the airport runway. Five arrays of 10

L-Acoustics assisted in the design and noted that a relatively simple solution required throws of no more than 80m to 90m. However, challenges were presented by the weather, which brought heavy rain and electrical storms. The K2 cabinets, with an IP55 weatherproof rating, were ready, as

Clearing the air

USA: Terry Golden, FOH mixer at New Life United Pentecostal Church in Austin, Texas, has been with the church through two previous IEM systems. One was reliable but had the ‘sonic quality of a transistor radio,’ he recalls, while the other was just an incremental improvement sonically. But, when he listened to an online demo of the Klang:fabrik 3D system, he was sold instantly. An in-church demo provided by Klang technicians sealed the deal. ‘The reaction to the Klang:fabrik 3D IEM monitoring systems we installed has been nothing short of amazing. Every musician in town wants to try them out,’ Mr Golden says.

The church purchased two Klang:fabrik 3D IEM monitoring systems and two Klang:quelle headphone amps through dealer Heart of Texas Equipment Rentals, which also sold the church a new RCF PA system. The Klang:fabrik units are fed signals via MADI from the church’s DiGiCo SD9 mixing console.

One Klang:fabrik provides eight stereo mixes for use by the four to six musicians on stage during

worship services, who also use the two Klang:quelle headphone amps, connected over a single Dante-networked cable, to create their own individual mixes for each performance. The second Klang:fabrik

wide and held around 1.7 million people,’ recalls Conrado Santamaría Polo, manager at Línea Estratégica. ‘We decided to use L-Acoustics because it is the most complete and

‘The L-Acoustics systems were impeccable and exactly what we needed for the challenges we faced. Having tested it to the full in Ecuador, the right solution for this year’s event,’ says Mr Polo. ‘The organisers for the Medellin event were impressed with the performance of K2, as well as the service provided by Línea Estratégica, and the audience enjoyed being able to hear every word the pontiff delivered on this visit to South America.’

www.l-acoustics.com

www.lineaestrategica.com

touch monitors anymore,’ he says. ‘The musicians can create exactly the mixes they want on their own using the Klang:app, which is phenomenal.’ Mr Golden was initially attracted to the Klang:fabrik’s sonic clarity

that he realised that its ease of use was going to be a big selling point to musicians.

Klang:technologies’ 3D personal monitor mixing system allows a placement of sound that lets the user position sources in the mix

unit is dedicated to the lead vocalist and six backup singers, using two of the separate stereo mixes, leaving Mr Golden more than six additional mixes for other applications, such as guest performers. ‘I barely have to

mimics the three-dimensional stage. ‘You used to be limited to left, right and centre,’ says Mr Golden. ‘But the idea of psycho-acoustically mixing in your head the sounds that surround you is a whole new way of approaching mixing monitors. The degree of placement and separation is incredible. It’s changed the way we do monitors and the way I approach front of house.’

K2 line arrays were deployed

New Life United Pentecostal Church

One of the church’s two Klang: quelle headphone amps

The Klang app allows musicians on stage to dial in their own IEM mixes

The sound of Salvation

USA: The Salvation Army Temple in Atlanta serves as a regional headquarters for the Protestant Christian denomination and international charitable organisation. Services at the temple blend contemporary and traditional worship, while its music setup can be described as complex with a 35-piece brass band, 40-voice choir, six-piece contemporary band and up to four lead vocalists.

Wirebox Media was recently called in to replace the temple’s 20-year-old sound system. The systems integrator selected a Nexo solution based around rare single hang of all-white cabinets. The array comprises seven Geo S1210s and a Geo S1230. A Yamaha

Dante I/O boxes have been installed at FOH with IF2108 monitors, a DME24N digital mix engine and SWP L2 network switches.

Tim Harrigan of Wirebox Media worked with Salvation Army technical lead Bernie Dake on the system

design. ‘After reviewing multiple Nexo

believed the Geo S12 would be perfect for the space,’ says Mr Harrigan. ‘We initially thought there would be a need

raked side seating, but the S12 system coverage was made for this space; all

‘Another reason the Geo S12 system was selected is that the space hosts religious touring acts who would be accepting of the system, thereby saving the client the need to rent in a separate system,’ Mr Harrigan reveals.

The DME24N, equipped with a Dante MY card, handles processing and

the Dante network. The Dante system is redundant with the pair of SWP L2 switches that network everything together.

The DME24N offers a full mix ‘console’ mode and an ‘unattended operation’ mode for simple events that require only a few inputs. In addition, Wirebox Media supplied an iPad to assist engineers and volunteers with sound system operation and set up a dedicated Wi-Fi network to support this.

‘The sound in our sanctuary is now focused and tuned correctly so that

are so grateful to the folks at Wirebox Media, particularly for their meticulous attention to detail. The equipment recommendations were offered with A/B tests to ensure our satisfaction, and the wiring that was done is so clean you would think it was done robotically.’

www.nexo.fr

www.salvationarmyatlanta.org

www.yamahaproaudio.com

The Salvation Army Temple

The view from FOH

Communication innovation at CrossRoad Baptist

USA: CrossRoad Baptist Church plagued with poor intelligibility. The church made contact with local integrator, Communication

the existing sound system was also playing a role in the issue.

‘CrossRoad Baptist Church already had some acoustic treatment to

and they hoped they could address complaints by getting the remaining exposed surfaces covered,’ reveals

Dante expansion card that feeds

the Dante inputs on newly installed

Maryland’s Lighthouse Church expands

value and reliability and because we knew that if there were any issues, their support is fantastic,’ explains Mr Bishop. ‘The optional Dante connectivity, variety of channel counts and power ratings meant we could include exact

USA: Founded at the turn of the 21st century, Maryland’s Lighthouse Church opened its doors. To accommodate this growth, the church opened satellite campuses and continually expanded the number of weekend services offered, but it was never enough. Thus, Lighthouse Church recently moved its 2 building in Glen Burnie.

‘The new sanctuary takes up about 2 in the centre of the building and seats about 1,000 people,’ explains Art Reiger, who founded A/V

working with Lighthouse Church for many years, doing system upgrades on their old system, training and productions of special events. They asked for our help with the new facility, which was quite an audio challenge

Clearly, the all-too-common line array approach would energise the room too much; we needed a distributed system.’

analysed their space and their existing system and found that the acoustics could be improved but there was also uneven coverage from the speakers preventing them from getting the kind of reduced reverberation in the space may have reduced the perceived

outlined the improvements that given the age and capabilities of their existing equipment.’

A relatively new Midas M32 digital console was kept, its analogue snake replaced with a new Midas digital one. Mr Bishop also equipped the console with a

matches for CrossRoad’s new line array and subwoofer system.’

were installed, all with varying channel counts and power ratings.

The loudspeaker setup they drive

Labs reinforcement system that

low-end for the entire room, with four high-end content for the back half

mounts to prevent any potential structural vibrations from upsetting the

loudspeakers, distributed throughout adjacent to the sanctuary and the back-entrance area.

power the system. The total system delivers 12 channels, each with four channels and its own loudspeaker

specialist, Josh Millward, was great to work with,’ he says. ‘Josh found a great alarms, which was a bit of a last-minute construction stipulation.’

Lighthouse Church brought its existing and console to the new sanctuary.

units handle all the power conditioning. Vivitek projectors and DaLite screens support visuals in the sanctuary, and

absorptive panels were added to

www.ashly.com

www.cbcames.org

www.gotoci.com

a killer system that was within the church’s budget,’ Mr Reiger notes, adding that Lighthouse Church employees and volunteers capably supplied much of the labour involved in the project, which helped everything stay within budget while still meeting all of the church’s needs.

The system features an exploded cluster at the front of the room

systems and local Vivitek reps Audio Associates helped with the projection system. Additional product support came via local Danley integrator

www.danleysoundlabs.com

www.lighthouse.church

www.solsound.net

CrossRoad Church

Lighthouse Church’s new Danley equipped sanctuary

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Speaking clearly at King Jesus International Ministry

WORLD: King Jesus International Ministry, founded by Apostle Guillermo Maldonado and his wife Prophet Ana Maldonado, has a global reach that extends throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Edward Puerta is the director of production and engineering and is responsible for all production and related technical disciplines at the ministry’s facilities in Miami, Florida, including a 6,000-person sanctuary, a 1,300m2 TV studio, a university and more. Additionally, he serves as the live event producer for all of Apostle Maldonado’s national and international events, which can range from small arenas for 2,000 people

than 1 million people in attendance. To ensure their message is delivered

clearly, Mr Puerta reports that church leaders rely on Countryman Associates’ E6 Earset and B3 Lavalier mics. ‘We own 20 Countryman E6

Earsets along with six Countryman B3 Lavaliers,’ Mr Puerta says. ‘On a weekly basis, Apostle Maldonado is the primary user of the E6. On a

monthly basis, the organisation uses the other Countryman earsets for theatrical productions here at the home church, in addition to being used by the campus pastors at our various churches throughout the state. Furthermore, when we invite any of our special guests to speak in one of with one of the Countryman earsets. The Countryman E6 is the microphone of choice for King Jesus Ministry because of its audio quality, comfort and durability. Sometimes the pastor will speak for 12 to 15 hours over a weekend. These microphones enable him to be very comfortable, so as not to strain his voice or be distracted.’

www.countryman.com

www.kingjesusministry.org

Changing the perception of worship

‘Since the stage was already in place, the team installed a cross beam that holds the LED videowall in a top-

network cables to the back of the house that connect to the NovaStar links,’ explains Shoreline assistant pastor and project manager, Matthew Metcalfe. ‘We love being able to use it as a more dynamic background for our worship environment with video clips, lyrics and as a set design feature during our services and special events that occur each month.’

technology would fall mainly upon a team of volunteer technicians. Knowing they would need a bit of

USA: Shoreline Church in Destin, creative ways to share its message. As its congregation has continued to grow, the church recently had the opportunity to continue its ministry vision with the renovation of an old nightclub into a modern worship facility, installing technical elements that would allow further creativity during services. The former club’s stage would remain in place and be the focal point of the new worship design.

‘We have used LCD video projection in the past and, while visiting the WFX Conference, I began seeing how LED video has now become a viable solution for the house of worship

market,’ begins lead pastor, Eric Partin. ‘Before, it seemed that only the big churches with large budgets could afford LED video systems, but, once we saw it was also an affordable solution for us, we decided LED video would be the best option for our new worship experience.’

The key video display chosen for the facility is a FlexLite II 3.9mm LED going to try and use LCD projectors in the new space, it was going to create some problems as far as the throw distance and space required for rear projection should we need it,’ continues Mr Partin. ‘When looking at LED video, it was much more effective due to its high-resolution images.’

The FlexLite II LED videowall at Shoreline Destin measures approximately 4.9m high x 7.6m wide, but, as with many congregations, the understanding of how to control the

worked with the church to ensure the team could take full advantage of the creative possibilities of LED video. ‘We really relied on the team at technicians on how to design with the LED wall and it’s been a complete game-changer for our congregation,’ concludes Mr Partin. ‘To have the creative potential of LED video really takes our worship services to a whole new level.’

www.pixelflexled.com

www.shorelinechurch.net

King Jesus International Ministry’s Apostle Guillermo Maldonado speaking via a Countryman E6 headset

Worship at Shoreline Church, with the Pixelflex LED wall at stage rear

CHINA: The Ludezhuang Catholic Church in China’s Hebei province is the site of an annual pilgrimage for thousands of Catholics from neighbouring districts. As such, it requires sound reinforcement outside,

as well as inside the sanctuary to provide coverage for those situated in front of the church.

The external sound reinforcement system was outdated and worn.

Reaching pilgrims outside Portability on Preston Trail

USA: Preston Trail’s McKinney campus is a portable church, meaning that it sets up at rented accommodation each Sunday, only to teardown at the end of the service. The site of its weekly sermons is Cockrill Middle School’s gymnasium, which presents a range of issues on top of the challenge of requiring systems that can be easily deployed before 11am every Sunday morning.

‘The church is transported into a middle school gymnasium with a 5m x 10m stage, a 12m rear lighting truss upstage and lighting trusses on both sides of the auditorium about midway through the house that provide front light for the stage and house lighting for the audience area,’ explains Peter Fitton, senior design consultant at Clark, the systems integrator employed to deploy the A/V solutions for Preston Trail. ‘The video system includes a video playback server, a switcher, a 3m tall x 4m wide screen in the centre and a 13,000 lumen projector at the back of the room. The school provides seating for 300 to 350 congregants.’ When considering an audio solution for the portable church, Clark chose Martin Audio’s WPM (Wavefront Precision Mini) loudspeakers. ‘It provided an ideal solution for the gym – basically a big cinderblock room without acoustical treatment, that could provide excellent coverage

for the space and control unwanted reverberation,’ says Mr Fitton. ‘We’ve always had great success with Martin Audio systems, and WPM offers similar advanced technologies in a more cost-effective, passive format.

‘There are eight Martin Audio WPM cabinets each side powered by iKON

in a horizontal array in front of the terms of the WPM system’s scalable channel per box to ensure the most accurate coverage and control for the space.’

‘Because of the space, we have to keep stage volume down, which is always an issue at our services,’ comments Chris Briley, technical director at Preston Trail. ‘We chose the smaller gym at the school

Recognising this, the church committee consulted with professional audio engineering company Muse Audio to provide a new outdoor distributed the masses.

‘The church required loudspeakers that are intelligible, offer sonic clarity, are capable of withstanding the weather and durable enough to last for many years without concern,’ recalls LJ, general manager of Muse Audio.

‘We have used One Systems loudspeakers for many outdoor projects in China and determined that it was the ideal solution for the church.’

Muse Audio went on to design and install a system comprising 10 112/HTH loudspeakers from One Systems. Eight were mounted in pairs to four lighting poles that cover the square, while the remaining two ensure coverage for the lanes outside the square.

The 112/HTH was chosen due to its marine-grade stainless steel structural and rigging points that are designed to withstand weather of all kinds.

‘The loudspeakers offer exceptional vocal intelligibility and amazing sound quality,’ adds LJ. ‘When the church plays music or makes a speech, everyone can hear the sound and voice clearly. The church committee is pleased with the end result. They have a system that will reinforce the pilgrimage for years to come.’

www.museaudio.com.cn

www.onesystems.com

AFLC goes west

because it sounds better. The pipe and drape works to improve acoustics

plus it also looks better aesthetically. The one thing we didn’t want to compromise on was the audio and we chose WPM in close collaboration with Clark and we’re very pleased

the system was so true I realised I’d need effects on the vocals because you could really hear the difference. Now I can get the band locked in and we’re on cruise control with plenty of headroom and gain. Another surprise

of the speakers, especially given how wide the dispersion is.’

www.clark.is

www.martin-audio.com

www.prestontrail.org

USA: Abundant Life Faith Center (ALFC) has served South East El Paso for 40 years. In addition to this, the church recently opened a new satellite campus with seating for more than 2,000 worshippers on the west side of the Texan city. When it came to the new facility’s A/V setup, AFLC turned to Michael Garrison Associates (MGA). The church has worked with MGA since 2004. ALFC was aiming for an L-C-R setup. MGA designed an EAW Adaptive system formed from two left and right arrays of Anna columns, one hang on each side

four. A centre cluster comprised eight Anna, deployed in four pairs side-by-side. Behind this central cluster are two columns of two Otto

hang”, along with the powerful steering capabilities and stellar sonic quality, made this product an ideal solution for this project,’ says Daniel Durst, MGA senior designer.

www.alfc.com

www.eaw.com

www.mganow.com

Ludezhuang Catholic Church

One Systems speakers were installed on lighting poles

Ocean Springs steers forward

new audio and video system centred around a pair of Renkus-Heinz Iconyx IC24-RN digitally steered array loudspeakers.

‘It’s an acoustically challenging space to begin with – hardwood

a balcony with a glass front,’ says Magnolia Music’s Rain Jaudon, who designed and installed the system with partner Tony Strong. The Magnolia Music team had previewed architectural renderings and designed A/V systems for the new space, which

included a balcony above the existing foyer to host audio, video and lighting control, and an additional 100 seats under the new balcony.

A pair of Iconyx IC24-RN arrays are mounted on either side of the stage. Part of Renkus-Heinz’ Iconyx Gen5 series, the IC24-RN employs 24 4-inch coaxial transducers, each with three high-frequency tweeters. With multiple beams and acoustic beam centres and beam control effective down to 250Hz, it offers precise sound control.

A Midas Pro1 handles FOH duties,

with Biamp Nexia DSP covering system processing.

The church performs two services each Sunday – a contemporary one with electronic drums, guitars, keyboards and a praise team, and a more traditional service with a digital organ, grand piano and choir.

