Worship AVL March-April 2019

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AV LIGHTING SOUND REINFORCEMENT RECORDING STAGE SOUND BROADCAST

March–April 2019

READY FOR ACTION

Creating cross-campus consistency at Action Church

AACHEN’S PROJECTION CELEBRATION Singapore: MICA (P) 020/07/2018 PPS 1644/05/2013(022954)

HOW TO GROW YOUR STREAMING VIEWERSHIP



CONTENTS

Issue 57

March–April 2019

NEWS NEW ENCOUNTER South African church undergoes full audio refresh

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CONCERT SOUND Chiesa di Santa Brigida gears up for live televised gig

4

RAISING THE BAR Festive lights at Southern New Hampshire University

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MIXING HOLY MASS DiGiCo SD12s employed during Lithuania’s papal visit

8

STEERING ALL SAINTS Iconyx installation in Cypriot church

10

BALANCING ACT Buddhist radio station balances budget and quality

10

CONTROLLING REVERB Our Lady of Good Counsel opts for Bose

11

CASCADE OF LIGHT Elation rig enhances live and broadcast experiences

12

NEW WORKFLOW EQUATION Flatirons Community Church adopts Lawo

14

VIDEOWALL CONSTRUCTION Unilumin screens reinforce Christ Place

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OVERFLOW IN MONROE Danley sound fills Louisiana church’s new space

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RIDING WAVES Saddleback Church adds Waves plug-ins to broadcast setup

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JAINTIA HILLS ARE ALIVE A complete new sound system for Indian church 18 CONTEMPORARY NEEDS Bethany Community Church meets audio requirements 18

PROJECTS COVER: ACTION CHURCH Fast-growing church strives for AVL consistency

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AACHEN CATHEDRAL Projection mapping retraces German cathedral’s history

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LEADER Welcome to another edition of Worship AVL. This issue, we’ve aimed to help navigate today’s digital world with a series of Technology and KnowHOW features exploring a variety of topics, from network and information security and computer backup to video streaming tips, tricks and analytics. Yet, it’s not only houses of worship that need to stay ahead of the curve in the digital age. We all do – and that includes us at Worship AVL; after all, more and more of you will be reading this as a digital magazine via your smartphone, tablet or laptop. As a result, we’re making an effort to improve our online offerings, making it easier to find and read our best content on-screen. To start with, you may have noticed our recent website refresh. Our new site will continue to serve up audio, video and lighting news from houses of worship around the world, while also providing a new home for some of the best content found in the pages of this magazine – the KnowHOW, Technology, Buying Guide, Maintenance and Tech View features, as well as our exclusive Projects – so that they are easy to search for and share. That said, the first place you’ll find all of this content is right here in Worship AVL, whether flicking through the virtual pages on a touchscreen or the printed ‘analogue’ edition.

GIMHAE JEIL CHURCH Sovico adds sound reinforcement to new sanctuary 26 OUR LADY OF LOURDES Thrissur’s metropolitan cathedral has a renovation

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GYEONGSAN CENTRAL CHURCH Driving high-energy youth services

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KNOWHOW TRAINING MUSICIANS TO USE IEMs Gordon Moore provides a teaching tutorial

34

GROW YOUR STREAMING VIEWERSHIP Tips and tricks to boost your ratings 36 SET UP A BASIC LIGHTING GRID John Black discusses basic lighting design 40 MAINTENANCE Frank Wells shares a strategy for computer backup and recovery

44

James Cooke Editor

Telephone: +44 (0)1892 676280

Email: jcooke@worshipavl.com

TECHNOLOGY

MEET THE TEAM

SECURING NETWORKS Audinate’s Brad Price on managing IP networks

46

SOCIAL ANALYTICS James Cooke explores social media viewing figures

48

COMPARING LEDs What to consider before investing in LED fixtures

52

BUYING GUIDE Ellipsoidal lighting fixtures

54

PRODUCTS Equipment launches and updates

56

THE TECH VIEW Manchester Christian Church plans for Christmas at the Arena

70

IN THIS ISSUE

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Sue Gould:

Ledetta Asfa-Wossen :

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LICENCES Singapore: MICA (P) 020/07/2018 PPS 1644/05/2013(022954) All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright owners.

@WorshipAVLMagazine March–April 2019 WORSHIP AVL 3


NEWS

A new audio Encounter SOUTH AFRICA: The Encounter Christian Church, located on the second floor of a shopping centre in a residential area of Centurion, has consulted DWR Distribution to help expand its sound system. With capacity to seat up to 600 congregants, the church’s audio coverage was rather patchy throughout the sanctuary. Due to the neighbouring residents and retail outlets, sound levels had to be carefully considered when installing new sound systems. ‘We replaced the entire sound system with the Quest range of loudspeakers and amplifiers,’ explained Kyle Robson from DWR. ‘The existing audio console was

upgraded to a DiGiCo S21 and the full install was complete within a day. The system was designed to focus audio coverage on the audience so that the spill out of the building was minimised. Since the new system has been installed, there hasn’t been a complaint from the neighbours and the audio quality is incredible.’ The Quest loudspeakers are perfectly suited to fill the venue without spilling beyond the sanctuary. ‘The HPI111 is a great box for audio distribution,’ said Mr Robson. ‘Coverage from front to back is excellent.’ In addition to the main, central HPI111 speakers, a pair of HPI8is

have been installed as out-fills to cover the seating areas on each side of the stage. As the voicing of the HPI8i is designed to be almost identical to the HPI111s, audio sounds as if it emanates from a single source when crossing the church from left to right. Two HPI212S subwoofers were flown behind the main PA and time-aligned within the system to deliver low-end sound. They were flown to keep the floor clear of equipment. Handling the audio mix, the DiGiCo S21 was chosen for its ease of operation, allowing the ever-growing roster of church technicians to manage the system. ‘The band now has ample inputs to work with and

has future-proofed the growth of the church in all aspects,’ Mr Robson noted. ‘The S21 is simple enough for various volunteers to jump on and operate. If anything goes wrong, they can simply recall a set session. This is great as it gives the sound team a safe place to grow their knowledge. ‘It’s good to know that, as the church grows, the entire system is capable of growing with them, without needing to replace any of the items installed.’ www.digico.biz www.dwrdistribution.co.za www.encounterchurch.co.za www.questaudio.com.au

Concert sound at Chiesa di Santa Brigida POLAND: Chiesa di Santa Brigida (the Church of St Bridget) in Gdańsk recently staged a televised concert to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the appointment of Pope John Paul II. To help manage the brick-built church’s difficult acoustics, an Alcons Audio proribbon system was deployed ahead of the broadcast. Born as Karol Józef Wojtyła in the Polish city of Wadowice, Pope John Paul II became the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years in 1978. The recent concert at Chiesa di Santa Brigida featured Cappella Gedanensis, a vocal and instrumental ensemble that performs traditional music from Gdańsk and represents the city around the world. For this concert, they included singer Plácido Domingo Jr, mezzo-soprano Alicja

4 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

Wegorzewska and pianist Maciej Miecznikowski. Broadcast live on Polish TVP1 and TV Polonia, the concert’s audio production was handled by Gdańsk-based Offstage, which used an Alcons pro-ribbon system to combat the vaulted ceilings,

columns and other flat, reflective surfaces within the tall interior of the sanctuary. The setup included two QR24 modular line source array columns per side, with two VR12 mid-size monitors as out-fills and two VR8 compact versatile monitors as zoned speakers in the middle of the

church. The system was powered by Sentinel10 and Sentinel3 amplified loudspeaker controllers. ‘Santa Brigida is a challenging acoustic space and, as a prestigious televised concert marking an important Polish anniversary, it was vital that we delivered the best sound possible,’ said Patryk Kozak, who mixed the live sound for the event. ‘The exceptional directivity of the Alcons pro-ribbon loudspeakers, and specifically the QR24, played an important part in avoiding unwanted acoustic reflections, while the high-end clarity and excellent gain before feedback meant that the best possible sound quality was delivered to the live audience.’ www.alconsaudio.com www.brygida.gdansk.pl www.offstage.pl


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NEWS

Raising the bar USA: Manchester Christian Church once again turned to Events United for the 2018 edition of its Christmas at the Arena celebration. Enlisting a range of Chauvet Professional Maverick, Rogue, Épix and Strike fixtures, along with PVP X6IP LED video panels, the annual event at the Southern New Hampshire University Arena attracts over 6,000 people. Following a successful event in 2017, the Events United team wanted to take its production ‘to the next level’ for Christmas 2018. ‘We wanted to create more interesting looks in the space behind the pastor for our

tight IMAG shots,’ said Jon Martell, lead designer and video specialist at Events United. ‘We felt this area could have been a little more compelling

when we had close-ups of the pastor and worship leaders.’ The Events United team also wanted to move away from the giant video screen that had dominated the event in previous years and go with a design that wove lighting and video more closely together. To accomplish this, the large videowall from 2017 was broken up into 16 vertical strips made of 80 PVP X6IP tiles. ‘The pixel pitch, high contrast and vivid colours of the tiles looked great on IMAG,’ added Events United’s Tim Messina. ‘Plus, the bright and punchy output was ideal for this arena setting; we were able to use the videowall like blinders at times when we needed big hits.’ Pipes holding two Rogue R1 Wash units and two Épix Strip Tour linear

fixtures were placed around the vertical videowalls. These fixtures were divided into two angled side trusses and a centre truss on the pipes to create dimensionality and depth. ‘The Rogue R1 Wash was a perfect match for the walls and played nicely with the pixel-mapped Épix Strip Tours. Putting them into an array like this allowed Ryan Lane, our lighting designer, to really play with big sweeps and geometric patterns,’ explained Mr Martell. For front lighting and special effects, Events United flew 12 Maverick MK2 Spots across downstage truss roughly 30 inches in the air. Also included in the rig were 10 Maverick MK2 Wash fixtures used for aerial effects and audience washing, 10 Maverick MK1 Hybrid fixtures flown upstage for aerial effects and six Strike 4s positioned over the stage for blinders. www.chauvetprofessional.com www.eventsunited.us www.manchesterchristian.com

Read about the planning and preparation involved in Christmas at the Arena in The Tech View with Manchester Christian Church’s Benjamin Davis on page 70.

Miracle Channel expands playout CANADA: First hitting the airwaves in 1996, Miracle Channel was Canada’s first religious television network. The network recently launched an additional channel for cable and satellite and, as a result, needed to expand its playout system. Having relied on PlayBox Neo AirBox systems for a number of years, Miracle Channel turned to the playout solution once again. ‘Miracle Channel has been operating AirBox for many years on its primary, on-air channel,’ explained Van Duke, US director of operations at PlayBox Neo. ‘It allows the station staff to control playout on a fully prescheduled basis, while at the same time having the ability to transmit live. Selecting the same system for the new channel has obvious advantages in terms of staff training and enables operators to

6 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

work with total confidence right across the network.’ PlayBox Neo AirBox is designed for 24/7 unattended operation but can also be operated manually when required. It supports UHD, HD and SD playout. TitleBox Neo forms an integral part of the PlayBox Neo system

at Miracle Channel. This provides interactive, on-air graphics and titling functionalities that can be manipulated live. Pre-constructed graphic components, video resizing from a live source or file, windowstyle display and website content ingest capabilities are also offered by the platform.

Upgrading its existing channel to the latest AirBox Neo system has also provided the production team with more options to get creative with the addition of new features. ‘These include a streaming input suppor ting HTTP, HTTP Secure, UDP, RTMP, MMS, MMSH and YouTube,’ said Mr Duke. ‘Also added is a vir tual output that suppor ts multiple instances. Timecode can now be applied to MOV files and multiple DeckLink cards can now be used for multichannel ad inser tion. Enhancements have also been made to the clip trimmer and audio level control. The system can operate fully automated or under manual control, including the ability to handle live-to-air throughput.’ miraclechannel.ca www.playboxneo.com


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NEWS

Mixing for Pope Francis’ Holy Mass LITHUANIA: Pope Francis recently toured the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, concluding with a Holy Mass in Sàntakos Park in Kaunas, Lithuania that attracted more than 100,000 people. The sound system for this mammoth event was provided by NGR Service and included a pair of DiGiCo SD12 mixing consoles – one for the live sound, the other for the broadcast feeds.

NGR’s Valdemaras Karpuška and Tomas Ždanovičius

‘NGR was chosen for this important event because of the quality of its equipment and its exemplary service,’ said Ramūnas Alenskas from DiGiCo’s Lithuanian distributor, Sonus, which offered NGR support in the form of additional stageboxes and cabling. ‘They used the two DiGiCo SD12s along with two SD-Racks, a D2-Rack and an SD-Mini Rack, which were deployed for their ability to connect to all six racks in fully redundant mode.’ NGR owner Valdemaras Karpuška was the event’s sound director, while Tomas Ždanovičius produced the system designs and managed FOH. ‘We had two stages – the main stage was just used for speeches, so the SD-Mini Rack was employed for the connection of 16 microphones,’ explained Mr Karpuška. ‘For the orchestra/chorus stage, we had a total of 54 inputs for the main

programme, which comprised 86 musicians and more than 300 singers, plus two soloists, as well as 60 outputs for the OB truck to mix the live broadcast. In addition, we had an extra 20 channels on the input list for the band. In total, we had 92 input channels.’ ‘DiGiCo’s James Bradley was with us for preparation and event

day,’ added Mr Alenskas. ‘Having James with us was invaluable and is a great example of DiGiCo’s outstanding support. We are delighted to report that the organisers were more than happy with the results.’ www.digico.biz www.rezisieriai.lt

Clarity shows St Mary’s the light Clarity was approached based on its extensive experience with HOW installations. The systems integrator was tasked with highlighting the church’s architecture, décor and history, and to create a warm, welcoming worship space. Already familiar with GDS, Clarity managing director Stuart Graham consulted with the manufacturer in regards to this project. After visiting the church to demonstrate its lighting solutions, GDS produced a DIALux design for the space to provide the UK: A Grade I listed building, St Mary’s Church in Standon, Hertfordshire has recently undergone some major improvement works. This included the installation of a new lighting rig by systems integrator, Clarity in Sound, Light and Vision Ltd. St Mary’s dates back to Saxon times and was bequeathed to the Knights of St John in the 12th century. Over the centuries, it has been subject to many architectural embellishments that have added to the church’s character and signify the various chapters of its long history. Today, St Mary’s Church is a hub for the local community where, in addition to worship services, it hosts concerts, recitals and other events. An independent

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charity works to preserve and restore the building, while a team of volunteers maintains the churchyard.

church management with a visual concept. Due to the church’s Grade I listing, Clarity needed to be extremely

careful during the installation. The old floor could not support heavy machinery, resulting in the use of scaffolding to provide ceiling access. The GDS team was also on hand throughout the installation to offer support and oversee the project, with applications engineer John Blamey commissioning the system. Various features throughout the church have been lit with fixtures from the GDS ArcSystem range. In the chancel, a pair of tombs are lit with GDS MR16 lamps. Further MR16 units have also been used as uplighters for the ceiling. A combination of Pro One-Cell and Pro Four-Cell units are installed in the nave, and ArcLamp fixtures are employed in the entrance portico. Pro Two-Cell fixtures round out the rig, lighting up the aisle. ‘The support from GDS has been fantastic,’ said Mr Graham. ‘We were supplied with demo kits to showcase the best products for St Mary’s and were able to use their DIALux designs to better visualise the end result with the client. It has been great to work together and find the best possible lighting solution for this historic building.’ www.clarityslv.com www.gds.uk.com www.ubsms.org.uk/churches/st-marys-standon


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NEWS NEWS

Steerable Steerable All All Saints Saints CYPRUS: CYPRUS:Agion AgionPanton Panton(All (AllSaints) Saints) Church Churchhas hasbeen beenequipped equippedwith withaa Renkus-Heinz Renkus-HeinzIconyx Iconyxdigitally digitallysteerable steerable line linearray arraysystem. system.The Thesystem systemdesign design and andinstallation installationwere werecarried carriedout outbyby VVHypersound Hypersound&&Light. Light.

coverthe themain mainarea areaofofthe thechurch,’ church,’ totocover explainedVVHypersound Hypersound&&Light Light explained technicalmanager, manager,Vassos VassosMouzouras. Mouzouras. technical ‘Renkus-Heinzbeam-steering beam-steering ‘Renkus-Heinz technologyisisperfect perfectfor fordealing dealing technology withthe thehigh highreverberation reverberationtime timethat that with resultedfrom fromthe the30m-high 30m-highdome. dome. resulted TheIC16-8-RN’s IC16-8-RN’sability abilitytotodirect direct The individuallyshaped shapedbeams beamsallowed allowed individually theVVHypersound Hypersoundteam teamtotoaim aimsound sound the towardsthe thecongregation, congregation,while while towards keepingreflections reflectionsaway awayfrom fromthe thehard hard keeping surfacesand andthe thedome. dome. surfaces ‘Theloudspeakers loudspeakersthat thatour ourteam team ‘The installedsounded soundedgreat greatand andcreated createdaa installed balanced-soundingarea, area,with withnonodead dead balanced-sounding acousticspots.’ spots.’ acoustic Whilethe theIC16-8-RN IC16-8-RNcabinets cabinetsform form While themain mainFOH FOHsetup, setup,they theywere werenot not the theonly onlyspeakers speakersinstalled. installed.‘We ‘We the usedaaRenkus-Heinz Renkus-HeinzCX41 CX41compact, compact, used coaxial,2-way 2-wayloudspeaker loudspeakertotocover cover coaxial, smallarea areafor forthe thepriest,’ priest,’said saidMr Mr aasmall Mouzouras.‘This ‘Thisisisaaminiature miniaturepoint point Mouzouras. sourceloudspeaker loudspeakerthat thatprovides providesaa source full-rangeresponse, response,sosowe wewere wereable able full-range provideclear, clear,accurate accuratesound soundfor forthe the totoprovide priestwith withminimal minimalvisual visualintrusion.’ intrusion.’ priest

The Thechurch, church,located locatedininthe thevillage village ofofDeryneia, Deryneia,features featuresaablend blendofof traditional traditionalByzantine Byzantineand andmodern modern architecture architecturewith withaatiled tiledroof roofdome dome and andtall tallbell belltower. tower.Inside, Inside,the thehard hard 22 surfaces surfacesthat thatsurround surroundthe the950m 950m space spacealong alongwith withthe thehigh highceiling ceilingand and dome domecause causeananacoustic acousticnightmare, nightmare, amplifying amplifyingsound soundwaves. waves. ‘At ‘AtAgion AgionPanton PantonChurch, Church,our ourteam team www.hypersound.com.cy www.hypersound.com.cy decided decidedtotowork workwith withRenkus-Heinz Renkus-Heinz www.renkus-heinz.com IC16-8-RN IC16-8-RNdigitally digitallysteerable steerableline linearrays arrays www.renkus-heinz.com

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Balancing Balancing budget budget and and quality quality MALAYSIA: MALAYSIA:Xin XinYuan YuanFM, FM,an an online onlineradio radiostation stationlocated locatedatat Young YoungBuddhist BuddhistAssociation Associationofof Malaysia Malaysia(YBAM), (YBAM),has hasrecently recently started startedbroadcasting. broadcasting.JAA JAASystems Systems installed installedthe thecomplete completestudio studio setup. setup. Xin XinYuan Yuantranslates translatesasas‘Wish’ ‘Wish’ ininMandarin. Mandarin.The Theradio radiostation’s station’s president, president,Lim LimGim GimShin, Shin, elaborated elaboratedon onthe thename: name:‘We ‘Wewish wish totospread spreadpositivity positivityand andharmony harmonytoto allallour ourlisteners listenersthrough throughBuddhist Buddhist teachings.’ teachings.’ ‘It‘Itwas wasaasmall, small,but butinteresting, interesting, project,’ project,’said saidKaartigayan Kaartigayan Gunasegran, Gunasegran,sales salesengineer engineeratat JAA JAASystems. Systems.‘Xin ‘XinYuan YuanFM FMisisaa charitable charitableorganisation organisationand andwe we helped helpedtotobuild buildaaprofessional, professional,

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NEWS

Controlling reverb at Our Lady of Good Counsel USA: Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Moorestown, New Jersey dates back to the 19th century; the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features soaring ceilings supported by tall pillars. These features create

and ControlSpace processors, to direct speech directly towards the congregation and away from the reverberant surfaces up high. Seven MSA12X loudspeakers are mounted on the sanctuary’s columns – six facing the congregation and one

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high reverberation, which, while pleasing to the ear, can wreak havoc for intelligibility when reinforcing speech. Therefore, when the opportunity presented itself during a building renovation project, the church hired AV systems integrator Whitaker Brothers North to design and install a new sound system. Bose Professional Panaray MSA12X digital beam-steering loudspeakers form the core of the new sound setup, along with the manufacturer’s FreeSpace speakers

on the front column that serves as a monitor for those on the altar. A ControlSpace ESP-1240 processor, controlled via a ControlSpace CC-64 wall-mounted control panel, manages the system. In addition, the choir loft at the rear of the church has also been equipped with a new sound system. The choir’s own PA system comprises a pair of Bose Panaray 402 Series IV arrays driven by a PowerShare PS602 amplifier. A pair of Bose FreeSpace DS-16 loudspeakers are used as monitors for the choir. ‘Speech intelligibility had been a problem for some time, as had achieving even coverage,’ explained Kevin Whitaker Jr, operations manager at Whitaker Brothers North. ‘The existing sound system was 12 years old, and there were substantial gaps in its coverage, front-to-back and left-to-right. ‘The Panaray MSA12X came along at just the right time – we needed the kind of coverage it could provide but we also had to keep the speakers mounted higher on the columns, for aesthetic reasons. A typical linear array would have had to have been installed at a lower level, which would have interfered with the look they wanted to achieve.’ pro.bose.com

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March–April 2019 WORSHIP AVL 11


NEWS

The Time Is Now for wide coverage

Cascade of light USA: Cascade Hills Church in Columbus, Georgia called on the services of Absolute Audio Systems to install a lighting solution to enhance the live and broadcast aspects of its worship services. The solution was provided in the form of an Elation stage lighting rig. ‘Cascade Hills is an active church that was in need of a lighting upgrade so they could improve the look of their weekly services and TV broadcasts, as well as special events like musical performances,’ explained Todd Buckner, owner of Absolute Audio Systems. ‘We did comparisons in the venue with various products and they chose an Elation lighting package because, simply put, they looked the best.’ The upgrade to the lighting rig followed an earlier refresh of the 2,500-seat main sanctuary’s video, camera and house lighting systems. The rig is designed to engage parishioners by immersing them in the worship experience. It comprises eight Elation Platinum Beam 5R

Extreme moving head beam lights, nine Chorus Line 16 LED battens and four Fuze Wash Z350 singlesource PAR moving head luminaires. The Platinum Beams, living up to their name, deliver solid beams and splayed prism effects, while the Fuze fixtures coat the stage in a uniform wash of colour. The linear Chorus Line pixel bars are used as stage washes and foot lights. ‘With so many applications, the setups can change often so they like the flexibility of the fixtures as well as the output,’ noted Mr Buckner. Impressed with the results, Cascade Hills is reportedly looking to add to the system and rented Elation Fuze and SixPAR 200 fixtures from Absolute Audio during the Christmas season. Product support on the project was provided by Elation manufacturer rep firm, Freed Sales. www.absoluteaudiosystems.com www.cascadehills.com www.elationlighting.com

12 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

USA: Under the tagline The Time Is Now, El Shaddai Ministries held the most recent edition of its Prophecy Conference at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center. The two-day conference featured a range of renowned speakers on the topic of biblical prophecy, their speech reinforced by WorxAudio, ULT and StudioLive loudspeakers from PreSonus, ensuring the entire audience could hear their messages clearly.

