Panel Discussion at NSCA Expo in Orlando

During the recent NSCA Expo in Orlando, FL, Church Production Magazine hosted an open discussion on working in the worship market. The session, “How to Work in the Worship World”, was intended to provide integrators, consultants, manufacturers as well as end users insight into the nuances of working (designing, specifying and installing AV systems into worship facilities. Experts on the panel consists of those who serve or have served as technical directors and religious leaders from various houses of worship around the country.

Mark Johnson, editor of Church Production Magazine, moderated the panel, held on March 16th, and the participants included:

• Bill Thrasher, Thrasher Design Group, Inc.
• Jimmy Moore, Idlewild Baptist Church
• Stephen Brown, Resource Group AV Inc
• Don Allensworth, The Newground Group
• Gary Apple, Calvary Baptist Church
• Mike Walker, Mike Walker Creative

The members of the panel represented a diverse range of experiences and shared from their perspectives some of the challenges unique to AV system installation in houses of worship.

According to Brian Blackmore, publisher of Church Production Magazine, “Virtually all churches recognize the importance of technology within the church; however, the biggest obstacle is that they don’t know who to trust and where to turn when it comes to designing, purchasing and implementing those systems.” Blackmore continues, “The NSCA Expo is an excellent venue for the churches to come and see the latest in A/V technology and to take advantage of the educational opportunities at the show such as the panel discussion that we are hosting. Our goal with this discussion is simply to get these two groups together–the church and the experts– and help them to find solutions to these issues.” 

Blackmore opened the session with an overview of the size and position of the church market in the system integration industry.

Church Production Magazine Online Update brings you this hour-long podcast of the discussion “How to Work in the Worship World”. 

Special thanks to D&M Professional for the loan of a Marantz PMD 560 Solid State recorder, which was used to record the discussion panel.

Download mp3 podcast (23 MB)

First Presbyterian Church of Orlando Adopts VENUE to Handle Extensive AV Needs

The First Presbyterian Church of Orlando (FPCO) in Orlando, Florida, is the latest in a long list of influential houses of worship (HOW) to adopt the Digidesign VENUE live sound environment as its main live sound system. Chip Sams of William Sams Acoustics, Inc., a facility-planning and systems design consulting firm in Orlando, has been the audio systems designer for FPCO since 2000, and helped the church spec a new digital system as part of a major interior renovation of the sanctuary. He ultimately recommended VENUE for its cost, ease of use, space savings, Personal Q (PQ) monitoring system option with total recall, reliability, plug-in diversity, remote control capabilities, Pro Tools® integration for recording and playback, and overall superior sound quality.

Digidesign VENUE Console

William Sams Acoustics (WSA) installed a VENUE D-Show console in a mix position in the church auditorium’s balcony as well as a 16-fader Sidecar with a custom “dog house” designed to reduce fan noise. The FOH Rack is secured in a locked office to remove its noise from the auditorium, and is connected to the system through a custom-engineered, 50-foot umbilical cable developed by WSA specifically for the installation. The FOH Rack’s analog I/O connections were brought out to an XLR patch panel located on the rear of a new custom wood outboard rack that contains several analog insertable devices not available in digital equivalents—namely, a Protech gain-sharing automixer (for real-time mixing of dialog) and an SPL Transient Designer (for rapid control of the envelope of individual drum sounds).

The FOH Rack contains three DSP cards, an IOx card for additional analog and digital I/O, and an ECx Ethernet Expansion card, which allows remote control of the system. The AES digital outputs drive the system’s Rane RPM 26z DSP processors for house drive processing. The ECx card supports a Motion Computing Tablet PC, which the church uses to provide a single-operator setup and line-check capability as well as quick line checks during the 15-minute changeover between its traditional and contemporary services. WSA further customized the system for installed use by designing a mechanical solenoid assembly that activates the power button on the FOH Rack (which is controlled by the system’s power sequencer) after the sequencer powers up the system’s Stage Rack and D-Show console.

Before the church adopted VENUE, Sams worked with its key members to help identify their issues and needs. “During early 2005,” he says, “WSA embarked on a comprehensive, analytical report to describe all of the church’s interrelated acoustical, sound reinforcement, sound recording, video projection, and stage lighting needs to support the programs that the church had already committed itself to. FPCO is the first large-scale situation where the rational design process has led WSA to select a digital mixer as the appropriate technology. This console [D-Show] delivers on the promise I have been waiting for over more than 20 years.”

