Many long-established churches are facing the same challenge that First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Greenwood, S.C., faced: a desire to move into more contemporary music and drama, yet they have a technical infrastructure designed for basic speech.
Founded in the late 1800s, and in a sanctuary built in 1957, the church reaches a largely white-collar group of people with a diverse range of ages. “We jokingly tell folks we're full of doctors, lawyers and bankers,” says Reverend Dr. David Mayo. “We have a very diverse range of ages—we're very healthy in that way. We have many children and young families, as well as a very active senior citizen ministry.”
With the age of the facility, it's not surprising that the church did not have appropriate audio and video systems for contemporary music. Not having to be concerned about sound reinforcement beyond the spoken work, the previous sound system was very limited in its capabilities. “We simply had a sound system in a closet,” Mayo describes. No video system was installed, and the lighting was very rudimentary. The system was turned on in the morning, and left alone with no audio tech to run it.
About 10 years ago a lighting system was installed to provide more visibility to the platform, and with the desire to add a more diverse music program to Sunday morning services, it was time to throw away the key to that sound closet and bring in a system that could handle a new musical repertoire as well as drama ministry. In addition, the church wanted to bring video projection into its services, and also needed a way to provide DVD copies of the service to members.
So church staff put the project out to bid to three firms, ultimately choosing Hames Pro of Gaffney, S.C., a company the church had worked with on several previous projects.
Tackling reverberation
“One of the biggest challenges in designing a system for this facility was the long reverberation time from the hard surfaces,” states Hames Pro's owner, Russ Moore. With 30-foot ceilings and an 80-foot throw distance from the speakers to the back wall, finding a loudspeaker with the right throw pattern would be critical in reducing reverberation. With the beautiful architecture of the sanctuary, it was important to control reverberation through pattern control instead of hanging acoustical treatments on the walls.
To deliver hands-on control of the audio system, a balcony mix position was selected. The new mixer, video camera control and multimedia computer were all located in this new production booth.
Tannoy Q-flex loudspeakers appeared to have the coverage pattern needed, and the local Tannoy representative brought in the speakers for an on-site demo. Moore was pleased with both the sound quality in the venue as well as the small footprint. “We custom-matched the cabinet paint to the existing wall color and you hardly notice the speakers, even though they are in plain sight,” Moore comments.
Two Q-flex16s were hung approximately 15 feet above, and at either side, of the main stage. Two Renkus Heinz SGX eight-inch speakers are used for stage monitors, and JBL Control 29AV speakers are used to provide overflow sound in the chapel.
Crown CDI series power amplifiers were chosen for their quiet operation, as well as built-in digital signal processing (DSP), providing EQ, limiters and delay that otherwise would need to be handled by additional processing hardware.
For the church's first real audio consoles, a pair of 16-channel PreSonus Studio Live digital mixing consoles are linked together via FireWire to create a 32-channel mixing system. “This provides an easy-to-use digital interface,” says Moore, “allowing the users to save presets and scenes for later recall.”
For microphones, Audix 1255W mics are suspended from the ceiling to capture the choir, and Audix MicroBooms were selected for mic'ing handbells and children's programs.
Implementing video
With the sanctuary being fairly light with lots of windows, bright projectors were desired to get the best possible image. Two Eiki LC-X80 6,500-lumen projectors were installed in a front-projection configuration, projecting onto two Draper Targa retractable screens. “We picked the Draper Targa screens for their clear image and quiet motor design,” explains Moore. “The screens are recessed into custom-made valances painted to blend with the sanctuary.” The screens are lowered only when needed for that portion of the service.
There was no good option for hanging the projectors directly in front of the screens without dangling them at the end of a long pole from the ceiling—not an aesthetically pleasing option. Part way through the project, Moore discovered Flexible Picture Systems' Image Anyplace 3D. This hardware system provides video image processing that might be described as anti-keystoning on steroids—it's able to correct the geometry of the projected video for when a projector is off-center, either vertically or horizontally. Using this system, the projectors could be mounted off to the side, and yet still provide an image perfectly squared to the screen. With the projectors mounted on the side walls, they are invisible to most of the seats in the sanctuary.
To provide video to the chapel for overflow needs, as well as to create DVDs of the services, Vaddio WallView 70 PTZ standard-definition cameras were selected and installed. The cameras are controlled remotely and switched via a Vaddio ProductionView FX console. The console provides a joystick for controlling pan/tile, enables 12 presets for up to six cameras, and provides switching between the cameras.
A Kramer VP-728 switcher controls what video is sent to the projection screens, providing the ability to switch between the media computer in the booth, DVD player, the Vaddio camera switcher output and a computer input on stage. Kramer PT-110 and PT-120 CAT5 video transmitters and receivers, along with Kramer VP-8K distribution amplifiers, provide video signal distribution over inexpensive CAT5 computer networking cable.
So the choir can see what is happening during the service, two 42-inch televisions were mounted on the side walls of the choir area, and are also fed via the Kramer switcher.
To help reduce clutter in the production booth, the tech team came up with the clever idea of attaching Velcro to the backs of the remote controls for the various pieces of video gear, and now the remote controls are neatly hung on the side wall of the balcony next to the video position. They're easy to grab and use, and are kept organized and out of the way when not needed.
Installation challenges, words of wisdom
Any renovation of an existing facility will present difficulties, and FPC Greenwood's installation was no exception. “Some of the challenges we faced included wiring access in a 54-year-old church with a lot of crown molding,” says Moore. “We also had the challenge of completely relocating all of the sound equipment and wiring from the closet behind the stage to the balcony. The aesthetics challenge was to make the installation as transparent as possible. Hiding the projectors was something that plagued us throughout, until the Image Anyplace solution was discovered.”
Moore has some suggestions for churches moving from traditional to contemporary worship, and needing to install their first serious AV systems. “Plan out what your goals are for when the system is installed. Don't settle for a lesser product because of budget. It may take a little longer to get to your desired goal by saving or raising more money, but you will be grateful for not having settled. Also, appoint one person in the church to work with the installation and design team. Tommy Wilson at Greenwood First Presbyterian was a valuable resource for us—he knew the ins and outs of the building and often helped us gain access to areas to install wiring.”