Mr Wilson and his team also positioned a pair of WorxAudio XL1T-P enclosures to the left and right of the stage lip as front-fills. Out-fill was delivered by two PreSonus ULT1 point source loudspeakers and a pair of StudioLive 312AI enclosures. ‘The XL1 has an unusually wide 160° horizontal coverage pattern,’ explained Mr Wilson. ‘This made the XL1 our first choice for this application due to the extended

Essential Audio Group was contracted to provide the sound reinforcement for The Time Is Now Prophecy Conference. Group president and CEO John Wilson oversaw the project. ‘This conference had approximately 2,000 participants,’ Mr Wilson shared. ‘The room is quite large. The seating area measures roughly 55m wide by 40m deep, with the stage facing into the 40m depth. This very wide seating arrangement presented a unique challenge in that even coverage and vocal intelligibility at every seat was critical to the success of the event. To address this, we flew 14 PreSonus WorxAudio XL1T-P 2-way line arrays for the house mains – with each of the left and right seven-element clusters flown at a height of 6.7m. For low-frequency support, we used two WorxAudio TL218SS super subs, with one enclosure each on the left and right sides of the stage.’

width of the room’s seating area. The ULT15s are the perfect complement to the XL1 for out-fill, as they have the same voicing as the XL1 and helped cover the outer seats perfectly. Because of this implementation, coverage was consistent in both volume and tonality at every seat in the room. ‘Several of the customer’s production crew members who had done this event in the same room in the past said they had never heard it sound better. Everyone was very impressed with the intelligibility of the system and its ability to evenly and accurately reproduce the programme material. Even with just two TL218SS subwoofers, we had more than enough low-frequency power to cover the entire room with rumbling earthquake sound effects from one of the presenter’s videos.’ www.elshaddaiministries.us www.essentialaudiogroup.com www.presonus.com


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NEWS

Flatirons’ new workflow equation USA: Flatirons Community Church has installed a Lawo mc256 digital console for live production use during services and postproduction for its online offerings. The church has a huge following, with weekly services attracting up to 20,000 congregants, while many more watch from home. The new mc256 mixes services live with automation running and, when the service is over, provides the foundation for an automated post-mix. ‘A primary goal with this project was to “take the lid off” a workflow that was bound by channel-count limitations, available DSP, limited “in the DAW” processing and recording capacity,’ explained Flatirons’ audio director, Bryce Boynton. ‘We want to take every possible technique used in postproduction and integrate it into the live broadcast environment.

The recording studio Whether it’s time-aligned house mics, real-time drum sampling, live vocal tuning, master bus processing or – most of all – real-time dynamic

Flatirons’ broadcast booth

automation, we want to create the most “album-like” sound for broadcast possible.’ The established workflow at Flatirons records directly to a Pro Tools HD system via the church’s Dante distribution network. This now feeds the Lawo console as well. The mc256’s Nova73 Compact Core supports 256 channels of Dante I/O, simplifying the process of integrating the console with the existing Dante infrastructure. The new workflow is also able to use the same Waves plug-ins and DSP settings for two days of rehearsal and two further days of recording. ‘The expectation is to remove at least two days from the post workflow compared to sending the audio files out of house for remix,’ Mr Boynton explained. ‘Some processes that we are still

working on implementing include AFV [audio-follows-video] triggering, synchronised machine control over multiple playback devices, mxGui configuration and advanced editing of dynamic automation. It is extremely impressive how the console can be configured to act in a variety of different environments. The implementation team at Lawo has even written unique scripts for custom hardware control for our specific workflow. The desk can be configured as a “do anything” broadcast console, an FOH console, a monitor desk or a remote controller for another desk with some custom configuration.’ Mr Boynton explained how the mc256’s capability to record all automation to its own drive comes in handy: ‘It is invaluable to be able to cut together a service, make minor musical edits and maintain a mix without having to start over after the fact. By recording the rehearsal mid-week and virtual mixing before the weekend, we are ready for a postproduction-quality live mix by the time of the first service on Saturday. By the end of the last service on Sunday, we have a fairly complete product. Then, through some editing and further mix refinements, the final version is ready to be posted permanently online that same evening. This will, in turn, help bring more viewers because of the relevancy and quality of the content.’ www.flatironschurch.com www.lawo.com

Videowall constructed at Christ Place USA: Christ Place Church’s new 7,246m2 sanctuary is equipped with 99.5m2 of Unilumin UpadIII screens, providing visual reinforcement for congregations of up to 2,000 worshippers. The screens were supplied by Production/co and are used to display IMAG video of the services for congregants with vision impairment in particular. ‘Pastor Jeff Crook preaches and has a lot of facial expressions and we want people to be able to engage with him as he teaches the word of God,’ said Stephen Odum, creative director at Christ Place. ‘We want them to be able to

Church. Its new building was constructed to serve its following of more than 8,000 members. ‘When there is an issue on a Sunday morning, you need to be able to correct the problems as fast as possible, even using volunteers to do so at times,’ explained Dustin Whitt of Production/co. ‘In the past, we have dealt with [video] panels that were difficult to service. The magnetic modules in the Unilumin panel were a big selling point.’ connect with him visually. So we’ll be able to do that with the new screens and cameras.’

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The Baptist church, based in Oakwood, Georgia was previously known as Blackshear Place Baptist

www.christplace.church www.productionco.com www.unilumin.com


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NEWS

Overflow in Monroe USA: Covenant Presbyterian in Monroe, Louisiana has moved into larger premises to accommodate its growing congregation. AV systems integrator, Matt’s Music, installed Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers in the new, highly reverberant sanctuary, chosen for their pattern control octaves, which are lower than conventional loudspeaker designs.

of the visual aesthetic. In the end, we agreed to do the best we could without any adjustments to the acoustics, and we could revisit the issue if the best wasn’t good enough.’ Mr Cortellini’s solution was the installation of three Danley SM60F integrated loudspeaker/ subwoofer cabinets in left-centreright arrays across the front of the

Riding Waves on Saddleback

The congregation at Covenant Presbyterian had outgrown the church’s humble, 175-seat sanctuary. Yet, running multiple services a week was not an option, as the church leadership wished to continue in its mission to bring the entire community together in a single service. A temporary overflow space briefly solved the problem before the church moved into its new, 400-seat worship space. ‘Covenant wanted a cathedraltype space with a lot of ambience that would match the aesthetics of its older, smaller sanctuary,’ explained Tony Cortellini, manager of the contracting division at Matt’s Music. ‘There was going to be a lot of stone, brick and wood, which was going to look amazing. However, I was concerned that the space was going to be too reverberant. The church opted not to bring in an acoustical engineer and they declined my suggestions for acoustical treatments in favour

new sanctuar y’s stage. A single Danley SH mini loudspeaker covers the balcony as a delay. A QSC CXD-series amplifier with built-in DSP powers the system with input from a Yamaha TF-series console at FOH. Prior to the install, Mr Cortellini offered a proof-of-concept with the help of Kim Comeaux of local Danley rep, Anderson Marketing. Together, they modelled the new sanctuary and optimised the placement and selection of the Danley loudspeakers. ‘Aesthetics was a big consideration, and the small footprint of the Danley SM60Fs and mini fit right in,’ reasoned Mr Cortellini. ‘You can tell there are loudspeakers up there, but they aren’t obtrusive. The church officials went so far as to say they look good.’ www.covenantepc.com www.danleysoundlabs.com www.mattsmusic4u.com

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USA: Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California has updated its broadcast setup with the addition of Waves plug-ins and the Waves MultiRack plug-in host. Reportedly the fifth largest church in the United States, Saddleback welcomes an average of 20,000 attendees each week, with thousands more watching from home. ‘Saddleback Church has a pretty energetic sound with a full five- to seven-piece band supporting six to eight singers on most weekends during our worship services,’ said

MultiRack. Both MultiRack systems are running through SoundGrid Extreme servers to handle the plug-in processing. For broadcast, we now also use a Waves MultiRack together with Waves’ SoundGrid Server One, plus a selection of Waves plug-ins that we are using as broadcast processors. Some of these are mastering-type plug-in chains that make our feeds sound especially great.’ The church is no stranger to using Waves plug-ins. ‘Saddleback first invested in Waves years ago for

‘For broadcast, we now also use a Waves MultiRack together with Waves’ SoundGrid Server One, plus a selection of Waves plug-ins that we are using as broadcast processors’ Aaron Ruse, technical director of Saddleback’s Lake Forest campus. ‘About once a month, we also include a 60- to 80-person choir. Weekly teaching comes from our head pastor, Rick Warren, and other staff or guest speakers. We also host several conferences through the year, as well as frequent live shows by touring artists. ‘To support our various needs for services and events, we have 22 channels of wireless mics and 16 channels of stereo wireless IEMs. Our main speaker system is an L-Acoustics system. Our main room setup at FOH is a Yamaha Rivage PM10 console inter facing with the Waves MultiRack SoundGrid plugin host. A second PM10 serves as our monitor desk. We also have a Yamaha CL5 using Waves

our broadcast room, using the SSL E-Channel Strip plug-in on our main processing chains for many tracks. Then we invested in Waves Gold and CLA Classic Compressors bundles, as well as many other single plug-ins, for some of our Avid-based consoles across campus, including our main room FOH and monitor positions. We have now upgraded many of our consoles and moved to the Yamaha CL and Rivage platforms. We’ve had so much success with Waves plug-ins in the past three years that we went ahead and included Waves SoundGrid I/Os and SoundGrid servers and a large selection of Waves plug-ins at each new location.’ www.saddleback.com www.waves.com


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NEWS

Jaintia Hills are alive with new sound INDIA: Phawa Audio & Video Entertainment has installed a full sound setup for the Presbyterian Church at Moodamai in the Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya. The Shillong-based installation company integrated solutions from P.Audio, DynaTech, JTS and Mackie, all of which are distributed in India by Sonotone. ‘The Presbyterian Church was in the process of a complete overhaul and was seeking an efficient and comprehensive audio package to replace their existing system,’ said Mr Phawa from Phawa Audio.

subwoofers, driven by DynaTech V-4000 and V-5000 amplifiers. On the stage, a JTS US-1000D wireless microphone system and JTS TK-600 performance microphone capture the vocals, while singers receive foldback from DynaTech CX-15 monitors. In the control room, a Mackie ProFX16v2 mixing console manages the sound system. ‘After surveying the church and working out a plan, Mr Wanbor [the acoustic consultant on the project] and I designed the whole system in tandem with acoustic treatment

so as to avoid sound dispersion in unwanted areas.’ The new setup comprises eight P.Audio XE-12 passive 2-way speakers and DynaTech DEL-118

www.dynatechaudio.com www.jts.com.tw www.mackie.com www.paudiothailand.com www.sonotone.in

BCC meets contemporary audio needs USA: Bethany Community Church (BCC) has invested in a Nexo STM modular line array system and Yamaha CL5 digital audio console for its 100-year-old Green Lake sanctuary in Seattle. The audio system was designed and installed by Morgan Sound. BCC’s Green Lake facility seats upwards of 600 congregants for services that feature a contemporary worship band, which includes drums, percussion, bass, electric and acoustic guitars, a keyboard/organ and an acoustic piano, as well as vocalists and a 40-member choir. Bart Brueck, the church’s technical director, made the decision to upgrade the sanctuary’s sound system when BCC’s services became so contemporary in nature they dictated the need for a new audio system and mixing infrastructure.

Higher SPLs were needed, as were multitrack recording, a virtual soundcheck, new in-ear monitoring and a separate streaming mixing system. Morgan Sound had served as BCC’s primary contractor for more than 10 years, supplying equipment and training the technical staff across the church’s six campuses. ‘All of the locations include Yamaha or Nexo products so that volunteers have a common operating platform across all of the venues,’ explained Stephen Weeks, senior AV consultant for Morgan Sound. ‘It was therefore natural that Yamaha and Nexo products would be featured prominently in this venue.’ With the brands chosen, the Nexo STM M28 speakers were selected due to a combination of their compact size, sound quality and Dante-enabled

18 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

Bethany’s Bart Brueck and Stephen Weeks amplifiers. Eight M28s were deployed each side of the stage, while seven ID24 speakers placed on the stage steps provide front-fill. A further six ID24s can be found under the balcony as delays, three RS15-P subwoofers provide low-end reinforcement from beneath the stage and a pair of PS10 speakers in monitor mode deliver foldback onstage. Power is delivered by four Nexo NXAMP4X4 and two NXAMP4X1 amplifiers, while five NXD104MK2 Dante cards, an Aviom D800D distribution amp and a Waves Impact server with two WSG-Y16 cards for 32 Waves inserts provide system control. The Yamaha CL5 was installed with Rio1608-D and Rio3224-D stageboxes. To extend the plug-in options, Morgan Sound also set up a Waves Impact server with Yamaha MY cards to offer an additional 32

channels of Waves plug-ins. ‘The system sounds warm and full with extraordinary detail and clarity,’ confirmed Mr Weeks. ‘The phase response on the PA is truly fantastic and made system tuning and alignment very straightforward.’ Mr Brueck, meanwhile, is impressed with the fidelity and openness of the new system. ‘The articulation and evenness throughout the worship space comparatively is night and day,’ he said. ‘We couldn’t be happier with this installation and can’t imagine making this leap without the incredible team at Morgan Sound under the expert guidance of Stephen Weeks.’ www.churchbcc.org www.morgansound.com www.nexo-sa.com www.yamahaca.com


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PROJECTS

Consistency in Action Action Church has expanded to four campuses in less than five years. James Cooke discovers how AVL is managed at this rapidly growing church ACTION CHURCH SPRUNG TO LIFE at the start of 2014 with its first service taking place at Winter Springs High School near Orlando, Florida. In the five years since, Action Church has grown at an extraordinary rate, with campuses in nearby Oviedo and Sanford opening in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Then, in late 2018, the church inaugurated its purpose-built Winter Park Campus, which serves as Action’s dedicated broadcast campus. John Williams joined the church as music director during its third year. His role includes responsibility for the audio systems, as well as aspects of video and lighting. ‘When I started, one of the first things I noticed was that the two campuses at the time – Winter Springs and Oviedo – had Avid SC48 consoles, and another had been purchased for the upcoming Sanford facility,’ Williams recalls. ‘When it came to planning our new, dedicated broadcast facility at Winter Park, the SC48 unfortunately wasn’t going to cut it in terms of connectivity and I/O options. ‘I previously worked as a systems integrator and had experience with Allen & Heath consoles. I knew that they had addressed a lot of the issues from the iLive and I had heard a lot of good things about the newer dLive systems. We explored

The dLive in action at Winter Park our options and looked at what another reputable manufacturer had to offer too, but they were too expensive for our budget as we required connections for Dante and MADI, and the costs of those soon add up. While budget isn’t our biggest concern, we still need to

20 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

spread what money we have over the entire audio, video and lighting setups, and across all four sites. Therefore, we needed to look into what else was available.’ As a former systems integrator, Williams was no stranger to the world of pro AV trade shows.

He attended InfoComm 2017 in Orlando, along with others from Action Church, to find out exactly what was on offer in terms of mixing consoles. ‘The guys at Action Church had heard bad things about Allen & Heath consoles due to the iLive,’


PROJECTS

The view from FOH at Winter Park Williams explains. ‘But, the thing to remember is that iLive was really the first digital mixer of its kind at an affordable price point. Allen & Heath remains a strong brand and, as technology has moved along, I knew that they could offer us a good product at a more reasonable price. So, at InfoComm we went to multiple booths for a comparison. I knew Michael Palmer, who used to handle sales for Allen & Heath in the US, from my time as a systems integrator and I’d had the chance to see the conceptual drawings for dLive before it was released. I was therefore confident that dLive would impress, even before I’d seen it in person. We checked out the S7000 surface and were extremely impressed with all of the different protocols it offered.’ While the Action Church team was impressed by the demonstration of another console brand at InfoComm, with all the features and connectivity options needed at Winter Park, the dLive system from Allen & Heath came in at approximately half the cost. ‘Our first dLive S7000 was delivered to Winter Springs High School, as that was originally our broadcast campus.’ Prior to the opening of Winter Park, Action Church had to set up for broadcast at Winter Springs High School each week, with everything taken down after the service. ‘It was a major operation and we used an OB truck,’ Williams recalls. The church’s Oviedo services also take place in a high school, while the Sanford site was a disused

Methodist church that Action purchased in 2017, becoming its first fully owned campus. A week after Sanford hosted its first service, the church acquired a building that would be renovated before becoming the new Winter Park facility.

‘We moved both S7000s to Winter Park, using one for front of house, the other for broadcast, and then bought Allen & Heath’s C3500 consoles for use at the three other sites. The C3500 is more limited than the S7000, but we

‘As we had the new S7000 for Winter Springs, we decided to move its Avid SC48 across to Sanford,’ says Williams. ‘However, it soon needed replacing and a second S7000 we had waiting in storage for use at Winter Park was brought out early.’ With dLive desks in use at front of house at both Winter Springs and Sanford, a decision was made to standardise across all of Action Church’s sites. ‘Most of our technicians are volunteers and it was difficult for them to learn to operate multiple console types,’ Williams notes.

didn’t need all of the functionality of the larger console at the other campuses.’ The C3500s are all accompanied by MixRacks. The number of channels included differs from site to site depending on requirements. ‘All sites are different in terms of the racks,’ confirms Williams. ‘The impor tant thing is that we have similar desks at FOH at each site, as the C3500 and the S7000 are essentially the same to operate. This consistency means our volunteers can travel between sites and know exactly what they’re doing.’