USA: Followers of First Presbyterian Church in Ocean Springs witnessed their community devastated by the wrath of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. Fast forward 10 years and Ocean Springs was voted one of the 10 happiest seaside towns by Coastal Living. Despite an eventful recent history, the church has not shied away from seeking expansion and began a major renovation that included a

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‘They’ve done a lot of custom millwork in the sanctuary, and we knew that would dictate where we could place the speakers,’ continues Mr Jaudon. ‘We also knew we needed a speaker that could blend in with the room’s aesthetics. We ended up mounting them several feet higher than we would have liked. Even in this tough acoustic environment, mounted 3m above the platform, the IC24s were able to create nice levels of intelligibility. We were able to use the variable acoustic centres to cover

array and the balcony from the top of the array.’

www.fpcosms.com

www.magnoliamusiccenter.com

www.renkus-heinz.com

The First Presbyterian Church in Ocean Springs

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Robe Spiiders get in on the Acts

SOUTH AFRICA: With a growing congregation that currently stands just shy of 6,000 followers and with role in the community of Midrand. Whether it is handing out food to the needy, setting up a library, assisting in matters of sanitation or handing out gifts to children and the elderly during taken on the responsibility of reaching number of followers is growing. For this reason, the church has who is tasked with the responsibility of the message through clearly is part of

well and which we often use to light

With regards to the new Robe were also used on a recent production by our children’s church.’

New Covenant’s new direction

USA: Ministries has a pair of campuses

West Campus in Lithonia, on the non-denominational and boasts performances.

stay with that brand but the usability says Corey Moorehead, head audio price point and the great support from that we went in this direction.’ With a new direction chosen, New and is able to set up the system for

system to trial. ‘I was comfortable with the old mixer and wanted to

to manage the church’s wireless choir and nine praise singers, as well as the audio from presentation and

but employs multiple scenes to manage holiday sermons and special echo or a plate on the praise team or the choir,’ he notes.

use of the console has also allowed him to train other operators at the church.

(three at north campus and two at south campus with an additional campus once a month) to stem the thousands of people attending. It also children’s productions to conferences excellence, bible studies or fasting churches in the area when needed.

www.actschurch.co.za

www.dwrdistribution.co.za

www.robe.cz

system, which handles the audio for

for streaming broadcast with access to ‘It does just what they need at a great their own mix.’

www.allen-heath.com

www.dbintegrations.tech

www.newcov.org

Corey Moorehead behind the GLD-80

Church volunteer Katy Ray at the S5000

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Queen of Angels battles reverberations

different combinations of horizontal and vertical dispersion patterns (which The central RoomMatch cluster, above the chancel, comprises three modules that cover a central seating area and two rear, fan-shaped sections. Transept

USA: Queen of Angels is one of the oldest Catholic churches in Riverside, California, yet remains one of the most popular in the area with the completion of the new 1,600-seat facility, viewed by the church leadership as a ‘dream come true’. However, the new sanctuary came hand-in-hand with new acoustical challenges for A/V systems integrator, Sunset Electrical, which had been tasked with providing the church’s new sound solution.

the sound problems being generated from the church’s decision to use

Stan Kojder, president of Sunset, who oversaw the project at Queen of Angels, says bounces the sound ‘all over the place’. To keep the reverberations to a minimum, Sunset opted for a Bose RoomMatch DeltaQ array loudspeaker system.

Mr Kojder and his team turned to Bose engineers who developed a sanctuary’s dimensions to direct the energy at the pews and minimise Modeler software.

Although the sanctuary is essentially square, it echoes a traditional church design with a vaulted nave and a crosswise transept. An early system design called for the arrays to be recommended that the two left and two right arrays be hung from the lower ceiling to either side. ‘We were able to put them in a place that is aesthetically pleasing and still achieve the same result, which was ample coverage of the entire church,’ he says.

Eleven RoomMatch modules compose the system, selected from the line’s 42

90° to left and right. A forward pair of arrays is aimed towards the rear corners of the sanctuary and covers the largest swath of main seating. The entire system, driven by three Bose PowerMatch PM8500N networked of over 109dB averaged across the

‘I was told that a sound system would never work in our church as designed without carpet or the use Jaramillo, head of the parish’s building committee. ‘But with the use of Bose speakers, custom-tuned to our building, our sound is amazing, and we made no accommodated us.’

pro.bose.com

www.sunsetelectrical.com

Celebrating the Reformation far and wide

GERMANY: On 31 October 1517, it is

theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church, laying the groundwork for the formation of the Protestant Church: the Reformation. To mark the 500th anniversary of this event, celebrations were held across Germany, including a festival at Stuttgart’s Schlossplatz square, which drew a crowd of 8,000 people and was dubbed Das Festival:

engaged as the rental company charged with providing a sound solution for Da ist Freiheit. This presented several challenges due to the shape of the square and the number of activities taking place. ‘The entire Schlossplatz well as two additional small stages,’ Veranstaltungstechnik. ‘A lot of other activities were happening while the ecumenical festival on the main stage was also taking place and we had to be considerate of that fact with the main stage’s sound reinforcement system.’

Mr Blocher and his team conducted system alignment using Smaart software; however, there was no

chance for a sound check because of the activities in the square. Despite this, speech intelligibility was of high importance, as addresses were given by the Prime Minister of BadenWürttemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, and the regional bishop. ‘We had to evenly cover an audience width of approximately 96m plus a throw of 50m from the main stage to the front of the house tower,’ notes Mr Blocher.

ultimately deployed a TW Audio system for sound reinforcement, comprising 12 per side hangs of Vera36 cabinets with a nearfill system formed of 24 Vera20 elements, also flown 12 per side. Front-fill was delivered by eight T20 enclosures, while side-fill was catered for by a pair of T24Ns. Handling low end were eight S33 and 12 BSX subwoofers. C15 wedges were employed for monitoring. The setup was

amplifiers and four Powersoft K3 12K44s drove the monitors.

‘Because no soundcheck was possible, it was great to be able to align the system before the festival began, although my experience with TW Audio meant that I knew precisely what to expect,’ reveals Mr Blocher. ‘Although the width of the venue was worrying to begin with, the system performed flawlessly and we were very happy.’

www.pml-veranstaltungstechnik.de www.twaudio.de

Das Festival: Da ist Freiheit

nside

USA: Water of Life Community Church in Fontana, California, draws an attendance of approximately 8,000 congregants to its main campus each week. To accommodate so many, the church now comprises several worship areas, including an outdoor baptism space that can hold 300 people.

Life Center gets a little help from the neighbours

USA:

Corporation showroom, due to an

The church is based in Harrisburg, hour away from the headquarters of pro audio manufacturer Clair Brothers in Lititz.

assisted Life Center with several

‘We wanted to perform our live baptisms outside, and to make them an integral part of the worship experience,’ explains Joe Chappell, production manager at Water of Life. ‘However, there isn’t space to bring 3,000 attendees from our main auditorium outside to our baptismal, so we bring live video of the baptisms inside, as well as streaming it online.’

To ensure reliable camera connectivity to the church’s single-

transceiver was installed. This facilitates the streaming of video from Water of Life’s outdoor baptismal area to the worshippers at its indoor venues and those watching online. Video

cameras, which are equipped with

cameras’ reach beyond the distance

‘While the control room is only a hurdles was that we would have been running through conduit and going through at least two intermediate distribution frames. Connecting to our

we can just borrow two lines for our baptisms as needed.’

www.multidyne.com

www.wateroflifecc.org

relationship and locality, the company was called in recently when the church constructed a new balcony to accommodate a congregation that still required an update to ensure coverage across the new architectural layout. Life Center reportedly explored options from other manufacturers, but ultimately went with Clair Brothers, and is now the site of the

subwoofers form a centre cluster and says CJ Stimpel, chief audio engineer for Life Center. ‘The sound is so wellbalanced no matter where you sit in

main stage, while three C8 speakers

in the box really does complement the other and there is a very distinct sound at Life Center really requires the rig to have the horsepower across the full range for those big moments but then needs to turn over to a sensitive, low-feedback system for headworn jaw and handheld condenser mics on a thrust – and this cabinet does that.’

www.clairbrothers.com

www.lcmi.org

Seventh Day Adventist Church adds Thump to services

aesthetically pleasing loudspeaker system that would deliver top-quality reinforcement for speech and music during our regular services,’ recalls Samuel Jaideep, churchgoer and

Thump series speakers before and were extremely pleased with its performance. So we opted to go for

trust in its great quality and delivery, and also for the fact that it was one the range.’

INDIA:

Church in the Bangalore suburb of Fraser Town enjoys a strong relationship with its parishioners by playing an active role in the community. The church provides a variety of social activities and operates a number of initiatives.

little extra thump.

In an effort to inject a dose of energy and enthusiasm into its Church turned to a familiar loudspeaker solution. ‘We were in the process of a complete overhaul

Sonotone. Following installation, they have reportedly reinvigorated the church’s services, while faithfully reproducing the preacher’s voice.

www.mackie.com

www.sonotone.in

Life Center’s Supernatural Conference

MultiDyne’s SMPTE-Hut

Church volunteers are happy with the Mackie Thump speakers

Others dodge problems. We prefer to solve them. Of course, you can work your way around intermodulation and do some software magic — but that is no real solution in the already congested and limited frequency spectrum. By design, Digital 6000 has no intermodulation artifacts. Our superior RF technology results in more channels and more flexibility for any production and any stage — with no trade-off in transmission power or quality. Smarter, leaner, more efficient — this is the built-in principle from user interface up to spectrum efficiency. Redundant Dante™ sockets and the command function are just two components of the recent update.

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Bridging technology and worship

WITH ITS COLLECTION OF HISTORIC churches dating back to its colonial past, Melaka on the southwest coast of Malaysia has a deep-rooted tradition in faith. While many of the original houses of worship here were founded to serve Portuguese or Dutch communities, some of the more modern additions to the worship landscape are aimed squarely at the local population.

One such example of this is Calvary Life Assembly (Chinese) A/G. The Chinese-language church has served its community for 21 years. It is part of a larger collective of Calvary Life Assembly congregations that can be found in the area. As such, the church offers four Sunday worship services (including a bilingual and English language service) under the leadership of senior pastor, the Reverend Peter Lim, as well as a weekly youth service.

Another way that it differs from the more historic houses of worship in the area is with its worship style, which is best described as contemporary. The heart of this is from the church’s praise band.

‘The praise worship team will have six regular musicians,’ says Calvary Life Assembly’s Eric Ng Ting Shian. ‘These

include acoustic drums, bass, electric and acoustic guitars and two keyboards. On top of this we have three music directors.’ Additionally, a vocal team runs to about 15 members, including four worship leaders. ‘Around 90% of them are volunteers,’ says Mr Ng. With this focus on contemporary worship and including music as part of the praise experience, technology plays a large role at the church. AVL systems at Calvary Life Assembly are used in its main sanctuary, a nursery space and a pastor’s room.

With a 1,000-member congregation, the challenges of managing Calvary Life Assembly’s hardware and software systems is tasked to a full-time tech

staff of three, bolstered by about 40 regular volunteers. Monthly meetings are held to get staff feedback and perform maintenance, along with quarterly hands-on training sessions. The main worship space on the 2 and can seat around 1,000 worshippers. The x 6.1m, and stands 1m above the

an additional 400m2 of balcony space to host a further 400 congregants,

Calvary Life Assembly has taken a gradual approach to building an infrastructure to serve its growing congregation. WAVL gets the technical tour

Video is controlled from a NewTek TriCaster production switcher

The stage view of the 1,000-seat worship centre

3.7m above the main seating area within the overall sanctuary height of 9.1m. When this height is combined with the concrete construction and the energetic performances from the worship band on stage, there is the potential for major acoustic challenges, despite the carpeting that works to deaden some of the space.

Fortunately, Calvary Life Assembly has taken this challenge seriously and looked at passive acoustic control to tame the room. ‘The rear and side walls are all treated with both softand hardboard,’ says Mr Ng. ‘The walls on stage are also all treated by softboard. Perforated hardboard is

side wall for better absorption of highfrequency sound.’

Away from the passive solutions and looking at the technology the church has in place, audio mixing and lighting control are positioned at the front of the balcony, while video control is

A Soundcraft Si Performer 3 digital console is tasked with audio mixing chores for both front-of-house and monitors, connected to the stage by two Soundcraft compact stageboxes. Having used digital consoles previously, Mr Ng reports that there was essentially no learning curve when the upgrade was made to the Soundcraft console.

The sources for the console include wireless microphone systems from Mipro, which are exclusively deployed for vocals. Meanwhile, the outputs see

a line array system and stage monitors coming from the FineSPL catalogue. In an attempt to somewhat quiet the active stage, the band’s bass and electric guitar amps are isolated to the side of the stage.

graphics management software. Sony X160 cameras feed, via SDI, a NewTek TriCaster 410 Advance production switcher, with output for display and streaming via Ethernet. ‘Propresenter 6’s

platform in Malaysia,’ he continues. ‘Normally, we will get around 50 to 100 viewers.’ Online worship participants are mainly church members who have been unable to attend in person.

Unfortunately, for reasons beyond the church’s control, it has not been an easy start to life using this technology. Network restrictions at the facility during the year that the church has been experimenting with sharing its services via the internet have led it to, until recently, stream only special services, such as for Christmas and Good Friday. However, having seen the popularity that these services have, the benefits in serving its congregation and the potential for sharing its message to an even wider group of online viewers, Calvary Life Assembly is working this year towards regularly streaming its live services, according to Mr Ng.

While the church is clearly using its technology well, there is more planned for the future. A camera upgrade is currently in the works, including a video pedestal for improved stabilisation for the main camera point that’s approximately 24m from the stage. ‘We are also planning to get a TriCaster MiniHD4sdi,’ shares Mr Ng, adding that the compact, all-in-one

Away from the audio solution, moving head, wash and LED PAR

by a Chinese-branded lighting management console.

If the lighting and audio systems are relatively simple, it is the video solution and the way that Calvary Life Assembly uses it that really stand out. A 9.7m x 5.8m LED display wall is mounted at the rear of the stage, while Sony 40-inch monitors at stage-

The LED display is fed live IMAG images and also used to provide song lyrics for the congregation, the latter via Renewed Vision’s Propresenter 6

the system,’ Mr Ng explains. ‘Our volunteers are able to play the lyrics anywhere in the sanctuary by using a Wi-Fi connection.

‘The Calvary Life Assembly praise team is using a software-based video

Despite its recent arrival in the church, to use, reliable and it comes with tons of features. The video system is mainly for live out during services through the main screen in the sanctuary, and also to our Facebook page.

‘We use Facebook Live as our streaming platform because Facebook is now the main social networking

multimedia broadcast, streaming and recording solution will improve upgrade to the church’s second sanctuary system. ‘Sometimes during special services or events, we use two video mixers,’ he adds.

By bridging technology and the worship experience, the Calvary Life Church technical ministry team is poised to aid further growth in the vibrant congregation, enhancing worship for its membership as well as reaching further outwards into its community and beyond.

www.clachinese.org

Audio and lighting control during a service

‘We use Facebook Live as our streaming platform because Facebook is now the main social networking platform in Malaysia’

The vocal team at Calvary Life Church has 15 members

Making a statement

and turned to Events United to achieve it. James Ling

WITH ITS SERVICES location for these

a range of challenges, it also offers the church creative opportunities. This is where local audiovisual production company, Events United, comes in – it was once again tasked with meeting the technical needs of the church’s Christmas 2017 service. ‘We have worked with Manchester Christian Church for several years now, supporting their Easter and Christmas services at the SNHU Arena,’ explains Jon Martell, Events United’s lead video engineer. ‘Their creative director, Ben Davis, approached us with an idea to

After several discussions, we settled centrepiece of the set design.’

‘Our challenge from a design standpoint was to create looks that conveyed the uplifting spirit of the service, while also creating an inviting sense of warmth throughout the venue,’ furthers Tim Messina, who led Events United’s audio, lighting and video design teams. To meet design around a central 12m x 12m made from 92 Chauvet Professional PVP X6IP LED tiles. To further augment this, 20 of the manufacturer’s Épix Strip Tour units were used to create the unique videowall also served a

practical purpose during the Christmas programme, providing a display for song lyrics for parts of the service. ‘We and mapping,’ adds Mr Martell. ‘The and quickly map complex video setups songs, we ran a timecode track, which and lighting cues. The timecode was provided from a computer running show with amazing visuals.’

also provided the main challenges for the Events United team. ‘We faced some challenges with the rigging for the

the ratios correct, and the tiles for the videowall needed special rigging considerations so they could safely

the rigging for the angle pieces, and

Maverick MK2 Spot and Rogue R1 Wash fixtures were mounted on trussesThe snowflake videowall formed the centrepiece

used Vectorworks to plan out the entire event ahead of time. This allowed us to calculate the exact distances required for the hanging pieces of the videowall

‘We were also very meticulous about watching the brightness of the videowall compared to the brightness of the lighting around it,’ he continues. ‘Once the rig was up and running, lighting cues were done – and content was tested. We went through a few looks and made sure the brightness from the videowall, projection and lights all complemented each other. This was done by making range of a Canon 5DIV DSLR camera. We used a camera because the dynamic range is less than our eye and we wanted to make sure that pictures and videos of the service looked great.’

