Worship AVL January-February 2022

AV LIGHTING SOUND REINFORCEMENT RECORDING STAGE SOUND BROADCAST

January–February 2022

January–February 2022

IT’S IN THE DNA

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Contents Issue 74

January–February 2022

NEWS K2 UPGRADE Church on the Move keeps sound up high with L-Acoustics

4

AUDIO TRANSFORMATION Dante powers St Mary’s Cathedral

6

FINISHING TOUCHES NSC turns to SAW for budget-conscious solution

8

MAINTENANCE-FREE Living Word Church goes live with Elation

10

ILLUMINATION elektraLite and Avolites light Kettering SDA Church

12

PA SYSTEM Eagle Brook Church welcomes DiGiCo’s Quantum225

14

SPECIAL REPORT Listen Technologies tackles hearing loss in HOWs

16

PROJECTS TECHNOLOGICAL FACELIFT Leigh Church updates its ageing audio system

18

COVER: IT’S IN THE DNA TBCo adds to existing d&b system with KSL

20

SIGN OF THE TIMES St Thomas the Apostle’s new multipurpose setup

22

LESS IS MORE 20 speakers reduced to four at Notre-Dame du Port

24

GRAND AMBITION Love of Christ Generation opens a new facility in Lagos 26 WORTH THE WAIT Antioch Missionary Baptist Church moves into new home 28 FRONT TO BACK Broadcast Pix helps South Dakota church stream live

30

KNOWHOW GAIN STAGING Gordon Moore looks at setting a proper gain structure

32

Editor’s note

Email: kwallace@worshipavl.com

Welcome to the first edition of Worship AVL of the New Year. It’s hard to believe that the pandemic has been with us now for nearly two years. So much has changed in that time – our traditional ways of worshipping purely in the sanctuary are long gone, replaced with the choice of attending church in-person or following a service from home. 2020 and 2021 have both seen houses of worship close their doors around the globe but we are in a far stronger place now to adjust to any challenges we might face – let’s hope that 2022 is a smoother ride.

Despite the restrictions and lockdowns, there’s no shortage of HOWs investing in new equipment as they look to a post-Covid world. The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin has upgraded its 20-year-old audio system with Audac speakers and Powersoft amps (p.18), while St Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church in Hong Kong has opted for a new multipurpose system for its 500 worshippers (p.22). In Nice, Notre-Dame du Port has streamlined its previous audio system of 20 speakers down to just four Active Audio enclosures (p.24). And in South Dakota, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help has turned to Broadcast Pix for a new livestreaming setup (p.30).

And let’s not forget the new-builds, constructed to hold growing congregations.

The Belonging Co’s new 1,470-seat sanctuary is home to a d&b KSL system (p.20), while Love of Christ Generation has stayed faithful to L-Acoustics for its latest facility in Lagos (p.26). In Florida, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church’s worshippers are benefitting from an ISP Technologies line array system at its new Dwelling Place sanctuary (p.28).

I hope you enjoy the issue.

NEW YEAR Casey Hawkins considers the importance of time management 34 KNOWLEDGE BASE Bob Mentele learns about new systems and technologies 36

TECHNOLOGY ACOUSTIC SHAPING Adjusting room acoustics with Constellation

38

REMOTE WORSHIP How NDI 5 fits into a house of worship setting

40

THE RIGHT TOOL John Black lists the different lighting options on the market

42

PRODUCTS Equipment launches and updates

44

THE TECH VIEW Shiloh Ministries invests in the younger generation

58

IN THIS ISSUE 22

Contacts

24

26

30

GENERAL MANAGER Richard Lawn T: +44 1892 676280

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Sue Gould T: +44 1892 676280

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Caroline Moss T: +44 1892 676280

SENIOR REPORTER Simon Luckhurst T: +44 1892 676280

SALES ASSOCIATE Carolyn Valliere T: +1 562 746 1790

rlawn@worshipavl.com

sgould@worshipavl.com

cmoss@worshipavl.com

sluckhurst@worshipavl.com

cvalliere@worshipavl.com

PRODUCTION MANAGER Adrian Baker T: +44 1892 676280

DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER Nick Smith T: +44 1892 676280

VIDEO EDITOR Chris Yardley T: +44 1892 676280

DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR Libby Stonell T: +44 1892 676280

CIRCULATION Marne Mittelmann F: +65 6491 6588

abaker@worshipavl.com

nsmith@worshipavl.com

cyardley@worshipavl.com

COVER: The Belonging Co church PRINTER: Times Printers Singapore LICENCES: Singapore: MICA (P) 009/05/2021 PPS 1644/05/2013(022954) CIRCULATION: circulation@worshipavl.com All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright owners.

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@WorshipAVLMagazine January–February 2022 WORSHIP AVL 3

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NEWS

L-Acoustics keeps the sound up high USA Living up to its name, Church on the Move was established in 1987 with just 163 members.