Consistency is key for Action Church across its four locations, and it doesn’t end at the FOH position. ‘We try to stay consistent with our microphones, using Shure models at all four sites,’ Williams explains. ‘With Winter Park being our broadcast site, we invested in an Axient Digital system with KSM8 and KSM9 mics. At our other three sites, which we call our receiving sites as they screen the broadcast services from Winter Park in addition to hosting their own pastor and music, we have QLX-D digital wireless systems. ‘We love Shure mics and use them for everything including all of our musical instruments and to capture audience response.’ Due to the changes in the law for microphone frequency spectrums in the US, there were delays when it came to delivery of the microphone solutions and wireless in-ear monitor (IEM) systems. ‘The Axient Digital system arrived just a week before Winter Park opened,’ recalls Williams. ‘However, the Shure PSM1000 IEMs were on back order due to the frequency spectrum issues, so we had to borrow some for the opening weekend.’ In addition to the PSM1000 IEMs in Winter Park, the church also uses PSM300 systems at its receiving locations. As Action Church has grown at such a rapid rate, consistency across the church’s entire audio setup is still a work in progress. ‘The Winter Springs and Oviedo campuses have Renkus-Heinz speakers,’ explains Williams. ‘But, for Sanford and Winter Park, we

March–April 2019 WORSHIP AVL 21


PROJECTS needed more power and went with L-Acoustics line array systems. Sanford has three Arcs Wide speakers per side and four SB18 subwoofers on the floor, which provides plenty of PA power for a 300-seat room. Then, in Winter Park, we have three SB18s per side behind the array, and four KS28s on the floor installed in the face of the stage.’ The desire for system consistency across all four Action Church sites is twofold: ease of operation for volunteer technicians and the same experience for congregants at each location. ‘To make things simple for our volunteers, we have installed some rather complex systems that take out a lot of the difficulty,’ says Williams. ‘For example, we have QSC’s Q-Sys platform installed for system management, Dante for routing the audio, and MADI to transfer the audio to the video world. ‘It’s very important that our congregants all receive the same experience,’ he continues. ‘To ensure this from an audio perspective, when the receiving locations are showing a live video feed from Winter Park, we transmit eight channels of audio across. Those watching in Oviedo, Sanford

and Winter Springs are getting much more than stereo left/right audio as the technicians at each site are able to create their own mixes to meet the needs of their particular room.’ The rate at which Action Church has grown is certainly impressive, and the church’s use of audio, video and lighting to provide

the best possible experience to congregants, no matter which location they attend, has greatly contributed to this. ‘Visitors are always amazed, particularly by what we are able to accomplish at our portable locations in Winter Springs and Oviedo,’ says Williams. ‘Nobody thinks it’s possible to create an audio, lighting and video setup that

matches the installations at our fixed locations every week, only to tear them down at the end of the service, but we pull it off. People forget they’re seated in a high school.’ www.allen-heath.com www.shure.com www.theactionchurch.com

Lights, Camera, Action! ‘We do something rather unique at Action Church,’ Williams explains. ‘We use cinema cameras instead of television broadcast cameras.’ A combination of Panasonic VariCam cinema cameras and Fujinon lenses at Winter Park creates images with deeper blacks and the depth of field that audiences will associate with movies, rather than television shows. The camera fleet comprises a static cam for a long shot of the stage, a dolly cam, a jib and several roaming DSLRs. ‘It gives our roaming locations a different perspective,’ adds Williams. ‘It’s like being at the cinema.’ As for lighting, Williams concedes that there is room to expand. ‘Lighting didn’t get as much attention as our audio and video systems. It’s also not as easy to stick with one brand for lighting as some manufacturers are better at producing fixtures for certain applications than others.’

The church employs Panasonic VariCams for a cinematic look Action Church employs a mixture of fixtures from ETC, Elation and Philips. The lighting rigs at Winter Springs and Oviedo are set up and taken down each week, just as the audio systems are, while at Winter Park, the new lighting rig was designed by Crown Design Group (CDG) with broadcast in mind. ‘[Action Church] required a versatile system that could cover

22 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

both house and stage lighting and, because all locations take a live feed from the Winter Park site, they needed lighting that could easily transition for use in the sermon broadcast,’ says CDG’s co-founder, Ben Graham. ‘They wanted control of the house lighting to project any colour and to match with the background they have on screens, so we use

Elation Colour Pendants to shade the room and bring colour from the stage out into the audience.’ For colour wash on stage, CDG used Elation Fuze Wash Z350 LED moving heads with SixPar 200 LED PARs, while Pixel Bar LED strip lights are installed beneath the LED screens and risers for decorative background effects. Cuepix Blinder WW4s provide audience lighting. ‘The Elation Pixel Bars are great for producing background video content via ArKaos LED mapping software,’ notes Williams. ‘We use ArKaos and control the entire lighting setup on our MA Lighting grandMA2 console.’ Maintaining an element of consistency in its lighting system rig, grandMA2 consoles provide control at all four Action Church locations. www.crowndesigngroup.org www.elationlighting.com pro-av.panasonic.net



PROJECTS

A celebration in projection Aachen Cathedral celebrated 40 years as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with an architectural projection mapping display. James Cooke takes a look AACHEN CATHEDRAL IS ONE OF the oldest cathedrals in Europe. Construction began in 796AD by order of Charles I, also known as the emperor Charlemagne, and the cathedral was consecrated nine years later in 805. Charles I was then buried at the site after his death in 814. The building blends Carolingian, Ottonian and Gothic architectural styles, and stands as an impressive landmark in the German city of Aachen. With such a unique aesthetic and rich history, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared Aachen Cathedral a World Heritage Site in 1978. This means that the house of worship is conserved for posterity, protecting the site from trespassing, unmonitored, uncontrolled and unrestricted access, as well as the threat of local administrative negligence. Four decades have passed since Aachen Cathedral became a World Heritage Site and, to celebrate, the church’s history was projection mapped on the building’s architecture in Der Dom Leuchtet (The Bright – or Luminous – Cathedral), which was held over the

course of nine nights and attracted more than 40,000 spectators. Christoph Hillen from Aachen’s own 3D pixel mapping specialist, bendedPix, produced the conceptual design and animation as well as the pixel mapping work for the project, as it was his past work that inspired the celebration for Aachen Cathedral. ‘We produced a very successful mapping project on Aachen’s historical town hall in 2016,’ Hillen recalls. ‘This was how the cathedral got the idea. They also liked the idea that all of the creative work could be done by people from Aachen. ‘Our goal was to tell the story of the building, its meaning and importance to history and people from the past until now. We tried to avoid showing the usual mapping effects; instead, every scene has a detailed depiction of one story of the building.’ The projection mapping recounted key moments from the cathedral’s history from its founding by Charlemagne in the eighth century and was used to outline the building’s original structure to highlight its architectural changes. The various events depicted from

24 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

the cathedral’s 1,200-year lifetime included the Fire of Aachen in 1656, as animated flames climbed the church’s façade. The heavy damage caused to the building during World War II was shown using real photographs accompanied by the sound effects of an air raid siren, followed by an animation to demonstrate the rebuilding efforts. To bring the building façade to life in a blend of history and animation, Hillen used a disguise 4x4pro media

server equipped with quad-DVI VFC cards to deliver content to 14 Christie projectors. ‘disguise had the capability to drive all the outputs, and its QuickCal feature could handle projector calibration on an extremely difficult surface,’ he explains. ‘disguise also gave us a chance to review the design with VR support so we could see the critical 3D parts of the content from different views, which was very helpful.’


PROJECTS TECHNOLOGY

F U T U R E - PR O O F CO N N E CT I V I T Y

The projectors locatedthat on “crash” cue withwere the music Layhermiss scaffolding that Hillen would the moment if theand lights his team constructed 100m away took a second or two to react. The from the cathedral. Andre Gross efficiency targets required which of Publitec thesources disguise– the high outputinstalled white LED server andinthe Christie kind used fixtures forprojectors big theatres onsite, while Matthias Büsching or on concert tours – would find it Premium audio interfaces of Power+Radach partnered with hard to meet, because they have for Pro Tools | HD™, bendedPix the conceptual design. bigger lighton sources and, as the Thunderbolt™ and Dante™ Frank Stumvoll of FreshArt Music Productions composed the accompanying music, which was reinforced by an L-Acoustics Kiva II compact line array system. ‘Publitec supplied its own stock of Christie projectors,’ says Hillen. ‘We needed very bright, professional projectors, and Christie met that need. However, my main specification was for the disguise 4x4pro. disguise is always my first choice because it is very comfortable to handle and it gives me the to see a very its size of apossibility light source increases, good simulation of theThe animations efficiency decreases. definition at green all stages Since of usedofinthe theproject. exemption release 15 they support VR would devices, for colour-mixing LED lights which it is hard a killer to see how make to feature design the most it will really look on thelights. side ofAnd a efficient colour-mixing pro.focusrite.com building.’ a few specialist bulbs, tungsten Thisfluorescent, project wasn’t and thatthe hadfirst not time been that Publitec had exempted butand stillbendedPix had particular worked together. ‘I have previously uses. worked on two or three projects ‘The entertainment lighting with Andre and his trying team,’toHillen industry has been bring

‘I don’t think we’ve avoided the “doomsday scenario”, we’ve just postponed it’

centuries. The cathedral ourthe designers around Europeisand main landmark and tourist wider cultural world can claim somewhat of attraction. a victory. It is the pride of our city and wethe hold a deep ‘Over course of attachment all this to it. This was a greatgone show that work, we’ve probably from ended with applause each night and a “doomsday scenario” for stage received reviews the lighting tofantastic a scenario whereinpeople press and on TV. We are very happy will largely be able to just keep 2 Mic Pres, 16x16 Line I/O, 32x32 Dantedoing I/O with projectthe turned out.’ what how theythe do using equipment Equally happy with concludes. how the show they have,’ Halliday went is good Hillen, whoalso adds: ‘The ‘That’s – but dangerous. audiences extremely positive The dangergave is that people just feedback; mostbe ofable themtowere assume they’ll keepdeeply impressed. We primarily focused doing that forever. However, the EU 4 Mic Pres, 8x8content, Line I/O, 32x32 that Dante on ensuring it I/O arethe constantly reviewing their rules covered each historical moment of and tend to update them in five-year the cathedral’s past,on rather than cycles, and will start the next simply creating effects. review soon aftercool these rules This get German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited the show paid off as everyalready single scene passed. They’ve made itand Image courtesy of Aachener Dom Andreas Steindl image told in a the different story from clear that, next round, they 8 Mic Pres,the 16x16 Line 32x32 building’s 1,200-year history.’ confirms. ‘They do a very good job spooky. So many tremendous really want to I/O, get rid of allDante these I/O With the show selling out every and we work together well as asupport for moments and spotlights: the The Royal Albert Hall showing the #SaveStageLighting special cases and exemptions, and Image of the ALD campaign night of its get run rid and team as we get courtesy on personally.’ cathedral as a great organ, also finally ofeveryone the tungsten impressed with the inefficient. storytellingSo, A combination of teamwork and The Beatles’ invasion – all that bulbs they consider visuals enabled by avoided the disguise the right technology producedof was verthem, y impressive. Thenot 3Dreally these issues to the attention I don’t think we’ve the around so they’re servers andscenario”, Christie projectors, breathtaking pixel mapped show gavebe usnice the the EU since results. July, but ‘To hassee had “doomsday we’ve just Der disastrous. But it would Leuchtet has earned a new thesuccess. original church of 800AD impression of details the cathedral growing Dom no The third, and we postponed it. Venues, including to have these tidied up place the church’s prestigious was over whelming,’ says of Bernd through the delivering think probably final, draft the housesinof worship, have to use properly. We decades, are still working to trall y history. Büttgens, a was spokesperson forearly the theachieve dangersthis, andand catastrophes that regulations published in those five years to start planning – to will continue city of Aachen whonot worked in close have it. to the point where October and does address and saving up – for what they need to do befallen so right up www.aachenerdom.de cooperation ‘Forregulations us it was an these issues.with the cathedral to do next, so we don’t all just find the areartistic passedand into www.bendedpix.com to‘The produce Dom Leuchtet. poetic interpretation of our thing Der about these issues is ourselves in a big panic again five law.’ www.christiedigital.com ‘Standing in the cour tyard and cathedral’s and itson these that it would probably be possible years down the line.’ Unless thehistory EU responds www.disguise.one looking up to see bomber aircraft importance Aachen and that for our cunning entertainment final issues,for it would seem www.power-radach.de over Aachen in World War II was peopleisliving over lighting the www.savestage.lighting lighting manufacturers to work the battle over here and that

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http://www.countryman.com/h7 March–April 2019 2019 WORSHIP WORSHIP AVL AVL 25 January–February 45


PROJECTS

Sounds of a new sanctuary Gimhae Jeil Church has moved to a new home. James Cooke explores the audio setup

GIMHAE JEIL CHURCH OPENED THE doors to its original sanctuary in 1927, serving a budding Christian following in the city of Gimhae in South Korea’s Gyeongsangnam-do province. Fast-forward more than 90 years, and the church has started hosting its services between the walls of a brand-new sanctuary. While speaker systems were likely not a consideration in the early 20th century, real thought was given to modern sound reinforcement when it came to Gimhae Jeil’s new building. In fact, the church turned to Korean pro audio manufacturer and distributor Sovico for ideas. ‘At the start of this project, numerous international brands were proposed to Gimhae Jeil Church,’ recalls Minhwa Shin, sales manager at Sovico. ‘We made a strategy to ensure that we would be chosen by the church due to a combination of the quality of our brands and reasonable costs. In keeping with our philosophy, that the quality of the sound system is not driven by the brand or specification, but by the system’s integration, tuning and maintenance, Gimhae Jeil Church

agreed to our proposal and selected Sovico for the project.’ The project brief called for a multipurpose sound system capable of reinforcing the preachers’ prayers, as well as the vocals and instruments of the praise band, during services. In addition, the church hosts a variety of events that the solution would also be used for. ‘Not only was a sound distribution system requested in the main chapel, but several smaller chapel rooms throughout the church also required a sound system,’ says Shin. ‘The system configuration needed to be stable with the ability to quickly respond to problems and to be operated by non-technical volunteers.’ The Sovico team turned to its own brands for the installation, delving into the SAC catalogue. As a result, hanging above each end of the stage in the main, 2,000-seat chapel are left and right arrays of 10 PLA-8 dual 8-inch speakers with three PLA-118S subwoofers flown behind each array. DNL-8 8-inch point source speakers have been installed as delays to ensure even coverage throughout the main sanctuary. Meanwhile, six

26 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

Each array features 10 PLA-8s and is backed by three PLA-118S subs


PROJECTS DNL-208M wedge speakers serve as monitors for preachers and the choir on the podium and the stage, respectively. The two smaller chapels are equipped with DNL-12 12-inch point source speakers as their main PA setups. SAC’s S Series lineup of amplifiers was drawn upon to power the speaker systems. Eleven S24.0 6-channel amplifiers power the main PLA-8 and PLA-118S setup, while 10 of the S8.4 8-channel models handle the point source speakers across the facility. ‘The most important part of tuning a speaker system is to ensure consistent sound is delivered across the space you wish to cover,’ says Shin. ‘But this is not as easy as it sounds, because many churches feature a high ceiling at the front and a lower ceiling at the back. This means that the listening environment

changes for audience members according to where they sit, from the front to the back. ‘Architectural elements balance direct and reflected sound differently,’ Shin continues. ‘Therefore, while speaker systems increase the amount of direct sound that enters a space, areas of the room that lack direct sound should be equipped with another speaker to secure the required amount of coverage. While direct sound can be controlled by an electro-acoustic system, reflected sound cannot. The spatial characteristics of Gimhae Jeil Church are the same as described above, influencing Sovico’s design.’ While point source speakers have been directed towards particular seating areas that lacked direct coverage, Shin explains the advantages of the line array system in reinforcing the majority of the main chapel: ‘In a church especially, where the placement of speakers is very important so as not to interfere with the room’s aesthetics,

the main advantage of a line array system is that it doesn’t necessarily need to be installed in a specific place for optimum acoustics. Line array speakers can also reduce the installation area and increase the coverage range and sound pressure levels.’ Shin also notes that the speakers’ ability to be flown from the ceiling provides a location that is out of the way and that the placement of the subwoofers behind the speakers ensures they are visually unobtrusive. ‘When we completed our plan for the main speaker setup, we adjusted the angles and heights between the cabinets. The most important part of the line array setup is the splay angle between the speakers and this has been maintained at a consistent angle to obtain a uniform coverage response over the entire frequency range. Most of the church has a high ceiling that produces a lot of resonance. Therefore, the main line arrays were aimed as low as possible.’

Although a plan was in place, changes would need to be made due to alterations to the room’s architecture. ‘During the construction, the interior was partially changed from its original design,’ Shin recalls. ‘Since the sound system was influenced by the shape of the room, we had a lot of meetings to fix it. The ceiling heights were much lower than in the initial design and there were unexpected structures in the locations planned for the speakers, so the main speaker installation had to be changed. When we received the changed architectural drawings, we tried to work out the optimal speaker positions and angles through simulation software. As a result, we were able to build the stable sound system now reinforcing the chapel.’ An SAC DS-48 digital signal processor was also installed at Gimhae Jeil Church for loudspeaker control. ‘The sound setup in the new sanctuary was processed for both speech and music,’ says Shin. ‘The energy of the subwoofers and their flat frequency response are optimised

as much as possible, while the main speakers offer an even SPL from the front to the back of the church, and the delay speakers only reinforce the high frequencies at the top of the seating area. Additional delay loudspeakers had to be installed for areas on the left and right sides.’ Gimhae Jeil Church’s new sanctuary has now been hosting services for several months following a special dedication ceremony and every member of the congregation can hear clearly. ‘Members of the church that have visited the new sanctuary have provided a positive evaluation of the sound system,’ confirms Shin. ‘However, we would like to emphasise once again that a good sound system is not simply determined by the brand or specification of the speaker, but by the tuning, maintenance and operation of the system after the installation. With that in mind, we will continue to provide support and maintenance to Gimhae Jeil Church.’ www.sac-audio.com www.sovico.co.kr

March–April 2019 WORSHIP AVL 27


PROJECTS

Our Lady of Lourdes gains focus Thrissur’s cathedral explored several options for a new sound system. James Cooke finds out more

One of the Ares 8 line array hangs

OUR LADY OF LOURDES METROPOLITAN Cathedral in Thrissur, India was opened in 1957. After more than six decades, the church was recently subject to a renovation that served to both restore the sanctuary’s stunning interior decoration and equip the worship space with newer technologies to offer a better experience for the congregation. Part of the works saw the installation of a new audio system, to ensure intelligible sound throughout the large sanctuary. The church committee approached AVL Install India with a project brief that specified the need for a solution that would complement sermons and readings for congregants, yet not distract from the architectural aesthetics of the building. ‘One of the main considerations listed for the new sanctuary was

28 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

for products capable of delivering clear, understandable speech that would be audible to the end of the church hall, along with the monitors and a microphone for the priest,’ recalls Taris CM, technical head at AVL Install. ‘The client had approached us after visiting other sites we installed and gaining an understanding of our experience in this industry. Our team of technical experts then visited the site and were convinced that the environment – with its length, width and height – was best-suited to a line array system. We discussed the client’s budget, decided on AudioFocus as an option and proceeded to provide a demo for the church committee.’ The project specification also stipulated that the new sound system was to last for at least 10–15 years before being replaced

again. Therefore, the committee requested demonstrations from several installers of systems from various manufacturers to ensure that the church received the best possible solution. ‘This was a challenge for us, as it was the first time we were offering a solution for a church of this size with an equally big budget,’ says Santhosh Kumar, director of projects and operations at AVL Install. ‘We had to convince the church’s committee members that AudioFocus was the right solution while competing with multiple other brands.’ Thankfully for the AVL Install team, the performance of the AudioFocus products impressed the church committee members. ‘AudioFocus stood out in the demonstrations because it was able to reach the entire length of the sanctuary,


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PROJECTS delivering clear vocals,’ says Taris. ‘They had also brought in several experienced dignitaries for their opinions and, fortunately, all of them gave positive reviews of the AudioFocus system, which made for an easy conclusion.’ Given the green light, the AVL Install team installed AudioFocus Ares 8 line array speakers in hangs of four per side. ‘There were two major reasons that we hung four line arrays on either side from the ceiling,’ explains Kumar. ‘Firstly, when you place the line array at such a height, it allows the sound to travel further, covering a larger area. Secondly, by implementing a line array, we avoided the need for putting speakers on the side walls.’

