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Solid State Logic S300 at The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama
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Yamaha CL5 at Substance Church, Spring Lake Park, Minnesota
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Yamaha CL5 at Overlake Christian Church, Redmond, Washington
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Studer Vista 5 at Sugar Creek Baptist Church, Sugar Land, Texas. Pictured L to R: AJ McGlynn, Technical Producer; Frank Flores, FOH Engineer; Matt Rhodes, Technical Director
As a church's fiscal budget year or capital campaign rolls around, tech directors around the country inevitably feel that rush of dopamine inside their bodies. Call it the kid-in-a-candy-store feeling or simply pent up excitement, but the prospect of seeing new pieces of gear arrive at the doorstep invigorates even the most seasoned professional. Our production department “Christmas” can come at multiple points during the year, but few pieces of gear turn us into bubbly fanatics more than the thought of a new audio console.
It's one of the first questions you hear when two production professionals meet: “So what console do you run at FOH?” We're enamored with that single piece of gear. It's the pride point of any engineer and production. And for good reason. It runs the show, keeps the gears in check, and is one of the most expensive production items—aside from the actual PA system itself, in many cases—within any church. Now, more than ever, consoles are outfitted with high-end features, networking capabilities, and the sleekest of designs.
While leading a production team is always about the people first, having the proper equipment is a valid and important necessity. As production demands continue to grow across the country, the infrastructure to handle those demands and allow for future expansion run parallel. When it comes time to purchasing a new audio console, employing a logical and well thought out process for examining options, being fiscally responsible, and making sure your church is getting exactly what is needed might be one of the most important decisions a technical servant will make.
CPM spoke to several production directors around the country who recently upgraded their consoles. We asked about their processes in selecting a new console, what features they are most impressed with, and obtained advice for others soon to make the console leap.
Start with the End in Mind
Matt Glover, technical director at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., says the process of seeing the end was a big factor in his church's recent process of selecting an audio console. “We utilize volunteers and part-time staff with varying degrees of technical ability, so ease of use was key for us … we needed a platform that was easy to use and easy for them to learn.”
The focus on volunteers was also a point of emphasis for Adam Frey, who oversees the technical production at Substance Church in Spring Lake Park, Minn. “At Substance, we focus heavily on volunteer involvement. Many of the high-end digital boards we looked at would have been difficult to learn for anyone without professional sound experience. The [Yamaha] CL5 we selected is one of the simplest yet most robust systems I have used. This transfers well to teaching volunteers how to properly run the system.”
For many churches, volunteers are a normal way of life. As Glover points out, they all come with varying degrees of ability and opportunity to be on the console regularly. If your main FOH engineer is out due to sickness or vacation, who is the next person up? Does this person understand the desk and platform with confidence? What's the learning curve and level of expertise needed to simply navigate the console? Each of these questions is important, yet often left on the back burner during the decision-making process. A piece of gear is only as good as its user.
Although volunteer usage is a strong point of consideration for many, Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Sugar Land, Texas, approached a recent upgrade from a different vantage point. Matt Rhodes, Technical Director for Sugar Creek, says having a bulletproof solution was at the forefront of their discussions back in 2015. “As we started the process for replacing our previous consoles, we knew that along with audio quality, reliability was absolutely the most important thing. As we broadcast to other venues and campuses, we have to do everything we can to make sure there is no failure.”
As Sugar Creek has opened two additional campuses—with more on the way in the future—the broadcast element proved to be essential in the planning process and looking toward the future.
Utilizing the Features
The bells and whistles of audio consoles are selling points for any manufacturer. While it's hard to predict a user employing every feature possible on a console, knowing your specific needs as a church is vital in making informed choices. Overlake Christian Church in Redmond, Wash., recently had an exercise in making these types of informed choices.
Looking to upgrade from a console that had been in service for 12 years, Marc Breda, technical director for Overlake, says the church's early discussions centered on specific features they wanted, not only for the short term, but also in moving forward. “Dante Networking and the ability to route audio around our facility from a computer has been a huge feature for us with the Yamaha CL5 we selected,” he says.
With other Yamaha consoles in their building, Breda reports that the church's selection made sense not only from a continuity standpoint, but in having all of the desks speak the same networking language seamlessly.
The use of a Virtual Soundcheck—playback of a recorded service through the console with the ability to mix just as you would in a live situation—has been a game-changer for many FOH and Monitor engineers. For churches especially, it has alleviated the strain of training volunteers in a realistic setting.
“Currently we don't do a midweek rehearsal,” says Glover. “Having virtual sound check on our SSL L300 allows us to go in during the week and spend more time on the mix. It's also [proven to be] extremely useful for volunteer training, as before, the only time we could work with volunteers was during an actual service.”
Depending on the specific needs of any church, certain features will prove more beneficial than others. For Sugar Creek Baptist, its extensive channel count—often approaching 100 inputs on any given week—presents potential problems in simply keeping watch and maintaining each channel with care. “The most useful thing in tackling problems is that our [Studer] Vista consoles have a waveform history monitor on every channel, so you can easily look for something that may have clipped the preamp or had a weird pop in the signal chain,” says Rhodes.
Making the Right Decision
The opportunity to replace an existing audio console or outfit a new building does not come around on a regular basis. Employing a thorough process when selecting and testing potential consoles is essential for any tech director and church. And for the directors we spoke with, their sentiments shared many similarities.
“It's not always the console with the most the most bells and whistles or lowest/highest price,” says Breda. “You have to find what works for your situation, [what] will last over time, and what kind of support you will receive from the manufacturer and dealer that sold the console.”
Looking toward the future in planning for potential expansion or increased production demands was vital for Substance Church. “Don't get a board that only has the features you need right now,” says Frey, “but try to plan out a few years for expansion, whether that means more channels, plugins, future hardware integration, or smaller location upgrades/expansion.” Frey also says that including your staff and volunteer engineers in the decision-making process is important, since they will have helpful advice and be the ones using the system week to week.
One of the more important pieces of advice shared, though, is getting your hands on the actual equipment. Most consumers rarely purchase a car without a test drive, and the same rings true for a console. “I would recommend going to trade shows or talking to your local dealers so you can get your hands on some different desks. You can look at specs online all day long, but you need to see how it feels in your hands,” says Rhodes.
While the process of choosing a console can seem overwhelming, every director we spoke with emphasized allowing plenty of time for this process to happen. Talking with fellow production professionals, considering all of your options, and finding the right fit for your specific situation will produce the best end result. One that will give you and your church peace of mind and the right tools for the future.