Away from the videowall, the lighting side of the project again called on equipment from Chauvet Professional. Eight Maverick MK2 positioned on eight 2.5m truss throughout the arena.

The other lights in Events United’s rig included eight Maverick MK2 Spot trusses downstage to provide front light and key light; six Maverick MK1 Hybrids, located on the deck for aerial

effects; six MK1 Hybrids on an upstage truss that provided texture and served up special effects; and 10 Maverick MK2 Washes, also on the upstage truss, used to backlight the band and pastor, Bo Chancey, during the message portion of the service. Rounding out the rig were six Colorado 2 Solo washes and used as audience lights.

‘The central stage presentation of and created a sense of awe,’ says Mr Messina. ‘Ryan Lane, our lighting designer, along with Jon Martell, did a masterful job working lights and video together to create a balanced design that connected to everyone.’

While the visuals dominated the design, it was the sound system that ensured Manchester Christian Church

was able to connect with the crowd of over 6,000 worshippers. For this element of the design, Events United opted to use its inventory of d&b audiotechnik speakers.

‘The main PA was two hangs of d&b J-Series loudspeakers consisting of 10 J8 speakers and two J12s,’ furthers

were the same number of d&b Q7 cabinets. Low end was provided by

cardioid arrays. The audio system was powered by 12 d&b D80 and four D20

were provided for mixing: one located at FOH, and the other to the side of the stage for monitors. Sennheiser G3 IEMs were supplied for the band’s in-ear mixes, and a variety of Shure

wireless microphones were also used.’ believes that the technical solutions provided as well as the designs met the church’s needs for the service.

‘Manchester Christian Church was looking for a big look, a big stage and big sound. With this setup, we were able to provide them with a massive

throughout the arena to extend the design past the stage and an audio system that allowed the church’s were very happy with the end result. It looked amazing, and sounded huge.’

More importantly, this view appears to have been shared by the church.

‘Manchester Christian Church was extremely happy with the results,’ says Mr Martell. ‘They are already considering some plans for Easter, and we are looking forward to working with them to make their dreams happen once more.’

While not every house of worship will have the need or opportunity to head to larger venues for major services, developing this kind of relationship with a local production company will

www.chauvetprofessional.com www.eventsunited.us www.manchesterchristian.com

Chauvet Professional PVP X6IP LED tiles were used for the snowflake videowall

Taking Christmas on the road

IN WHAT HAS BECOME A MODERN holiday tradition, the 2017 incarnation of the Christmas with Amy Grant and Michael W Smith tour took to the road in November. The contemporary Christian artists were joined on the tour for the second year by Jordan Smith – a winner of the televised USA vocal competition The Voice – and a core band of six instrumentalists with seven backing vocalists. At each stop on the tour, a local 56-piece orchestra also shared the stage. The tour had dates in 16 US states and ventured into British Columbia for one Canadian concert.

Audio, video and lighting for the tour was provided by Brentwood, Tennessee-based production and

Abbott served as system tech and Mark Kimmel as monitor engineer. Based on his 12-year history of mixing Amy Grant live, and from working with Michael W Smith over the years on studio projects and for three years of the joint Christmas tour, Nashville-based live sound and recording engineer Russ Long was back at front-of-house.

‘We travel with a conductor, but we use local orchestras, so we are seeing entirely different musicians on stage every day,’ says Mr Long. ‘Between the band and the orchestra, there are over 100 inputs.’ Handling all the inputs at FOH was an SSL Live console with 96 inputs from the stagebox.

‘The SSL Live L500 console is a key

element to the show,’ says Mr Long.

‘Between the orchestra and band, I have over 100 inputs and I need a totally customisable surface that allows me to instantly be able to make volume adjustments to the orchestra,

violin. The SSL does this amazingly well. It also has fantastic sounding mic pres and the summing is stellar. A large percentage of today’s consoles do a great job summing 40 to 50 channels but most fall sonically short beyond

60 or 70 inputs. The SSL sounds phenomenal at over 100 inputs. The on-board channel processing and builtin effects are quite impressive as well.’

‘Monitor world consisted of a Yamaha

outputs,’ says Mr Kimmel. ‘The show itself was 96 inputs; however, I only saw 56 inputs from the stage which included eight channels of orchestra stems from FOH. Having stems for the orchestra inputs was great because it allowed me to focus more of my attention on the artists. We were able

transformer isolated split outs of the SSL I/O, as well as the four stereo orchestra stems, which enabled us to avoid carrying around an analogue split, and thus keep monitor world

were used which included 17 stereo mixes of IEMs, four wedge mixes and two hotspots. IEMs consisted of 12

Shure PSM 1000s, four hardwired PSM 900s and one Sennheiser G3. Wedges consisted of a pair of JBL F12s for Amy and three mixes of JBL 712s for the orchestra. We also had two Yamaha MSP 5s for hotspots at the conductor podium and the piano. Wireless microphones included six channels of Shure Axient Digital, three channels of Audio-Technica 5200 and a Shure agile mode.’

The A-T mic system was used by Michael W Smith, with an AEW-T3300a cardioid condenser capsule on an AEW R5200 wireless handheld transmitter, while Jordan Smith used a dualdiaphragm, dual-pattern Shure KSM9 capsule on a Shure UR2 handheld transmitter. Amy Grant utilised a Shure DPA microphones.

‘Amy’s voice is amazing and it sounds great through pretty much any mic I’ve heard her sing into,’ shares Mr Long. ‘The challenge is, she sings extremely soft, so off-axis rejection is a big consideration, as is handling noise Since she’s singing soft, the mic preamp has to be cranked up, so a mic that is only slightly susceptible to handling noise with another vocalist becomes a

Long says the search for a microphone that would capture Amy Grant’s soft vocals without any handling noise ended when DPA Microphones’ d:facto vocal microphone was evaluated last year. ‘Ryan Lewis, who was my system tech last year,’ says Mr Long, ‘has golden ears and

Amy Grant sings with a DPA d:facto on a Shure wireless handheld transmitter

Michael W Smith performs with his

A-T wireless mic (photo by Eric Brown)

The concert stage flanked by IMAG screens (photo by Eric Brown)

What’s involved in producing a travelling holiday concert series, joined by an orchestra at each stop? Frank Wells

insisted I give the d:facto a try. Once I did, there was no going back. It has virtually no handling noise at all and it sounds simply stunning. Between the DPA mics and the SSL mic preamps, I’m doing very little EQing on the majority of my orchestra inputs. The thing I notice the most about DPA mics in regard to EQing is that my adjustments tend to be rather subtle. The mics are natural, smooth and extremely musical, and, in most instances, they require little or no equalisation. With the exception of the Rupert Neve 5045 Primary Source Enhancer, which was used on Amy’s vocals, all of the processing was done in the SSL desk.’

On the 2017 Christmas tour, Mr Long used a number of DPA microphones besides on Amy Grant’s vocals. Some 14 DPA d:vote 4099s and 12 DPA d:screet 4061s were scattered throughout the orchestra, primarily on the strings. Additional mics on stage included an AKG D112 and a Shure Beta 91A on kick, a Shure SM-57 and a Heil Handy on snare, Shure Beta 98AMPs on toms, Audix SCX25s on overheads, an AKG 414 on harp, Audio-Technica ATM23HEs on French horns, beyerdynamic M88s on timpani and Sennheiser MD421s on

‘Mixing a full orchestra in an arena is always a challenge,’ says Mr Long. With

a different orchestra at each venue, though, it was tiring for the crew –there was a full-show and three-hour rehearsal at each stop on the tour. The good thing about the rehearsal, says Mr Long, is it allowed ‘more time than I needed to sort out any issues’, offering as an example a soft-playing harpist requiring a mic substitution at one show.

‘Another thing worth noting,’ says Mr Long, ‘is that we utilised two DiGiGrid MGB boxes that allowed us to multitrack the entire show – solely for archival purposes at this point –at 96kHz, 24-bit with no additional hardware with the exception of a

MacBook Pro running the Waves Tracks Live program and Dante’s Virtual Sound Card.’

The PA for the tour was all from JBL Professional: 56 VTX V25II 3-way line array cabinets, 12 4886 Vertec compact line array cabinets and 10 VTX S28 dual 18-inch subwoofer line array cabinets were deployed. For video display, a pair of side 16:9, 4.9m x 2.7m LED displays were hung, fed by a Ross Carbonite 2 M/E production switcher with accompanying infrastructure from Ross. Four Panasonic HD broadcast cameras and a pair of Marshall lipstick cameras captured images for display, along with

graphics via Barco and Blackmagic Design hardware, with Renewed Vision’s ProPresenter 6 software. An AJA Ki Pro was used for video from Martin Professional, Elation and Chauvet, controlled from an MA Lighting grandMA Lite console. Sold-out venues lends the conclusion that the tour was successful in promoting the Christmas spirit across the USA. Giving praise to the CTS team and the musicians and artists, Mr Long concludes: ‘I’m pleased with the way it all turned out.’

ctsavl.com

The crew at a stop on the tour

Making critical connections

To connect its campus to external viewers and soon to its missionaries around the world, Frank Wells learns how Southwestern Assemblies of God University has implemented the NDI video over IP networking standard

SOUTHWESTERN ASSEMBLIES OF God University (SAGU) has occupied its 70-acre campus in Waxahachie, Texas, since 1943, providing under-graduate and graduate education with a stated goal ‘to equip students spiritually, academically, professionally and crossculturally for their God-given careers and callings’.

SAGU has a sophisticated broadcast

broadcast production. On the backbone of its campus IT network, SAGU has implemented NewTek’s NDI (Network Device Interface) video over IP standard, conceived to enable video products to send and receive video, audio and metadata content over moderate bandwidth IP networks.

‘The network infrastructure is already there,’ says SAGU media services director, John Cookman. ‘It had been built a long time before I got here, and I’m coming up on ending my 10th year at SAGU. It was really easy to start the integration process with this new technology. We were early, early adopters, and we worked with NewTek

as we graduated from the Apple Airplay system to this new protocol, which became NDI.’

NDI, now on its third generation, was introduced by NewTek as a royalty-free standard in 2015, with video attributes that combine to offer low-latency, frame-accurate, broadcast quality suited for live production. Over 400 manufacturers have incorporated NDI into products. ‘We’re just using some

of the bandwidth allocated to us by our on-campus IT department. We didn’t have to lay any new cable, we didn’t have to get any new switches, or routers, it was already there. Because we are a campus, we have a wider pipe than churches most of the time. The good news is, it only requires a gigabit pipe, so most Cat-5 can handle that. You’re in even better shape if you’re in Cat-6 world.’

At SAGU, ‘within the buildings themselves, our IT infrastructure was copper,’ says Mr Cookman. ‘From building to building, we bridge them with churches that are really responding to NDI, and are starting to see the light, Cat-5, and even older Cat-4, is able to carry enough bandwidth. We say it’s a gigabit, that’s the recommendation, but the actual requirement is 100 megabit per node. If I want to broadcast 4:4:2, 1080p at 60 frames, I’d need 100 megabit. And that will carry one stream and receive one stream – that’s only a 100 megabit pipe. With NDI 3.0, the new HX technology has now reduced that from 100 megabit to 25 megabit. This is super game changing for the existing church world. It’s going to work, and it’s working even better with this new NDI HX.’

The main auditorium at SAGU seats 2,500, hosting a 75-minute chapel service every day, plus other events. ‘We have a main production control room in that building,’ shares Mr Cookman, ‘and we have now

SAGU’s master control room can ingest NDI nodes from anywhere on campus

John Cookman in SAGU’s master control room

developed a master control for the campus in a building that’s somewhere between 400m and 500m away.’

All programming is sent back to master control for multicasting, and remix if necessary. The campus has a Livestream channel, but, says Mr Cookman, ‘we don’t just go to Livestream, we can go to multiple outsources whether it be a direct connection to a terrestrial TV station, or Facebook or YouTube. The TriCaster

multiple outs for every TriCaster node. We creatively use that at times – especially if we want to throw a commercial in or something like that – we’ll broadcast from our production control in one building, where the actual event is going on. We’re live switching that for IMAG and normally we send out to an uncommercialised Livestream. If we want to go to Facebook, YouTube or some other place, we’ll do that through our master control out in this other building, picking every one of those cameras up in master control through NDI.’ Livestream, Facebook and other platforms can be addressed directly within a TriCaster, though Facebook requires that if Facebook Live is adopted into a commercial product, other streaming solutions are turned off when it’s in use. To get around that, SAGU simply streams from multiple TriCasters.

Mr Cookman offers an example

A are connected by SDI to a TriCaster switcher, where they are assigned an NDI node – an IP address with a port number. Now the node is considered to be inside the network itself, and I pick that up from any other TriCaster or computer on the network. The TriCaster in our master control room

can ingest up to 20 NDI feeds. In a TriCaster, anything that’s a hardwired input is immediately assigned as a node. So instead of feeding SDI to the master control TriCaster, that TriCaster concentrates on picking up the distributed NDI nodes. Then we can either remix that story or we can record all of those nodes – we can do a lot of creative things totally separate from what is going on inside of that event structure.’

NDI networks can be set up by anyone for free, whether they have TriCasters or not. ‘All you have to do is go to the

called NDI Tools,’ explains Mr Cookman. ‘There are a lot of tools in that, the two main tools are called the NDI Scan Converter and the NDI Studio Monitor. I can take my laptop that has those tools

and I can pick any node to reference on my laptop. The NDI Monitor also has a recording feature, so I can record a clip, the whole production – whatever I want – just on my computer. You can have as many computers on your network as you like, as long as they have the NDI Monitor, you can pick it up. That’s how we distribute video to a lot of different areas on our campus. With laptops, it’s very easy to go into any room and hook up to a display device.’ Investing in an

advanced Monitor option lets users view up to four nodes simultaneously. SAGU uses all Sony cameras. ‘We have a partnership with Sony, we’re part of the Sony academic alliance programme,’ says Mr Cookman. ‘We use, for our broadcast shoots, our live TV, the PMW320s. We have some of their cinematic cameras as well, just depends on what shoot we’re doing.

SAGU is also using a new product from NewTek called the Connect Spark. ‘The Spark is a little device that will take your SDI or HDMI signal and convert it to an NDI signal,’ he explains. ‘It’s a wireless device as well, so I can plug that in hardline [Ethernet on RJ-45], or through WiFi. Being wireless is a whole new level of mobility for us. We have a great WiFi umbrella on campus, so there’s very few places we can’t just we’d need from the wall is power.’

Recording takes place at any of the production centres. ‘Every hub, or every switch, will have a recording function,’ Mr Cookman shares. ‘The one closest

to the production will usually do our ISO records, as well as the programme, and then it streams out. Our Master Control normally controls the outside distribution as well as a single programme record. We’re exploring a new NDI Monitor tool that ISO records. We may start recording from different computer devices to take the load off the actual TriCaster. We’ve tested it, it works.’

NDI audio support is 8-channel, uncompressed, as with SDI. ‘They have now attached Dante that can layer beside SDI, although I have not tested it yet,’ notes Mr Cookman. ‘I’ve been told by NewTek that it can carry up to 64 channels. That’s going to be a game changer when I want to distribute Dante across the campus.’ Graphics are produced outside the NewTek environment. SAGU primarily uses Adobe products for graphics and, as Adobe is an NDI adopter also, graphics can be played back and controlled via the network.

For connection to off-campus NDI nodes, SAGU has been working with Sienna Labs in the UK, which is beta testing a solution that allows multiple LANS using NDI to handshake. ‘This was important for us,’ says Mr Cookman. ‘We have a stadium across town, and don’t have direct connection to it because it’s so far away.’ He says the solution has worked successfully for short time periods, with crossnetwork control, and is ‘really close’ to providing the capability SAGU needs. Elsewhere, Sienna has had successful, multi-hour connections between Beijing and London. ‘We’ll be able to go anywhere in the world,’ explains Mr Cookman. ‘We have missionaries all over the globe. They have studios – there are some that are doing media ministries and if we want to go in and grab their programme feed and grab even a camera [by grabbing an NDI node from their LAN], we’ll be able to do that. It’s going to creatively change the way we produce.’

The ‘trick’, he explains, is insulating streams from internet collisions and maintaining campus security protocols. ‘We’re working on creating pinholes that can be well monitored from a security perspective, that don’t open up access to the whole campus.’

Mr Cookman says that NewTek has ‘been a very good partner’ and that he’s also happy to see other ‘great manufacturers come aboard with NDI’. For SAGU, that means it can support

distribution throughout the campus, and soon, throughout the world.

www.newtek.com

www.sagu.edu

One of SAGU’s production control rooms

A production in progress in a SAGU broadcast booth

Spreading hope outwards

Lutheran Church of Hope uniquely tackles upgrades and expansions with in-house talent, as Frank Wells discovers

LUTHERAN CHURCH OF HOPE IS

one church with six locations strategically placed in and around the city of Des Moines, Iowa. The ministry has a central broadcast and streaming hub in West Des Moines, serving some 20,000 members across all its campuses. ‘Our main auditorium,’ our biggest space, is 242m2,’ says Hope chief engineer, a weekend in that space alone, and

that’s one venue at one campus.’ The technical team led by Mr Sheppard has a unique set of talents and skills employed not only in assembling and operating Hope’s infrastructure, but also in system design including software coding and programming.