The Allen & Heath Qu-32 mixer Taris adds: ‘Another major reason was the size of the boxes, because a line array system should not create an obstacle for the congregation’s view of the cathedral’s many paintings and decorations adorning the walls.’ The Ares 8 speakers are reinforced on the low end of the frequency spectrum by AudioFocus MT 218 MKII subwoofers. AVL Install obtained the AudioFocus cabinets via the manufacturer’s Indian distributor, Sun Infonet. Sun Infonet also supplied Quest Audio QM3 speakers, which AVL Install deployed as monitors for the preachers, and QM4s, which provide foldback for the choir. In addition to AudioFocus and Quest Audio, Sun Infonet represents Allen & Heath, and provided a Qu-32 console for managing the entire sound setup, which AVL Install chose for its ease of use and suitability for the cathedral’s volunteer operators. ‘The cathedral doesn’t have any technical staff and, therefore, we

deployed an Allen & Heath Qu-32 digital mixer,’ confirms Kumar. ‘It is a user-friendly device with multiple outputs programmed as show files to function as per the needs of the service. Now, the priest can control the audio setup himself.’ While the AVL Install team had overcome several challenges during the planning and design stages, more obstacles were to be overcome during the installation itself. ‘When our team arrived at the cathedral for the installation, they found that the acoustic treatment and related construction work had mostly been completed,’ says Kumar. ‘But, some of the residual work, like filling in granite and cleaning up, still continued, which was a distraction. ‘One of the major barriers that the installation team faced was to do with the electrical wiring. It was done in a hurry and the electrical load was not getting distributed equally on both lines. As a result, one line was taking a much bigger load than

30 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

the other, meaning the switch kept going off during the system tests.’ To rectify this issue caused by the electrical wiring, the AVL Install team eventually made the decision to install their own, separate wiring for the audio system. With the obstacles overcome and the new sound system up and running at Our Lady of Lourdes Metropolitan Cathedral, Kumar reflects on what has been a memorable project for AVL Install: ‘At the start, we were lucky enough that the AudioFocus system performed well, and that the committee liked it. There were a lot of tense moments throughout the entire process, all the way until the end where if we had not done the electrical wiring for the sound system ourselves, the speakers might have been damaged.’ Taris extended his thanks to Father Jijo J Muringathery and the Our Lady of Lourdes committee for trusting in the AVL Install team and its recommendation of AudioFocus. ‘As a result, we were able to achieve the desired results and fulfil their audio requirements,’ he says. ‘This installation serves as a great example of how AudioFocus can be used to achieve audio clarity at other churches.’

Hemant Gaba, senior manager at Sun Infonet, agrees with Taris’ sentiments and further explains the need for clear sound within a house of worship: ‘If the pastor or speaker is not audible, members of the congregation may not be able to understand what is being said. Important points may be missed, which can create a disconnect between congregants and the church. Finding high-quality, dependable audio equipment makes a big difference, allowing the message to be communicated more effectively.’ The message at Our Lady of Lourdes is certainly being communicated more effectively, as Father Muringathery can attest. ‘After installing the new system, everyone was excited to hear the audio with such clarity,’ he says. ‘We have received numerous comments about how the AudioFocus system ideally suits our church environment. Everyone who visits our church appreciates the clarity.’ www.audiofocus.eu www.avl-install.com www.lourdescathedralthrissur.com www.suninfonet.net

Intelligible audio was needed to reach the rear of the cathedral


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PROJECTS

Youth forum Gyeongsan Central Church runs dedicated services for the younger members of its congregation and needed an equally youthful sound system. James Cooke reports YOUNGER MEMBERS OF GYEONGSAN Central Church’s congregation have been driving high-energy, highvolume worship. As the number of young worshippers continues to represent a larger percentage of the church’s 5,000-strong congregation, the church hosts dedicated youth services in the site’s second-largest building, a 30m-long, rectangular venue, the Multiplex Hall. The church was established in 1959 and its following grew steadily until it became the largest Christian house of worship in the South Korean city of Gyeongsan. Its current campus was built almost a decade ago and,

in that time, the Multiplex Hall had kept its original sound system, which was showing its age during vibrant and energetic services. Therefore, a decision was made by the church’s seven-member committee of elders and ministers to upgrade to a new solution, having already received various proposals to solve the room’s issues by adding additional speakers for front-fill and monitors. The committee contacted Park Sanghyun of local consultancy Sky Sound, who pointed out that simply adding a few extra cabinets wouldn’t entirely fix the acoustic problems plaguing the sanctuary. Instead, he recommended

Kidae Hong (Sky Sound), Kim Choonghyun (Ecosystem), Park Sang-hyun (Ecosystem) and Beck Seung Hoon (CoreLab)

32 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

Left and right arrays each feature six LR14 speakers and two LR14B bass modules


PROJECTS replacing the whole front of house sound system, suggesting an Alcons Audio LR14 pro-ribbon speaker setup as the old system’s successor. ‘The Multiplex Hall is used for services aimed at young people in their twenties and the previous audio system was no longer suitable,’ explains Beck Seung Hoon of CoreLab, Alcons’ South Korean distributor. ‘It had started showing its age, reaching its limits in trying to keep up with the youth pastor’s high-energy praise. It was an old point source speaker system from a reputable brand; it was just no longer suited to the changing style of worship.’ Park reminded the committee of an Alcons LR16 compact and LR14 ultra-compact line array system in the Chunma Arts Center at the nearby Yeongnam University to back up his recommendation. Gyeongsan Central Church had not only experienced that particular system firsthand, having staged several events in the Chunma Arts Center, but had also rented an Alcons system, comprising VR8 monitors and BF151 compact subwoofers, from Sky Sound for a three-day youth retreat it once held. Sky Sound worked alongside CoreLab, as well as specialist sound systems integrator Ecosystem,

The Sentinel10 amplified loudspeaker controllers to provide the new system, which ultimately comprises flown left and right arrays of six LR14 speakers and two LR14B line array bass modules, powered and controlled by a pair of Sentinel10 amplified loudspeaker controllers. ‘Ecosystem has installed Alcons systems in other locations, including the LR14, and has also worked as a construction installation partner for CoreLab, so the three companies were a very good combination,’ explains Glenn Suh from CoreLab. ‘The Alcons solution ensured that we could deliver the best possible sound pressure and frequency characteristics from the front row to the control room at the back, while also minimising reflections from the side walls and ceiling.’ While the room was once served well by a point source system, Beck explains the decision to install a line array solution. ‘The hall is 30m long,

from the stage to the entrance. It is not a small hall. So, we decided to go for the LR14 line array system as it allowed us to reach 100dB as far as the entrance. ‘We knew how fantastically the LR14 system would work, but what we were worried about was low frequency.’ ‘We therefore decided to retain the 18-inch subwoofers from the previous system,’ adds Glenn. ‘However, our concerns were unnecessary.’ ‘The LR14B line array bass modules work very well in reproducing frequencies down to around 40Hz,’ says Beck. ‘Following the installation, the old subwoofers were used for about two or three weeks along with the Alcons system before the church decided they were no longer needed and had them removed from the hall. The Alcons speakers are all that are needed.’ Along with the new loudspeakers, an Allen & Heath SQ-6 digital mixer

was installed to manage the system. A variety of microphones, including DPA Microphones 4088 directional headset units and a Shure QLX-D digital wireless system, were also delivered. Gyeongsan Central Church’s new Multiplex Hall sound system appears simple on the surface, which was the desired effect. It is also the result of teamwork between several companies. ‘Ecosystem had already installed Alcons line array and point source speakers in other churches,’ Beck notes. ‘This meant they could draw upon specific past experience during this project, while Park Sang-hyun and Sky Sound had previous experience with the church and its needs. All three companies – Sky Sound, Ecosystem and CoreLab – were able to work very well together to the benefit of the church.’ ’The church now has an excellent audio system and everybody is very happy,’ concludes Glenn. ‘The ministers and young people who worship at this facility are reinforcing their faith in the newly renovated hall with the best possible sound.’ www.alconsaudio.com www.corelab.co.kr www.happymaker.or.kr

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WORSHIP AVL 33


KnowHOW

Training musicians to use IEMs Gordon Moore looks at how IEMs can be one of the best improvements a HOW can make to its sound system but it is hard to deny their costeffectiveness. Be sure to establish a budget for the IEMs, earbuds or headphones. We had a tight budget at my church, so we chose mid-range earbuds or headphones. A couple of musicians chose to buy their own personal choice and they paid the difference. Buying the earpieces or headphones in advance also helps build acceptance of the upcoming change. Once a worship team member has their personal set in hand, they will be eager to give it a try. Encourage them to wear it with their music player before the IEM system is installed so they can adjust the fit and get

IN-EAR MONITORS (IEMS), WHETHER wireless or hard-wired, are a useful tool for the house of worship sound mixer. They eliminate the acoustical conflict between the floor monitors and the house mix, reduce stage clutter and trip hazards and, most impor tantly, eliminate the human conflict between the sound mixer and the worship team regarding the mix each musician is hearing. IEMs can be one of the most significant improvements to a worship sound system. The conversion, however, can be traumatic unless it is taken slowly and carefully with an attention to the implementation details. IEMs are a different way of hearing the worship team. To a musician accustomed to stage monitors, the change can be a jarring experience if just dropped on them suddenly. Instead of ordering the IEMs and suddenly showing up at the rehearsal (or, worse, the first ser vice) and saying ‘here, use these’, develop an implementation plan for adding them to your stage setup.

Step 1: notification Surprises can be upsetting, especially if the musicians have been working with floor monitors for a ver y long time. You must get the musicians to ‘buy in’ in advance of the change. When we added IEMs to my church, I probably talked it nearly to death in the months before we began the installation. I described what IEMs are: ‘they are earpieces you will wear to hear each other – just like the earbuds you are using with your music players’. In our church, we have both wireless and hard-wired. Stationar y musicians (such as drums, keyboards and guitars that don’t move around) would get hard-wired systems and the mobile worship leaders would get wireless. Why hard-wired over wireless for a par ticular position? Hard-wired is cost-effective and a good use of church funds. Hard-wired is always more reliable than wireless and wires reduce demand on the wireless spectrum.

34 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

Sennheiser’s IE 40 Pro Why wireless? Mobility – the worship leaders who move around a lot need mobility without cables. Wireless also makes the stage safer.

Step 2: personalisation Another important step in getting acceptance before implementation is allowing the musicians to decide what they want to wear for their IEMs. In my church, the bass player, drummer and keyboardist all wanted to wear traditional headphones instead of IEMs. In many HOWs, there might be an aesthetic reason for prohibiting external headphones,

used to them – many IEMs that are not custom-moulded will have different sized inserts that the musicians must sample to find the best fit.

Step 3: installation Your gear has arrived. Install the IEMs and get the signal routing prearranged in the mixer. Set your gain structure properly. Do not have the worship team in-house at this time. Work only with the technical team and make sure frequencies are properly coordinated and that each IEM station is fully functional. Walk test the


KnowHOW wireless IEMs with all other wireless systems up and running to make certain you do not have any frequency interference issues. Make sure the hard-wired systems are properly wired and have plenty of level.

Step 4: implementation The big day arrives. Schedule a special rehearsal day for the worship team and make it clear that the purpose of the rehearsal is to get everyone trained on using their IEMs. You may even want to schedule them to come in small groups or as individuals at different times so you will have enough personal time to get them trained on controls and set up. Begin familiarising them with their beltpack or personal workstation, such as setting volumes, balance, changing batteries, etc. Be patient and take it step by step; remember, they are not technical people in general.

Step 5: training the musicians to mix for themselves There are two types of IEM systems. The first is the personal mixing station. In this case, the musician has complete control over what they hear in their IEM, selecting from individual tracks. They don’t need to ask the console operator for any changes, they can make their own. With this type of IEM, you will need more training time in the beginning but the system will save you countless hours later. The musician will have a hard control surface or, in the case of several digital mixers, an app on their smartphone that will allow them to make changes to their mix. Explain to the musician that mixing is done in layers. They must first

Shure’s PSM 300 Series wireless IEM system decide which signals they want to hear in the IEM. Then they must decide the importance of each signal. Explain that the IEM is not for them to hear the entire band and the final house mix. It is a tool for them to better coordinate their own playing with the key members of the band. For example, I play guitar in our worship band. The first signal I need to hear is my own guitar. That is Layer 1 and it is the loudest signal in my IEM. Layer 2 is the worship leader’s (lead vocalist) vocals – I set his level up nearly as loud as my guitar and, because he is physically to my right, I set the balance for his vocals to be strongest in my right ear (my guitar is centred). I need to hear the drums and bass for the beat/ rhythm, so I set them to be about the same level as the worship leader but mixed to my left ear. Layer 3 is the keyboard, also set to the left and a bit lower than the drums. The vocal back line is Layer 4, the lowest layer. I find that they are not critical to my playing and I only need to hear them a little bit (mixed far right). In many churches, there may be a track for the house mix so the band can get a sense of the final total mix – that should be the final, lowest layer. Train the musicians to think in that manner – one layer at a time. The

highest priorities will get the loudest levels and those layers that have close priorities should be mixed at nearly the same levels but with different balances. Critical to this process is getting the musicians to understand that what they hear is under their control and has nothing to do with the house. If they need to hear more of themselves, they are not allowed to turn up their guitar or their keyboard feed. That will adversely affect the house mix. The only place they should make the change is on their personal mixing station. You may need to remind them that the IEM mix is different from the house and for their benefit only. As a musician, I can tell you it takes adjustment to remember that what I am hearing in my IEM has nothing to do with what the congregation is hearing. It’s an

important concept to impress on the players. A common problem will come with the complaint: ‘My instrument is up all the way and the others are still too loud – I need my instrument to be louder.’ The real problem here is not that the instrument is too low; they have all the other layers too loud. Ask them to try turning down all the other sources, taking them to lower layers, and then turn up the overall level. Believe it or not, I still have members of the band who will complain the level is too low, having forgotten that they have a level knob on the mixing station. Once a musician has mastered their personal mix techniques, they will become self-sufficient and your workload will decrease. The other style is a single-feed system where the sound system operator makes all the adjustments to the aux feed(s) that supplies audio to the IEM; responsibility for the mix remains in the hands of the mixing console operator. In this setup, you will set the aux feed to the IEM in the same way you would with floor monitors. Ask the musicians (one at a time) to indicate when each instrument’s feed (using the same layering technique) sounds right to them. Typically, I will monitor (solo) the aux feed for that IEM while I am working up the mix with the musician so I can hear what they are hearing. Be methodical – take each source one at a time (start with Channel 1 and work right) and work patiently with the musician until they are hearing the mix they want to hear. Be patient, be prayerful and work with your band for the best possible mix for each IEM. In time, they will never want to go back to stage monitors. In the meantime, mix well and be blessed.

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STAGING · ACOUSTICS · RIGGING

March–April 2019 WORSHIP AVL 35


KnowHOW

How to grow your streaming viewership As expectations for live broadcasts increase, boosting audience figures can seem like a dark art. Here are some tips that can make a positive difference to your viewer engagement. Ledetta Asfa-Wossen gives a quick rundown WHETHER YOU ARE A SMALL HOW just getting started or a larger worship venue, it’s important to consider how good production values can affect the quality and delivery of your content and the impact of your messages. After all, a power ful AV experience can help encourage viewer numbers in the right direction.

1. Focus on audio quality ‘It’s not as easy as grabbing a consumer-grade camcorder and streaming the output to YouTube Live,’ says Mark Robison, broadcast solutions specialist at Vitec. ‘Audio for video is different from sound reinforcement for your sanctuary. The camera-mounted or built-in microphone will probably not sound good at all, and the microphone you are using for sound reinforcement in your HOW may not be the right option either. You need to remember that the viewer who isn’t in the room can’t necessarily hear everything that someone seated in

the room can, and that reverberant, reflected sounds that are mostly unnoticed by congregants may be very distracting to streaming viewers.’ A general rule of thumb for video, notes Robison, is to get your microphone as close as you can and use a microphone that will

36 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

reject sound coming from unwanted sources.

2. Lighting matters Low lighting levels can be a common problem when streaming religious services, particularly in older or historic venues. ‘Lighting is very

important. Contrary to popular belief, a well-lit scene on a mediocre camera usually looks better than a poorly lit scene on a very expensive camera. Also, poorly lit video when compressed and streamed often looks considerably worse because you have less detail and definition at the start,’ advises Robison.


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KnowHOW

3. Time and consistency are everything Remember that your potential streaming viewers all have different considerations, from time constraints to the ability of your viewers to access your livestream on various platforms. Devising a clear plan for your video stream will ensure your broadcast is delivered smoothly and to schedule, in the best possible way. ‘Consistency is foundational to growing your audience. If your viewers can expect that your broadcast will start on time and as expected and that the quality of the content is good and getting better over time, then you have a solid foundation for growing your audience,’ adds Robison.

‘There is now a growing trend among some of the largest mega-churches to use live streaming technologies to deliver audio and video to remote satellite facilities where the size of the audience is smaller, creating a more intimate personal experience. While it might seem counterintuitive that a video feed might help in this regard, a really huge congregation can feel anonymous and impersonal. Delivering a live transmission of the message from your primary church facility to multiple locations ensures that the

same consistent message is shared at every location, congregants don’t have to travel as far and yet, ultimately, a greater audience is served,’ notes Robison.

5. Act like a pro According to Statista, digital video viewers in the US will reach 232 million by 2020 – the potential to capture a wider audience across a larger geographic area is huge, as well as more vulnerable groups

have been several CDN providers who have taken the time to understand the specific and somewhat unique needs and preferences that can go far in making HOWs successful. This includes ad-free affordable services, real-time tech support with a live staff who can respond quickly – even on weekends, Sundays, holidays and after hours – as well as hosting archived recordings, branding and assistance with seamless integration of your broadcasts and VoD content into your own website.’

4. Aim for a more personal experience Offering additional live streams, outside of the main sermon or worship event, such as a smaller community outreach event or a weekend workshop service led by a junior pastor or member of the congregation, can help to create more unique, content-rich livestreams to increase engagement.

Two Vitec MGW Ace Encoders in use at Life Church in Memphis, Tennessee such as the elderly or those unable to physically attend your HOW. For many HOWs, live streaming is also a key source of donations, particularly if your HOW video streams include embedded monetisation features to encourage contributions. Technical hiccups will always happen in some form but it’s the response that counts and that should always be quick. ‘On the technical side of things, the adoption of H.265 (HEVC) encoding and updated transport protocols, along with improvements in speed, cost and reliability of internet connections from ISPs, means that some of the historical limitations for both HOWs and their audiences have been reduced or eliminated,’ Robison adds. ‘Furthermore, there

38 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

6. Monitor your video streaming Once you’re delivering a professional live stream on your chosen platform, it’s a good idea to monitor the success of your output. There are a number of analytics software tools that can help you understand the per formance of your stream. This will help you compare and contrast your growth or decline in audience figures. More essentially, it will help your HOW understand who exactly is accessing your stream and what type of live content per forms well, who your repeat visitors are and what location your audience is tuning in from (see page 48–50).



KnowHOW

Setting up a basic lighting grid John Black discusses some of the basic lighting design theories for creating a flexible lighting grid IF YOU’VE TAKEN THE TIME TO look at the lighting positions in a variety of facilities, you may have noticed several similarities despite the venues looking completely different architecturally. This is because these lighting positions were first considered in relation to the stage and lighting design theories as to how to effectively illuminate presenters or scenery on it. Depending on the architecture of the auditorium, final lighting positions may be determined by ‘best fit

MEET THE AUTHOR John Black serves as the theatre manager for Seoul Foreign School in Seoul, South Korea. Holding a degree in Theatre Design, he provides technical production support and design in three state-of-the-art performance venues on campus for over 40 major concerts and productions a year in the areas of sound, lighting, video and staging. John especially enjoys sharing his passion for entertainment technology with high school students each year through his student production team, Crusader Live!, giving students the opportunity to learn and work with professional-level technologies in a demanding production environment.

John Black, theatre manager for Seoul Foreign School

possible’ to lighting design theories, choosing positions that work as best as possible given the constraints or limitations of the room itself. Perhaps you are approaching an auditorium renovation, conversion or new build and you have been tasked with looking after the lighting rig, including the placement of lighting positions and what should be included in the house plot. This article lays out some of the basic lighting design theories, as well as providing some tips when approaching such a project so that an effective and flexible basic lighting grid can be achieved.

Zoning your stage Before beginning to think about the fixtures or the placement of them,

Fig. 1 Robb Hall Theatre – lighting areas

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40 WORSHIP AVL AV March–April 2019


KnowHOW the first step I would recommend is that you zone your stage (see Fig. 1). What do I mean by this? Grab a copy of the floorplan for your auditorium stage (or the area that you intend to light) and subdivide the stage into overlapping circles of zones between 8–12 feet in diameter. The diameter of these zones is determined according to the diameter of the pool of light produced by a single fixture. The quantity of lighting zones that you have for your stage will be determined by the size of your stage – there is no exact number.

with a higher degree of flexibility and creativity than simply lighting the stage as a whole.

