In an effort to attract more worshippers to its services, the leadership at Ingleside Baptist Church in Macon, Ga., decided to expand beyond its blended style of worship. “The idea was to add a more edgy, contemporary service on Sunday evening, focused on the rock band,” notes Chris Hawkins, technical director for the 1,650-seat church. “That's when we put the wheels in motion to change to digital mixing consoles. In order to accommodate the different styles of worship on Sunday, plus rehearsal and other events during the week, we needed digital recall. There's really no other efficient way to do it.”
Hawkins' research took him to the InfoComm 2010 event to meet with various console manufacturers, include Midas. “The church had an old Midas Legend console at front of house, which they loved the sound of,” says Marty Jones, owner of Knobheads Pro A/V in Canton, Ga., designer of Ingleside's new sound system.
After evaluating products from a number of manufacturers, the church selected two Midas Pro3 consoles, one for front-of-house, and another for monitors. Hawkins says the Pro3 lent itself nicely to teaching his church's technical staff. “From a training place, I just love this console,” he says. “Instead of just visualizing what's happening to the sound in your mind, like when you're changing EQ or compression, you can see what's happening graphically as well. It's still about using your ears, but the visual feedback from the PRO3 makes it a very teachable place.”
