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First Baptist Church, Easley, S.C. Faces Challenge to Eliminate
Audio Dead Spots
Gattis Pro Audio of Lexington, South Carolina was recently awarded the extensive audio upgrade for the 1500-seat sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Easley, South Carolina. The project also involved audio enhancements to both the chapel and fellowship hall, as well as a video upgrade. With sound design expertise from Jim Brawley of Brawley and Associates, the team chose a Nexo Geo S12 line array, Yamaha LS9 digital audio console and P Series amplifiers for the sanctuary.
"Although the church is a fairly new construction, there were a lot of dead spots with the existing system," states Sid Gattis, owner of Gattis Pro Audio. "The big challenge was getting cable in the right places and finding proper rigging points. It was a bear to say the least." Gattis had initially specified Nexo and another product in a lower price range to provide the church with a choice. "Jim Brawley was brought in for the design and he took our initial idea and expanded on it. Jim is an amazing sound designer, and the church is quite happy with the final design he produced."
"Audibility and clarity were major issues with the old center cluster loudspeaker system utilized in both the sanctuary and for the choir," states Louie Tucker, lead sound tech at Easley First Baptist Church. "With the implementation of the Nexo dual cluster line array speakers in the sanctuary and the strategically placed Yamaha speakers in the choir, our sanctuary now resonates with an amazingly clean and powerful audio distribution throughout the entire room."
The sanctuary system is a Nexo Geo S12 stereo line array system with four boxes per side along with two Geo 12 fill boxes positioned in locations where sound from the main arrays is blocked. Nexo RS15 subwoofers in cardioid mode are mounted above and beside the main arrays inside the location of the out fill Geo 12 speaker. "The cardioid mode of the RS15 keeps most of the bass from the system off the stage," notes Gattis. The system has 14 Yamaha IF-2108 two-way speakers mounted in recessed areas and cut into the face of the balcony. "The speakers added complete clarity to speech under the balcony."
A Yamaha LS9-32 digital audio console expanded out to 40 channels with a Yamaha MY-16AT card and Presonus Digimax mic preamp, drives the sanctuary audio system. A Yamaha DME24 is the main system processor, and the Nexo system is further processed with an NX242-ES and Nexo Geo 12TD. All amplifiers are Yamaha P7000 and 5000s except for one of the church's existing amps used to run the Narthex. "The system exhibits amazing clarity and punch throughout the entire space," says Gattis. The choir area is covered by four Yamaha Installation IF-2108 Series speakers located front and back, and four IF speakers on the floor facing up at the first few rows.
First Baptist Easley's sanctuary system also includes eight Audix M1255 suspended choir mics, four Shure SLX24/BETA58 wireless systems–handheld, four Shure KSM109 mics suspended for recording, four Shure KSM109 used as orchestral mics, a Tascam DCRW-900 CD recorder, a Yamaha MG124c recording mixer, and a Lowell Sequential Control System.
For video in the sanctuary, Gattis installed a new Eiki LC-X80 projector fitted with a long-throw lens for the 92-foot throw to the church's existing video projection screen. The projector is mounted at the front edge of the balcony in a custom enclosure.
The chapel and fellowship hall are making use of existing audio equipment previously used in the sanctuary; and as part of the enhancement to fellowship hall, Yamaha Installation Series IF-2115M-95 speakers have been installed and controlled by the DSP.
For more information on First Baptist Church, Easley, visit www.efbc.org.
For more information on Gattis Pro Audio, visit www.gattisproaudio.com.
For more information on Nexo and Yamaha product, visit www.yamahaca.com.
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STUFF YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW ...
Willow Arts "Wonder" Sparks Creativity
June 10-12 church creative teams will converge in Chicago to receive practical guidance on how to experience and lead worship activities in their local churches. This year's Willow Creek Arts Conference, entitled "Wonder", is a reference to a legacy of New Testament Christians who were daily "filled with awe" (Acts 2:43), a feeling that today often lies dormant, buried under busyness, tradition, irreverence and fear. In our fast-paced world, God's summon toward wonder couldn't be more relevant or more needed.
At the 2009 Arts Conference, Wonder, you can gather with fellow arts leaders, teachers, technical artists and worship teams at Willow Creek Community Church. You'll become part of a learning community of artists who fan each other's gifts into flame. Learn from more than 30 unique and innovative churches, ministries and organizations from around the world as you choose from over 75 breakout classes. Connect intimately with God as you stop and consider God's wonders. Network with other creatives, exploring the latest ideas, products, and technology. Rediscover moments of wonder, unlocking new potential for your services. Build memories with your team, leaving with a common vision and a replenished faith.