Determining fixture placement The next step is to use your stage zone drawing to determine where to optimally place your lighting fixtures (see Fig. 2). I say ‘optimally’ because it isn’t always possible to place fixtures in these positions due to various constraints or limitations that exist within the architecture of the

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Three-point lighting – front lighting, top view Zoning your stage will help to ensure that you have even lighting coverage of your entire stage space when all of the zones are illuminated. Additionally, it allows you to draw focus to specific areas as and if needed without always illuminating the entire stage area. For example, if you would like to focus on the pastor and dim the area of the stage where the praise band is set up, you can adjust the intensities of the various zones to only illuminate the area used by the pastor. Creating lighting zones that are individually controllable will enable you to operate

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space. The most basic and simplest lighting theory is the McCandless method, which states that each zone should be lit by two lights, each from a position 45° above and 45° to either side of the centre of that position. By adding a third fixture in a top or slightly back position, a basic three-point lighting theory system is achieved. Why these positions? The goal of the McCandless method was to fully front-light an actor (or other subject) but also to provide some natural sculpting of his or her features. When lighting only directly from

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Three-point lighting – side view

visual environment technologies etcconnect.com March–April 2019 WORSHIP AVL 41


KnowHOW the front, the subject appears flat or two-dimensional, whereas front lighting from an angle will create depth through the natural highlights and shadowing created by the subject’s natural features. There are many other angles from which to light a subject, as well as additional lighting methods for further sculpting a subject as well as creating a particular dramatic effect. For the purposes of this article and creating a basic lighting grid, however, we will stick with these three fixtures as they will provide good, natural lighting in most circumstances. From your stage zone map that you drew, you would then draw these three fixtures for each of your zones. For example, if your stage is subdivided into six zones, your basic lighting grid would be composed of 18 fixtures. If your stage is subdivided into nine zones, your basic lighting grid would be composed of 27 fixtures. Grab your protractor and ruler and, from the centre of each position, measure 45° to the left and right and then draw a line out from the centre point at that angle to determine where you should place a fixture. If you are in a facility that already has lighting pipes or truss installed, hopefully these lines will intersect with one of those lighting positions where you can then actually place a fixture. For whatever reason, it may be that you have to work with slightly narrower or wider angles for each lighting zone. Keep in mind that the narrower your horizontal angle

Fig. 2 Robb Hall Theatre – three-point lighting plot becomes, the flatter your subject will appear. The wider your horizontal angle becomes, the more unnatural the highlighting and shadowing of your subject’s features will become. If this is the case, it may be that you need to add yet another fixture closer to hitting the zone directly from the front to combat the harsh shadows produced. If you are in a facility that is under renovation or being planned as a new construction, use the lighting angle lines to determine where in the facility you should optimally be placing lighting positions. Hopefully, you will be able to hang pipes or truss in these positions that will provide the optimum lighting for your stage.

Adding colour Once you’ve ensured that your entire stage can be effectively lit and subdivided into individually controllable lighting zones, you may wish to add to your rig a number of fixtures to provide colour to your stage. Colour is perhaps the most effective method that can be used to suggest a mood or feeling, or evoke a psychological response from the audience or congregation to what is being said or presented from the stage. Colour is typically applied in a top light or back light position and can be created from either tungstensourced fixtures through the use of gels or through colour-mixing features present in most LED wash or automated lighting fixtures. If your rig is composed only of conventional, tungsten-sourced fixtures, you will only be able to create a single colour from each light at a time, unless you have invested in or plan to purpose accessory colourscrollers or colour-changers. Without these accessories, this means that if you want to colour your stage in two colours during the same service, you will need twice the number of fixtures (one set of fixtures for each colour). Colour is typically applied as a ‘wash’ of the stage, meaning that the fixtures used for colouring will illuminate the entire stage area in an even coverage of light.

Adding specials

Fig. 3 Robb Hall Theatre – three-point light plot 2v2

42 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

The next element that I would consider when setting up a basic lighting grid would be the use of ‘specials’. These are any fixtures with a specific lighting purpose other than what can be achieved through the lighting zones. For example, you may want a tight

spotlight to illuminate a particular religious symbol throughout your service, or you may want a smaller, more defined pool of light to illuminate the lead worship singer to draw more focus to them from the rest of the worship band. Again, a special can be any fixture added to the rig for any specific purpose (see Fig. 3). I would recommend including in your lighting grid a number of special fixtures that can be re-tasked on an as-needed basis. These fixtures would always exist in your rig and therefore be quick and easy to focus as needed, rather than having to hang a special every time one is required. For example, in one of the theatres that I manage, I keep five specials hung, powered and patched from all of my front lighting positions. There are times when I am asked for a small pool of light (or up to five) as little as an hour or two prior to an event. With these specials ready to go, it is a simple task to ask the event planner to spike onstage where they need the light, and to then have it ready to go after a quick focus. I must add the disclaimer that these positions are accessible via catwalks, so access is not an issue. In another one of the theatres that I manage, the front light positions are on pipes mounted at ceiling height (4m) and require a ladder to access. In this venue, I have placed a number of moving head fixtures that I can re-focus to accommodate these lastminute requests. Without the addition of these fixtures in both theatres, I would not be able to accommodate many of these late lighting requests.

Conclusion Through following these steps, you will be able to set up a basic, yet effective and flexible, lighting grid for your venue. If I were to narrow down the four main functions of stage lighting to the one that would be most important in a HOW setting, it would be visibility. The congregation should be able to see exactly what you as the lighting technician or designer want them to see (or not see). The addition of colour and specials provides you with additional creative options available in your toolkit, while creating lighting zones for your stage using the McCandless method will ensure that the stage is evenly, uniformly and naturally lit. Once you have these basics down, adding additional angles and textures can then be used to further enhance the design and intended message.


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MAINTENANCE

Computer maintenance pt 2 Backup and recovery Frank Wells shares a strategy for avoiding lost time and productivity should disaster strike your computer systems COMPUTER HARD DRIVES AND other digital storage methods are robust and reliable, until suddenly, they aren’t. The best way to avoid catastrophe is an organised and consistently implemented backup strategy. Fortunately, with today’s computer operating systems, computer backup is relatively simple and inexpensive. The first step is to obtain backup storage media. The least expensive route is to purchase a pair of portable external hard drives with USB interfaces. You should purchase drives with at least the same capacity as the computer hard drive you are backing up, but I’d suggest purchasing backup drives with at least double the storage of the computer. If your computer has more than one drive internally, you should add up the capacity of all the internal drives and purchase external drives with double that total capacity. Why use portable drives? Such drives are typically affordable, compact and easy to transport, and power themselves directly from the USB connection, negating the need for external power supplies. Why does it matter that backup drives are easy to transport? Simple – it’s best to store at least one backup of your data separate from your computer system. In the event of computer loss due to fire or theft, your backup media, and all your precious data, could be lost, along with your computer system itself. Why purchase a pair of drives for each computer system you are backing up? It might be unlikely, but not unheard of, for backup storage media to fail at the same time as the system they are safeguarding. By alternating a pair of drives, you can at least get back to a recent computer configuration, if not the most recent, should the last backup drive you used fail. You can assign a tech staff member the responsibility of transporting one drive off premises for storage and keep the other in a secure location within your facility. How often should you back up your systems? The answer to this

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Slim portable 2TB hard drives from Seagate question partly depends on how often you add files to your computers – be they video elements, system presets, song lists for worship services, recordings of sermons or other such information – and how long it would take and inconvenient it would be to recreate lost information. In general, I’d recommend weekly backups at a minimum, though daily backups aren’t out of the question with busy systems, especially those used for time intensive tasks such as video editing. On whatever schedule you decide on, you can create backups alternately on one drive for one backup session, then the other when it’s time for the next backup, which does obviously mean that only one of the drives will be the most current. In a networked computer environment, backups can be

44 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

accomplished with network attached storage (NAS) devices, which are devices that can be addressed through a network as if they were local drives. NAS devices can be purchased with a configuration called RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) which uses multiple drives and can be configured to mirror data on separate drives for redundancy. Alternately, it’s becoming convenient and affordable to automatically store backups on the cloud – paying for online, offsite data storage that, by its nature, is stored by server farms at multiple locations. If you leave your computers booted up, you can schedule backups to any of these solutions to happen automatically in the early hours of the morning. Even with RAID or cloud storage, having a readily available,

portable, physical backup can still be an insurance policy, though it may be impractical for bigger HOWs that produce a lot of data, such as with a large library of on-demand video. The speed of your backup depends on the connection to the storage, and the writing speed of that storage. How difficult is it to back up your systems? Assuming you are using an Apple macOS or Windows 10 computer system, the tools are built right in. Apple’s Time Machine is the easiest. The first time it’s activated, it backs up the entire computer, including any additional installed drives designated, and thereafter only backs up the files that have been changed or added. There’s not much more involved with Windows 10, though when you use its File History function, you have the option of making a full System Image (which you should maintain and update whenever software is added/updated) or your Personal Files only. With these tools, you can also leave backup media connected for more frequent updates, though that can slow system performance. These tools also make it simple to restore an entire computer system to a compatible computer or a new drive, should you have to replace components, or even to restore earlier versions of a file, or a file that was prematurely deleted. Avoid disaster and heartache – back up your data.

Apple’s Time Machine preparing a backup



TECHNOLOGY

Securing your HOW’s AV network As today’s digital AV systems integrate more with facility and campus information infrastructures, HOWs must learn to manage IP network and information security, says Audinate’s audio engineering and software expert, Brad Price LIKE MOST INSTITUTIONS TODAY, HOWs have become increasingly digital, networked and webconnected. From business and operations information to parishioner records, places of worship must now maintain and protect sensitive and often personal data. Additionally, HOWs must also deal with a perpetually changing set of users and devices. This constant changeover can create issues of both scale and constantly morphing threat protection. Unfortunately, poorly designed AV systems contribute to these problems. As more and more audiovisual installations are connected using IP technology, the people working in AV and IT now have common cause in maintaining the security and functionality of these critical networked systems. In HOWs of all types and sizes, IT

administrators and AV assistants are looking for the tools and methods they need to maintain a balance between security and access.

Network evolution The AV world is experiencing huge change, with IT technology rapidly replacing earlier analogue and digital means of connectivity. Audio networks are now ever-present, and video is quickly catching up. In addition to being easy to manage with software, network audio transport is functionally superior to nearly all predecessors. It is important to note here that AV networks are not special at all. From an IT perspective, these are just networks employing standards-based time synchronisation, using the same hardware as any other system of linked computers.

46 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

The most significant change brought by networking is the end of pointto-point connections. Point-to-point means that a cable connects one device to another, defining pathways. In networks, all channels of all devices are exposed and available for instant connectivity without moving a single wire. This saves set up time while delivering maximum flexibility to configure the system as needed, on the fly. Networked AV lowers costs by employing commodity, off-the-shelf gear for network infrastructure, eliminating the need for expensive matrix switchers and converters. Gone are the days of special cables with special connectors; on a network, everything goes through inexpensive Cat-5e Ethernet cables and RJ45 connectors. For AV, this means that equipment for networking devices is plentiful,

cost-effective and works terrifically well. For IT, this means more endpoints on the system that must somehow be managed. Houses of worship today have integrated networking and internet communications within their infrastructure. However, networked AV means that every AV device on a network can be accessed and used by many different people, rather than having a fixed set of connections. Networked AV also means that the security concerns of IT now extend to management of those AV devices.

Where the danger lies Because networked AV is just another type of computer network, it is susceptible to the same risks. Unwanted users may gain access to a system, hoping to wreak havoc, and hackers may attempt to locate


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Flexible sound for Sarangsaem Church

Decibells adds Thump to CSI Sawday Church

1/2 ISLAND

September–October 2018 WORSHIP WORSHIP AVL AVL 47 41 January-February 2017 29 July–August 51 January–February 15 September–October 21 July-August 2019 March–April


TECHNOLOGY

Social impact James Cooke delves into video analytics, as well as the metrics for social media posting in general. What do the numbers tell us?

Analytics on YouTube Studio IT SEEMS THAT ALMOST ANY website you visit these days, including those for houses of worship, features those familiar icons – a bird, the letter f, the outline of a Polaroidstyle camera – that link to the organisation’s various social media pages, and with good reason. Social media has become as mainstream as radio and television in the last decade – perhaps even surpassing those forms of media in some circles. Whereas the concept was more of a novelty when it first started in the early 2000s with the likes of MySpace and Bebo serving more as online hangouts for teenagers, the major platforms of today are used by an ever-growing, varied demographic. The odds are that your mum is on Facebook these days. For those wondering, MySpace is still running. Bebo is something else altogether. A major cause for the widespread adoption of social media is the evolution of technology. A decade ago, the majority of us would likely have had to sit down at a computer to take a look at Facebook or Twitter via a web browser. Now,

Facebook’s insights details how well a post is performing our smartphones often come preprogrammed with dedicated apps for each of those platforms, which highlights how widespread their use is today.

48 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

The very same advances in technology have also enabled each and every one of us to become published content creators. Houses of worship have never been shy

when it comes to broadcasting their message – preaching comes with the territory, after all – and have taken to streaming services like a moth to an LED moving spotlight. While, in years gone by, only those with a large enough budget could broadcast their sermons via a cable or satellite television channel, any house of worship technician with access to a smartphone can now stream content live, or record it for a later, perhaps edited, VOD (video on demand) post to any number of services, including Facebook and YouTube, which are free to use. So, you post a video of a service or an event, or maybe even a short message from a worship leader or musical performance, then what happens? As Facebook and YouTube are two of the more popular freeto-use platforms for both creators and viewers alike, we’re going to focus on them in this article. It is worth noting that videos posted to either of these services can also be embedded into your HOW’s website with relative ease, negating the need for investing in expensive servers to store video content or paying for


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TECHNOLOGY a specialist CDN (content delivery network).

Beside the Overview tab at the top of the screen are tabs for Reach Viewers, Interest Viewers and Build An Audience. Reach Viewers showcases impressions (how many times your video’s thumbnail was seen by a potential viewer on YouTube), the click-through rate (how many actually clicked on the thumbnail when they saw it), number of views and how many unique viewers your video received. Scrolling down will show you more information on the traffic your channel and videos are receiving. Interest Viewers ranks your content in a variety of ways to show how much interest the viewer has had – for example, you can see how many people clicked onto the next video once reaching the end of another. Finally, Build An Audience provides all the information you need to hone your content in on who’s actually watching by breaking down your demographics for age, gender, location and language.

Facebook insights If your video was posted to Facebook, you’ll easily be able to keep track of the likes, shares and comments by simply checking your notifications. Not only is all of this information available at a glance should you scroll down to the post in question but, if you are indeed logged in as an administrator for your HOW’s page, you’ll also see how many views the video has had. The stats don’t end there though. If you wish to delve deeper, click on the Insights tab at the top of the HOW’s Facebook page. Here, you’ll not only find data for video, but for every post made on the HOW’s page. If you’re viewing this on a computer, there will be a menu down the lefthand side, directing you to more detailed insights into how your content is performing on the site. You can check out breakdowns of your followers, examine where your likes are coming from and see how far your posts are reaching, as well as page views, actions taken by visitors and more. Passed all of this, you can look into individual posts, videos and stories. By selecting the option for videos, you are immediately met with the metrics from your page’s videos over the last seven days. This tells you how many minutes the videos on your page have been viewed for (and whether this is higher or lower than last week’s viewing figures) and how many individual video views you’ve had from Facebook users who have watched for more than three seconds. This information is followed by a list of the top 10 most watched videos on your page during the previous week. Do note that everything taken into account doesn’t just include videos that have been published within the past seven days, but views for all videos ever published to your page. The seven days refers to the views from your Facebook followers and can be adjusted to just today or yesterday, the last 14 or 28 days, this month or quarter, or a custom period of time. By clicking on Posts, you are able to see which days and times are busiest in terms of your followers surfing Facebook and being exposed to your content. You can compare the different types of posts your page has made – videos, links, photos – and see which gain the best reach and, on average, engage with users enough for them to interact with it. This also provides a snapshot of which

Let the credits roll

You can see how many views a Facebook video has directly on the post particular posts have proven more or less popular with followers.

Why does this matter? These insights help to save time and effort in producing content that perhaps isn’t relevant to or clicking with your audience, especially for video. Without taking note of these insights, you could wind up blindly producing video content that nobody bothers to watch. What’s worse is that your followers may stop pausing to check out your posts while scrolling through their feed if they don’t feel your content is relevant – perhaps they’ll even take the drastic move to stop following altogether. In addition to showing you which posts are popular – and therefore, what to give your audience more of – and which to ditch, the statistics available also enable you to optimise your views. By seeing when the majority of your followers tend to be online, you can choose to post new content at the same time, hopefully ensuring more eyes on the prize. Within the Insights tab, you can also select People from the sidemenu. This provides a round-up and breakdown of your page’s followers. You can see which percentage are

50 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

men or women, what age bracket they all fit into, where they’re from and what language they speak. This is all useful information for potentially steering your house of worship’s creative direction.

YouTube Studio YouTube is, of course, made for video. It’s arguably the most reliable platform on which to share video content for free and is easily accessible by viewers around the world on almost any type of device with a screen. From your profile page – My Channel – you can access YouTube Studio, which at the time of writing is in beta testing. The Studio section is where you go to upload a new video when browsing on a computer. It is also where you can find an archive of your channel’s previous uploads, as well as analytics. The analytics work in much the same way as on Facebook, although laid out in a much easier-to-read manner. The overview provides a rundown of minutes watched during the course of the time period you select, as well as the number of video views and subscribers. Below this, you’ll find a list of your page’s top performing videos and the latest activity.

In summary, wherever your HOW posts its videos and other social media content, remember to take a look at the analytics every now and again, particularly if you try something new, to gauge audience reaction. When a praise band performs to a live crowd, the applause immediately after the performance offers instant feedback; analytics are the online equivalent. And remember, it’s not just Facebook and YouTube that allow you to look at the stats, as any paid-for CDN will provide similar data, as do other social media formats, including Instagram, Snapchat and wherever else the kids are posting selfies to these days. While it’s great to see whether a new style of content has gone down a treat, or that your followers have grown bored of a series you were running, or whether there’s a need for more content driven towards 35- to 45-year-old women, remember to not get too bogged down by the numbers. It can be easy to fall into a trap of looking through the stats every day to the point it has a negative effect on creativity. Sometimes the numbers will be down and this could be due to any number of reasons. There will always be anomalies to buck the trends. And just because a certain type of content does well on a regular basis, don’t allow it to let you become complacent – in this fast-paced, interconnected world, people always want to see something new.


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TECHNOLOGY

Robe’s SuperSpikie focuses on bright beam output combined with beam effects

Elation’s Protron Eclypse packs 96 individual 10W RGBW LEDs

Flicker-free operation with smoother electronic dimming and multiple dimming curves is the forté of GLP’s impression E350

Are all LEDs born equal? Simon Luckhurst explores the differences to consider before investing in LED fixtures THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIGHTING technology has, at times, been surprising. Paradoxically, for all of the benefits and applications we see becoming possible through new LED innovations, the core industry is keen to make these fixtures mimic their incandescent forbears. We’ve witnessed a similar transition in audio with digital mixing consoles. Despite being free from the traditional constraints in terms of signal path and workflow, early digital desks did little to advance procedure – at least at the manufacturer level. The aim was to introduce the technology to consumers in a

familiar format while still appealing to professionals with decades of analogue experience under their belts. In the years since, we’ve seen workflows evolve and mature as audio engineers further exploited these new potentials, but it takes time for mindsets to shift. LED technology is in a similar boat. For much of the last decade, LED lighting fixtures have been compared and contrasted to traditional tungsten and filament models. Their job has been to replace the work of those fixtures that were in widespread use in the past, rather than to evolve the lighting design.

52 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

This is perhaps not surprising. As manufacturers look for new ways to exploit LEDs, they often see inspiration from the technologies LEDs seek to replace. One quick example would be the unique shift in colour temperature associated with dimming incandescent fixtures. When power is turned off in an LED, the light fades uniformly. In an incandescent bulb, the colour gets warmer as the output fades. We’ve been so used to witnessing this effect over the years that it now feels entirely natural. Attributes like this are things that manufacturers were keen to replicate for some

time. The same thing happened in our homes. Many consumers didn’t like the first LEDs on the market, feeling that the bright, white light they output was cold and sterile and more like office fluorescent strip lighting. So, a great deal of R&D went into learning how LEDs could mimic the soft, warm glow of normal bulbs. This begs the question, are all LED fixtures the same? While there may be differences at a finer level, there are many advantages common to all LED fixtures. The biggest, and often the primary, reason for most people


TECHNOLOGY making a switch to LED lamps is the substantial energy savings that can be achieved. With ever-increasing energy rates, the budget for a large conventional rig that would be necessary to create a proper professional stage production is increasingly being squeezed. Because of their lower power consumption, significantly more LED fixtures can be deployed while still providing an overall energy saving. Much of this saving comes in the form of reduced heat output, which in itself offers an additional safety benefit. Obviously, though, some LED fixtures are more efficient than others. One of the areas that really separates the cheaper and more expensive LED fixtures is dimming. Without getting too technical about what exactly is going on ‘under the hood’, LEDs don’t dim by varying the current to them. They are either on or off. Their apparent brightness is the result of the LED diode flashing

The COLORado Q40 is the latest addition to Chauvet’s LED portfolio on/off at high speed. The faster the flashes, the brighter the output. The diode does not allow any electricity to pass through it at all until a certain voltage is reached (the threshold point) and then, once this threshold is exceeded, electricity passes through freely and the diode emits 100% of its potential light output. This is also why cheaper LEDs don’t tend to look great on screen. Lacking the fast refresh rate necessary to blink the LED at a high enough speed to keep up with the cameras, the resulting image appears to flicker. In truth, this is not the fault of the LED module itself but the use of low-cost electronics in the cheaper models. What you’re paying for in expensive fixtures is higher-power LED emitters, better optics, sophisticated electronics that keep the light from flickering on video, and high-quality

electronics and heat sinks to help ensure that the electronics last as long as the LED emitters. Almost all manufacturers list lifetime specs for their LED products in the 10,000s of hours, so how important a consideration is a fixture’s stated lifetime? While this might be a useful guide, they are just that: a guide. Perhaps the various components making up the fixtures are individually rated to match that specification but if, for example, the wiring connecting those elements is of a subpar standard, how likely is it for that fixture to operate flawlessly for thousands of hours? The cheaper the fixture, the more susceptible it is to unexpected premature failure. Even with next-to-no knowledge about lighting fixtures, a novice can arm themselves with a few tricks to aid in judging the quality of a fixture.

