Church Production Magazine Online Update

Blackmore Interview

Audio Interview: Brian Blackmore

In this edition, we talk with Brian Blackmore, publisher and editor-in-chief of Church Production Magazine and Worship Facilities Magazine. This month we turn our focus to the upcoming WFX '07, Worship Facilities Conference & Expo (October 24-26) at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia.

Click here to download the interview in mp3 format (27 MB).

Overcoming Built-in Obstacles at an Outdoor Amphitheater

King’s Fest, a three-day festival of alternative Christian Rock at King’s Dominion, Virginia, took place in a 7500-seat outdoor venue built in 1982 originally called The Showplace, now known as Kingswood Amphitheatre.

All of which was fine, except for the fact that, as Raleigh Music Brokerage (RMB) owner/president Cooper Cannady points out, “We wanted to upgrade the level of speaker and audio coverage by flying Martin Audio W8LC line arrays, but the amphitheatre has no fly bays. There’s a wooden roof with no load-bearing fly points in it, so that presented a problem for us.”

The need for concert-quality line arrays was implicit simply because some of the best known christian acts such as best-selling Australian pop band Newsboys, popular singer and guitarist Jeremy Camp, and Grammy and Dove Award-winning soft rockers Casting Crowns were on the bill. Therefore, the audio needed to be leading-edge from start to finish.

So how do you rig line arrays when you can’t hang them from the roof? Cannady came up with a typically practical solution: “Turns out we only had so much of an aperture for the stage,” he explains. “Something like 26 feet between the load beam and the roof and we already a Tomcat lighting truss on stage. So what we did was bring in Bil-Jack scaffold towers with a 12x12x10 super truss at the top of the tower to take the load.”

“Then we hung 11 W8LC’s a side on the scaffold tower that was wedged into the roof with reinforcement to bear the load,” Cannady continues. “As it turns out, 11 per side was about as many as we could hang, but the 8LC’s are so powerful it actually worked out great. We also had eight W8S per side for subs.”

For Front of House, RMB used Midas Heritage 2000 analog and Yamaha M7CL digital consoles, along with Lab Gruppen and Chevin amplification, as well as processing from Klark Teknik, BSS, Drawmer, T.C. Electronic and Yamaha. The Monitor system included the Soundcraft SM20 and Yamaha M7CL consoles, Chevin Research A3000 power amps, Ashly EQ’s, BSS minidrives, Drawmer gates and compressors, and Yamaha SPX 990 reverbs, with Martin Audio LE700 biamped wedges which were used as monitor speakers plus double W8/W8S for sidefills.

With a crew of two for FOH, and four for stage monitoring, “everything ran like clockwork,” according to Cannady. “All of the band’s engineers really appreciated the coverage and audio quality provided by the Martin Audio speakers. Also, the client said they were able to hear the concert loud and some 400 feet back in the parking lot.”

For more information, go to www.martin-audio.com.

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Crown Magnetics Announces 20th Annual Sound Seminar 2007

The 20th annual Sound Seminar 2007 will be held by Crown Magnetics, Inc. of Lebanon, Pennsylvania on Saturday, October 20, 2007. This layperson-designed event is geared towards equipping the local church to better understand the use of audio and video equipment. Sessions cover over twenty-five subjects dealing with audio and video.

Greg Silsby teaches microphone selection and positioning and helps to provide a better understanding of audio mixers. Steve Savanyu of AudioTechnica covers the basics of wireless microphone technology. Curt Taipale leads a two-hour session on mixing that includes live vocalists and a live band providing attendees a true-life experience.

Video topics include choosing the right screen and projectors while helping attendees understand all the various interfacing required for a video system.

Practical sessions will be held on amplifiers, speakers, use of acoustical materials, signal processing, system design, basic understanding of a sound system, troubleshooting your sound system, and many other useful subjects.

Every session will also provide an opportunity for attendees to learn about the Aviom monitor system, providing a hands-on opportunity. Additionally, audio and video manufacturing reps will be present to assist with introducing special pieces of equipment and to answer questions.

A complete description of Sound Seminar 2007 can be found at www.crownmagnetics.com/soundsem07.html or call Crown Magnetics at 800-736-9001.

Groove Addicts Offers Music Solutions

Groove Addicts, a Music and Sound Design company, launched its Production Music division in 1997. The resulting 900+ CD collection represents a world-class, comprehensive body of work crafted by top composers and session musicians. Groove Addicts is proud to be representing music libraries from around the world.

Groove Addicts launched their church music department earlier this year, providing special yearly license rates to congregations. Headed up by Groove Addicts’ Karen Jones, the new division aims to provide hip and current music solutions to churches, from small parishes to mega-churches hosting stadium events. Music selections can be used for weekly services as well as video, podcasting, broadcast, Internet and productions. Music can be provided either by CDs or downloads. Rates are based on the size of the
fellowship and needs for the ministry.

Visit Groove Addicts at http://www.grooveaddicts.com/prodmusic to sample the music. Please contact Karen at 310-572-4646 or karen@grooveaddicts.com for more information.

Yamaha Commerical Audio Dealers ‘Saveur Dreams’ on Worldwide Winner Trips

Donnie Haulk (Audio Ethics) with
wife Lisa, at Yamaha's Toyooka
plant in Japan.

