Short-Throw Projectors Save Money, Add Flexibility to Lighting, Multi-media Designs in Churches

Hitachi CP-A52 projectors allow pictures, animations and video to be projected from the floor of the stage with as little as one foot between the projector and screen.

Consulting and live design company Visual Worshiper designs and implements interactive religious-themed sets and environments to enhance and increase participation of worship events. Travelling throughout the US and abroad, Camron Ware, visual production designer and worship leader for Visual Worshiper, uses his talents to create a more dynamic environment for those in attendance at worship-related events.

With the cost of a live production or an effects-heavy sermon too high for many religious venues, Hitachi’s short-throw projectors, multiple screens and a mix of pictures and pre-designed animations help Visual Worshiper create a unique flare to these presentations while keeping the cost at a minimum.

“We weren’t able to afford the equipment that we needed to put on our productions, so we looked elsewhere for an innovative solution,” Ware says. “Our initial designs were great, but it was difficult to figure out a cost-effective and simple way to project the animations on the screens without casting shadows or using bulky equipment in the crowd.”

The decision to use Hitachi short-throw projectors came very easily to Ware. He says, “There was nothing else in the market that has all the features we needed for our productions. The projectors travel well, they are compact, they display top-quality images and the price is right.”

The CP-A52 projectors allow the pictures and animations, ranging from static images to intricate lighting animations, to be projected from the floor of the stage, in front or right behind the screens, while taking up minimum space - approximately one foot between the projector and screen.

“The special effects are working very well,” according to Ware. “In fact, Visual Worshiper has traveled around the world on its mission to increase active participation in the church. Visual Worshiper has traveled to Russia, Thailand, China and across the United States to help design these attention-grabbing performances.”

“These visual presentations really make our events stand out, because it is something fresh and engaging for our visual culture,” Mr. Ware continued.

For more information about Visual Worshiper, visit their Web site at www.visualworshiper.com or their blog at www.visualworshiper.com/blog.

www.hitachi.com

Allstar Show Industries recently completed a design/build installation for Beulah Ministries in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on both their main and satellite campus. Dwayne Plishka, project manager, is also the technical director for the ministry. The 85–year-old church is in its third building, an auditorium that seats 1,400 with an average weekly attendance of over 2,000. A rental facility serves as its new Whitemud satellite campus serving a congregation of 100 and seating 250.

A demonstration of Nexo loudspeakers sold church leadership on a new system for 98A, the main auditorium. Plishka recommended a Nexo Geo S8 system with six boxes per side for the main auditorium system, four Nexo CD12s and an NX242 processor. “We wanted a sound image that was as true to the source as possible, and met the physical and acoustical properties of the sanctuary, states Plishka. The difficulties were the shape of the room and restriction to load capabilities for overhead deployment. The Nexo Geo S8 provided a passive, lightweight system that could be suspended off a single cable, at one single point instead of redesigning the structural points within the auditoriums existing façade. The installation was completed in one week, due in part to the accurate prediction of the modeling and the light weight of the system. It’s amazing what we heard; the coherency is so precise. Church leadership immediately noticed a change in the sound.”

Plishka says the ministry needed a console that would obtain the results required by volunteers with a minimal learning curve. Allstar installed a Yamaha M7CL-48 digital console in the main auditorium, as well as secondary auditoriums in the 98A facility. The main campus also houses a Yamaha LS9-32 console in the children’s ministry where Allstar installed four Yamaha IF2108 Installation Series speakers. A LS9-16 was installed in the chapel, and the green room/rehearsal space houses a Yamaha 01V96. Yamaha LS9 consoles were also installed in the satellite location, “We wanted one operational learning curve for volunteers, and the Yamaha digital audio console family was the perfect fit. The youngest audio tech is 13 years old and can navigate the LS9 with ease.”

The congregation noticed a difference in the sound right away. “Each Sunday, there is a certain elderly woman who would pick up a hearing assist device the church provides, notes Plishka. The first Sunday the system was installed, the woman was late to services and didn’t have time to pick up the device. At the end of the service, she stopped by the front of house console and said not only was she late to service but she forgot her hearing aids as well. With a big smile she said, ‘today was the first day I heard the sermon without any assistance.’”

At the Whitemud satellite campus, in addition to the Yamaha LS9-32, Allstar installed Nexo PS15 and PS8 loudspeakers and a 4x1 NXAmp. “The Whitemud location is a rental facility that involves a flight of stairs, adds Plishka. We not only needed a system that was highly efficient, passive, and would meet the room requirements, but lightweight in order to be packed away in cases and carried up the flight of stairs each week. The PS series with the built-in processor requires minimal equalization and is an easy set up for the volunteers. The Nexo/Yamaha combination maintains continuity between both campuses, yet is easily stored between services.”