Weight: Good-quality electronics are typically heavier than lowquality alternatives, while all LEDs require heat dissipation, normally in the form of aluminium. There are high-powered LED fixtures on the market that also boast a ver y light weight, but these are likely sacrificing the things needed to ensure a long lamp life. Output quality: Naturally, all LEDs output blue light and yellow phosphor is applied to the diodes. The combination of blue and yellow photons produces a white output. In a typical phosphor white manufacturing process, a phosphor coating is deposited on the LED die. The exact shade or colour temperature of white light produced by the LED is determined by the dominant wavelength of the blue LED and the composition of the phosphor. But the thickness of the phosphor coating produces variations in the colour temperature of the LED. The cheaper the phosphor manufacturing process, the less uniform the light output – meaning the colour from one fixture might be slightly different from another of the exact same model. Manufacturers attempt to minimise the colour variations by controlling the thickness and composition of the phosphor layer during manufacturing. Furthermore, over time the blue die and the yellow phosphor will degrade and this results in the light shifting colour. It can also produce unexpected colours if the device is

operated at a different current or operating temperature. Cheap LED lights generally don’t have good CRI, as this requires high-quality phosphor. Some manufacturers have gone to great lengths to focus on the colour output of their fixtures as a benchmark of their quality, for example ETC’s ColorSource range. Construction: Exterior features such as IP-rating for ingress protection are typically only found on high-quality fixtures, as the manufacturers have to spend time and money testing and certifying their products. If the paint or powder coating has not been applied well, there might be a good chance that the inside construction is also cheap. This is not a complete checklist, but a summary of the some of the main considerations. Basic features such as DMX control may not even be possible on the cheapest models. Obviously, there will always be big differences in price, for any technology. Churches are understandably looking to get the best return on investment when purchasing equipment for their sanctuary. But to choose wisely, one should understand what LED features are needed for reliable use over the long haul. Hopefully, this article has laid out some of the areas to assess when considering cheaper fixtures over more expensive alternatives. Cheaper purchases don’t necessarily mean that they will cost you less than more expensive alternatives in the long run.

March–April 2019 WORSHIP AVL 53


Image courtesy of Casa Maagica

BUYING GUIDE

ETC’s Selador Desire fixtures were part of Cologne Cathedral’s Lux Eucharistica show

Shine a light There are plenty of reasons for HOWs to opt for ellipsoidal lighting fixtures but with that purchase decision comes a number of technical considerations. Ledetta Asfa-Wossen learns more ELLIPSOIDAL LIGHTS HOLD A diverse range of uses for HOW venues that feature live music as well as those aiming for a more theatrical or experiential worship service. As an extremely versatile lighting instrument, ellipsoidal lighting allows you to control shape, intensity and colour, while providing a very focused, precise beam of light in the area you wish to light. This includes changing and manipulating the size of the circle of light depending on the level of impact you wish to create. In addition, unlike PARs or Fresnels, there is typically little side spill from these types of light fixtures, although some products still require a snoot accessory to avoid side light spillage. As with most lighting products, the key element to consider is its primary use to ensure the right level of technical performance. ‘First and foremost, you have to consider the position where the fixture is going to be hung and the distance to the object, as well as the desired area to illuminate. This will determine the beam angle of the

Elation ellipsoidal lighting fixtures were used at Cascade Hills Church to create impact

54 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

lens. Next thing to examine would be the required brightness and lumen output needed at the point of projection. For example, when mounting a typical LED ellipsoidal fixture 40ft away from a stage, with a 19° lens you will get around a 13ft diameter circle and approximately 100fc of light output. If you have a shorter throw, then a wider-angle lens will give you a similar output and beam diameter at a shorter distance, while still achieving the same desired lighting output. Alternatively, if you want to cover more area with a single fixture, you can use a 36° lens kit and achieve the minimum luminance level,’ explains Eric Loader, sales and marketing director at Elation Professional. Another important factor when deciding which type of ellipsoidal lights to use for your HOW venue is efficacy, states Loader. ‘Even if a fixture is listed at being 260W LED, that doesn’t mean it’s brighter or better than a fixture with a 130W LED engine. Why? In short, optics. Optical quality can mean all the difference


BUYING GUIDE in the quality of light and the total light a fixture produces. The flatness of the field produced by the fixture should also be considered. The best thing is to do your own comparison in-house and ask your local dealer to bring you three options to look at – in your venue – and only then can you truly see what is best for your application and budget,’ he adds. Most cameras today are very sensitive and do not require that much output to read properly and give good contrast, says Loader. ‘Typically, 30fc is enough for most cameras today but there are many lighting techniques to consider when placing

your lighting fixtures to achieve the desired results.’ Employing ellipsoidal light fixtures can also come with its own challenges. Offering some key tips for HOW venues, Luke Delwiche, entertainment market manager at ETC, shares some of the potential pitfalls. ‘As ellipsoidal fixtures can have sharp shuttering and image projection, it is important to make any system (for example, front light, side light, projected patterns and so forth) match focus across the system. Even the untrained eye will see differences in image projection, out-of-focus images or stray light.’

ETC ellipsoidal spotlights hone in on the centre stage at St Margaret Church in Munich

6

Eagle Brook Church, a large ministry with six campuses across Minnesota, using Elation Professional 156 ACL 360 Bar LED battens to light a performance With LED fixtures, it is also crucial to understand that LED emitters are different from traditional light bulbs and use an integrated microprocessor for control. ‘This means that there are many cheap products that do not perform well when dimming. Additionally, LED emitters drop in output as they warm up’, adds Delwiche. ‘As a result, it is vital to look out for products that feature droop compensation, where the array temperatures are monitored and consistent levels (and therefore colours) are maintained throughout the minutes or hours of use. This feature is rare on the very low-cost fixtures. It is also hugely important to evaluate the warranty.

Many lights only carry a very short warranty and that should be a strong indicator of the manufacturer’s commitment to quality and support,’ he advises. Nevertheless, notes Delwiche, ellipsoidal fixtures make an ideal lighting choice for front-light applications across HOWs where the intention is to frame a specific area that should be lit. ‘From the smallest venue to the largest, ellipsoidals are perfect for drawing focus exactly where it should be. Beam angles from 5–90° are also now easily available, as are zoom options.’ www.elationlighting.com www.etcconnect.com

Digital Hybrid Wireless®

wireless microphone channels

1

in

Venue 2 Modular Receiver Three receiver modules on each side of the mainframe can be positioned as needed for frequency selection and linked for ratio diversity reception.

rack space

1/2PAGE HORIZONTAL

• The Venue 2 mainframe includes an antenna multicoupler with a loop-thru so you can add up to two more mainframes and run all three of them from a single pair of antennas. • 7 different transmitters are available in miniature, body pack, hand held and plug-on configurations. • Wireless DesignerTM software is included and available for free download.

( )

For more information

( )

CONTACT

More Technologies

Tel USA +1(310) 470-8998 March–April 2019 WORSHIP AVL sales@moretec.net

55


NEWPRODUCTS

PRODUCTS

AV • LIGHTING • LIVE SOUND • INSTALLATION • BROADCAST • RECORDING

A-ZCONTENTS A-Z USW-210P

ADAM Audio

SP-5

59

Allen & Heath

SQ V1.3/SQ Waves card

62

Amate Audio

X212AF/X218WF

58

Audio-Technica

Podcaster-style bundles

60

Ayrton

Diablo-S/Diablo-TC

64

Cameo

Opus Series/F-Series

64 62

CAST Group

wysiwyg R41/BlackTrax V2.3.3

Celestion

CDV1-1757

60

Cinamaker

Panel for Adobe Premiere Pro

68

Claypaky

Sharpy Plus/Axcor Spot 400

64

DirectOut

Prodigy.MC

60

Elation

Artiste Monet/Proteus Profile

66

Electro-Voice

ZLX-12BT/ZLX-15BT

57

ETC

Relevé Spot/Prodigy FlyPipe

65

High End Systems

Hog 4-18/SolaSpot 3000

63

Just Add Power

709P2P

68

L-Acoustics/QSC

Plug-in for P1 and Q-Sys

60

Mackie

MC Series/CR-Buds Series

59

Martin

ELP WW and CL/MAC Allure Profile

65

Meyer Sound

USW-210P/MAPP XT 1.2.2

56

NewTek

Connect Spark Pro

69

Panopto/Matrox

Maevex 6020

69

Peerless-AV

PJR125-EUK/PJR125-POR-EUK

68

Powersoft

ArmonÍaPlus

59

PreSonus

CDL-series (CDL12, CDL18s)

58

Quest Engineering QX-280 Series

57

RCF

TTL 4-A/TTP 4-A/E Series

57

Roland

VP-42H/XS-42H

66

Ross Video

EVO Signature Series/OverDrive V18 68

sE Electronics

sE7/DM1 Dynamite/sE2300

60

Sennheiser

SK 6212/Control Cockpit 2.0.0

58

Sommer Cable

SC-Mercator Cat.7

63

Stage Tec

Aurus and Aurus platinum update

63

Strand Lighting

SPX LED WW

65

TASCAM

IF-E100

63

Vari-Lite

VL10 BeamWash

63

Vitec

MGW Diamond Tough

66

Work Pro

Pyron

62

Big bass for tight spaces Meyer Sound has released a low-profile subwoofer along with significant upgrades to its MAPP XT design tool and Compass control software MEYER SOUND’S USW-210P is described as delivering a big bass impact for houses of worship or any place that demands a powerful, low-frequency performance in a low-profile subwoofer. The dual 10-inch drivers extend the low end to 30Hz in a narrow form factor for fitting in confined spaces, while the bass-reflex cabinet has been engineered for high efficiency and low distortion. A built-in, 2-channel, Class-D amplifier provides crossover management, driver protection, and frequency and phase correction. The built-in crossover accepts full-range signals for users to daisy-chain components for signal distribution. The slanted connector panel allows users to flush-mount the cabinet against wall surfaces, with a required installation depth of 12 inches. The birch plywood enclosure is coated in a rugged, black textured finish with a stamped steel grille. The speaker has been designed for horizontal, vertical and free-standing installation. It integrates with other Meyer Sound systems, including CAL and Ultra Series loudspeakers, while the

Intelligent AC power supply provides automatic voltage selection, EMI filtering, soft current turn-on and surge suppression. Optional RMS remote monitoring lets users keep an eye on speaker parameters from a Mac or Windows-based computer running Compass control software via an RMServer interface. Meanwhile, the manufacturer has announced upgrades for its MAPP XT system design tool and Compass control software. MAPP XT 1.2.2 offers users the ability to perform copy and paste operations within the sound field and includes design data sets for the USW-210P and Acheron loudspeakers with woven screens. Predictive capability is now available for ground-stacked configurations for Leopard line array loudspeakers with companion 900-LFC low-frequency control elements and for Lina loudspeakers with companion 750-LFC elements. Compass 4.3.4 allows users to open a MAPP XT project in Compass and have it automatically populate settings for output processing, delay integration, array correction

56 WORSHIP AVL AV March–April 2019

and labelling of channels. Also included is delay integration for several of Meyer Sound’s newest loudspeaker products, including the UP-4slim and the USW-210P. In addition, delay integration has been expanded to include the Ashby ceiling loudspeakers and the UP-4XP ultracompact loudspeaker.

The Compass 4.3.4 release supports Galaxy 1.3.4, RMServer 2.5.0 and CAL 1.5.0. The RMServer 2.5.0 version now includes support for the USW-210P subwoofer. A number of bug fixes have also been addressed in the new releases. www.meyersound.com

MAPP XT has been updated to include design data sets for the USW-210P


PRODUCTS

Line and point source options from RCF DESIGNED TO be deployed as either a line (L) or point source (P) speaker system, RCF is shipping the TTL 4-A and TTP 4-A active 2-way systems. Both models include RDNet remote control, dual 800W RMS Class-D amplification, 4-inch HF compression drivers, dual 10-inch neodymium LF woofers with 2.5-inch voice coils and FiRPHASE 0° phase technology. Rated to operate within a 45Hz to 20kHz frequency range, the line source version provides 100° x 25° coverage, while the TTP 4-A model extends to a wider 100° x 50° area. The TTP 4-A point source variant can also be used as a single module with a 100° x 50° coverage or as a horizontal cluster of two or three modules in either stacked or flown configuration for enhanced throw and SPL. The TTP 4-A waveguide can be moved and rotated to the centre of the cabinet, enabling it to be used as a single horizontal module, in clusters of three or as a downfill for TTL 4-A clusters. Likewise, the TTL 4-A can also be used as a

TTL 4-A

TTP 4-A

single module offering 100° x 25° coverage or as a line of multiple modules in a stacked or flown column configuration. Comprising rigging solutions, a solitary cabinet can be used for 100° x 25° homogeneous coverage or stacked in a column. The 90° rotatable waveguide can be moved from the upper to the central position, allowing the speaker to be arranged in constant curvature clusters with up to six modules. Meanwhile, the Italian manufacturer has unveiled the E Series of mixing consoles consisting of the E 24 (24 channels), E 16 (16 channels) and E 12 (12 channels). The E 24 includes 18 54dB gain range mic preamps with combo connectors and three stereo line inputs. The E 16 provides 12 mic preamps and two stereo line inputs, while the E 12 incorporates six mic preamps and three stereo line inputs. All three models also include two line inputs that are switchable to Hi-Z input and a stereo return. On the E 24, channels 1 to 8 are equipped with a single-control processor, on

the E 16 this is the case for channels 1 to 6 and on the E 12 it’s channels 1 to 4. The 18 mono channels on the E 24 and the 12 mono channels on the E 16 are provided with 4-band EQs, including shelving high and low bands and two semi-parametric mid-bands (mid-high and mid-low) with

E 12 frequency selection and switchable Q choice (wide or narrow). The six mono channels on the E 12 are provided with 3-band EQs, including high and low bands and one semi-parametric mid-band. On all three models, the stereo input channels are provided with 3-band EQ. www.rcf.it

EV adds to ZLX series

The ZLX-12BT and ZLX-15BT

ELECTRO-VOICE HAS expanded its ZLX series with two Bluetooth

audio streaming models: ZLX-12BT (12-inch/2-way) and ZLX-15BT

(15-inch/2-way). Ideally suited for music playback or accompaniment, both models include the characteristics of their ZLX counterparts, such as QuickSmart DSP, which provides users with four presets, sub/top system match, 2-band EQ, five user-programmable presets, visual monitoring of the limiter status, input level control and meters, and master volume control for optimising gain structure.

The speakers include 1,000W Class-D amplifiers that deliver up to 127dB peak SPL and the company’s patented Signal Synchronized Transducers waveguide design reportedly provides precise and consistent coverage, minimal distortion and maximised acoustical loading. The three-handle design is incorporated into a rugged composite enclosure. www.electrovoice.com

The QX-280 accepts the Class-D quest SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED for AV installations and high-fidelity sound applications, the QX-280 amplifier series can be adopted in both low-impedance and 70/100V line installations. The QX-280 range consists of three separate 280W per channel models available as single (1280), dual (2280) and 4-channel (4280) variants. Weighing between 4.5kg and 8.3kg, the Class-D amplifiers are housed in a compact, single rack chassis. The transformer-less outputs deliver fullrange audio to all impedance loads from 4Ω to 70/100V systems, for which each amplifier is equipped

The QX-280 Series with a thermally controlled cooling fan. While the individual amplifier channels can be controlled from a selectable 80Hz high-pass filter switch located on the rear panel, volume control is accessed from the front panel.

Manufactured in Australia and covered by a 10-year warranty, the QX-280 amplifiers are equipped with an integrated limiter circuit. While functioning across the power

range at an 89.5% efficiency rate, automatic standby functionality mutes an individual amplifier channel after no signal has been detected for 10 minutes. This puts the amplifier into sleep mode after 30 minutes, reducing the mains current draw to less than 0.5W per amplifier channel. Installations subject to inconsistent mains supplies further benefit as a result of the 85–265V AC operating range. www.questaudio.com

March–April 2019 WORSHIP AVL 57


PRODUCTS

Xcellence redefined

Point source meets line array COMBINING THE attributes of both point source and line array technologies, PreSonus has released its CDL-series loudspeakers for both portable PA and installed sound applications. The CDL12 Constant Directivity Loudspeaker comes with a companion subwoofer – the CDL18s Active Subwoofer. Both are Danteenabled, powered enclosures that can be flown as a vertical array or combined for ground-stacked applications to create a complete loudspeaker system. The CDL12 consists of eight 2-inch drivers aligned in a segmented circular-arc, high-frequency array centred in front of a 12-inch woofer and is ideally suited for a broad range of venue sizes. With the sound projected from the centre

CDL12

of the enclosure, the controlled 120° horizontal coverage pattern is maintained, while the vertical coverage is expanded by 20° per box deployed. The result is a system that can be scaled from 20–120° of vertical coverage. The low 420Hz crossover frequency is said to minimise comb filtering. As a line array system for fixed installations, the ability to fly five enclosures under one or two companion CDL18s subwoofers provides flexibility when addressing room size. The CDL12 includes an integrated 500W x 500W Class-D power amplifier with onboard DSP presets. The CDL18s features a port configuration, four triangle-shaped ports and a custom 18-inch, lowfrequency transducer with a 4-inch voice coil that can travel 7mm before over-excursion and handles 800W. Dante connectivity facilitates interoperability with a wide range of equipment, as well as integrated pin-loaded rigging and the ability to remotely control the DSP from Worx Control. www.presonus.com

WITH THE launch of the X212AF active 3-way loudspeaker, Amate Audio has heralded the latest member of the Xcellence family as its flagship line array system. Designed for large event applications, the performance features of the X212AF module and its accompanying X218WF subwoofer promote rapid system set up and deployment capabilities. Delivering 100° x 8° (HxV) coverage, the V-shaped cabinet comprises dual 12-inch LF drivers, four 6-inch midrange drivers

and dual 3-inch HF neodymium drivers mounted onto a proprietary waveguide. In addition to providing a DSP platform for external control, the integrated, third-generation, Class-D amplification delivers ample headroom to the LF, MF and HF drivers housed within discrete enclosures. DSP functionality includes parametric EQ options, while advanced FIR filtering provides parameters including phase alignment and minimal latency. Separate limiters with differing time constants are available to the LF, MF and HF elements. Ethernet

connectivity enables remote system control, configuration and monitoring via Amate’s DSP Studio application in addition to onboard support of Dante AoIP networking. A series of advanced DSP and power control presets promote ease of set up for deploying X212AF arrays in various configurations from a minimum of six modules. Presets include optimised performance parameters for systems that incorporate the matched X218WF

subwoofer system. In addition to providing selection, a 3.5-inch TFT touchscreen mounted within the rear panel also includes visual monitoring of the system performance and protection parameters. The accompanying X218WF subwoofer deploys dual 18-inch LF neodymium drivers with 4-inch, double-layer voice coils, within a sub-system that integrates the same acoustic geometry design principles of the X212AF. The bass-reflex design incorporates Class-D amplification, DSP system management, Ethernet control and Dante connectivity to mirror the operational specifications of the X212AF line array. www.amateaudio.com

Sennheiser’s lightweight package SENNHEISER HAS introduced the SK 6212 mini bodypack transmitter for the Digital 6000 wireless microphone series. Measuring 63mm x 47mm x 20mm and weighing around 112g including the battery, the SK 6212 can be IR synced and includes an additional inner sealing for increased moisture resistance. Users control the transmitter via OLED display and function buttons. The BA 62 lithium-polymer battery has an operating time of up to 12 hours, while the flexible antenna is detachable and field-replaceable.