The Tulsa, Oklahoma organisation now has over 7,000 members worshipping at three campuses surrounding a 2,200-seat main sanctuary. Recently, that primary location underwent a major systems renovation that included the installation of a new K2 loudspeaker system, designed and installed by Skylark AV, an L-Acoustics Certified Provider, Install.

“The church knew what they wanted, and they wanted L-Acoustics right out of the gate,” said Steele “Ninja” Beaty, project manager at Skylark AV. “The only question we had to decide was: which L-Acoustics speakers would work best?” The K2 system was chosen based on performance, musicality and SPL. The setup consists of 10 K2 per side in a left-right main system design, with three K1-SB subs flown behind each hang and eight KS28 subs arrayed below the stage. In addition, 12 Kara II per side are used as out fill arrays, two A15i as extreme side fill and 14 short-throw 5XT as front fill integrated into the stage, so they are out of sight.

All loudspeakers are managed by the L-Acoustics P1 processor and connected by five LS10 plug-andplay, AVnu-certified AVB switches that integrate seamlessly within the L-Acoustics ecosystem and further simplify connectivity. Fourteen LA12X amplified controllers are used to power the K2 and subs, while seven LA4X control the Kara II and 5XT systems.

The church’s director of production, Johnathan Basquez, who also mixes sound for weekend services, says the church’s 120-strong corps of volunteers are enjoying the sound of the

new system. “Some of them are farmers during the week, others are running companies, but all of them can hear the difference.

What’s interesting, though, is that almost everyone thinks this system is louder than what we had before, even though we’re actually running it 6dB lower. It’s all about the presence that K2 brings with it.”

Although Church on the Move’s main worship auditorium is a large space, both the site’s monitor and broadcast mixes are also being driven from the FOH console, and the new PA has been helpful for those as well. “We have now been

able to remove the EQ and settings from our channel strip, which has drastically improved our monitor mixes,” added Basquez. “In fact, many of our vocalists and band members have told me that they have never heard their in-ears sound so open, full and natural.”

Meanwhile, Church on the Move’s new Broken Arrow satellite location is scheduled to open shortly and will house a sound system scaled for its 500-seat auditorium. There, the PA will comprise a left-right system of three A10 per side – two A10 Focus and one A10 Wide – with one KS21 sub flown behind each main array and buttressed by four Syva Low and four Syva subs.

The main system is supported with left-right side fill arrays of one A10 Focus and A10 Wide each. In addition, an X8 acts as a centre fill, and the entire system is powered by three LA4X and one LA12X. The project is being integrated by Tulsa-based DC Pro, which purchased the system design and components from Skylark AV. www.churchonthemove.com www.l-acoustics.com www.skylarkav.com

Samil Church upgrades with ETC KOREA

ETC has partnered with C&C Lightway, its dealer for the Korean market, on an upgrade project for Samil Church where 50 Source Four fixtures have been retrofitted with Source 4WRD II in the main worship hall.

Samil Church is in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and seats 1,200 worshippers.

The church’s auditorium combines a busy worship schedule for both local and international congregations.

Source Four fixtures had previously been installed on the upper deck of

the hall and in front of the stage to light speakers, providing both front light and wash light. The existing fixtures had been used for years and the HOW felt it was time for an upgrade.

Considering the architectural structure of the church, systems designer Jung Hoon Kim was looking for a white-light LED fixture that is easy to install and maintain. At the same time, Kim wanted a more sustainable and economical way of lighting. After consulting with C&C Lightway, he chose ETC’s Source 4WRD II, an energy-saving retrofit for a traditional Source Four light engine that transforms the HPL source into a white-light LED. Its LED light source has an L70 rating

of 45,000 hours with only 175W of power consumed per fixture per hour, while Source Four consumes 750W. “It’s an energy-saving and costeffective solution,” commented Kim. “I feel like the brightness is twice that of using the existing fixtures while consuming almost 70% less power. It’s sustainable as well.

We reduce our carbon footprint by upcycling the existing fixtures. LED has a longer lifespan which doesn’t require frequent replacement. And it’s 77% cooler than the surface of a tungsten, reducing our use of air conditioning.” www.etcconnect.com www.samilchurch.com

4 WORSHIP AVL January–February 2022

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NEWS

Petruskerk streams live with DPA HOLLAND

Dante simplifies St Mary’s audio upgrade

Founded in 1313, Petruskerk van Leens is one of Holland’s oldest churches and home to its famous, recently restored organ, which has been treasured by parishioners for generations. Once churchgoers

cables as overheads, approximately 10–15m above the organ. This approach was chosen after listening to the organ and testing how the mics reacted to certain levels. Rounding out the

were faced with stay-at-home orders due to Covid-19, the church decided to introduce livestreaming services to bring mass, and their beloved organ’s music, into the homes of the parish. To help the church design its AV setup, it called on Bart Hof, owner of HOF AV, who recommended DPA Microphones to support the audio needs of the church.