‘One of the really odd things that we do, especially for a church, is that we handle design work and most of the integration work in-house,’ Mr Sheppard elaborates. ‘So, we’ll

work with manufacturers such as TSL, Ross and Grass Valley, and we’ll use distributors for box sales and different things, but, for the most part, we’ve learned over the years –because our requirements are unique and they’re always changing – that it serves our organisation and our leadership best to do design work, but also have the techs in-house to modify programs, rewrite code – all of the above.’

Simultaneous with the August 2017 launch of its newest campus – in Ames, Iowa, where the Hope technical staff built, coordinated and assembled the AVL systems – the video systems across all the Hope campuses were recently rebuilt, taking the system HD. ‘Up until the beginning of October,’ shares Mr Sheppard, ‘even though we’re a streaming church, our primary video feed had been in standard def. It was

Worship at Hope

just one of those things that, because of the price tag and the work involved and everything else, never reached the top of the priority list.’ With the launch of the latest campus, he says, more people watching through the eyes of the camera than we had in to do it, and we had the people and resources in-house to do it well.’

With the busy weekday and weekend programming schedules, two-day blocks are the longest downtime periods for the in-house team serving as the integrator. ‘We did this cutover without bringing in a broadcast truck,’ says Mr Sheppard. ‘We cut the system over in a bunch of little steps.’ For moving video signals around at all the campuses, ‘we’re slowly cutting over

as we need to.’

primary camera system comprises three manned Hitachi 5500 cameras with Fuji 55x box lenses. ‘Our entire system, A to Z, is 1080i,’ Mr Sheppard elaborates. ‘We’re using

a Ross Carbonite Black switcher, we’ve got an NVision NV8256 bus router, 512x512. One of the things we did, because of cost, is we got a lot of the gear used. Certain things we got new, like the cameras, for example, but the lenses are all used lenses, the router was used and other pieces of infrastructure were used. We’ve got Apantac multiviewers, the

We installed a new comms system as part of this whole renovation – a Clear-Com Eclipse HX system, with their Pico as the main frame behind it. TSL Tallyman is used for control and integration.’ For graphics, Renewed Vision’s ProPresenter is used, along with Ross’ Blackstorm for video playback and AJA Ki Pro for recording the programme feed.

‘With Tallyman,’ he continues, ‘we’re using a mix of their hardware control panels, which are like a mix of typical XY crosspoint panels for router control, but because they have a multiplatform interface, it allowed us to take different generations of products, make them all work together and talk nicely, and we can also embed control commands and

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A camera operator’s view of the main campus worship centre

automation into our XY crosspoint panels as hot keys, or we can use their virtual panel product and do fancier things with that, depending on how much or how little we want to give control to the operators. In many regards, that’s what allowed us to connect all these systems. We’re also integrating that with BSS SoundWeb control around our buildings, along with some other Linux-based servers we’ve written in-house, for things like projector control and TV automation control.’

Across the Hope campuses, the tech infrastructure is as standardised as it is practical. ‘All of our different campuses have different budget lines and different abilities, so we can’t expect

system, we can afford and roll out at our smaller campuses. But we want to do our best to maintain consistency for our operators. It isn’t always perfect but it’s what we aim for.’

IP streaming is accomplished with Haivision’s Kulabyte for encoding and the company’s Connect DVR Streaming platform for delivery to Hope’s campuses. ‘We are currently set up to only broadcast from one site – it’s a broadcast and receive model, not a backhaul,’ says Mr Sheppard. Only one campus has local cameras. ‘The biggest room at all of our campuses is about 800 people –right on the verge of where you need cameras, and when they are nice to have,’ Mr Sheppard continues. ‘A lot of those are set up as one big centre screen for streaming, like a movie theatre, and so it doesn’t lend itself well to IMAG. One of our campuses does run cameras, but primarily for

On the audio console side of the equation, ‘we do try to standardise on the series of console,’ says Mr Sheppard. ‘For years and years, we’ve standardised on Yamaha. We still have a PM1D in our main worship centre, old school. We’ve got quite

a few CL series, CL5s, around our campuses. We’ve got QLs and LS9s as well. We also have a DiGiCo SD9, singular. We’re moving towards our standard being Yamaha and DiGiCo. It’s very much an operator opinion on what’s good and what’s not, so we try to give our campuses, if there’s one FOH person that’s running it all the time, a say, a weigh-in, on what they’re going to be using. That’s where DiGiCo came in at our newest campus, and it’s worked out, pricewise.’

Aside from one weekly traditional service at the main campus, the worship experience at Hope is contemporary, with a full band including live drums and guitars. While the backline uses wired mics, the frontline is almost all wireless. ‘We’ve learned to coordinate and do wireless the right way,’ says Mr Sheppard. ‘Most of the campuses have either Shure ULX-D series digital, we’ve got UR4s, we’ve got Lectrosonics beltpacks for all of our talking heads at our primary campus and some Sennheiser that’s kicking around like their evolution series. As we’re moving forward, we’re looking at digital wireless, just because of spectrum and what’s going on with the Federal Communications Commission; we need to squeeze more and more frequencies into the bandwidth. At our primary campus, we run over 50 channels of wireless on a Sunday morning. We’ve got TWS antenna combiners, we’ve got splitters, we’ve got helical antennas. We have standardised at least the infrastructure, antennas, distribution, at all of our campuses, so they are set up for success. We have pretty much across the board standardised on DPA talking head mics for our primary preachers.

‘We use some analogue wireless,’ he continues. ‘The challenge with digital wireless mics and vocals is latency. You’ve got a digital mic and a digital console, and you add the latencies up and you get bone conduction before you actually hear it in your ears. Because of that, we still have some legacy analogue mics at our main campus, Shure UR4s, but we’re slowly switching over to ULX-Ds

Hope is beginning to standardise on Meyer loudspeakers, with a number of UP2 and CQ cabinets deployed. The main campus has Meyer speakers in two rooms, while the main sanctuary has EV XLC line arrays with Lake processing and Lab.gruppen and signal distribution, Mr Sheppard says, ‘at all of our campuses, we’ve gone to BSS Soundweb products across the board. We’re using them for everything from main PA processing to hallway speakers to automation – all of our campuses except our mobile campus, I should say, because it needs no processing.’ Hope’s mobile campus uses the Ames City Hall theatre, with a gear compliment built load-out.

There’s little need for sophisticated lighting at the satellite campuses, Mr Sheppard shares, though one campus has an MA Lighting grandMA lighting console. At the main campus, which

centre, a grandMA and a grandMA2 are in use, the latter for ‘lighting and eye-candy’ applications. There’s also a substantial amount of networking in use at the main campus, where VLANs are employed for Dante audio networking, microphone and system control, including lighting control.

and Axient wireless. We’ve found that with the newer consoles you can get away with it, and the bands don’t notice it. We also do run our monitors from our FOH desk, and, as an FOH engineer, we mix the band’s ears for them, and use snapshots or scenes for different songs, as much for their experience as to build relationships between the band and the FOH people.’ Sennheiser G3s are used almost exclusively for wireless monitoring.

still in wide use at Hope, with a move facility we build,’ says Mr Sheppard, ‘we’re going LED, just because of long-term cost savings. But we haven’t what we have. Now our movers, other eye-candy stuff, colour changing lights and cyc lights, that’s exclusively LED at this point.’

www.lutheranchurchofhope.org

‘We want to do our best to maintain consistency for our operators. It isn’t always perfect but it’s what we aim for’

The extensive video systems at Hope

The stage view

Starting from scratch

James Cooke reports

SOMETIMES, THE ISSUES AFFECTING

a house of worship can be solved installation of a new sound system or the deployment of a new lighting

a larger problem and resulting in a continuous cycle of upgrades and installations that never quite solve all of technology and communications at when he approached systems the work that it had carried out at

rigging and technical electrical control of these technical solutions for

‘The image quality of our live service

would walk in and out of dark areas you could not tell that there were Telephone conversations commenced

These conversations led to a preget a quote from any number of

assisting churches to get systems that help them achieve their vision and overall technical systems performance then worked with them to map out the best path to achieve their short- and has added and replaced various pieces of developing a master plan for the requested and received architectural structural requirements to implement

the purchase of a new lighting system before considering the long-term needs

Acoustic treatment was fitted to the finished walls

The existing stage was demolished and a new one constructed

MGA installing new AVL equipment

The church’s need for a new TV lighting rig led to the renovation

‘I warned them that, no matter how much money they spent on improving the TV lighting, the broadcast image would still look subpar, due to the very dated look and feel of the stage area,’ explains Michael Garrison, MGA’s founder and president. ‘I encouraged them to resist the urge to go for a

alternatives and make an informed decision.’

Mr Garrison highlighted several

AVL setup at CAH, including the poor viewing angles of the sanctuary’s video projection screens, poor loudspeaker coverage of the seating area and the fact that the line arrays blocked the view of the video screens for many congregants, while also interfering with TV lighting coverage on stage. Adding

bad acoustic environment, the stage wasn’t suitable for anything other than static speakers and worshippers in the side seating area struggled to even see the stage. There were no backstage or off-stage storage areas, no concealed stage access, and the green rooms and AVL control/rack rooms were a mess. To potentially solve these issues, Mr Garrison informed CAH that for a small fraction of the original cost of the building, the auditorium could be completely renovated into a modern performance facility. He also noted that without addressing fundamental problems, no amount of investment in AVL equipment would successfully solve the church’s problems. CAH leadership took Mr Garrison’s advice on board and commissioned MGA to put together computer renderings and rough cost estimates for architectural and technical systems design concepts. The result was three optional design concepts to address as many of the issues as possible and accommodate the implementation of the new audio, video, lighting and

acoustic solutions. The three options presented were for a basic AVL systems upgrade, a renovation of the stage with the AVL systems upgrade or to relocate the stage with an AVL systems upgrade. The third option was by far the most extensive, as it would include the complete demolition of the existing stage and construction of a new three-storey stage complex, as well as the future addition of a new building to house a full backstage area

VIP dining and storage facilities. The design also included a three-storey AVL control facility to mirror the stage complex. ‘MGA were able to show us the possibilities beyond just upgrading the lighting,’ says the architect, Mr Cherigo. ‘Their design concepts helped us to see that it was time to upgrade the building.’

After much consideration, CAH chose the third option to solve all of its problems, and directed MGA to

drawings and budgets were presented before the CAH project team got to work, starting with the construction of a temporary wall, the relocation of existing AVL equipment for use in the interim and the demolition of the stage.

Challenges were faced early on in the project, as the building of the stage’s three-storey tower footings was delayed for several weeks due to the unforeseen

lay beneath the old stage. This delay plagued the entire team throughout the rest of the project; however, MGA adjusted accordingly to make up

of equipment to Panama early and starting work on the installation of the overhead AVL components in front of the new stage area before work on the stage itself had been completed. ‘This

attempt to meet the original completion date,’ notes Mr Garrison.

Although some of the time lost at the start of the project was made up, the original completion date was out of reach. This meant that CAH had to push the unveiling of its new stage and systems back a week.

conducted in a very dirty, somewhat chaotic environment, with workers from all trades stumbling over each other and working long hours,’ recalls Mr Garrison. ‘It took a literal miracle to get the electrical and AVL systems operational (though far from complete) for the unveiling service. MGA and Hosanna’s technical team had no much less time for adequate training and pre-service rehearsals with the musicians. The production values were weak, but it didn’t affect the jubilation of Hosanna’s loving people.’

It wasn’t long after the unveiling that work on the AVL systems was technical team trained to a professional standard. By the time CAH’s annual

implementation of acoustic treatment was deferred. MGA partnered with Acoustech when it returned to the project, which took two weeks to complete. Following the acoustic work, MGA concluded the work at CAH by retuning the loudspeakers and compiling proof of performance measurements for the acoustic treatment and the loudspeaker system.

‘This project was very challenging and a unique experience for our team,’ reveals Andrew Young, president of Acoustech. ‘Attaching the acoustic panels to the building’s concrete walls required additional mounting materials and special tools, and the international aspect of the project required us to plan very carefully. But the end result was great for all parties.’

When all is said and done, what started as a request for a new lighting rig turned into a project of monumental proportions. Was all the effort worth it?

Ekklesia conference came about less than three weeks after the unveiling service, the quality of the services, special events and broadcasts had

The new lighting rig comprises a

from ETC solutions. Elation’s LED video panels were deployed as IMAG screens and an ultra-wide stage backdrop. For audio, the main PA setup is formed of Tannoy loudspeakers, complemented

powered by Lab.gruppen C Series

is via a range of Yamaha and BSS systems, while Sennheiser and AKG mics are found at the start of the signal chain. MGA also supplied a Clear-Com intercom system, as well as staging, trussing, curtains and an assortment of other equipment, including LynTec MSP series sequencing electrical panelboards. Budgetary concerns meant that the

‘We love our new building,’ answers Mr Reyes. ‘Working with MGA throughout this project has been a privilege, thanks to their professionalism, honesty and transparency. They have been a pillar from beginning to end – from recommendations, to design, to touch was the installation of the acoustic treatment, which has made a huge improvement for us.’

‘Our eyes were opened to new ideas and new possibilities,’ adds Mrs Álvarez. ‘I cannot stop talking about how much MGA has helped us, how much we have learned from them and how wonderful they are to work with. We are now very proud of the quality of our live events and broadcasts.’

www.acoustechcontrol.com

www.edwinalvarez.com

www.mganow.com

The project was completed in time for CAH’s annual Ekklesia conference

The unveiling service

L-C-R mixing fundamentals

space at the cost of clarity. If done right, adding a centre channel can give the Gordon Moore

WHEN YOU ARE MIXING FOR a multi-speaker sound system, if a listener can hear from multiple speakers carrying the same signal but from different distances, interactions between the loudspeakers can muddle the mix. Why is this?

When you hear the same signal from more than one source there are intermodulation caused by the sound arriving in your ear at different times (sometimes referred to as phasing). Because the two signals are not perfectly synchronised, the resultant sound in the ear doesn’t consist of the correct waveform but a poorly modulated version (see Figure 1). This corrupts the signal and causes interactions that detract from the signal quality. These interactions happen at different distances for different wavelengths so unless you’re sitting at exactly the same distance from both speakers, you

phenomenon at multiple frequencies. Changing seats might make one frequency better but another will certainly get worse. You simply cannot win.

The second problem is related to is enough, you will also experience delays or a latency and this can cause a perceived echo or reverberation in the sound.

Combined, both phenomena can and the worship experience.

There are a few ways to avoid these speaker cluster (a single point of origin; see Figure 2) or a very carefully designed sound system where you deliver a mono mix to each speaker and each seating position hears only

speaker coverage has been designed so that every seating position is only in the coverage pattern for one speaker. Complex to design but simple to mix, your mix is basically a single track (see Figure 3).

In many houses of worship, the goal of the sound system is more complex. Many modern systems are designed for multiple speaker locations. Very common is the ‘stereo’ system with an L-R speaker setup (two points of origin; see Figures 4 and 5). Stereo is

centre or hard right. By ‘hard’, we mean the pan control goes all the way – no in-between position. This isolates the signal to one speaker only. By doing so,

problem is eradicated, latency between channels is eliminated and you will end up with a surprisingly open clear mix.

L-C-R methodology has been around a very long time. As a result, certain ‘standards’ have developed among the big concert front-of-house mixers. Here are some starting points (see Figure 6).

Left speaker – send guitars, kick, bass

Centre – send vocals, lead guitar, snare

Right speaker – send keyboard, remaining drums

If you are using dual feeds from the guitars (dry feed and processed –post pedals/amps), try setting up the post-processing feed to the opposite side. Dry feed to the left; processed to the right.

Remember, you must avoid the temptation to pan to an in-between

be drawn into the torment of wanting to get more level from the lead guitar in the right speaker but will discover that using the fader drives it up too high into the left or centre. Need more lead? With L-C-R mixing, just push up the fader. (Don’t worry about left or right.)

Remember, in order to have a 6dB difference in volume between two speakers that are set to the same output level, the listeners’ physical location from one speaker must be double that of the distance from the other. Only those people who are seated very close to one speaker or the other would experience any real misbalance of levels. If the coverage and placement of the speakers was well designed, this is probably not going to be a factor at all (see Figure 7). Are these channel assignments set in stone? No. Use your stage layout as your guide. Where is the drum set located? Where do your band and worship leaders stand? In most situations, the worship leader/lead singer is front and centre – so the obvious pan position for the lead vocals should be centre. Are the drums located to the right side of the stage? Then set the kick drum to the right. Put the snare in the centre and the rest to the left. Is your drum kit electronic with a single output? Go all right then (if that’s where your drums are located).