The SK 6212 bodypack

58 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

The battery can be recharged in the L 6000 rack-mount charger using the LM 6062 charging module. The transmitter is also compatible with the receiver of the Digital 9000 series when in long-range mode. ‘The SK 6212 is miniature in size but big on sound, using the proprietary Sennheiser audio codec of Digital 6000 and Digital 9000,’ explained Tom Vollmers, senior product manager pro audio at Sennheiser. ‘What is more, like the bigger transmitters, it is intermodulation-free and extremely

spectrum-efficient, so frequencies can simply be placed in an equidistant grid.’ Meanwhile, version 2.0.0 of Sennheiser Control Cockpit is now available. This version supports the evolution wireless G4 microphone systems and is downwards compatible with G3. The update also offers password protection, enhanced battery management options and a refresh of the user interface. www.sennheiser.com


PRODUCTS The MC-150 and MC-250

Balanced sound

Critical listening BUILDING ON the success of its MP Series in-ear monitors, Mackie has unveiled its MC Series professional headphones and CR-Buds Series high-performance earphones. The two models in the MC Series – the MC-150 and MC-250 – include 50mm transducers in a closed-back design for monitoring, mixing and personal listening. The MC-150 is described as providing the audio fidelity and punchy bass response of more expensive headphones, while the MC-250 is more suited for mixing and critical listening. Both models have ultra-soft ear pads and headbands, detachable cables and come with a carry bag. The CR-Buds Series is also available in two models: the CR-Buds and CR-Buds+. The CR-Buds model features a high-performance dynamic

driver for ‘rich’ lows and highs with a traditional earbud form factor and an in-line mic with a play/pause/ answer button. The CR-Buds+ model features dual dynamic drivers and an over-ear design with a choice of foam or silicone tips. Both models are said to have tangle-free cables and come with multiple ear tip sizes. Mackie has also released Master Fader 5.0, the next update to the app for its DL Series digital mixers. In this update, Android support has now been integrated. Master Fader 5.0 will be available for iOS and Android with support for DL16S and DL32S. Support for other DL Series models, as well as Mac and PC control, is coming in Master Fader 5.1.

TRADITIONALLY KNOWN for its ribbon-driver studio monitors, ADAM Audio has tried its hand at a pair of monitoring and mixing headphones with the SP-5 – designed to deliver balanced sound across an 8Hz to 38kHz frequency spectrum. The SP-5 integrates Ultrasone’s S-Logic technology with transducers arranged to exploit the ear’s natural form and the natural acoustics of the wearer’s pinna to direct sound into the ear canal. The intention is to deliver sound with ‘realistic spatial imaging of a quality typical of a stereo monitoring system installed and calibrated by experts’. ADAM states that it makes mixing on the SP-5 easier than on traditional headphones that point directly at the ear canal. By employing S-Logic technology, lower SPLs are required to

subjectively achieve the same perceived volume. This is said to result in distortion artefact reduction and avoids listening fatigue. www.adam-audio.com www.ultrasone.com

www.mackie.com

ArmoníaPlus efficiency HAVING PREVIOUSLY emphasised energy efficiency in its range of power amplifiers with the Green Audio Power initiative, Powersoft Audio has now set its sights on workflow efficiency. Powersoft’s R&D redesigned its Armonía remote control and monitoring software solution with the aim of building ‘the most efficient audio design environment on the market’. The result is ArmoníaPlus. The new ArmoníaPlus interface is described by the Italian manufacturer as loudspeaker-oriented and has been developed to mimic the realworld and the physical process of audio design with a workflow approach that is both simple to use and easy to navigate. A simplified, guided workflow, created from the ground up, leads users through the entire process, from system design to showtime using intuitive hotkeys and easy-to-read icons. A single window offers four main views: Workspace, System List, Operator View and Events. Workspace is the interface’s main display, allowing systems engineers to plan and work. The Workspace

Operator View view is divided into two parts: amplifiers occupy the left-hand side of the screen while loudspeakers are located on the right. A variety of functions become available to users as they progress through the four main steps: design, configuration, tuning and show. As soon as the link function is completed, further operations can then be carried out at the loudspeaker directly. The Powersoft development team has also made the process of auditioning presets as simple as selecting which loudspeakers to control. This means that their applications can be

changed via the Tune:Preset page. The layout and all control mechanisms have been designed to appear visually intuitive. This visual intuition impacts the workflow greatly, as amplifiers can be added directly to a rack, while loudspeakers can be grouped together, vertically and horizontally, in ArmoníaPlus as you would expect them to be in the real, physical world. In addition, arrays of loudspeakers can be grouped together so that when linking amplifiers, an algorithm in the software will automatically select the next item, based on proximity,

model and position on the screen. ArmoníaPlus also provides users with the ability to create advanced groups of loudspeakers, making it possible to adjust gain, delay, polarity and EQ. The GUI has been programmed to deliver information in a way that is easy to absorb. Meanwhile, the inclusion of a new page, Tune:EQ, facilitates monitoring of the overall curve applied to each speaker or group. A headroom meter adapts its LEDs based on the limiters of the speaker, allowing users to see how hard the speakers are being driven at a glance. With simplicity and workflow efficiency at the heart of Powersoft’s intentions, ArmoníaPlus is designed to be free from sub-menus. Every function is available via either a rightclick or a hotkey. For example, to set amplifiers to static IP mode, users can simply select the corresponding devices and the software will assign the available addresses progressively, starting from the desired one. www.powersoft-audio.com

March–April 2019 WORSHIP AVL 59


PRODUCTS

A-T bundles for content creators AUDIO-TECHNICA IS offering four new podcaster-style bundles that can be used by worship teams considering either live video streaming or portable video production. Two bundles feature USB outputs to directly connect with computers, while the other two feature XLR outputs for flexibility to connect with professional mixers or digital interfaces. All bundles feature a microphone with mount, ATH-M20x professional monitor headphones and a

custom boom arm with desk mount. The AT2005USBPK bundle includes an AT2005USB cardioid dynamic USB/XLR microphone; the AT2020PK bundle an AT2020 cardioid condenser microphone; the AT2020USB+PK bundle an AT2020USB+ cardioid condenser USB microphone; and the AT2035PK bundle an AT2035 cardioid condenser microphone and shock mount. AT2005USBPK

Adding clarity sE ELECTRONICS has released a back-electret, small-diaphragm condenser microphone intended for a wide range of live applications with acoustic guitars, pianos, drums and more. The microphones feature Class-A circuitry, low-cut switches and a transformer-less output to improve clarity and a more natural sound, ‘without suffering from the fizzy highs or lack of low-frequency punch’. The sE7

www.audio-technica.com

Celestion enhances vocal output THE CDV1-1757 from Celestion is a compression driver specifically designed for optimum performance across the critical vocal band. The driver features Celestion’s 1.75inch edgewound copper clad aluminium voice coil; a single piece polyimide diaphragm/surround; and an FEA-optimised magnet assembly and phase plug. This is said to enable the driver to deliver

120W continuous power handling (60Wrms, AES standard) and 107dB sensitivity. A standard 1.38inch screw fitting provides maximum compatibility with a range of Celestion and third-party horn flares. In particular, the driver has been designed for applications such as the broadcast of the Adhan, where maximum clarity is required for the voice of the imam to reach worshippers over the greatest

possible distance. ‘By taking a fresh look at one of our existing designs – modifying the phase plug and optimising the volume of the rearloading chamber – we were able to create a device that gave additional focus to the part of the frequency range where the voice sits. This led us to develop a driver with a greater vocal output level together with enhanced clarity,’ explained Celestion head of engineering, Paul Cork. www.celestion.com

DirectOut goes modular DIRECTOUT HAS released Prodigy.MC, a modular converter and audio router that supports multiple formats with a variety of I/Os and networked audio and control capability in a compact 2U package. The converter offers unified remote control via globcon and a userfriendly touchscreen on the front

panel. Third-party remote control protocols can also be added. Prodigy.MC provides I/O based on eight channel modules. Line level, microphone and AES3 (including SRC) interfaces can be combined up to a total of 64 inputs and outputs. The hardware supports MADI and a network audio option, while the two

MADI slots can be equipped with BNC, SC optical and SFP modules, and an optional board adds Dante, Ravenna (AES67) or SoundGrid connectivity. www.directout.eu

L-Acoustics’ P1 welcomes Q-Sys FOLLOWING THE launch of the P1 processor in 2017 and its subsequent availability in early 2018, L-Acoustics has announced a plug-in to enable interoperability with the Q-Sys Platform. The collaboration allows control and monitoring of the P1 through Q-Sys, fulfilling increasingly stringent and complex requirements. Systems designers can architect fully scalable AV environments using the Q-Sys Designer software and native user control with L-Acoustics audio systems. ‘Accompanying the P1 release with

a complementary plug-in seemed essential,’ commented L-Acoustics’ director of product management, Jeff Rocha. ‘We are fully committed to easy connectivity and system interoperability across our evolving product lines. The demand for P1,

60 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

our multifunctional AVB processor and measurement platform, is particularly robust. We are therefore pleased to offer this new integration with Q-Sys.’ www.l-acoustics.com www.qsc.com

DM1 Dynamite with the sE7 and sE7 Stereo Pair have also been reworked to offer more consistent gain and less noise. An active inline preamp to be inserted between a dynamic or passive ribbon microphone and a microphone preamplifier has also been released by the company. The DM1 Dynamite can be used to boost the signal from a passive mic for podcasting or on-stage use. It provides +28dB of Class-A gain and the manufacturer claims it offers nearly half the noise, lower output impedance and more consistent gain than any other inline mic preamp on the market. Finally, sE Electronics has also released a refined version of its sE2200. The sE2300 is a multi-platform version of the condenser and features a handcrafted true condenser capsule, two attenuation pads, two low-cut filters and the same Class-A circuitry as its sibling. The sE2300 preserves the same clarity and tonality as its predecessor but adds both omnidirectional and figure-8 polar patterns to reportedly increase versatility. www.seelectronics.com


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PRODUCTS

What’s new with SQ?

Work Pro sets sparks flying WORK PRO has launched Pyron, a range of control hardware comprising several wirelessly controllable devices designed to provide HOWs with control of stage effects and hardware such as pyrotechnics and CO2, flame and cold fire spark machines.

The SQ Series receives a firmware update

THE V1.3 firmware update for Allen & Heath’s SQ Series adds a range of features, including a Listen bus for patching the PAFL bus to an IEM system, stereo nearfield monitors or a mono listen wedge with the option to control the listen level with the master fader. The firmware also dovetails with the SQ SLink option card, offering more options for FOH/ monitor splits and remote I/O, or combinations of these with an ME personal monitoring system. The update simplifies communication between FOH and monitors with the addition of an external input to PAFL. Digital splits are further facilitated by new tie lines, connecting input and output sockets without depleting the SQ’s processing power. Other V1.3 additions include user permissions, user inter face enhancements, effects control and MIDI messaging, as well as instant value feedback for the soft rotary controls on the SQ-6 and SQ-7. The SQ MixPad app also benefits from the inclusion of effects and DEEP unit control, a patching matrix and integration with the signal generator.

Also new with SQ is a Waves SoundGrid network card. This provides SQ mixers with a 64x64 96kHz or 48kHz interface to a Waves SoundGrid network using its I/O port. The manufacturer has also announced that a range of DEEP FDC A

processing plug-ins is now available as optional add-ons for its SQ Series. The options allow SQ users to choose from a suite of plug-ins ported directly from the dLive mixing system. A preamp and compressor plug-in can be used on each of the 48 input channels, while a GEQ compressor can be applied to each of the 16 mixes. Unlike third-party plug-ins that require additional hardware, the DEEP plug-ins are built into the console architecture and reportedly add no additional latency to the system.

The range includes a suite of control software, two different DMX-equipped, battery-operable hardware consoles (the FDC W and the more fully featured FDC A) and the FD P1 wired or wireless trigger pad, all of which are built into portable, IP67-rated, water-resistant ABS transport cases. The consoles connect to M2 pyrotechnic firing modules; up to 64 M2 modules can be used with each console and each M2 can launch up to 16 fireworks simultaneously. The consoles can be mains- or battery-powered. The FDC W can route trigger commands and macros to connected pyrotechnics via dedicated connections as well as controlling stage machinery, lighting and audio effects and

processing via its DMX output. The FDC A offers all the functionality of the FDC W but adds Open System Control (OSC) and Ethernet connectivity for more control options, plus a dedicated pad of hardware trigger buttons to which different firing options or macros can be assigned for live use, programmable via its built-in alphanumeric keys and two-line LCD. The FD P1 Fireworks Digital Pad is designed for users that need a dedicated trigger pad separate from the main console. It can be connected to the console via a cable or wirelessly as required. Up to 25 macros or individual connected pyrotechnic hardware can be triggered via the dedicated 5x5 matrix of assignable buttons, while another 3x5 matrix of trigger buttons in the separate DMX section allows simultaneous control and triggering of connected DMXcompatible lighting or audio processing hardware. www.workpro.es

FDC W

www.allen-heath.com

Wysiwyg and BlackTrax upgrades from CAST THE CAST Group has launched wysiwyg R41 whereby users can stream videos directly into a wysiwyg file from a local video player or from a media server, via the Network Device Inter face (NDI) protocol. Other benefits include the ability to scale up, down or stretch any 3D object within wysiwyg. The Scale tool can be applied to a primitive

shape, an object from wysiwyg’s library (except truss and fixtures) or objects imported from other applications. Selection Sets reportedly save time by reducing the need for repetitive selection tasks and will save the selection information such as which objects are selected and in what order, so that shortcuts can be reused multiple times.

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In other news from the Canadian manufacturer, BlackTrax V2.3.3 combines tracking with lighting, media interactivity, moving projection mapping, 3D positional audio and camera tracking. V2.3.3 aims to act as an aggregate control suite for all cameras on production and will allow users the possibility to link between modules and quickly set up scenes and

subjects with the appropriate cameras, locations and automation presets. In addition, PTZ positional presets provide users with the ability to position and save non-tracked cameras with an infinite amount of camera presets that will point and zoom the PTZs in any desired position. www.cast-soft.com


PRODUCTS

Platinum compression STAGE TEC has released software version 4.7 for its Aurus platinum mixing console. New features include parallel compression, also referred to as New York compression. Parallel compression has been added as an additional operating mode for Aurus platinum’s existing

compressor. It is used mainly in recording and postproduction applications. Stage Tec has also announced that it will make parallel compression available for its Crescendo platinum desk in a future update. In addition, 3D audio can now be mixed with four overhead speakers

Certified Sommer cables SINCE JULY 2017, every material used for building installations has been governed by the European Construction Products Regulation (CPR) 305/2011 pursuant to EN 50575. As a result, Sommer Cable has updated the certification of one of its cables to the highest possible

fire protection standards. The SCMercator Cat.7 data cable has been tested and certified and is now available in the CPR classifications Dca s1 d2 a1 (item no. 580-0255FC) and Cca s1 d1 a1 (item no. 580-0275FC). According to the manufacturer, the cable’s benefits are a short lay length, a long-life FRNC jacket and high-quality insulation, and it is described as an ideal choice for use as a permanent link between computers and media equipment.

Parallel compression is a new feature for Aurus platinum the control sur face. This function is also available on the Aurus console.

using Aurus platinum as par t of the 4.7 software release. The ability is also provided to create temporar y link groups that allow channels to be linked quicker via

www.stagetec.com

IP control for the CD-400U TASCAM HAS released the IF-E100 Ethernet control card to enable remote configuration and control over an IP network from the manufacturer’s CD-400U media player. This new optional card slots into the CD-400U expansion port and offers control via the free, downloadable CD-400U Network Settings application for Mac and Windows. The CD-400U comes with remote control as standard via

RS-232C. However, the addition of the optional IF-E100 Ethernet control card is intended to make the player better suited to IP network-based installations in HOW settings. www.tascam.com

www.sommercable.com

Sola powered SOLAFRAME 3000, which combines a high light output from its 1,000W Ultra-Brite white LED engine with a large palette of effects and colour options, producing 37,000 field lumens, has been launched by High End Systems. SolaSpot 3000, meanwhile, has also been engineered for larger lighting applications and designed to rival and exceed the output of most powerful arc lamp fixtures, according

to the manufacturer, while offering the advantages of LED technology, such as long engine life. Features include a framing system for control of beam shaping, a patented lens defogger, a continuously variable animation wheel and an iris, light frost, prism and 7–55° zoom. Applications for the luminaire include arenas and stadiums to concert halls, megachurches and HOWs.

4 hardware lighting console and features 18.5-inch screens and a new motherboard with display por t monitor connections. The active dp to DVI adapters will be shipped with each console and the face panel is unchanged, with the exception of accessor y arm mounts in the chassis on each side.

SolaSpot 3000 Meanwhile, the Hog 4-18 is a refresh of High End Systems’ Hog

www.highend.com

Prime-time BeamWash SIGNIFY’S PHILIPS Vari-Lite brand has released the new VL10 BeamWash, the first lighting fixture designed around the Philips 25R Platinum 550W lamp. The fixture was subjected to various tests on primetime television shows and at live concerts before release. The new lamp found inside the VL10 BeamWash reportedly produces 28,000 lumens of output, which the manufacturer states makes it the brightest fixture in its class. It has a 2.2–48° zoom range making for a wide variety of effects, including

crisp, tight beams and wide, smooth washes, as well as mid-air blasts and a plethora of other beam effects. Creative effects include dual overlaying prisms, an eight-slot rotating gobo wheel and an aperture wheel featuring 12 designs, such as beam reduction to a ‘laser-like’ 0.7° and bold break-ups and aerial dynamics. Designers can also access the VL*FX glass animation wheel system, in addition to mega-stepping, twist and shake control capabilities. Effects can be softened with an internal frost, while strong, even

washes can be created in VL10 BeamWash’s dedicated wash mode. The complete Philips Vari-Lite colour palette is also available, while an enhanced CYM colour system and fixed colour wheel deliver subtle hues, deep reds and blues, and everything in-between. The fixture has a large, 180mm front lens to give it a ‘stage presence’ normally reserved for larger lights. The unit weighs 33kg. www.vari-lite.com

March–April 2019 WORSHIP AVL 63


PRODUCTS

Automated lighting DIABLO-TC AND Diablo-S are Ayrton’s new automated profile spots. The former offers a 14,000-lumen output calibrated at 7,000K with a CRI greater than 90; the latter, a high-output version, offers a 17,000-lumen output, 8,000K white light source and a native CRI greater than 70. Both

models have 8:1 zoom optics giving a 6.7–53° beam range, CMY colour mixing, variable CTO, a fixed colour wheel with seven complementary colours, an indexable rotating gobo wheel with seven glass gobos, a graphic animation wheel, iris, frost, a full framing system and a power consumption of 300W.