Space and sound quality were big concerns for the church—two attributes that VENUE satisfied commendably with its small footprint and virtual signal processing, which negated racks of outboard gear. “Back in 2004 when I heard that Digidesign was about to launch a live sound console,” recalls Sams, “I immediately saw the fundamental advantage of a console that could employ plug-ins as being a generational improvement over the digital mixers that existed at the time, which were still struggling to duplicate all of the functions, plus the sound quality and reliability of just an analog mixing desk by itself. The VENUE was clearly the first console with the potential to automate almost all of the mix position—not just the functions of mix levels, EQ, and one-size-fits-all dynamics. Plus, it solved our space problem!”

One of FPCO’s key needs was to bring some sanity to the FOH console operator’s duties, which consists of mixing house sound for the congregation, controlling a number of monitor mixes on stage, and creating a live-to-2-track mix for video recording for broadcast, tape duplication, and archiving. Sams adds, “Of course, the latter requires an isolated room of proper acoustical design and a high-quality studio monitor system in order to hear what one is doing, to say nothing of a highly skilled, dedicated operator! A stage monitor console was unfeasible due to a lack of sufficient space.”

Due to the wide variation of musical offerings presented during Sunday services as well as the extraordinary amount of production-divergent events booked into the room each week, it was clear that a console and monitor system with “total recall” was a must. It wasn’t unusual for the facility to present a production-intensive event on a Saturday evening and then have to strike and set up for Sunday services—with a music run-through starting at 7:30 in the morning—all with one sound operator for the entire facility. “All of these needs for automation were clear long before there was any talk of the church’s contemporary service, which began in the summer of 2005,” says Sams. “Sundays now begin even earlier and feature a 15-minute changeover between the second and third back-to-back services—from as much as a symphony orchestra to a full contemporary band and drama—in a facility with no backstage support space and with no additional staff!”

With VENUE, the church’s console operator has noticed a substantial improvement in the sound quality of his recording mix over mixes he created on the facility’s previous analog console. Sams and the operator both attribute this to the quality of the VENUE system’s mic preamps and converters. “FPCO records their traditional services using two pairs of DPA compact cardioid microphones, which pick up quite a lot of detail,” Sams adds.

Sams was also impressed with the D-Show software’s ease of use and value. “The software is very well-written, and provides multiple ways to perform most tasks or to see the data one needs to see quickly,” he says. “Users do not need to be packed off to a monastery in California for a week to learn the console’s language—the console speaks the user’s language, as it should. The user interface is truly a generation beyond what any competitor offered at the time of selection. And both of the serious competing products on the market—which are only now about to ship—cost between two and six times as much.”

ProTools|HD integration was another key reason why Sams and the church chose VENUE. Sams explains that having Pro Tools recording and playback capabilities allow FPCO “to provide for cost-effective multitracking, and to allow previous services’ multitracks to be used for proficiency training, new user training, and to allow creative collaboration with the musicians outside of performances or rehearsals on such matters as effects selection.”

Another primary selection criterion in favor of VENUE was its optional PQ monitoring system and PQ Controllers, which the church also adopted. “The PQ system, as well as the ability to memorize monitor mixes developed during rehearsals, will help alleviate some of the monitor mixing burden during contemporary services,” explains Sams. “There is no physical space in this facility for a monitor console, nor has there ever been the sort of volunteer cadre necessary to produce someone who could be an effective monitor engineer. There is a plan to use a few PQ Controllers during the traditional service to help regulate the choir monitor mix so that the choir members can follow the speech elements of the traditional services, but the primary use of the PQ mixes is for the contemporary service band members.”

Sams notes that FPCO is barely scratching the surface of exploring all of the TDM plug-ins available for VENUE. The church currently employs the VENUEPack Pro plug-in bundle as well as MassivePack 4 in a limited capacity. They also use the Sony Oxford EQ plug-in on the monitor outputs and TC Finalizer on the recording output. All reverbs are bussed together on one stereo aux send, which allows the operators to choose whichever reverb they want to use by bringing up the return. “In the future,” says Sams, “they plan to acquire a few more packages from Waves and Eventide as well as the plug-in audio analyzer, and plan to use more plugs on a per-channel basis.”

For more information about the First Presbyterian Church of Orlando, visit www.fpco.org.

For more information about VENUE, visit www.digidesign.com/venue.

Kramer Electronics announces the introduction of the VP-23RC Presentation Switcher with Media/Room Control. The unit is the first Kramer model to combine the convenience and technology of switching multiple, audio and video sources with control of media room features such as window blinds, room lights, and projector lifts.

The VP-23RC offers a single-box solution that incorporates a Presentation Switcher section and Media/Room Controller section, with the option of integrated or independent operation of each section. This combination unit further expands the Kramer Electronics RC series of media/room controllers introduced earlier this year for training rooms, classrooms, boardrooms and presentation environments.