Follow your stage layout and use it as your template for the L-C-R setups. Resist that temptation to ‘balance’

in the clarity of the audio. The spatial relocation of the sound may be a bit

because you are not yet used to it.

Work with it a while and try different

right. No panning in between. Can this also be applied to recordings? Absolutely. Some of the most popular albums were mixed L-C-R and many are mixed L-C-R

subtle panning in post for better headphone stereo playback. This requires starting in the digital audio workstation (DAW) with discrete tracks, one track for each instrument or vocal. Take each track and assign them to left, centre or right in the

One fun approach is to take a dry signal (whether vocals, guitar, keys or drums) and copy it to another track. In that track, apply the effects – reverb, dry mix to centre and the effects mix can achieve a striking depth to the recording that would not be evident with only a single channel with effects. Once your L-C-R mix in the recording seems well balanced from a level and processing point of view, you can then try some panning a bit between sides. panning than you expected. Change one channel at a time and take your

DAW software. Set channel levels until you get the relative levels (layers) of the mix appropriate in

to extract each track audibly in your own hearing perception is easier with L-C-R – especially if you are mixing the recording with headphones or IEMs (there are obviously only left and right speakers with headworn monitors but, as the distance from each speaker to each ear is identical, if the centre signal is split and sent equally left and right, the combined mono image will stay centred). The clarity in studio monitor speakers will also be more apparent.

time. Don’t make multiple changes then re-listen. One channel at a time will let you make sure the change is

L-C-R mixing can take a muddy, mushy sounding mix and give it clarity and spatial openness. It can enhance the worship experience for the congregation and also for the sound technician. It is easier, cleaner and safer than trying for complicated balances that can actually make the auditory experience different at each sitting position. L-C-R is a tried and true methodology that is fast and easy to learn.

Mix well and be blessed!

Figure 4 – Two speakers, same signal. Note the hot and cold bands Figure 5 – A stereo system

Figure 6 – An L-C-R system

Figure 7 – Even sitting up close, the differences between left, right and centre are not excessive

The lowdown on lower thirds

Using lower third graphics can add immense value to services at any house of worship. James Ling

VIDEO HAS BECOME A KEY element for most houses of worship, but sometimes you need more information on a screen than just the camera shot. This is where lower third graphics come in. While these are most commonly associated with introducing people on news broadcasts, they can form a useful addition to the armoury of any house of worship.

What are lower thirds?

Before discussing how we can use lower third graphics, it is important to have heard lower thirds termed as ‘CG’ from character generator or captions, and sometimes chyrons in North America. This is due to the popularity of Chyron Corporation’s Chiron I character generator, an early digital solution developed in the 1970s for rendering lower thirds. Other common terms include superbars (or simply supers) in the US, name straps and astons after Aston Broadcast Systems in the UK. Whatever you choose to call them, they function in the same way. Imagine splitting an image on a screen horizontally into three pieces

from top to bottom. These are the upper, middle and lower thirds of the frame. Any action taking place in a video, such as talking, will tend to occur in the combined top two thirds of the frame as that is where the faces will be in most compositions. This leaves the lower third largely free.

Lower third graphics take advantage of this free space by adding in information as a graphic overlay in this portion of the screen. In practice, this means that when a person is speaking to the camera, the graphic

Lower third

can come up in the lower third of the screen to identify them or provide subtitles, and will add useful information without obscuring any of the action.

might have an interview subject’s name and organisation appear at the bottom of the screen to identify them while the presenter is talking to them, or a clock and headline ticker running for the duration of the broadcast. These are all created as lower third graphics.

Are they useful for HOWs?

or pre-recorded interview show, but the number of houses of worship communicating at this level is

That being said, there are plenty of potential uses for lower third graphics in the worship environment. The most obvious use is to display song lyrics to a congregation. Usually this is done by to the IMAG screens to allow people to sing along.

While this is the most commonly used aspect, there are other situations where these graphics can be useful. If you have a multilingual congregation, be used to provide a translation of the service as subtitles. This option can also be useful for HOWs that stream

the hard of hearing or those who are not able to watch with the volume turned up.

Finally, a similar use could be for adding detail to a service. During

Lower thirds can be used to add scripture references, as seen here at Mount Pleasant Church and Ministries

The lower third is the area at the bottom of the screen

a sermon, you could use the IMAG screens to add in scripture references to highlight certain key points that the praise team is trying to make. These are the obvious applications for lower third graphics, but they are by far not the only ones a HOW can take advantage of. Many houses of worship now tend to publish smaller parts of a service online after the event to help reinforce the message of the week. These bitesize videos will often be a prime opportunity for lower third graphics as you will often need an

While this is a relatively traditional use of the lower third and harks back to the broadcast examples already given, it does also open up other options. If this video is to go out to a wider online audience, you may need to introduce your HOW to new people. The lower third can again be a useful tool for this if you can create a standard look and branding that will appear with the will always have its logo as part of its graphic overlays.

Equally, it could be used as a way to start a conversation or build an audience. Including social media handles in this area could help HOWs to connect with new people around the world who have been inspired by the message in the video. Adding these in on the IMAG during a service could also inspire a few more local congregants to follow your HOW on social media.

How do you make them?

Lower third graphics can be created using tools ranging from basic homevideo editing software right up to professional-level equipment. The software makes use of the video’s alpha channel to determine what parts of the graphic or text should be transparent. You can allow the video in the background to show through with a solid text overlay, or use text over a solid background to ensure

contrast, regardless of the camera image.

Most non-linear video editing applications (NLE) will allow you to create simple lower thirds in both live and broadcast operations. This will usually be adapting a standard your needs.

When this is done, the graphics can be inserted into your video signal chain via a switcher, while a keying capability will allow for live changes.

The good news is that when it comes to lower thirds, simple is often best. While it is possible to add all sorts of moving shapes and animations as part of a lower third, the key element to remember is that these graphics are intended to convey a simple piece of information and should not be distracting.

This being said, professionals will often experiment with motion and fades with lower thirds to add an extra element to the graphic. This can be a particularly useful technique for pre-recorded videos. While this can look great when it goes well, it can be easy to go overboard with the motion, and this can distract the viewer from the main element of the video. The key point is to try and keep your animations simple, tasteful and within the bounds of the theme.

If you watch professionally made animated lower thirds, you will see they have very smooth movements. This is because the animator has purposefully

this is an area inside your image frame that won’t get cut off during broadcasting. Some televisions and projectors cut off the edges of a video. Therefore, if you place the text too close to the edge of a frame, it might get cut off. To mitigate this problem, all major video editing applications have title safe guides that you can turn on when working on lower thirds. These are lines that appear on the graphic to form the safe area. As long as you make sure to place your text inside this title safe area, it won’t get cut off when it is displayed.

If the main aim is to overlay song lyrics onto the screen, then the simple not worry about backgrounds or other graphics; a simple white text with a slight drop shadow over the video will often be all that is needed. The drop shadow is the vital element here as it will help the text to ‘pop’ out from the background and ensure they are easier to read.

created smooth movements using a graph editor. This is essentially an algebra-like graph that allows users to customise an object’s movements. By taking this approach, instead of your text or shapes coming to a hard stop, you can adjust a graph editor to smooth out the movements. One of the simplest ways to add motion into lower thirds comes with how you bring the information onto the screen. Fading in and fading out is a very tasteful way to bring in and out a lower third. It is a style used by many news organisations around the world, so will appear natural to the viewer. If you do want to add the element of movement into your design, you’ll need to know the term ‘title safe’. Essentially,

It may sound obvious, but legibility is one of the key factors for lower third text. As such, you should always be careful about the font you choose to use. In an ideal world, you are looking for a font that can be read quickly. The font should create text with subtle edges and without the serifs that can hang off letters in some fonts. Text that has very small, ornate features very thin.

As you become more familiar with the creative element that lower thirds can bring to your productions, it can be easy to want to do more and more with them. The important point to remember though is that these graphics are only a very small part of the overall production. Lower thirds should never be the main attraction and they shouldn’t distract the viewer. They are a tool to provide information and they should be treated as such. It is always possible to make them look as good as possible while still playing a supporting role.

Lower thirds in use for song lyrics at Cathedral of Faith

Lower thirds can be informative and provide branding opportunities (image courtesy of BroadcastPix)

Title safe and action safe zones for different aspect ratios

BroadcastPix has partnered with NewBlueFX for the NewBlueNTX graphics engine

Pixel mapping stage lighting

IF YOU’RE FAMILIAR WITH THE term ‘pixel’ but have not heard the term ‘pixel mapping’ used in reference to lighting, you may be wondering why this is a topic in the lighting section. Isn’t ‘pixel’ used in reference to video and graphical hardware and media content? That’s true! However, the worlds of video and lighting have been converging both at the console level and the fixture level, and this has opened up a whole realm of lighting effects and possibilities that used to either reside in the video department or would have taken a huge quantity of lights and consumed excessive programming time.

Hopefully by the end of this piece, you will have an understanding of pixel mapping and how it has entered into the lighting field. I will highlight some of the products available on the market that can be used for pixel mapping and also discuss the basic process of pixel mapping and how it can be implemented into your events. Understand that I will not highlight the programming process for any one console, but will explain in general so that you have an idea of how to start with the equipment that you have available.

What is a pixel and what does it mean to map them?

Every digital image is comprised of pixels. Millions of them. We often hear the term pixel used when specifying the resolution of a display screen on mobile devices and TVs, or of digital cameras. A pixel is a single, programmable unit (think single dot) of coloured light. Within a given space, the smaller the pixels (and thereby the greater the quantity of pixels), the higher the resolution of the image (sharper, clearer and more detailed).

A good example of this would be to think of an LED videowall display panel. These units are manufactured with certain ‘pixel the physical distance between each LED diode (or pixel). For example, Barco makes an outdoor model, the T10, with a 10mm pixel pitch. They also produce an indoor model, the X1.2, with a 1.29mm pixel pitch. The smaller the pixel pitch, the higher resolution the image will be – but also the more expensive each panel will be due to the increased number of diodes.

John Black explains how pixel-mapped lighting effects are created and controlled

John Black, theatre manager for Seoul Foreign School

A console preview of a pixel-mapped lighting effect

Let’s bring this into the lighting department now. If a pixel is a single, programmable unit of light, then we can consider every stage light source a pixel – it doesn’t matter whether it is

LED or tungsten light source. We can and all of a sudden we have a ‘display’ made up of ‘pixels’.

Just as is true with pixel pitch on LED videowall panels, the more and the closer together, the higher the resolution of the image. It’s important to realise, however, that in lighting we are using pixel mapping for effects (think very complex chases) as opposed to displaying high-resolution images, so this isn’t a problem.

In order for content to be displayed correctly, the controller (lighting console for us) must know where each pixel is located in the grid. This is what is called pixel mapping. Again, an individual pixel and the controller colour (if applicable) data based on the media content you want to output. Note that mapping the position of you don’t necessarily have to create a rectangular grid. Fixtures can be rigged in any shape or multiple shapes with gaps in between and still have content played ‘across’ them. So long as the in the grid and where they are located, you will be able to create any layout you desire.

What gear do I need?

I’ve already mentioned that you they are. Keep in mind that if using sources (PAR cans, Fresnels or other), the only data that will be sent to them is intensity. If you are using LED wash which will allow for coloured media to be reproduced in the lighting grid. In either case, any brand or model be treated as an individual ‘pixel’ by the lighting console.

Professional control – scaled just right

Full programming layout with backlit keys?

Encoders with haptic feedback?

Short-throw motorized faders?

Built-in multi-touch display?

Keyboard tray?

ETC’s Ion xe 20 lighting console

Elation’s ACL 360 Matrix mappable fixture

The Gio @5 console combines all the professional programming essentials in a package that fits tighter spaces – and tighter budgets.

There are also a number of LED products available on the market that allow for independent control of the LEDs in the fixture itself – fixtures that consist of many LED sources that are individually programmable, allowing you to treat them as more than one ‘pixel’ in your setup. The only real downside is that in order to be able to control each LED, the number of control addresses the fixtures eat up will seem to exponentially increase. For example, one such fixture houses 150 tri-colour (RGB) LEDs. Each LED takes four channels – one to control the red, green, blue and intensity values. When in a mode allowing individual pixel control, you’re looking at 450 control channels per fixture! Almost an entire DMX universe for that one fixture, which leads into the next piece of gear needed to use pixel mapping. The control console is the piece of equipment that will determine not only the size and scale of the system you can put together, but will also make the process of setting up and using pixel mapping a breeze or a nightmare. Let’s first consider the system capabilities of the control console. As we just saw, depending on the fixtures that you plan to use and the number of control channels they will consume, having a console with the capacity to handle a large number of universes is a must. Many of today’s houses of worship, unless still holding on to equipment older than 10 years old, probably will have a console capable of handling no fewer than four DMX universes, as well as having the ability to add additional universes via Artnet or another networked lighting protocol.

What’s the process?

why in the next step. You could either patch them in rows, moving left to right from top to bottom, or vertically from top to bottom and moving left to right. Whatever the case, pick an order and be consistent with it throughout the entire rig.

the next step is to set up the pixel map

in the console. As mentioned earlier, it is vital that the console knows the location and layout of the ‘pixels’ you’ve set up so that media is played back in the correct position and orientation.

and height) of the grid, which will then

create a grid (a width and height of nine would create a grid of 81 ‘pixels’). Once that has been created, you will

pattern, some consoles will allow you to assign the whole grid in a single step once you have told it how to auto-

Once this step is complete, you’ve now successfully set up a pixel map in

know where to get their information from. Each console handles this differently. In all of my consoles, the media server exists internally in the console, so I need to patch the media server itself into console channels to be able to control it. Once that is done, I can operate and manipulate the various features of the server, which

be able to record cues for a show that includes playback data from the media server channels.

Endless possibilities

With the ability to add still or video media content to the libraries of lighting consoles, the possibilities for playback effects really are endless. In this article, I’ve approached pixel mapping from the standpoint of a grid

look at from the front, but you could also use these techniques for creating some interesting effects from your

is included in a pixel map, doesn’t mean it can’t also be programmed normally when the media server is pixel mapping a little bit and given you

High End Systems’ Road Hog 4 lighting console

Assigning channels on an ETC lighting console, step one

Assigning channels on an ETC lighting console, step two

LIghting patterns pixel mapped on Chauvet’s Epix Strip (1 x 50) and Epix Bar (3 x 50) lighting fixtures

Chauvet’s Epix Bar Tour lighting fixture

Sound level meters

TO MEASURE SOUND, ACOUSTIC pressure waves are converted to a voltage just as with a vocal or instrument mic. Humans don’t perceive sound pressure level (SPL) changes linearly. Sound level meters (just like your console meters) convert the test microphone’s voltage output to a logarithmic decibel value. A measurement in dB SPL is an objective value – it states what the microphone measures. The perception of sound levels by humans is subjective. It varies by frequency, by the physics and health of an individual’s hearing system and by the psychoacoustic interpretation of the sound within a listener’s brain. In general, a level change of +10dB SPL will be perceived by a listener as about twice the loudness.

Decibel measurements are useless without a reference and, for SPL measurement, that level is the threshold of human hearing, or 0dB SPL. 120dB is commonly considered the threshold of ear pain. Figure 1 shows a relative comparison of the SPLs produced by various sound sources.

human hearing bandwidth. To model applied to the measured signal, the most common is referred to as A-weighting, which has a +0/–3dB range of 500Hz to 10kHz. C-weighting is also sometimes used to include lower frequencies, with a +0/–3B range of 31.5Hz to 8kHz. A-weighted measurements are notated

dB SPL or dBZ.

Figure 2 shows the sound level exposure in dBA vs time of exposure guidelines of two different USA health and safety organisations. In general, sound level measurement for maintaining house volume levels should be made in dBA, but that doesn’t mean you can just push the bass without worry – low frequencies

worship space and can also harm hearing.

What to measure?

Begin with the noise level of the sanctuary. How loud is the ambient noise in the room? Measure with and without air handlers/fans and with heating/cooling on and off. Measure in dBA for a valuation of the subjective noise levels, plus in dBC or, preferably,

sources like fans and compressors

If in an urban area, measure before or after a service to get an idea of noise might be contributing. A noise abatement campaign maybe in order –quieter air handlers and ducting, sound absorption, and so on.

A common rule of thumb is that service mix levels should average 25dB

overall mix level needed for intelligibility and clarity of worship service content. A noisy environment will be distracting to worshippers and overcoming the noise

With the PA off during rehearsals, measure the levels bleeding off the stage. If stage volumes are already

loud, the mix engineer won’t have much room to work to achieve balance and there may be timing and phasing issues when the two sources blend. Work towards a quiet stage as needed, monitors, putting amps in cabinets or using emulators, using drum shields or electronic drums, and so on.