Yamaha Commerical Audio Dealers (YCAS) awarded once-in-a-lifetime holiday trips to six top dealers that met or exceeded fiscal sales targets during the past fiscal year. The destinations were chosen by the marketing minds at YCAS not only to inspire dealers to reach their annual sales goals, but to thank them for their outstanding achievements and never-ending loyalty for Yamaha products.

Donnie Haulk, of Audio Ethics chose a sightseeing trip to Japan for he and his wife that included visits to Yamaha’s manufacturing facilities. “The trip was awesome, and touring Japan gave me a new appreciation for the work ethic and dedication that made Yamaha the leader in industry that it is,” said Haulk. “Seeing the craftsmanship that goes into the Yamaha commercial audio product and the pride from the manufacturing side of the company was most impressive.”

Winner representatives along with Audio Ethics include Sound Productions, Inc., Full Compass, Sound Image, Boynton Studios, Inc., T.C. Furlong, Inc. with trips offered to include exotic destinations as well as those for the more sightseeing traveler. First place prizewinners received a trip to India, Japan or France; second place prizewinners received a trip to Thailand, Hong Kong or Italy; and third place prizewinners received a trip to New York, San Francisco or Cancun, Mexico.

“We pride ourselves in partnering with dealers who are not only confident in selling our products but who put every effort into providing their customers with the best products for their particular situation and follow through with superior after-sales support,” says Paul Furtkamp, national sales manager, Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. “The ‘Saveur Your Dreams’ promotion was a great success and we want to thank all of the YCAS dealers who participated,” adds Furtkamp. “This group, in particular, far exceeded the company’s expectations.”

For more information, contact Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems at 714-522-9011; e-mail casales@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamahaca.com.


	Electro-Voice REV Wireless System The new REV professional wireless system from Electro-Voice offers an array of features including an optimized analog audio path developed with Digital Audio Labs to provide the truest representation of a wired microphone sound possible in a wireless system. REV-Link software enables remote monitoring, control, and programming over a CAN bus connection through an Electro-Voice UCC-1 converter or Electro-Voice Netmax N8000. Factory set channel groups allow up to 16 systems to operate simultaneously in one frequency band. Programmable in 25 kHz steps across 24 MHz operating bandwidth, there are over 950 possible channels so users can always find a clear channel. Advanced ClearScan automatic group and channel selection allows easy setup. REV offers two handheld options: a metal compact handle for concert and broadcast, and the presentation handheld for rental house and other applications. URL: www.electrovoice.com
	Sachtler Fluid Heads for MiniDV, DV and HDV Sachtler is delivering two new fluid heads for MiniDV and HDV camcorders. The Sachtler FSB 2 is designed to accept payloads of up to 4.4 pounds (2kg) while the FSB 6 supports 2.2 to 13.2 pounds (1 to 6kg). The new heads are engineered to offer low-mass cameras the same smooth pan and tilt movement that operators have enjoyed with larger camera packages on heavy-duty fluid heads. Sachtler’s engineers employed the same fluid head dampening technology professionals have come to expect from the company’s larger heads. Both the FSB 2 and FSB 6 have three dampening steps in both pan and tilt directions, as well as a zero setting, that deactivates dampening. The FSB 2 sports a 2-step counterbalance system and the FSB 6 has a 10-step counterbalance system. Both have a tilt range of +90° / –70°. The new heads utilize Sachtler’s patented Snap & Go sideload camera plate attachment system for quick transition from tripod mounted to handheld operation. The Snap & Go system offers an over 4.5 inch (120mm) sliding range, allowing the operator to center the camera system’s c.g. on the head. The FSB 6 can also be delivered with Sachtler’s classic Touch & Go camera plate. The Snap & Go system also provides quick integration between the camera and fluid head of Sachtler’s new F-Cell battery. This 10.5 AH lithium rechargeable power source provides eight hours of shooting time and adds ideally positioned mass to facilitate better pan/tilt performance. The new fluid heads are available now through the Sachtler dealer network. URL: www.sachtler.us
	TV Pro Gear Flypak Mobile Studio TV Pro Gear started the delivery of its much anticipated third generation Flypak mobile studio in a box solution today. Flypak is a broadcast quality HD and SD capable production platform designed to fill the niche between a fixed studio and more expensive production trucks. The Flypak accepts maximum of six camera HD-SDI inputs and can be married to the TV Pro Gear Cambox for multi-core cable runs of up to 300 feet per camera. Additional fiber solutions are available for extended runs. The system is designed for recording formats that include DV Cam, HDV, DVC Pro 50, DVC Pro 100, or any of the Sony HD formats. “We have designed the Flypak to solve real life problems with real life budgets. The designers of this unit are veteran producers, directors, and engineers and they have focused in on what the market was lacking,” says Chandos Mahon, president of TV Pro Gear. “We have ordered one unit for our Los Angeles office with more units slated for New York and London. We love the concept and the quality level you are able to achieve with a Flypak” says Malcolm Mills, co-founder of HDMS. URL: www.tvprogear.com
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Evangel Cathedral, Upper Marlboro, Maryland Personal Monitors in Contemporary Worship Lighting Special Effects WFX 07 Atlanta Preview

Evangel Cathedral, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Personal Monitors in Contemporary Worship
Lighting Special Effects
WFX 07 Atlanta Preview