For more information, please visit www.towardwonder.com.
Peavey Adopts Lean Manufacturing Initiative
A new company-wide Lean initiative at Peavey Electronics Corp. is designed to maximize efficiency among its 33 facilities and strengthen the organization's position in the global marketplace. Michael Harbaugh, operations manager of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Mississippi, a division of the Mississippi Technology Alliance, is working with Peavey on a transformational Lean business model. "Manufacturing is the heart and soul of an economy," he says. "The stronger we can make U.S. manufacturing, the stronger and more secure we will be. Lean secures the manufacturing base of America, and by adopting this transformational model, Peavey is helping lead the way."
For more information, please visit www.peavey.com.
Sweetwater Launches GearGift Donation Program
Sweetwater Sound Inc., the third-largest music instrument and pro audio retailer in the world, has launched a donation campaign designed to provide music gear and instruments to people of limited means who have a genuine interest in music. Sweetwater regularly receives requests for donations of gear from soldiers overseas, disaster victims, foster parents, and nonprofit organizations. Named GearGift, the donation program encourages musicians from across the country to donate old instruments and recording and performance equipment. Sweetwater plans to refurbish the donated gear and ensure that it finds a new home with a deserving individual.
Those making donations to the program will be encouraged to designate the kind of recipient - a soldier, a child, a nonprofit, etc.
Recipients, in turn, will be asked to respond with a thank you note and a photo or two. These responses will be forwarded to the donor.
GearGift is being promoted primarily through Sweetwater's website and e-mail and print publications. Sweetwater Founder and President Chuck Surack said, "This is just one small way for Sweetwater to give back, and it makes our customers all across the country our partners in that effort."
For more information, call 800-222-4700, or visit the GearGift page online at: www.sweetwater.com/geargift
NEW PRODUCTS
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Avid Digidesign Venue SC48 |
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Avid introduces the Digidesign Venue SC48: a fully-integrated audio and processing live sound solution developed for small to mid-sized houses of worship, clubs, and corporate A/V companies, as well as touring customers. As a cost-effective and compact system, this solution delivers exceptional sound quality and compatibility with industry standard professional audio and video systems. Venue SC48 also combines I/O, digital signal processing and tactile control and offers built-in support for a number of professional audio plug-ins that provide customers with more creative mixing options.
Building upon the sound quality and clarity found in the Venue family of professional live sound systems, the Venue SC48 introduces several new features designed to enhance and streamline the mixing process including:
- Professional Plug-In Support enables customers to install and use software plug-ins from Digidesign and a number of third-party developers to easily and instantly re-create and recall an artist's signature studio sound during a "live" performance.
- Direct Connection to Pro Tools LE makes it simple to record shows and perform Virtual Soundcheck: a timesaving process that enables customers to playback and mix tracks recorded from a previous performance using a computer connected via Venue SC48's built-in USB port.
- Channel Control allows easy access, display and adjustment to any channel parameter with the single click of a button. In addition, any eight parameters can be assigned to the color-coded framework for immediate access during the mix.
- Center Flex Channel provides immediate access to any key input, such as a lead vocalist's microphone, without having to go through fader layers.
- VCA and Group Spill provides easy control and quick access to grouped channels within a mix by focusing the control surface layout to match the logical groupings created by VCA and Group style mixing.
"The sonic quality of the SC48 far surpasses any other digital desk I've mixed on and has really helped us improve our finished product," says Eric Kibbe, audio manager and mixer of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. "Our services often change on the fly, and the size, flexibility and layout of SC48 enables me to work more quickly to address things in the mixes that were never before possible."
All Venue systems, including the Venue SC48, Mix Rack, Profile and D-Show console, use the same Venue D-Show software, allowing customers to easily transition show files between any system in the Venue product line within a familiar interface. And with Venue D-Show 2.8.1 software – available in June to registered Venue system owners for $149 USD via authorized dealers – customers can take advantage of several new workflow innovations, popular user-requested features and other enhancements to increase workflow and mixing efficiency across all Venue systems.