A sound level meter can help quantify how loud is loud enough for a given HOW, and how loud is too loud. Once a target average loudness level is determined (90dBA would be a reasonable starting point), measure the SPL at the seats closest to the speakers, in the quiet corners and at the mixing position. Keeping the room balance within 6dB across all locations is a good starting goal. If that goal is not possible with the loudspeaker system installed, it might be time to consider

monitoring, to maintain consistency and to not have pockets of seating where sound levels are excessive and others where sound levels are too low. A sound level meter can also help determine if the components in an L-R, or L-C-R, loudspeaker array are in balance, and can help track down a faulty loudspeaker component.

There are models of SPL meters that are inexpensive, including smartphone apps, and almost all will allow a reasonable measure of comparison for mix levels and hearing protection, with accuracy and features increasing with price. For protecting hearing, maintaining standards and system evaluation, at least a basic sound level meter should be part of every tech ministry’s toolkit.

While a useful operational tool, sound level meters can also be used for system setup and performance monitoring, shares Frank Wells

gure 2 – safe SPL exposure guidelines

Beam steering – applied acoustical science

Gordon Moore

ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING developments in audio over the last several years has been the application of beam steering technology in both microphone and speaker design. Beam steering takes advantage of the interaction between transducers in an acoustical space to create sound (or pick up sound) in a highly directional manner through the use of microtiming – working in a combination of both the time domain and the frequency domain.

What exactly is beam steering? Let’s start with a single frequency and a single speaker. If we amplify

from a single loudspeaker, we get an even signal that radiates out into an acoustical space – for the sake of simplicity, we will keep this discussion

This single signal will decrease by 6dB SPL every time the distance from the speaker doubles. The quadruple loss (cutting power in half = –3dB so –6dB = one-quarter power) works even with complex multi-frequency waveforms such as music.

That’s pretty simple. Now, let’s complicate the matter by adding a second speaker in the same plane

but set just to the side (we can’t have two speakers in the same place at the same time – a pesky rule of physics). If we give that same signal to the second speaker, we will have the same result from that speaker alone but the two together will have interactions as their sound waves intermingle in the air. In some spots, they will be in phase with each other and their amplitudes will be additive. In other spots, they will

be out of phase and their amplitudes will be subtractive. As a listener moves about the room, they will hear the signal louder, then softer, depending on the phase relationships of the two signals at any given point in space.

If we change the wavelength, the hot spots and cold spots will change their interval – the distances between them. A low-frequency signal will have those spots farther apart and larger in diameter. Higher frequencies will be more numerous, closer together and smaller in diameter. The frequency affects the distances involved.

noticed the hot spot for a particular frequency followed a line away from the speaker pair – if you stayed within that line, the level did not drop 6dB for every doubling of distance but instead dropped only 3dB!

Stopping to think about it, it suddenly made sense. If you are standing in a spot where the two signals are additive, and you have doubled your distance, each signal would be down 6dB by themselves but, because they are also doubling up (a +3dB jump), their added signals would only be down 3dB.

Indeed, some attendees at concerts found that the level could be better

A cut out of the Renkus-Heinz Iconyx linear array reveals its stacked transducers

ion of a single Fohhn Linea array using beam steering to simultaneously cover both floor and balcony seating areas

Martin Audio’s MLA ‘Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array’ deploys on-board DSP for each system component to steer sound

if they were sitting higher up in the

A line drawing of the microphone array inside the AT895

Audio-Technica’s AT895 Adaptivearray Microphone System was ahead of its time, deploying five microphone elements and DSP to control the mic’s degree of directionality

Shure Microflex Advance array microphone uses its four microphone elements to cover all seating in a boardroom

Camera performance matching

When operating multiple cameras, what do you need to ensure all feeds look alike?

IT’S AN ALL TOO COMMON STORY.

You’ve sat down with your camera crew, assigned them their angles and the setting is well lit. The team nailed it in rehearsals and you have come into your own as a director. The service begins as projector screens descend from the ceiling and the projectors themselves come to life, magnifying the view of the camera lenses for all to see.

‘Cut to camera two,’ you say, as the camera op gets into position. You press the button to change the main feed to camera two and then you notice it, along with the rest of your congregation. The video from this shot looks different from the one you’ve just cut away from. Of course the angle and zoom have changed, as you intended, but so too has the colouring. Or, perhaps it’s looking darker. It might even be the aspect ratio. Whichever way, you have a problem. Each time you cut

James Cooke

between cameras, the feed takes on a new look and feel, and this can be distracting for a congregation trying to absorb the worship leader’s message. There are many factors that can potentially cause the images from

various feeds to look different. Sometimes it’s as simple as running cameras of varying quality – high-end cameras alongside models for the more budget-conscious. Their output is not going to look the same. The

same goes for similar models, but from different manufacturers. They won’t always produce the same look. On top of that, you need to ensure that formats are aligned, lenses are of the same ilk and sensor sizes are the same.

The reality is that with strict budgets, houses of worship, as well as any other of cameras spanning manufacturers and models in order to build a multicamera setup over time. There’s nothing wrong with this and don’t be put off. While it is preferable for each of your cameras to be the same make and model, it won’t be realistic for most. Instead, all it may take is the right kit and a little preparation.

For starters, take a look at the resolutions that each of your cameras are cable of shooting in. Many top-ofthe-range cameras with 4K capabilities are also able to shoot in HD or even SD if needed.

St Paul’s Wolf’s Evangelical Covenant Church in York, Pennsylvania

Ikegami’s 4K-native Unicam portable camera

MICROBOOM ™ SYSTEM

THE BEST SOLUTION FOR CHOIR MIKING CHALLENGES

Challenge: Miking a choir with condensers seems expensive.

SOLUTION : Audix Micros

These affordable microphones are unique because they feature a fully integrated circuit (including pre amp) all in a two-inch long body, making it the most powerful miniature microphone on the market. They pack a punch— only one microphone is needed to cover up to 20 singers.

Challenge: Choir placement and size varies from week to week.

SOLUTION : Audix MicroBoom

Today’s worship environments accommodate an array of congregations and configurations. Where the choir is one week may be where the band is the next. In some cases, the size of a choir may go from 20 people to a holiday production of 80. The MicroBoom system is portable, easy to move, and easy to store. Plus, it is available in black or white finish discreet in appearance, virtually becoming invisible within the sight lines.

Challenge: Hanging microphones from the ceiling is a huge hassle. How do you get microphones high enough to cover all the singers in the choir?

SOLUTION : Audix MICROBOOM50 or MICROBOOM84

For complete coverage of a choir, the microphones are positioned 2 feet in front of the first row of singers, extending 2 feet higher than the tallest person in the back row. With a standard three row choir riser of 2 feet, the mic will typically need to be 10 feet in the air. The MICROBOOM50 (50" carbon fiber boom) attached to a standard mic stand will extend to over 10 feet. The MICROBOOM84 (84" carbon fiber boom) attached to a standard mic stand will extend to over 11 feet and will cover up to four rows of choir. Unlike hanging microphones, the clutch assembly and integrated gooseneck mount grants precise fine-tuning of the microphone positions.

Challenge: The choir is positioned near loud band instruments(s) such as a drum set and/or lead guitar amp, and they are bleeding into the choir mix.

SOLUTION : Audix MicroBoom with a hypercardiod capsule

Dramatically improve isolation and increase gain by using a tighter pattern, positioning the microphones a little closer to the choir, and bringing the singers closer together. The Audix Micros™ Series can be ordered with cardioid, hypercardioid, and supercardioid patterns.

Whereas older cameras are unable to scale up to newer resolutions, meaning if you have a standard HD camera and a 4K UHD camera, you’re best off setting the 4K model to HD mode. In some instances, your switcher may be able to convert all inputs to the same resolution and you might get away with upscaling a 720p camera to a 1080p resolution, but trying to upscale any further won’t look good.

As for aspect ratio – the width and height of the image – the modern standard is 16:9. This became the case when widescreens became the norm. Before that, when we had tube-based television screens, it was 4:3. Most cameras will give you the option to switch between these and other aspect ratios. It’s best to go screens; just make sure all cameras are on the same setting.

will need nothing too technical: just a plain white card or sheet of paper. Hold the card where the worship leader or performers will be and point each camera at it before starting the white balance. This should set the same colour temperature for all cameras in your inventory. Most modern cameras let you know the Kelvin temperature they are set to.

When the whites are balanced, it is time to colour match your cameras. Remove the white sheet of card and replace it with a colour chart.

You will also need to ‘shade’ or ‘paint’ the camera. One way to do this is with a camera control unit (CCU) inline between camera and switcher, which facilitates the adjustment of each individual colour that the camera picks up.

Once your signal chain is in place, you will need to ensure your cameras all match. Let’s start with white balancing, which determines how warm or cool the image from each camera appears. To do this, you

You may need to invest in some testing equipment for this and should keep in mind that different kit will measure different elements when it comes to colour matching. For example, vectorscopes, which we’ll cover later on, measure chrominance levels, while contrast waveform monitors measure luminance. This means that if you are using a vectorscope, a dual hourglass shape should appear when the camera faces a colour chart, each corner of the image representing a different colour on the spectrum. It is your job to adjust each colour on the CCU to move each of these points to the corresponding location on the vectorscope’s graticule. This process does have to be repeated for each individual camera and is one of the reasons why you should try to stick to the same make and model for all of your cameras where possible. This is because some cameras can render colours differently from others. If you already have a range of different models in your setup, it is not the end of the world. You may just need to make sure you get your colour matching as close as possible.

A vectorscope is a waveform monitor designed for use in audio and video applications. A waveform monitor an oscilloscope. These are testing devices that observe varying signal voltages, as well as other signals, such as audio or video levels, by converting the signal to voltage for displaying. For video, you are looking for a video trigger circuit, which extracts synchronising pulses from video formats such as PAL and NTSC, triggering the timebase on either each reference line displayed,

colorimetric difference between a given colour in a television picture and a standard colour of equal luminance) that is encoded as a into the video signal. Colorimetry description of human colour perception. The vectorscope will then lock on to the video signal’s chrominance subcarrier to display the results. For digital applications, the vectorscope will plot the CB channel against the CR channel on its axes, as these two channels contain the chroma information for digital video formats.

If you’re lost, don’t worry. It can be simpler than the paragraph above makes it seem. Essentially, you’re looking for a broadcast monitor, as these typically include waveform monitoring these days.

Test devices can be somewhat expensive, especially when integrating them into an existing setup as it requires another signal path running to the testing equipment. Thankfully, this is something that many camera manufacturers consider when designing new products. Many

frame. A vectorscope is the most suitable form of waveform monitor for the purpose of video.

Vectorscopes display an X and a Y axis as with most oscilloscope applications, only they have the video signals as an input, rather than having to convert those signals to voltage before they can be displayed. Additionally, whereas the majority of waveform monitors plot signal against time, vectorscopes display a pair of signals – one on each axis. Whereas a standard waveform monitor measures the general characteristics of a video signal, a vectorscope provides visual chrominance (the

cameras on the market will include additional outputs to allow for separate testing feeds, as will CCUs. However, if your camera doesn’t include enough outputs, or you’re running a large multi-camera setup, an output from your switcher, as this will negate the need to run separate feeds from each individual camera. Overall, the goal is consistency of look, with the resolution of the least capable camera setting the standard to which to adapt the look of all cameras in use. It’s a simple case of getting the technology out of the way of the worship experience – avoiding a visually jarring image that calls attention to itself.

The Sony HDCU-2500

A vectorscope displaying a dual hourglass when colour matching

An example of a broadcast colour chart

Telemetrics’ RCCP-1A camera control unit

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Lighting the way

As lighting techniques have advanced over the years, so have the consoles that control them. Worship AVL takes a look back over the major technological developments

MODERN LIGHTING CONTROL CONSOLES ARE complex systems that make it possible to operate hundreds of lights at one time from a single control surface. It may surprise readers to know that the practice of stage lighting far supersedes electricity. The evolution of lighting in theatre ultimately began in Ancient Greece, where performances were held outside in open-air auditoria under natural sunlight. Even back then, the Greeks cleverly used large mirrors to manipulate sunlight and alter the lighting to suit their plays.

Drawing inspiration from the Greeks, the Romans then introduced torches and candles into productions that allowed them to be held at night.

At each point that technology advanced, theatrical performances were at the forefront of exploiting these

lamps as technology advanced in the 19th century, and, following the invention of the incandescent light bulb in the 1870s, the majority of modern theatres had already made the rapid transition to much safer electric lighting by the turn of the 20th century.

Yet, even those early systems required some form of control. In the biggest performance spaces, gas lights were managed by a backstage array of valves that

The valves had one clear advantage: they could be turned up or down to adjust the amount of light the

The change from gas to electricity was dramatic – the potential danger of operating hundreds of

it did in Greek times, to bathe the stage in light and reduce unwanted shadows. Furthermore, until the introduction of the resistance dimmer, electric circuits – and therefore the lamps themselves – were either

electrical lighting was simply a bank of switches that turned the lights on and off. This heralded a new technique – presetting – and the development of the switchboard, the grandfather to a modern control console. Not surprisingly, artists in theatres were not

of switches in controlling lighting for sensitive scenes. Preset boards are not as prevalent since the advent of digital lighting control consoles, which can store scenes in digital memory and are generally much less cumbersome but more expensive than preset boards. However, for small setups, preset boards remain a

Preset boards generally control only conventional lights; though some advanced hybrid consoles can be

Preset boards continue to be used today as a basic controller in smaller installations and many houses of worship. They typically consist of two or more identical fader banks, called scenes. Each scene has the same number of channels that control the same dimmers, meaning the console

fader or submaster is used to selectively mix or fade between the different scenes.

With the development of resistance dimmers (rheostats) it became possible to fade in and out

also gaining prominence thanks to the invention

in 1881 and called on 824 swan lamps to light the stage alone, plus a further 334 to illuminate the

lighting rig was largely serving the same purpose as

These units were used to highlight a small area of the stage, a principal actor or create the illusion of sunlight (or moonlight), and were typically placed

The 1931 Strand Grand Master Board. The largest of its kind featured 130 control channels controlling 175 dimmers at The Royal Opera House in London

1966 – Strand’s first instant dimmer memory controller is launched

The MA Scancommander, the predecessor to MA’s grandMA platform, caused a big stir in the world of moving lights

The ETC Express 125 memory console capable of controlling both normal stage lighting instruments as well as intelligent lighting. ETC’s most popular console ever

The Avolites Sapphire – with the advent of computer and touchscreen-based interfaces, many of today’s smaller format desks are quite comfortable handling large-scale shows

on balconies or the galleries on the sides of the stage house. Yet all of lighting setups that required what a simple switchboard could offer.

Throughout all of this period, the control was direct. This runs of wiring needed and to place the from the stage manager.

The greatest technological leap for future computer control possible, was the development of solid-state dimmers that could be controlled from a remote location. Operators could With these devices, the controller whatever device is being controlled. Instead, the control mechanism

being controlled) to the remote device which reacts to the signal and affects of time current is passed rather than through resistance.

This meant that lighting controllers no the heat dissipation and insulation demands of resistive dimmers, and introduction of the remote-control of lighting control. Operators no longer lighting). separated the problem of selecting a console from that of selecting dimmers. More

such as DMX512 have made it possible for most consoles to signal most dimmers via a standardised communication language. Before DMX became the accepted method, each manufacturer used their own

from the number of separate lines of information that are transmitted at one to the number of channels available. Each channel has 256 possible values.

The development of the remotecontrol dimmer also allowed the introduction of art and craft to console adapted to the needs of the operator instead of the focus being on meeting the engineering requirements.

The modern computer has proven to be a near-ideal solution to the problem of handling cue data. It can

change or operation near

the cues in order data available to the operator as needed, although equipment to operate

run shows is now standard in most

in situations such as amusement automated and the actors, if there are

productions: one for the moving lights, and another for controlling the

At the time DMX was was thought that 512 DMX channels would encompass even the most demanding lighting setup and

As more and more attributes of the

a whole universe alone and consoles number of DMX universes.

control consoles that could operate both conventional and automated lighting with simple user interfaces.

economics do.

various functions built into their changed and updated for hardware control. Depending on the brand,

which means that some control

With the advent of moving light consoles were developed for the multichannel demands of each manufacturer and model of moving light. This sometimes required that two lighting consoles be used on

users to call up individual channels as well as assign moving light attributes to control wheels, perfect for pan, tilt, spinning gobos and other attributes.

Often when volunteers and new consoles it can be a daunting process.

been implemented over time can be a its features.

Modern fixtures like the ClayPaky Mythos have so many parameters that a single unit can emcompasses a large number of DMX channels

Martin’s new M-Touch console surface which can connect with any M-Series console or PC running M-PC

An Avolites Titan Mobile control surface at GBI Gilgal

Return on investment

Frank Wells explains how the concept can and should be applied to a HOW’s selection and purchase of AVL technology

THE BUYING GUIDES IN WORSHIP AVL are designed to help houses of worship make informed gear choices – less about what to buy than how to decide what to buy – focusing on the features to consider and questions to ask before making a selection from the available options within a given category of products. In this issue, instead of concentrating on a particular gear type, WAVL looks at the broader consideration of return on investment

of what a HOW gets in return for an expenditure.