The Presentation Switcher section of the VP-23RC includes three 4x1 video switchers composite, s-Video and computer graphics video with stereo audio, and one 4x1 master audio switcher. The computer graphics video section has both a 15-pin HD output and a CAT5 output for long distance signal transmission. Audio features include built-in, 5-watt per channel amplifiers, volume control, and microphone input with Mic Talk-Over feature. The VP-23RC can be controlled via the IR remote, RS-232 or RS-485 serial control, or through the Ethernet port. The unit also has a front panel lock-out feature to prevent tampering.

The Media/Room Controller section of the VP-23RC features all of the advanced technology of Kramer’s newest RC-8IR universal room controller plus several enhancements. The controller section controls both A/V equipment such as projectors, DVD players, and audio equipment, along with room functions such as lights, blinds, or motorized screens/projector lifts. Eight backlit buttons can each execute 15 commands, and the buttons can be labeled for ease of use. In addition to switching sources, each of the input buttons on the switcher section can also execute up to 15 commands per button.

One unique feature of the VP-23RC is that it has the ability to address and control up to five products with unique IP addresses. This enables it to send commands to networked AV devices through an Internet connection from across the room or from anywhere in the world. Four relay contact closure ports allow media/room function control of lighting, draperies/blinds, display screens or projector lifts. The VP-23RC also has six IR emitters, an IR learning function, two Bi-directional RS-232 ports, and an RS-485 port, making control easy and flexible. The unit is shipped with the Kramer RC Configuration software. This user friendly and intuitive software will allow the VP-23RC to be quickly and easily configured.

The VP-23RC is a unique single-box solution for any classroom, training center or conference room because it offers both switching of multiple sources and room control,” said Chris Kopin, vice president of Product Development for Kramer Electronics USA. “No where else in the industry can you currently find as comprehensive a single-box system switcher with this number of audio and video inputs, a microphone input, and best of all, Ethernet control capability. This unit can actually address and control up to 5 products with unique IP addresses via its Ethernet port.”

URL: www.kramerelectronics.com

At the heart of the new L-Acoustics integrated system approach, the LA4 and LA8 amplified controllers offer loudspeaker amplification, DSP, network control, and comprehensive system protection. Based upon similar platforms, the exceptional and groundbreaking performance level delivered by both the LA4 and LA8 allow for full optimization of all L-Acoustics system resources and deliver audio-quality combined with transducer protection.

Both units offer an integrated approach by combining amplification, signal processing, network remote control, and monitoring technologies. They are also pre-configured for digital multi-channel audio networking.
Packaged in a compact, lightweight, 2U chassis, both the LA4 and LA8 platforms are derivative of the same basic design and share the following characteristics:

• A four-channel amplifier section fed by two inputs
• A DSP section featuring filter algorithms and an L-Drive protection system for the transducers
• A preset library stored in 99 memory locations to cover all the principal L-Acoustics loudspeaker system configurations
• An ergonomic user interface, fully accessible from the front panel, and the complementary PC-based Network Manager with remote network monitoring and control of the LA4 and LA8 units
• Two I/O Ethernet ports for networking of up to 255 units
• A rear-panel plug-in card slot also allows for future multi-channel digital audio networking implementation

URL: www.l-acoustics.com

Allen & Heath has introduced a fourth control surface to the iLive digital mixing console system, joining the existing iLive-122, iLive-144, and iLive-176. The new iLive-80 is the smallest in the range of control surfaces, designed for smaller applications such as theatres, churches and touring bands.

Providing 80 control strips grouped in 2 sections, each with 4 banks, there is an LCD display with multi-color backlight above each fader for labeling and color-coding channel information. The channel controls for preamp, filter, and EQ are laid out across the top of the surface on rotary controls with LED indicators, while a color LCD touch screen presents a graphical view of the processing and access to gates, compressors, limiter/de-essers, graphic EQ’s and effects, as well as the automation and set up screens. Audio at the surface is available on four slots accommodating the eight-channel audio interface cards.

The heart of the mixing system is the iDR-10 stand-alone stage rack, which has ten slots for eight-channel audio interface cards, comprising analogue, and digital variants. The iDR-64 DSP module is part of this rack, processing 64 channels into 32 mixes, which can be assigned as auxes, groups, matrix, and main outputs. The iDR-64 is controlled via an Ethernet network and can be connected to a variety of controllers, including the range of iLive control surfaces, Allen & Heath’s PL range of remote units, third party devices, or a laptop/PC. The iLive-80 surface will be available from July 2007.

URL: www.allen-heath.com/US