“There is no easy way to completely satisfy the diverse needs of any congregation, but Allstar’s approach to common operating systems, common learning curves, and the added benefit of some redundancy built into the overall system is working really well for us on the support side,” adds Worship and Arts Minister, Reverend Terry Lee. “On the delivery side, we have fewer complaints about mix and even volume issues, in part because we’re delivering outstanding fidelity every weekend. Our singers and band members are keen to serve when they’ve been in the pew the week before and hear it sounding really good. This is added encouragement to bring their best because they are being supported and reinforced so well. All in all, the new Yamaha/Nexo system has been an outstanding solution for us.”

www.allstar-show.com
www.yamahaca.com

In a move to provide systems integrators with deeper knowledge of the features, benefits and applications of the AVB protocol for multichannel A/V networking over standards-based Ethernet, Harman Professional will hold multiple training sessions and discussions throughout InfoComm 2010 that focus exclusively on the new protocol. The training sessions and discussion will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center on separate days throughout the three-day exhibition, while its new AVB system, which demonstrates the benefits of the technology with an emphasis on houses-of-worship applications, will also be on display at the Harman Professional booth, number C6236.

The house-of-worship demonstration system features the three interconnected elements of Harman’s AVB system solution: next generation hardware, next generation software, and the next generation audio network. The next generation hardware consists of a dbx SC Series digital matrix processors, Crown CT series amplifiers with USP4/AVB installed, BSS Audio AVB wall plates, and the BSS Audio / Netgear Ethernet AVB switch. The system is operated through next-generation software HiQnet System Architect version two with its new configuration and routing paradigms based on designing the system directly ‘into’ a floor plan of the venue; all audio running over the next-generation audio network, Ethernet AVB.  Visitors to the booth will not only be able to experience the extrodinary simplicity of Harman’s AVB routing mechanisms, but also take real-time control of the system with System Architect’s new full-screen kiosk mode functionality.

“As more members of the professional A/V community begin to adopt AVB protocols, and the single A/V network standard becomes a reality, Harman Professional will continue to support and introduce new products that enhance the efficiency of A/V delivery,” commented Adam Holladay, market manager, System Development and Integration Group. “It is important for us to educate our customers on the benefits of AVB, and we encourage anyone who is at InfoComm to come by our booth or seminars to learn more – particularly those connected with house-of-worship system design.”

The first public event, a training session entitled “Designing The World’s First Ethernet AVB Systems With HiQnet System Architect”, will focus on configuring an Ethernet AVB system with System Architect in a house-of-worship system design, and will take place on Wednesday June 9 from 2:30pm-4:30pm at room N208. It will be hosted by a complete Harman Professional team, including Adam Holladay and Tom Cram for SDIG, Iain Gregory for dbx / BSS Audio, and Brad Benn for Crown.

The next event will be an AVnu Alliance panel - featuring representation from Harman International, and several other AVnu Alliance member companies - and will take place on Friday, June 11 from 10:30am-12:00pm in room N219. The panel will discuss the new IEEE 802.1 AVB standards and how they affect the A/V community.  See avnu.org for more information about the alliance.

Harman HiQnet is the world's first connectivity and control protocol that integrates all product categories in the signal chain for professional audio systems of all types, size, and applications. Harman HiQnet no longer requires the user to manage multiple disparate operating systems or be responsible for programming individual signal processors, speaker controllers, wireless microphone systems, and mixing consoles. HiQnet was developed by engineers from across Harman’s Professional Division and is coordinated by the System Development and Integration Group (SDIG), a team of dedicated systems specialists based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Harman Professional will also be showcasing its new AVB product technologies along with other members of the AVnu Alliance at the AVnu Alliance Pavilion at booth number C7934 throughout the show

Limited-time “G3 To The MAX” price promotion bundles Sennheiser wireless IEM systems with Sensaphonics MAX Series earphones.

Sensaphonics, a technology leader in custom earphones and electronics, announces a limited-time promotion, providing one-stop shopping for musicians converting to in-ear monitoring. The “G3 To The MAX” promotion offers special pricing to customers purchasing a Sennheiser G3 wireless IEM system along with Sensaphonics 2MAX or 3MAX custom earphones. The promotion runs from now through the end of May 2010.