In a strict accounting sense, return on investment (ROI) is a ratio that investment as a percentage of the original cost. The term has been coopted in broader use to indicate value for money spent. As the ‘business’ of a HOW is not to make money on an investment, but rather to make wise investments of the money provided by its members in pursuit of the congregation’s goals and mission, the calculation of ROI won’t be a tangible number, but rather a subjective evaluation of an indirect component in a HOW’s success.

Comparative criteria

In some equipment categories, a ‘comparative’ ROI evaluation can be calculated in a fairly straightforward manner. For example, if you assume that you will have a lighting package, you can make a comparative ROI analysis based on accommodating your needs with either conventional or

be based on initial cost (including installation and any infrastructure changes needed to accommodate the lighting), electricity usage, the demands of regular maintenance, including the cost of lamp replacement (incorporating factors such as labour and possible lift rental). Based on that comparative analysis, it might be that, for a hypothetical church’s installation, a higher initial cost of installing LED control to a lighting grid would be offset by reduced maintenance and power consumption after a few years of operation. Or it could equally be that the initial outlay would be more than the church is able to spend, the By including all the cost factors in the equations, being sure to count expenses such as electrical power that

might be assigned a different budget category, logic and reason can be applied to the investment choices. That example analysis provides a monetary basis for making a purchase decision for a given product category. However, the most important phrase in the example description is ‘accommodating your needs’. For the media ministries of HOWs, at the most basic level, an investment is made to accommodate a technical need that serves a worship function like displaying song lyrics on a screen, amplifying the message for all to hear clearly or capturing an image to stream online. In the big picture, an investment is made to help win hearts and souls and best deliver a worship

The bigger the picture considered, the harder it becomes to tie a technical purchase to an ROI for a

another is impossible to tie directly to a membership increase.

Criteria that’s hard to quantify

The category of gear also matters in the ability to make an objective ROI evaluation. Will purchasing the latest digital audio console improve the of minimum criteria can be established for the console’s feature set based on need (such as the number of channels in use or the need for snapshots to change scenes and setups), but that will tell you little about the ergonomic feel of a console or its ease of use by a volunteer crew.

Once, when I worked at a university’s a list of criteria for a production console purchase – I couldn’t specify a particular console, but only a list of features and requirements. The university’s procurement department was required to solicit competitive bids. One manufacturer was determined to their product until it met the bid specs, and took a loss on the product to ensure they’d win the bid. What couldn’t be included in the bid spec was the operational ease of use of the console – a subjective criteria. The manufacturer was moving into

and they used non-industry standard terminology on console labelling, an unfamiliar pattern of control positioning and a more recording studio-oriented

Smaller versions of a premium brand console, like this SD9 from DiGiCo, could provide good ROI

Enhancing worship

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'

This LED ellipsoidal from Elation Lighting may provide a better ROI than a conventional fixture

Moving head lighting, like this Chauvet model, may provide good ROI based on flexibilty

Switchers for all formats

DESIGNED FOR portability and ease of use, Roland’s V-60HD supports 3G-SDI cameras, RGB and scaled HDMI inputs among other sources such as computers and tablets via a variety of video connections. The V-60HD supports both video and VESA resolutions from 480i up to WUXGA, while a de-interlacer facilitates simultaneous 1080i and 1080p SDI video sources from multiple cameras to be used without the need for an external signal converter. Still image capture and import is enabled by two dedicated crosspoints. Meanwhile, programme, preview and aux bus sources offer

The aux bus out can be assigned to any of the four discreet SDI or HDMI outputs, enabling switching from the eight input channels, such as four SDI, two HDMI or one RGB and two still images uploaded via the USB port. The menu is accessed via a 3-inch LCD screen on the front of the V-60HD. Programme and preview feeds, in addition to up to eight video sources with audio meters and labels, can be monitored using control are also available using the V-60HD RCS software application on a PC or Mac, while V-60HDs that

have been permanently installed can be controlled remotely from touchpanel interfaces attached with the LAN or RS-232 port. The LAN port also supports the manufacturer’s wireless tally system for PC, iOS and Android.

The USB port, on the other hand, memory settings and to install software updates. The switcher also includes buttons with PGM/PST LED colour indicators, a T-bar and DSK (downstream keyer) quick edit knobs for key level and gain. Time-based correction and frame sync ensure seamless transitioning between six video sources and two still busses.

As for the V-60HD’s 12-channel audio mixer, it includes four TRS/XLR combo jacks with 48V DC phantom power, an RCA stereo pair and audio de-embedding capability from six video inputs. Audio processing capabilities include a high-

3-band EQ, delay and the ability to select audio-follow-video channels. A multichannel audio embedding function allows users to select which audio source to embed separately to SDI

issues or to separate multiple audio sources in postproduction. An automixing function automatically adjusts the audio level based on weighting, maintaining even levels.

Roland has also improved upon its V-800HD multi-format video switcher with the release of a Mark II model. V-800HD MK II offers new dedicated switches for aux source selection as part of a redesigned interface and an advanced keyer that allows users to adjust HSV colour parameters such as the amount of Chroma and phase range. Multi-zoom functionality allows one video input to be shared internally with up to three more inputs and the scaler for each input can zoom into any position in the video image to give the appearance that additional cameras are connected, which creates a virtual multi-camera environment.

V-800HD MK II presents a dedicated scaler for each input, with the majority of digital and analogue input types available. The output side scalers allow for direct connection to LED walls without the need for external scaling devices. A built-in HDMI multi-viewer facilitates monitoring and an additional two channels are available for still images, which can be uploaded via a USB memory stick or frame grab. Channel buttons can be reordered with 10 assignable video cross-points.

proav.roland.com

V-800HD Mark II

Compact installation logic

ACCORDING TO manufacturer

Logic Systems, its new Ci Series (Compact installation) speakers are intended to streamline installation, while also introducing a ‘sound quality and build quality not normally available at this price point’. Reportedly the result of extensive consultation with installation contractors and consultants, the cabinets are described as ideal for houses of worship as a result of their ability to be installed close to walls and ceilings, as well as their compact housing.

The Ci Series is formed of eight cabinets: the Ci 7, Ci 8, Ci 10, Ci 12 and Ci 15 loudspeakers, and the Ci 112, Ci 115 and Ci 118 sub/bass enclosures. Each

of the loudspeakers is designed with an angled back and dedicated yoke brackets able to accommodate for both landscape and portrait alignments while also

points to further assist the installer. All cabinets across the entire range are constructed from birch ply and are ‘rebated, glued and screwed’. Black-and-white colour options are available, as well as custom selections based on RAL or BS numbers or Dulux codes. As for the Ci 112, Ci 115 and Ci 118 bass units, these, Logic Systems vertically or horizontally.

PX reaches the mid-highs

NEXT-PROAUDIO HAS introduced a mid-high speaker to its PX range. The PXH95 is designed to join its PX counterparts as a portable loudspeaker solution, monitoring applications. It is also designed for use as a standalone venues such as houses of worship. medium/long-throw in a coaxial response of 150Hz to 19kHz and

To further assist with installations, presets for the Ci Series can be found within the manufacturer’s digital system controllers that will reportedly ‘sonically enhance all Compact install linear frequency response’. The builtin time delay can also be used to time

align different zones within a venue, or set different drive levels and limiting levels, while an OEM function also allows parameters to be locked off. PodWare software can also be

www.logicsystems.co.uk

a coverage pattern of 90°H x 50°V over a 400Hz to 17kHz frequency range. The square enclosure can also be rotated for a 50°H x 90°V coverage pattern.

PXH95s allows for wider horizontal is required for hanging the system. A 1.4-inch neodymium driver with a 2.5-inch voice coil and a constant-Q horn achieve the HF range from 1.15kHz and above, while the mid-range (150Hz to 1.25kHz) is delivered by a low power

Lectrosonics adds to wireless range

THE NEW members of Lectrosonics’ Digital Hybrid Wireless SM Series, the ‘wide band’ SMWB (single AA battery) and SMDWB (dual AA battery), are described as having ‘a similar look and feel to previous SM Series units’, but include the ability to either act as a transmitter or as a body-worn recorder, as well as wideband tuning.

The SMWB and SMDWB units tune across three standard frequency blocks and come in several frequency ranges: A1 (470MHz to 537MHz) and B1 (537MHz to 614MHz) for the North American and export markets, and B2 (563MHz to 640MHz) and C1 (614MHz to 691MHz) for certain export markets. RF power for these models is

selectable at 100, 50 or 25mW (North American version) and 50 or 25mW (certain export markets). The SMWB and SMDWB feature the standard TA5 connector with servo-bias mic input. This input is also found on all previous SM Series units and all current TA5 beltpack units such as the LT and LMb. Any lavalier microphones wired for these other Lectrosonics transmitters will reportedly also work on the new models.

The SMWB and SMDWB units can are recorded in the industry standard Broadcast Wave (.WAV) format at a 24-bit, 44.1kHz sample rate. The

compression 12-inch driver with a 3-inch voice coil.

must be rotated by 90° to avoid

Unit facilitates the angling of the cabinet at 5° increments up to a maximum of 15°. This allows the top cabinet of a ground stack to be aimed at the audience. The box is also equipped with M8 threaded suspension points to facilitate a wide range of installation methods.

www.next-proaudio.com

Micro SD memory card can also be

Both also feature the same backlit LCD found on some of the manufacturer’s other transmitters, including the LT, HHa, LMb and DBa. The units also include an IR port when using any IR-equipped receiver such as the LR, SRc or Venue 2. This, according to the company, allows for easy integration with a larger wireless system using Lectrosonics’ Wireless Designer software for frequency management and system monitoring.

www.lectrosonics.com

PXH95

Ci Range

The SMWB and SMDWB

DPA gets to the Core

DANISH MINIATURE microphone

providing ‘a clearer, more open sound across the entire microphone range’.

rather offers another choice to our Microphones. ‘We want to give our edge solution that, while unseen to the

is located in the housing of the

Earthworks gets up close

EARTHWORKS HAS added new microphones for drum miking, including the DM20 DrumMic for close miking toms and snare, as well as several multi-microphone kits.

The DM20 DrumMic is a cardioid condenser microphone designed for live performance and recording environments.

Features include a cardioid

manufacturer reports that the rightangled microphone head allows the user to position the microphone

the most energetic drummer’. Each microphone comes with an RM1 RimMount for mounting the snare or toms.

its CloseMic Kits, which package DM20 microphones with RM1 RimMounts, windscreens and a with four DM20 microphones and

accessories. The DK7 DrumKit is a seven-microphone kit comprised of four DM20 microphones for toms for overheads and one low-

In other news, the SV33 is the microphone said to provide ‘high-resolution performance,

sound for male and female vocals’. Incorporating Earthworks’ patented a cardioid polar pattern that is the performer can move in front of capsule, low handling noise and plosives.

miniature microphones. Models

Microphone on the move

SPECIFICALLY CREATED

vocals, instruments and interviews. The cardioid condenser capsule preamp gain. The plug-in and record MiC Plus operates as an audio interface once connected to a computer or iOS

discreet laser engraving stating the microphone capsule as well. To the full range of colour options will future.

www.dpamicrophones.com

Sennheiser’s entry-level option

THE NEW handheld microphone intended applications. Offering what

or stands.

www.earthworksaudio.com

provides ease of adjustment when monitoring the microphone input heard in comparison to the recorded signal coming from the software.

www.apogeedigital.com

comes with a stand mount and leatherette pouch, and offers response.

www.sennheiser.com

Expanded monitoring for ME series

ALLEN & HEATH has added the 16-channel ME-500 personal mixer to its ME system, a personal monitoring solution allowing musicians to build and control their own monitor mixes from 16 stereo or mono sources.

With updated setup and controls compared to its older sibling, the 40-channel ME-1, the ME-500 features a dimmable display, 16 backlit select keys, mute and solo buttons, master level with limiter and EQ, and a single rotary encoder for main navigation and control. Each unit can store and recall eight user presets, while headphone jacks, and a TRS mono out for wedge monitors. EtherCon connectors allow ME-500s to be daisy-chained, or deployed in a star topology using the ME-U or an offthe-shelf PoE switch.

The manufacturer has also unveiled its new 96kHz SQ series of digital mixers for live sound and installation. The SQ-5 and SQ-6 mixers are founded on Allen

& Heath’s XCVI 96kHz FPGA engine and are said to deliver high-resolution audio with a latency of <0.7ms. SQ-5 has 16 onboard preamps and 17 faders and is 19-inch rack mountable, while the SQ-6 provides 24 preamps and 25 faders. Both consoles can be expanded up to 48 inputs via a family of remote expanders and feature an audio networking option card slot for Dante, Waves and interface formats, expanding the scope for system integration, FOH/monitor splits and

multitrack recording. The manufacturer has also name Fistral, for its dLive mixing system. The upgrade provides Automatic Mic Mixer (AMM) features, Multi-Surface capability, support for a range of new installation hardware and new DEEP processing models. The surface can handle up to 64 mics, with the facility to assign mics to four different AMM

AMM modes: classic gain sharing and a Number of Open Mics (NOM) algorithm. Multi-Surface capability with

to control a single MixRack. V1.6 also supports the dLive hardware for installed sound, including the DM0 MixRack, GPIO interface, IP1 wallplate controller, and DX expanders, hubs and modules for also enables internet access to dLive systems for remote control and diagnostics.

Finally, the company’s DEEP suite of embedded plug-ins has a new member. The Tube Stage preamp plug-in offers emulations of different valve topologies on one dial and a new ‘Mighty’ compressor emulation.

ME-500

SQ-5 and SQ-6

On the go with beyerdynamic

ears’. They are actually over-ear headphones but have ear cups more similar in

size to traditional on-ears, which aids isolation.

In terms of technical

240 Pros have a frequency range of 5Hz to 35kHz, a nominal and max SPL of 99dB and 119dB, respectively, and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of less

DESIGNED

beyerdynamic’s DT 240 Pro compact monitor headphones claim to offer professional-quality audio at an entrylevel price. The product features reportedly achieve ‘ample’ output offering isolation from background noise and minimal sound leakage.

The design is what the German company is calling ‘compact over-

As well as the new monitoring headphone, the German manufacturer has restructured its TG Drum Sets to also include the TG D71 boundary mic. The TG D71 reportedly works as a pressure gradient receiver and has a half-cardioid polar pattern. The condenser capsule (back electret)

frequency response and a maximum SPL rating of 148dB. A three-pin XLR provides connection for signal and phantom power – the correct power supply presence of power is signalled via a red status LED.

According to the manufacturer, the new mic is perfectly suited for use as a drum mic, and its rugged housing

allows it to be directly positioned inside a bass drum without any

The TG D71’s microphone housing is said to protect against damage during often harsh day-to-day, onstage use.

The company describes the sound of the TG D71 as ‘characterised by an exceptionally quick response time’ and that ‘even when subject to high sound levels, transmission remains free of distortion with the half-

Samson launches cover the signal chain

SAMSON HAS released a slew of new products that form a complete signal chain. The American manufacturer has unveiled a new wireless mic system, 4-channel mixer and powered studio monitors.

Starting with the source, the AWX Wind Instrument Micro Transmitter UHF Wireless System claims to be ‘the world’s smallest clip-on transmitter’ with a shock-mounted microphone and adjustable gooseneck. Designed for saxophones, trumpets, trombones and other wind instruments, it clips directly to the instrument’s bell with no beltpack or cable necessary. It provides infrared sync to wirelessly match the receiver and transmitter frequency, gain and mute controls, a battery life LED indicator and an 8-hour rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The unit features an HM60 condenser microphone with a threepoint halo isolation mount; the mic capsule offers a supercardioid pick-up pattern that reportedly handles up to

mountable CR99 Wireless Receiver provides 80 selectable channels. The receiver is a True RF Diversity design and integrates tone key technology to prevent unwanted noise when the transmitter is off or out of range.

Moving on to control, the SM4 is a half-rack, 4-channel line mixer that features a balanced microphone channel with 2-band EQ, voiceover priority ducking, stereo line-level inputs, as well as Bluetooth and Samson Stage XPD wireless

compatibility. The unit offers rear panel RCA inputs, as well as front-

inputs, and its rear-mounted Master Volume control allows users to set the overall output level of the mixer. The Voiceover feature enables up to 30dB of ducking XPD Wireless port, with an active ducking hold

cardioid polar pattern contributing to feedback stability’.

The newly re-compiled TG Drum Sets are still available in a selection of packages; however, the Pro S, Pro M, Pro L and Pro XL sets are now available with the TG D71 boundary mic instead of the previously included TG D50 or TG D70 bass drum microphone.

www.beyerdynamic.com

time from 0.5s to 3s. It also features stereo XLR and RCA outputs, and a Mono/Stereo switch for use with a mono sound system.