Switching to wash luminaires, Merak-TC outputs 13,000 lumens from a 300W, 7,000K white source and has a CRI greater than 90, while Merak-S, again the high-output version, delivers a 16,000-lumen output from its 300W, 8,000K source which aligns it with an 800W/1,000W discharge fixture. Diablo-TC

www.ayrton.eu

Cameo keeps busy IT’S BEEN a busy time for the Adam Hall Group, with its Cameo lighting brand launching two new series of fixtures as well as a host of other upgrades and enhancements. Starting with moving heads, the new Opus Series comprises three fixtures: Opus SP5, Opus SP5 FC and Opus S5. The Opus SP5 is a 500W profile moving head with a 15,000-lumen light output, a CMY colour mixing system and linear CTO. Featuring a 130mm front lens, it provides a wide zoom range from 6–42° free from hot spots. The Opus SP5 FC is a RGBAL LED profile moving head, delivering 9,000 lumens with a CRI of over 90/TLCI 93 from just 300W. It offers an adjustable beam angle of

Opus S5

Opus SP5 6–44°, reportedly resulting in consistent projection free from colour shadows. Both the SP5 and SP5 FC feature a fourfold diaphragm slider system, whereby the angle and position of each slider is adjustable through ±45° until completely closed. The SP5 FC also features a rotating animation wheel. The smallest member of the Opus family is the Opus S5 spot moving head. Despite its small 380W LED, the S5 delivers a light output of 17,500 lumens, as well as housing a CMY colour mixing system and a linear CTO correction of 6,500– 2,600K. Alongside the Opus Series, the German manufacturer also took

the wraps off the new three-strong F Series of professional Fresnel spotlights: the Cameo F2 D (5,400K daylight LED), Cameo F2 T (3,200K tungsten LED) and Cameo F2 FC (RGBW LED, infinitely adjustable from 2,800–10,000K). Said to be the perfect replacements for traditional 1kW Fresnel spotlights, they feature ‘lifelike’ colour reproduction with a high CRI of 96/TLCI 97, smooth zoom and adjustable beam angles of 15–40° for the F2 D and F2 T and 18–55° for the F2 FC. Additional features include four selectable 16-bit dimmer curves with adjustable response. Also included are 8-way barn doors and gel frames. Lastly, several new models have been added to the Zenit series of outdoor LED fixtures, including what is said to be the ‘most powerful, battery-powered wash light currently available on the market’. The Zenit W300 houses 21 15W RGBW LEDs capable of providing a 10,000-lumen output. Without a diffuser, this wash light features a beam angle of 21° and a field angle of 40°. Optional accessories enable alternative beam angles that can be set in a matter of

quickly. A linear 3–36° (1:9) zoom covers the entire range, both in Spot mode and in Beam mode. In Beam mode, the Sharpy Plus is capable of over 300,000 lux output at a 10m distance. In addition to the new hybrid fixture, Claypaky has also debuted its new Axcor Spot 400 LED spotlight. The fixture is described as a compact but

64 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

Zenit B200 output – but combined with a heavy-duty LG Chem lithiumion built-in battery. The battery management system protects against overcharging and deep discharging. Apart from this, the B200 shares the same features as the Cameo Zenit W300 and W600. www.cameolight.com

The best of both DESCRIBING IT as the first true 100% hybrid fixture, Claypaky’s Sharpy Plus moving head is able to function as both a beam light and spotlight. The enclosure houses an all-new Osram Sirius 330W X8 lamp, while the entire unit weighs 21.6kg. Furthermore, the manufacturer is promoting the fact that all features can be accessed

seconds thanks to SnapMag filter frames. It also features an integrated 2.4GHz W-DMX transceiver and control via RDM, DMX or infrared remote control, while IP65 classification ensures long-term outdoor use. Complete portability is possible with the Zenit B200 batterypowered outdoor wash light. It also houses 21 15W RGBW LEDs – this time capable of a 4,500-lumen

Sharpy Plus bright spotlight ‘with all the devices needed for exceptional visual effect

projections’. A wide combination of effects can be created via two rotating dichroic glass gobo wheels with a total of 14 rotating gobos, an animation disc, a rotating prism, a power-driven iris, a 16-bit dimmer and 5.5–55° zoom. Additionally, the unit has advanced tools for colour management, based on a CMY system with linear CTO and six-colour wheel. www.claypaky.it


PRODUCTS

Martin ellipsoids go LED MARTIN HAS released new ELP LED ellipsoid fixtures in two versions: ELP WW (warm white) and ELP CL (colour). Featuring optic assemblies designed in Denmark by the team behind MAC Encore, the ELP fixtures are designed to maximise efficiency as well as deliver a flat field of illumination for smoother blending and mixing between fixtures. Martin states that the fixtures offer ‘superior output, optics and colour rendering combined with ease-of-use and convenience’. The ELP WW delivers 7,000 lumens and a 97 CRI at a 3,000K colour temperature. The ELP CL fixture, meanwhile, delivers 6,900 lumens and a CRI of 85 in high output mode, and 5,900 lumens and 90 CRI in high-quality mode, with a colour

temperature of 6,000K. Both models are stated to offer flickerfree operation for consistent light output, on and off camera. The ELP models also feature a gear-based Fine Focus adjustment knob and

Martin’s ELP CL

Warm white, energyefficient spotlight THE SPX LED WW (warm white) profile from Philips Strand is intended to serve as an energyefficient LED alternative to existing spotlights. The manufacturer has primarily aimed it at environments such as houses of worship. The SPX LED WW is dimmable from either DMX or via a conventional forward phase dimmer. Smooth, ‘step-less’

fade is provided down to zero, making it suited to performance pieces. The fixture uses the manufacturer’s latest energy-efficient warm white LED light engine to reportedly produce an output equivalent to a 575W bulb. Its beam has been designed to only

claiming it to be the the Fast Focus first ‘truly efficient feature, which the way to integrate solid manufacturer says state colour mixing into ‘allows the fixture to be profile fixtures’. It is a focused without data fully featured moving flow’. ELP also offers 16-bit dimming with head combining a four selectable proprietary, solid curves and 26 colour state RGBW additive presets that match colour mixing engine, MAC Allure industry-standard a seven-segment colour filters. The units can be pixelated beam and onboard configured with Martin lens P3 and DMX controllability. The tubes in 19°, 26°, 36° and overall feature set further includes 50° beam angles as well dimmer, strobe, colour mixing, as third-party lens tubes. gobos, iris, prism, zoom, focus, They can also be configured pan and tilt. Furthermore, the with a wide range of accessories, fixture includes a pixelated beam including gel frames and gobos. divided into seven individually Alongside the new ELP fixtures, controlled, full-colour segments Martin has also debuted its MAC (pixels). Allure Profile moving head that features integrated P3 video control, www.martin.com

light up the areas that it has been aimed at. The SPX filter frame system is said to ensure no light leakage, negating the need for additional masking.

The SPX LED WW is also quieter in operation than ‘comparable LED fixtures’ according to Philips Strand, with a reduced fan noise. Using the same gate and lens sets as Philips Selecon’s SPX Profile fixtures, the SPX LED WW is built with ‘secure’ locking shutters and allows other lens sets to be used via an adaptor plate. It also employs a Philips Selecon ‘box-style’ gel colour holder and facilitates DMX connection XLR connectors. www.strandlighting.com

ETC raises the bar AVAILABLE IN black and white, ETC’s Relevé Spot provides a brightness of up to 6,000 lumens, gobo projection with five rotating/ indexing dichroic gobos, an 18–54° zoom range, an Ani-gobo break-up and effects wheel for beam breakups and fire, water and leaf effects, and a variable frost. It has a colour temperature range of 2,700–7,000K, a gate size of 44mm and an aperture size of 160mm. The lighting and rigging specialist has also unveiled two products that work alongside each other. Prodigy FlyPipe is a compact, self-climbing hoist that reportedly requires minimal structural support which, according to ETC, means users can add lighting, sound systems and projection to spaces previously overlooked. The

Relevé Spot

hoist is described as safe to use thanks to its multiple built-in safety features and is ideal for budgetconscious venues. FlyPipe can be used in conjunction with ETC’s QuickTouch Preset to set equipment and record its position. QuickTouch Preset allows users to walk into a space and, with the single push of a button, have the room set and ready to work. ETC has also extended its Echo family with EchoTouch, a compact touchscreen lighting controller that can act as an interface into a standalone or integrated Unison Echo control system. EchoTouch can also provide status and control of all Echo products and direct control for DMX/ RDM and sACN fixtures and devices. It mounts in a standard 3-gang back

box and is powered by PoE or 24DVC. The graphics on the 7-inch screen reportedly support customised layout and naming for any application. The final new arrival from ETC is Foundry, a line of DMX-controlled distributed power control products that include mini panels, relay controllers, 0–10V controllers and phase-adaptive dimmers. Foundry products are described as the perfect partners for Unison Paradigm, Mosaic or any third-party DMX control system, helping users create complete lighting and plugload control packages that are said to provide advanced energy-saving features and meet stringent energy codes. www.etcconnect.com

March–April 2019 WORSHIP AVL 65


PRODUCTS

Monet joins Elation lineup ARTISTE MONET is the latest addition to Elation’s Artiste range. It is a 45,000-lumen LED profile fixture that incorporates the manufacturer’s SpectraColor engine, which uses traditional CMY colours but adds variable RGB flags for colours that were ‘previously impossible to achieve’, from theatrical pastels to pure reds, blues and greens. The Monet houses a full blackout, 4-blade framing system with unlimited indexing and continuous rotation control that allows shapes to rotate while morphing and transforming for

Artiste Monet

transitions, projections and aerial effects. The package includes seven rotating and seven fixed glass gobos, a full animation wheel, dual prisms, dual frost and a high-speed iris. With a 6–50° zoom and a 160mm front lens, Monet also incorporates a 950W white LED engine. Providing up to 45,000 lumens from a 950W LED engine, Proteus Profile is an IP65-rated LED profile that includes six rotating and seven fixed glass gobos, a full animation wheel, dual prisms, dual frost and a high-speed iris. The indexable framing system provides full blackout shutter cuts. Like Artiste Monet, Proteus Profile has a zoom range of 6–50° and a 160mm front lens. Smarty MaX is a beam/spot/wash hybrid moving head featuring the new Philips MSD Platinum Flex 400 lamp. Rated at 480W with 4,000 hours of lamp life, Smarty MaX combines CMY and variable CTO and is reportedly the first hybrid to incorporate a full iris for dynamic beam effects. Features include a 160mm front aperture lens, four prisms on two planes, dual frosts and dual gobo wheels.

DiGidot C4 Live Elation has also released DiGidot C4 Live and DiGidot C4 Extended. DiGidot C4 Live can output to a maximum of 6,144 individual LEDs and 2,000 RGB LEDs. The LEDs are spread over four outputs, where each can have three universes. Lights can be directly connected to the LED driver and digital outputs can all have various settings. DiGidot C4 Extended combines all the capabilities of the DiGidot C4 Live and adds recording and triggering functions to make the DiGidot C4 a standalone show controller. Meanwhile, Elation subsidiary Obsidian Control Systems has launched Onyx, a lighting control platform that is backwards compatible with all M-Series lighting control products. The platform has been designed for both hardware consoles and PC systems and can control up to 128 universes

of DMX, Art-Net or sACN. The first two products under the Onyx platform are NX 2 and NX Wing. NX 2 provides high brightness, full HD multi-touchscreen, eight assignable parameter encoders, an assistive mini touchscreen, a full keypad and command section, a dedicated grand master and 10 full playbacks with four freely assignable buttons. It also includes an Intel Hexa-Core processor, a high-speed NVMe SSD drive and 16GB of DDR4 RAM. NX Wing is based on the NX 2 console and uses the same design and components with an identical footprint and layout. www.elationlighting.com

NX 2

Roland simplifies video processing

VP-42H

ROLAND PRO A/V has designed its new VP-42H video processor for ease of set up and use. The ‘compact’ device facilitates multi-source layering and switching with dynamic transitions for the single-screen display of presentations, digital signage content and other visuals that will engage a congregation. The VP-42H supports the simultaneous output of up to four

layered source signals, even with varying resolutions between its four HDMI inputs. It features Motion Scene Switching for transitioning between screen setups, browserbased network remote control, audio management including de-embedding and embedding, and a keyer function for overlays and composition. Users are able to instantly switch between ‘scenes’ containing preset

arrangements of layered sources in a customisable inset window. Scenes are transitioned between by moving and resizing the windows to their new positions with motion-based scene switching. This, the manufacturer states, means that ‘impressive scene changes that used to take hours now happen at the touch of a button’. Also new from Roland is the XS42H matrix switcher. This compact unit enables the connection of up to four computers and tablets over

HDMI with automatic optimisation. It also displays newly connected sources, facilitates automatic audiofollows-video switching and allows web browser-based control from a networked computer, tablet or phone. Offering users the choice between 10 user-configurable setup scenes, the XS-42H can switch source content to feed one or two video displays via HDMI. proav.roland.com

XS-42H

Advanced HEVC compression MGW DIAMOND Tough from Vitec is described as a fan-less, powerefficient, quad channel HEVC and H.264 HD/SD encoder housed in a rugged enclosure. Up to four 3G/ HD/SD-SDI or composite inputs can be captured and streamed live. The encoder also provides optional

66 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

advanced HEVC compression, allowing users to stream HD/SD video (up to 1080p60) with up to 50% bandwidth savings compared to current H.264 standards. The MGW Diamond Tough supports simultaneous encoding and streaming of analogue and SDI sources,

KLV/STANAG metadata ingest from various sources (SDI/IP or Serial), real-time image cropping and video scaling, Forward Error Correction (FEC) streaming and JITC-compliant output streams. www.vitec.com



PRODUCTS

Cinamaker integrates with Premiere Pro CINAMAKER, CREATORS of the Cinamaker tool for video capture, recording and live streaming, has unveiled its Adobe panel integration for Adobe Premiere Pro. The panel allows users to transfer and open Cinamaker project files; have all synchronised

source cameras, graphics, media, project assets, EDL and timeline metadata impor ted into Premiere Pro; automate media management and timeline creation; and have first cuts autocreated by edit decisions and graphics used during a Cinamaker

live cut or live stream. According to the manufacturer, this means that multi-camera video recording, along with all cameras, edit decisions, metadata, graphics and audio from Cinamaker, will be transferred to the Adobe Premiere

Pro timeline ‘in per fect sync’. Finishing touches can then be added in Premiere Pro, meaning that users can spend more time on postproduction than on having to sync all the files. www.cinamaker.com

Peerless-AV reinforces its projection mounts AV TECHNOLOGY firm PeerlessAV has released two heavy-duty projector mounts – the PJR125EUK and PJR125-POR-EUK.

Hook-and-Hang feature to help installers when securing the projector and when making adjustments. Six universal legs (four pre-installed)

Distributing power

PJR125-EUK

Designed for use in a variety of live event applications, the mounts will accommodate laser projectors weighing up to 56.7kg, with the PJR125-POR-EUK allowing portrait mounting of projectors over 34kg. The PJR125-EUK is for landscape orientation only, while the PJR125-POREUK can hold a projector in multiple orientations. The projector mounts are suitable for a wide range of LCD/LED, laser and large-venue projectors. With a low-profile design, the projector mounts include a simple

A POWER over Ethernet (PoE) transmitter that allows integrators to use a single power input to distribute video, audio, power and control to all downstream devices over a Cat-5e cable has been developed by Just Add Power (J+P). Integrators can pair the J+P 709P2P with any J+P receiver model to create a simple, pointto-point connection or combine it with the company’s PoE daisy-chain receiver for installations of up to four screens. The PoE transmitter distributes Ultra HD and 4K video with HDCP 2.2 and supports all lossless audio

are fully adjustable and provide additional support for projectors with more than four mounting holes. The universal adaptor plate on each model extends up to a 648mm mounting pattern to accommodate most projector models. Furthermore, the tilt, roll and swivel features are all lockable to prevent even the smallest shift in image, while cables can be neatly routed through the mount and out of sight.

formats, including Dolby Atmos, and control end-points with RS-232 and IR (using J+P’s VBS-HDMI-IRD RS-232 to IR converter). The 40W PoE injector can power up to four receivers, eliminating additional cabling and power infrastructure. Video image capabilities include push, pull and pop for onscreen customisation. As with all models in the J+P line-up, the 2GΩ/3G+ PoE solutions integrate with both 2G and 3G, allowing integrators to build an infrastructure that suits a variety of application requirements. www.justaddpower.com

www.peerless-av.com

Ross Video partners with SNS THE EVO Signature Series of storage products is the result of a partnership between Ross Video and Studio Network Solutions (SNS). SNS creates software and shared media storage SAN/NAS solutions for TV, film and video editing. The EVO Signature Series has been created to integrate with editing platforms that enable users to collaborate in producing and editing media, recording and the playout of live productions, in addition to managing archival workflows. ‘The EVO Signature Series integrates seamlessly with our XPression graphics, Abekas servers/replay and Streamline asset management product suites,’ explained Jeff Moore, EVP and CMO at Ross.

Described as ‘extremely flexible and scalable’, the EVO Signature Series is a storage solution that is available in several form factors, storage capacities and I/O options that can be scaled up depending on workload. Options are included for supporting large quantities of direct connect 1GbE ports to multiple 10Gb copper and fibre setups, as well as 25Gb and 50Gb

68 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

solutions for more demanding playout requirements found in larger megachurches. The direct connect options allow for direct playout and the streaming of video from storage via the XPression graphics or Abekas server playout systems. The EVO Signature Series also includes an option for nearline storage, compatible with media asset management solutions such as Ross Streamline.

Ross has also released Version 18 of its OverDrive Automated Production Control (APC) solution. The update delivers additional rundown information, further UI customisation, MOS support for Ross Virtual Solutions UX (for virtual studio and augmented reality applications) and several security updates. www.rossvideo.com www.studionetworksolutions.com


PRODUCTS

NewTek for 4K UHD A VIDEO converter to acquire 4K UHD video for IP-based productions has been launched by NewTek. The Connect Spark Pro instantly translates 4K UHD video at up to 60fps directly from a source into an NDI signal for use with any compatible device or software with near-zero latency and reportedly without any complex configuration or excessive cabling required. The portable and camera-mountable design has an HDMI connection with embedded audio, built-in tally lights and support for PoE to neatly integrate into any production. ‘Almost every 4K device has an HDMI connector, making Connect Spark Pro ideal for getting 4K signals onto the network quickly.

This helps with cabling, distance and cost limitations, allowing content producers, small and large, to benefit from the advantages of 4K. Even if you are producing and distributing in HD, being able to leverage 4K cameras can give you better quality and lets you do virtual PTZ pan and scan moves simply and easily,’ commented Andrew Cross, president and CTO for NewTek. Other features of the Connect Spark Pro include unicast and multicast transfer modes, web-based remote configuration and monitoring, wired gigabit Ethernet connectivity as well as hardware-based FPGA and SoC technology. www.newtek.com

Panopto and Matrox join forces VIDEO PLATFORM provider Panopto and appliance and software manufacturer Matrox Graphics have announced the availability of the Matrox Maevex 6020 Remote Recorder, a Panoptocertified media capture appliance. The two companies developed the integrated solution as the result of growing market demand for dedicated, compact and enterprisegrade video capture that requires minimal set up and configuration. The appliance has been purposebuilt for the Panopto video platform and provides HOWs with a plug-andplay set up, multichannel HD video capture and live streaming, nearsilent operation (less than 25dB) and one-touch recording controls. Benefits include a simplified set up whereby the appliance easily

connects to the Panopto server and registers as a remote recorder. Maevex 6020 works together with Panopto’s multichannel video streaming engine to allow users to watch dual HD feeds of the presenter and their content simultaneously. It offers five different recordings per channel, with all videos automatically published to Panopto’s video content management system, and is said to reduce latency during live broadcasts. Users can schedule recurring or one-time events and, for ad hoc video capture, the front panel includes one-touch controls for recording, pausing and stopping. www.matrox.com www.panopto.com

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THE TECH VIEW

Planning for Christmas at the Arena Manchester Christian Church stages its Christmas at the Arena spectacular each year at the Southern New Hampshire University Arena. Benjamin Davis recounts the planning and preparation involved Benjamin Davis, online campus pastor and creative projects manager at Manchester Christian Church

ONE OF TWO THINGS IS ALWAYS true: Easter is coming, or Christmas is coming. We are always on the lookout for songs, service elements or creative ideas that would be impactful at our largest services of the year. We typically do events at the arena for both Christmas and Easter, which provides us with some unique opportunities. We usually begin Christmas planning in earnest around September. Planning is broken out into several different areas, with weekly meetings to measure progress and coordinate strategy. Our Creative Arts department consists of both our worship and production teams. Worship takes care of the service order, song list and arrangements, while production designs creative elements around what they decide. For our large arena services, we work with a company called Events United to supply and run most of the AVL, so there is a lot of coordinating with them on service order and design concepts. It’s always fun to see how creative ideas can be brought to life. As we get closer to an event, I’m regularly at their shop talking through service changes and design. To plan everything, we use Planning Center Online. We put a lot of work into making sure that each service element contains as much detail as possible. Who is leading the song, what will be on each screen, what will be online – these are all examples of things the team needs to know that can change for each element. We also bring the Events United team into our plan so that they can get updates as often as the rest of us. Additionally, there are always two major service elements that get specific attention. First, the opener for each service is crucial. We want to start with something really big and really special. Planning this element

can take as much, or even more, time than the rest of the service combined and requires the collaboration of all the aforementioned groups. This is often the single biggest production piece of the entire service. Second, we want to make sure we have a memorable take-away from later in the service; that one moment or element that comes to mind when you think back to that service. For example, in 2018 we used balloons. Everyone got a balloon and everyone held it inflated throughout the service. On stage, the senior pastor popped a red balloon to reveal a white one inside it. There ended up

70 WORSHIP AVL March–April 2019

being plenty to remember from the service, from popping balloons to using mobile phone flashlights to illuminate them. It’s a visual, it’s something everyone can engage in and it’s a great story for people to tell others. Each year we effectively start from scratch. Nothing is assumed to be carried over from the previous year, but some things get the green light pretty quick. The PA has been the same the past few years, the stage has been the same the past few years, the band positions have been the same and we have a choir each time. But those are consistencies,

not constants – we are looking at changing up at least one of those for Easter this year. Ultimately, we’re always evaluating what went well, what design looked good and what creative element worked or failed in the room (or online). For Christmas 2018, we looked back at what our video looked like in previous years and decided that we needed more texture behind the pastor. As our online campus continues to rapidly grow, the quality of our video is becoming more important. So, we took the LED wall we usually use for a lyric banner and made it a design element, low on stage so it would be caught by the cameras. How do we decide what works and what doesn’t? We watch and listen. What are people talking about when they leave or in the days and weeks after? Did people react to specific elements the way we expected them to? Did the volunteer teams have everything they needed to make the event a success? Everything from planning, to setting up, to the service itself, to teardown and load-out gets analysed. It’s also rare that if something technical didn’t work we would dismiss it entirely. In those situations the question becomes, what needs to happen to make this work? It’s really special to be able to have services in an arena and many of our volunteers jump at the chance to serve. The more challenging areas are load-in and load-out. Load-in happens during the day when people are working and no one wants to do load-out as we’re exhausted, it’s late and we all want to be at home with our families. So, those are the big asks that we make of our team. www.eventsunited.us www.manchesterchristian.com


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