"We realize that our wide spectrum of customers have different requirements. With the Venue SC48, we've been able to advance our popular Venue platform to meet the specific needs of customers in smaller to mid-sized applications, at an aggressive price point," adds Tex Schenkkan, Avid's vice president and general manager, audio. "By expanding the current portfolio of the Venue product family, the solution's open plug-in architecture also enables our customers to integrate the console with industry-leading creative tools, enhancing the live sound experience."
For more information, please visit Digidesign at www.digidesign.com.
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Mackie HD Series Powered Loudspeakers |
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Mackie's new HD Series High-Definition Powered Loudspeakers includes the HD1521 two-way and HD1531 three-way systems use Class-D amplifier technology, delivering up to 1800W of peak system power. Mackie HD Series loudspeakers incorporate precision crossovers, transducer time alignment and phase correction circuitry right in the box, with a patented acoustic correction processing that counters the inherent physical attributes that can make typical loudspeakers sound honky or washed out.
Greg Young, Mackie brand product manager says, "They offer more watts per dollar than the competition and the sonic clarity is nothing short of amazing."
With custom transducer design and system tuning by the high-end touring experts at EAW, the Mackie HD Series loudspeakers feature 15-inch neodymium woofers matched with the 1.75-inch heat-treated titanium compression driver. The HD1531 3-way also features a 6-inch midrange driver and Mackie's optimized WaveFront mid/high horn system for ultra-wide, consistent coverage. A user-adjustable three-band EQ with a sweepable mid lets the user gently and flexibly EQ the system for the application at hand. This is a great feature for smaller setups that may not have a ton of outboard gear. The rugged all-wood cabinets feature 12 integral fly-points for horizontal or vertical rigging and both models are pole-mountable. Integrated protection circuitry and robust build quality ensures years of reliable use.
For more information, please visit www.mackie.com
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The Stagemaker Hoist Offers a Quiet and Versatile Lifting Solution for Worship Services and Church Productions. |
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The Stagemaker hoist by R&M Materials Handling, Inc. is ideal for lifting and rigging applications within houses of worship, including staging, theatrical, and lighting equipment. The Stagemaker enables safe and accurate positioning of speakers, lighting systems, stage sets, curtains, and sceneries. Equipped with a lifting capacity up to five tons, the Stagemaker offers varied speeds and configurations to successfully conduct services and productions for worship.
The compact Stagemaker hoist is a safe, dependable solution for lifting and rigging video, staging, and lighting equipment during church services, performances, or events. Its premium-grade, AGMA-rated precision gearing contributes to the exceptionally low noise level—lower than 75 dB. Constructed of injection-cast aluminum; this lightweight, compact design is able to fit on stage and in truss fixtures and is convenient for installation. This aluminum housing includes a single, removable panel that provides easy access to all internal components during maintenance operations.
Equipped with a combined hoist brake and load limiter to ensure safe operation in congregations, the electromagnetic disc brake-clutch combination is designed for efficiency, safety, easy access, and quick adjustment. The friction-type torque limiter is integrated with the brake (SM1, SM2, SM5, SM10) to ensure that the load is always stopped when the control button is released.
In order to ensure smooth operation, a heat-treated load wheel with five pockets (eight with 45-degree loadwheel on SM2 and six on SM16) is machined in a single step. This minimizes chain stress while ensuring smooth operation. A standard internal chain guide and an external chain guide help guide and hold the load chain in the pockets of the load wheel for safe operation and to prevent the chain from jamming.
The Chainflux chain guide is a unique feature of the Stagemaker SM5 and SM10 models—equipped for the inverted position. Its special shape provides a fluid horizontal flow of the chain as it comes off the load wheel and into the chain bag. The chain guide provides a remarkably low-friction coefficient, facilitating passage of the chain on ejection. This prevents chain jamming at the upper part of the hoist as the chain comes out and avoids the possibility of jamming due to the twisting of the chain. Reduced contact area between the hoist body and chain reduces wear.
Several Stagemaker configurations are available for a variety of rigging applications. Configurations include: direct control, single-phase, three-phase, programmable control, external control, variable speed, and BCV-C1 approved. Other options include: built-in incremental encoder, single hoist pistol-grip pushbutton controller (pickle control), BGV-C1 hoists, geared limit switch (two or four cams), very-low control voltage (48 V), hour counter, self-locking hook, drain hole, fixed body hook, rain cover, single-phase 115 V-1 Ph-60 Hz, and micro-switch limits (block operated).
For more information, please visit www.rmhoist.com |
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