Finally, for acoustic output, the manufacturer has created the MediaOne M30 Powered Studio Monitors. Constructed of solid wood with rear porting, the monitor features a 3-inch co-polymer woofer complemented by a ¾-inch silkdome tweeter housed in a custom waveguide. An internal 20W (10W per channel) studio-grade A/B

terms of connectivity, the M30s offer rear RCA inputs, a front panel output to integrate a powered subwoofer. Measuring 127mm x 147mm x 190mm and weighing 2.95kg, the monitors have a stated frequency response of 50Hz to 20kHz.

www.samsontech.com

ATX Wireless Micro Transmitter

FOR the modern world of musicians’, podcasters’

The DT 240 Pro headphones

TG Drum Set Pro S

The TG D71 boundary mic

The Intelli-X3 648

Next-generation control processors from Apex

DEVELOPED IN collaboration with sound engineers, system techs

processors has been announced. management processor with optional Dante interface capability.

Boasting internal processing up circuitry and mastering-grade compressors as standard, the system management processor, what the manufacturer describes and the ability to integrate with

as offering all of the audio tools

either analogue, AES/EBU or Dante, Designed to be plug-and-play, the Ethernet switches. Both automatic re-engineered front panel with LCD menu enables direct control,

Adam Hall gets SMART

THE SMART C patented smart motion sensor technology and is equipped with

19-inch LED sensor rack light

the unit is idle. The RGBW LEDs

surroundings. The colours red,

the manufacturer, the integrated lighting that is adaptable to their requirements.

timer control for the duration of illumination as well as an

portable tablets and tethered PCs, and can be accessed from multiple

www.apex-audio.eu

Small body, big personality

Axcor 300 series

green, blue, cool white and warm integrated memory function. metal housing and is supplied with strain relief.

www.adamhall.com

Robe extends PATT family

THE LATEST member of Robe’s growing PATT family of ‘scenic’ retrostyled luminaires is a high-powered, multi-coloured RGBW multi-chip LED

brushed metal frame. onePATT can

as well as single source illuminations. An integral intelligent electronic control system reportedly guarantees

remote-addressing, calibration, status messaging, a dedicated power supply, easy remote maintenance and long-term reliability, according to the manufacturer.

onePATT

CONSISTING OF a spot light, wash white LED engine with a rated power

concentrated solid beam at an angle wash reportedly includes all the components needed to produce any shade of colour.

not normally found in models of this

www.claypaky.it

swatches, while the pre-programmed

directions. The electronic shutter

operating ambient temperature

minimum operating temperature is www.robe.cz

Time-saving lighting control

EATON’S ZERO 88 brand has launched a pair of new additions to its FLX range. The FLX S24 and FLX S48 lighting control consoles form the FLX S series and are designed capable of controlling up to 48 and Both consoles make use of the

lighting rig, without the user requiring The Guidance feature walks users

Colour, meanwhile, can be controlled

and image picking interfaces, as The multi-touch pan/tilt grid, the encoder wheels or the application of

GLP feels the Force

GLP HAS made a break from 2, the

quick speed’. combination of both), the Force that light the actual fan blades and can be controlled with differing

wireless touchscreen monitors and smartphones to act as remotes, and allowing users to manipulate, used as a focus tool for the FLX S consoles.

Both consoles include two USB ports, an Ethernet/networking port

monitor, while the FLX S24 has been with the option to upgrade after purchase.

www.zero88.com

This is what perfect sound looks like

auto-sensing power input, built-in transport wheels and multiple rigging points.

mountable Force

www.glp.de

The LR18 pro-ribbon line-array combines a superb directivity control and throw with a fully intuitive linear response with industry’s lowest distortion. The LR18 enables a 1:1 reproduction of the original sound source, due to Alcons’ multiple-patented pro-ribbon transducer technology.

But don’t take our word for it: The LR18 was recently tested in Germany. Read it on our website.

The FLX S24 is rack

Artiste Picasso

The KL Fresnel

Acrobatics and ropewalking

AMONG A string of new product launches from Draper is Acrobat, which is intended to lift and lower a wide range of equipment commonly found in houses of worship such as projection screens. Acrobat has been designed for ease of use and installation, and can be set up as a complete assembly or as a sub-

jobsite requirements.

Acrobat can lower projection screens up to 15m, negating the need for extensive projection screen black drop. With a 680kg lifting capacity, the system can handle all manner of equipment, such as

Control options available include a wall switch to provide contact closure for tying in third-party control systems.

Keeping with the circus theme is Ropewalker, which Draper has built with large venues, particularly those

with tall ceilings, in mind. Ropewalker lowers a motorised screen housing from the ceiling with cables. From the screen housing, the screen itself descends, offering a visual solution without black drop between the screen and the ceiling. In total, the screen can be lowered up to 10m, and it is available in a wide range of tension and non-tensioned viewing surfaces up to 5.5m wide. Screen types include 8K-ready TecVision.

Speaking of screens, Draper is claiming to have created the ‘industry’s biggest ½-inch-thin bezel

surfaces. Available in sizes up to 9m in width, as well as standard HDTV (16:9), 16:10 and CinemaScope

available with a Zero Edge option, which allows users to make full use of the screen’s size. It is also

Detection and correction

FOR-A IS offering automatic, realtime detection and correction of

with the RFC-One. A 1U unit, it is designed to maintain a clear, natural appearance by reducing

manufacturer claims that users can ‘simply connect the cables’ to achieve corrected video output, simplifying the process for volunteers at houses of worship.

RFC-One offers a BNC video input and a BNC output, and supports HD-SDI formats 1080/59.94i, 1080/50i and 720/60p, with 4K support planned for a future update.

The video I/O delay is reportedly two frames.

For those who have already transitioned to 4K video content, For-A’s MBP-1000VS and MBP1000VS-12G multichannel video servers facilitate simultaneous 4K recording and playback. They allow 4K editing with quad-channel XAVC

available with a variety of screen types, such as TecVision, and for a range of requirements, including 3D and Ambient Light Rejection.

a light frame that is reportedly ‘easy to assemble’ thanks to a new sliding hook-and-loop viewing surface attachment system, and it can be

LED lights can be included to frame

Away from screens and lifts, Draper has introduced EchoControl, an acoustic treatment designed

to reduce sound reverberating off windows. Motorised and manual versions are available and the American manufacturer claims an

of 0.6. In addition to the soundabsorption properties, EchoControl’s window shades diffuse light, reduce glare, control solar heat gain and reduce fading of interior furnishings.

and infused with Microban antimicrobial product protection.

www.draperinc.com

particular needs.

codec support, as well as dualchannel 12G-SDI input and output on the 12G model. For each channel, video I/O via 12G-SDI or quad link 3G-SDI is supported.

An LTO option can be added for immediate back-up of captured 4K material or extended recording. The systems can be acquired with

Also new is the FA-9600 multipurpose signal processor, which is designed for ease of use and conversion format delivery, including 12G, 4K UHD, 1080p and SD/ HD. Each of its two HD/SD inputs incorporate a frame synchroniser and, because it features 12G-SDI terminals, optional software enables a transition to 4K UHD production. Adding an optional expansion card provides four more channels of 3G-SDI input or output.

www.for-a.com

Free Motiv functionality on iOS

THE SHUREPLUS Motiv Video app is free to download on iOS devices and enables users to record

uncompressed audio for video. It offers functionality including gain control, EQ and compression and

is compatible with Shure’s Motiv line of products: the MV88, MV51, MV5 and MVL microphones, and the MVi digital audio interface. ‘By offering uncompressed audio through ShurePlus Motiv Video, we’re able to closely represent the original audio source and vastly outperform iOS video recordings,’ said Paul Crognale, manager, global marketing, musician and consumer audio at Shure.

The app also features on-screen metering, waveform and video controls that facilitate the integrated management of the visual display. For ease of use, changes to the attached Motiv device’s settings can be adjusted within ShurePlus Motiv Video, without the need to switch to the ShurePlus Motiv Recording app. www.shure.com

ShurePlus Motiv is compatible with the MV88 microphone

RFC-One

Acrobat

AJA is Avid for Media Composer

WITH THE spreading popularity of 4K and the emergence of HDR, AJA has been quietly adding new functionality to some of its most popular models.

Plus multichannel recorder and player enables the latest HDR formats with HLG and HDR10 playback and adds support for the recording and playback of ProRes 4444 XQ.

As well as adding the latest popular video formats to existing products, AJA has also recently partnered with Avid on the production of the Avid Artist DNxIV, a new hardware interface option for Media Composer.

The Thunderbolt 3 capture and output device is said to offer the latest 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 I/O connectivity, as well as advanced audio features and 4K/UltraHD support up to 50p/60p frame rates.

The DNxIV is essentially a variant of AJA’s Io 4K Plus but built to Avid’s input for an analogue microphone on the front of the device and simplifying audio punch-in. AJA’s conversion technology facilitates real-time scaling of 4K and UltraHD to HD for monitoring and output. The DNxIV also includes an additional Thunderbolt 3

An ACE aluminium option

BOTH EQUIPPED with the new XL tripods have joined Sachtler’s ACE XL

the ACE XL GS AL (with a ground spreader) and ACE XL MS AL (with a mid-level spreader) are said to be ideal for use with DLSR cameras and with the latest cine-style models. The 2kg to 8kg.

camera balancing, while the ACE XL’s patented SA drag damping is said to provide ‘an authentic broadcast feel and familiar dependability’ for precise panning and tilting. The long 104mm (4.1-inch) sliding range of the ACE camera plate also aids with quick camera setup.

www.sachtler.com

From small to big

with a 4,000,000:1 contrast ratio, while reportedly producing just

also capable of 24/7 operation and can be mounted in any orientation as a result of their laser light source.

port for daisy-chaining to other Thunderbolt devices.

Finally, new AJA FiDO converters with 12G-SDI capability have been launched to support the transport of 4K/UltraHD/2K/HD/SD video and audio over distances up to 10km over one optical cable. Models include the TR-12G transceiver, the T-12G

single-channel transmitter, the R-12G single-channel receiver, the 2T-12G dual-channel transmitter and the 2R-12G dual-channel receiver. The new models reportedly meet relevant

www.aja.com

www.avid.com

Entry-level 4K and HDR

SONY’S LATEST entry-level full HD camera system supports 4K and HDR production. The system

control unit and is designed for a wealth of applications, including all manner of worship-based events.

manufacturer’s HXC product range, shares many of the features found

operation at 1080x1920 between camera control unit via 3G. Also supported are 23.98PsF, 25PsF and 29.97PsF shooting. Additionally, the in the camera head alongside

available through the CCU front panel or RCP remote operation,

TWO NEW laser phosphor projector models have joined Christie’s budgetconscious GS Series, bringing the

630-GS Series models are rated for a brightness up to 6,750 ISO lumens

The models differ largely in their output resolution, with the DWU630GS offering WUXGA resolution (1920x1200) and the DHD630-GS the more traditional 1080p full HD.

the full range of GS Series lenses for

www.christiedigital.com

new camera offers a signal-to-noise

of F12 at 59.94Hz or F13 at 50Hz, which facilitates low-light shooting as well as a raft of camera painting and processing functionality. It possesses three 169mm CMOS Exmor image sensors and runs at 59.94Hz/50Hz progressive

including PC-RCP (HZC-RCP5) and the Master Setup Unit (MSU) system for multi-camera application.

control unit upscales HD content to 4K (3840x2160) and delivers a 12G-SDI output in addition to a quad-Link 3G-SDI. A planned

HD HDR output to support Hybrid Log-Gamma.

pro.sony.com

Sachtler rubber feet and come with a padded bag featuring practical grips and a carrying strap.

Ki Pro Ultra Plus

The HXC-FB80

The HXCU-FB80 camera control unit

ACE XL GS AL

Connections on the GS Series models

Video editing updates from Grass Valley

GRASS VALLEY has added a number of new features to its Edius Nonlinear Editing Software. Edius 9

licence package designed for large facilities. Edius 9 can be installed and run across multiple systems and simultaneously adding more licences if needed.

Some of the other enhancements available with Edius 9 include native editing of HDR material; export of HDR; the ability to mix SDR and HDR material in the same project; native end-to-end support for HDR content from professional

third-party hardware support updates; and third-party hardware 4K 50p/60p output support (only available in Edius Workgroup 9).

In other news, the Canadian manufacturer has developed the T2 Series 3 SD/HD audio/video playout centre that features a 7-inch touchscreen on its front

panel in addition to 1-channel input and 2-channel output that can be used simultaneously for recording and playback.

Each T2 Series 3 model – T2 Express 3, T2 Pro 3 and T2 Elite 3 – features increased CPU and memory capacity said to improve stability and reliability. Depending on content format, T2 can accept

(two at the front and four at the rear) or by data transfer over a standard Gigabit Ethernet network.

one SD/HD platform for ingest, replay, transmission, editing and content management, while also offering a user-friendly experience, combining VTR-like controls with touchscreen and workstation operation’, explained Pete Semerak, vice president, news, Grass Valley.

www.grassvalley.com

JVC adds graphics

JVC HAS added built-in graphics

camera as well as the KY-PZ100 pan/ tilt/zoom camera. This functionality allows the user to create overlay graphics directly in the camera, without the need for any further additional hardware.

In addition to a dedicated Sports mode, the camera also integrates lower-third type graphic more suitable to house of worship use.

At the other end of the signal chain, the manufacturer has focused on resolution with a range of monitoring solutions. The DT-U28 is a 28-inch UHD studio model, while the larger DT-U31 31-inch model features full

10-bit panels and 12-bit colour processing and can support 12G SDI

Panasonic signs the way

PANASONIC HAS unveiled four signage displays: the TH-65SF2 (measuring 65 inches), TH-55SF2 (55 inches), TH-49SF2 (49 inches) and TH-43SF2 (43 inches) said to offer high operability ideal for staging and digital signage. All four displays offer a brightness of 450cd/m2 for viewing in bright spaces and wide-view IPS/E-LED panel technology. The E-LED backlighting is said to be energy around the clock. The displays’ cloning function is said to reduce the installation time of multi-unit installations by allowing users to save the settings from one screen and transfer to displays using a LAN network to clone menu setting and adjust

values from one screen to another. Colour adjustment allows for brightness and colour matching across multiple screens, while image adjustment options allow users to change the settings to suit their chosen image.

Failover and Failback functions keep images on display even if the signal fails. The display switches to a back-up signal and switches back to the main signal as soon as the signal is reconnected. Early Warning Software is said to reduce downtime by allowing users to identify problems before they occur, while Multi Monitoring and Control Software allow users to control and monitor over 2,000 devices.

www.panasonic.com

– or four times 3G HD-SDI – along with HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2 for 4K support. The DT-U28 and DTU31 monitors both support HDR functions, with Hybrid Log Gamma 3D LUTs. There is a waveform monitor and vectorscope, together

with 16-channel audio metering, plus the monitors can support

DisplayPort graphics devices. They are TSL RS-485 UMD compatible, also working with other standard control tools, and can be remote controlled via IP.

Stepping down in resolution, the manufacturer has also launched a four-member range of HD monitors. The DT-G Series ranges from 17 to 27 inches and features 8-bit panels and 12-bit colour processing. The monitors have 3G HD-SDI connections with loop, plus HDMI 2.0, and support a wide range of video signals, including 4K scaling. Professional features include waveform monitor, vectorscope, histogram and 16-channel audio metering. There’s a 4K pixel-to-pixel zoom function, for any area of the screen, along with 3D LUT support and built-in calibration processing. Each member of the family can run on mains or battery power, and can be remote controlled over IP.

www.pro.jvc.com

The GY-HM200ESB ENG camera

TH-65SF2

J Sound Services

WAVL

J SOUND SERVICES (JSS) IS A Nashville, Tennessee-based design

The sanctuary of the Salvation Army’s Tustin, California, church was a JSS project

For this project, JSS developed acoustic treatment along with the AVL systems

JSS partners with Design Technik for custom acoustic treatments

Jason Spence, president and CEO

...yet still reach the congregation clearly.

AM-1

Real-time steering array microphone

Placed flat and unobstrusively on the podium, the real-time steering array microphone tracks your voice and captures it clearly and uniformly. Equipped with a built-in sensor, the microphone detects sound sources and steers its beam angle automatically in realtime to focus on that source. This frees speakers to move back and forth in the vicinity of the podium, turn or tilt their heads to address different sections of the audi-ence, or gesture naturally without concern for the location of the microphone.

We supply sound, not equipment.

www.toa.com.sg I TOAasiapacific www.toa.co.in I

ENGAGE YOUR CONGREGATION SOUND SOLUTION FOR HOUSES OF WORSHIP

L-Acoustics systems are renowned for their uniform, full-range, natural sound. Our flexible, lightweight systems project crystal clear sound to your congregation, avoiding reverberant architecture. From the front row to the very back, your worshippers will never miss the message. Generous power ensures each congregant has the feeling of being in the heart of your music. Let our sound systems help you achieve maximum engagement for your house of worship. www.l-acoustics.com

Elevation Church - Charlotte, NC, USA