“As an authorized Sennheiser dealer, we are uniquely qualified as a one-stop shop for artists moving up to in-ears,” notes Thom “Sound Guy” Fiegle, Sensaphonics sound engineering consultant. “The G3 To The MAX program is designed to make that transition easy and affordable, providing a pro touring IEM rig without compromise.”

The 3MAX is Sensaphonics latest model, which the company says is “the world’s first triple-driver custom earphones with soft-gel silicone earpieces”. The 2MAX sports dedicated high- and low-frequency drivers. Both are optimized for use with wireless IEM systems like Sennheiser’s popular eW 300 IEM G3 system.

www.sensaphonics.com
www.sennheiserusa.com

NEW PRODUCTS
01.	Audix MG Series Goosenecks
	Audix introduces the MG12, MG15, and MG18 professional miniature gooseneck condenser microphones modeled after the innovative Audix Micros Series. Designed for applications such as podium, presentation, meetings and teleconferencing, the MG12/15/18 are built for clarity, excellent sound quality and ease of operation along with the ability to accurately capture and reproduce vocals from a comfortable distance. With a wide frequency range of 60 Hz – 19,000 Hz, the MG12/15/18 provide natural sound with exceptional transient response. The MG gooseneck system is equipped with a sophisticated dual preamp circuitry – one circuit located in the capsule housing for condenser operation and the preamp circuit built into the base of the XLR. This circuitry is internally balanced, insuring that the audio path will be isolated from hum and noise. In addition, the circuitry employs immunity protection from RF from cell phones and wireless GSM devices. Designed, assembled, and tested by Audix in the USA to exacting standards and tight tolerances, the MG12/15/18 are available in both cardioid and hypercardioid polar patterns. Other features include machined brass capsule housings and fittings, copper tubing integrated with wound flexible steel for secure and exact placement, field replaceable capsules, replaceable electronics, and a variety of optional accessories. The MG12/15/18 operates on phantom power of 18 - 52 Volts and are available in non-reflective black matte finish.   MSRP for the MG12/15/18 is $299-$319 depending upon capsule choice. www.audixusa.com
02.	Ikegami GFCam HD Camcorder
	Providing efficient, tapeless, and affordable HD video acquisition is Ikegami’s GFCam model HDS-V10 HD ENG camcorder. The GFCam uses MPEG-2 compression and the MXF file format for an open-codec HD/SD recording architecture that’s compatible with a large number of leading editing systems. The GFCam records file-based video in either 1080i or 720p on Flash-RAM media contained within a rugged GFPak that includes a convenient USB port allowing for instant access to the video from laptop or desktop editing systems. Tapeless recording advantages of the GFCam includes advanced features such as “Pakless” recording while exchanging media packs, proxy generation, and Bluetooth for instant export of thumbnail clips directly to laptops for fast logging, metadata insertion, and other workflow benefits. New GFCam™ features at NAB 2010 include 24p/25p/30p native recording capability and new lower-cost 64/128 GB Flash media that employs MLC (Multi Level Cell) technology with 10,000 times rewrite capacity. www.ikegami.com
03.	Roland Systems Group Stage Pocket for S-0808 Digital Snake
	Roland Systems Group in partnership with Ace Backstage Company is pleased to introduce the S-0808 Stage Pocket. This unique stage pocket is designed for installations that demand clean configurations, flexible storage of the S-0808 digital snake, Cat5e Ethercon ports, power, and customizable audio or video port configurations.   The RSS by Roland S-0808 slides easily in and out of a nesting frame that firmly secures it for use while in the pocket but provides the flexibility to take out the S-0808 and place it on stage near the audio source. Adjacent to the S-0808 well is a panel for up to 12 common audio/video/production connectors, and a generous raceway for AC power. The orientation of the interior frame as well as the Lid Bezel assembly can be reversed to allow the AC power and/or storage well to be on the other side of the S-0808. The S-0808 Stage Pocket #144SLBK assembly includes a 14-ga., zinc-plated steel box (10”W x 18”L x 9”D), discard cover for use during rough-in construction, brackets, the S-0808 well, connector panel mount, AC raceway, and additional storage well all finished with oven cured, texture black powder coat. The lid bezel assembly, a hinged 10-ga. steel lid, and 11-ga. steel bezel that are both finished with oven-cured, texture black powder coat, and two (2) hinged cable slot closures that are zinc plated. The optional lid lock, as well as custom-designed and engraved connector panels are available from Ace, providing connectors for any device. www.rolandsystemsgroup.com www.acebackstage.com