AV install was a Roland audio mixing console, which the DPA 4060 mics are plugged into, and a variety of Panasonic 2K cameras running on SDI. “Through our testing, we found that we didn’t have to put the mics too close to the organ, since the sound of this organ is so huge,” Hof added. “You have to balance the audio for broadcast or streaming, so we run the mics directly into the mixing console.”

Since the microphones are able to fade into the background, Hof says they further proved to be the best solution, especially for streaming, as they are not seen – just heard. In addition, the ease of use was also a big factor.

“The majority of the people running the AV equipment are volunteers,” continued Hof. “To have the equipment run and sound smooth for them is a huge priority. The church and its volunteers are all so positive and enthusiastic about the result of the livestream and how it sounds.

Their parishioners, both local and around the world, have truly enjoyed the weekly services that Petruskerk provides to them.”

USA St Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, Oregon, has served as the centre of the Archdiocese of Portland since the site’s dedication in 1926. For nearly a century, the intricately designed cathedral has been the host of important ceremonies for the 400,000 Catholics living in the greater Portland metropolitan area.

The cathedral’s architectural features, coupled with the expansive size of the main worship hall, resulted in a cacophonous space where achieving intelligibility of the spoken word had long proved challenging. While the cathedral knew it needed an upgrade to its audio system, it was also paramount to keep cable runs to a minimum to preserve the historic architecture of the space.

“One of the main things that Dante does for us is it allows us to simplify the wiring,” said Devin Sheets, lead design and installation technician at Alpha Sound, the company that designed and integrated the new audio system in the cathedral. “Dante allows the installation to go smoother because this is a space where the cabling is not standard. It’s not like a new build where you have the flexibility to install during construction. It’s not like a building where the wiring was done to industry standards and based on modern equipment. In this space we have to keep it simple, and the rule is if you can get a Cat5 cable there, you’re good. You plug it in, and you have full access to the entire architecture.”

The Alpha Sound team was able to access panels behind the ceiling and within the walls behind the choir organ to integrate a 1GB network infrastructure for a Dante network. From there, the team installed a workflow of Dantecapable endpoints, including NEXO

NEXO NXAMP4X1MK2s enable Dante networking and Yamaha speakers and DPA and Shure microphones.

Sheets said the church saw the difference in the system immediately.

“When we first used the system from the first Sunday, the thing that we heard people saying, which is actually quite common on jobs that we do in this regard, is that for the first time people could really understand what was being said.”

The leadership of the church agreed, saying everything from the live sound to the streaming offerings now sound better. In fact, one of the leaders said he’s been surprised by the reviews he’s received now that he can be heard more clearly. “We’ve really got a state-of-the-art system that everybody is really quite pleased with,” said Monsignor Gerard O’Connor, rector at the cathedral. “The funny thing is people say to me, ‘oh you really sing well’, and I don’t. I’m actually a very average singer, but when I do sing mass, it sounds really good.”

The recently restored organ “In my opinion, when it comes to the equipment, the simpler and more straightforward way that you approach music is actually the best way to handle audio in a natural way,” Hof explained.

“With DPA mics, it’s just a matter of connecting it, and you get this natural sound with no compromise at all.”

For Petruskerk, Hof installed one stereo pair of DPA’s 4060 Series miniature omnidirectional microphones with extension

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6 WORSHIP AVL January–February 2022

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11.11.2021 08:46:02 26/11/2021 09:43

NEWS

Budget-conscious solution for Norwegians Settler’s Church

SOUTH AFRICA The Norwegians Settler’s Church (NSC) recently called on Stage Audio Works (SAW) to implement the finishing touches to the audio within a new auditorium that had been in construction since 2008.

Inheriting its namesake from a group of Norwegians that settled in Southern Natal in 1882, the church has since undergone various transformations but remains the longest-serving church in the region.

SAW was met with some challenges throughout the two-week installation, the largest being sound leakage.

The main auditorium’s ceiling is 17m high and the overall space can seat almost 1,500 attendees.

With a large hole in its centre due to an underground car park, there was a reverb time of approximately 8s. NSC enlisted Bruce Gessner from Acoustic Worx to devise a suitable solution that reduced the reverberation to under 2s, which

meant the church was then ready for its new PA system.

Said to be the first of its kind in South Africa, a Plus Audio system was chosen for NSC. The church specified that its existing equipment had to be utilised where possible, so it was important that SAW considered compatibility in the installation, ensuring the components would work seamlessly together. Catering to the architecture as well as the acoustics, SAW opted for a line array solution comprising L-R hangs of eight L209 and two L215B elements per side, supported by eight C10 front fills. Four iA218 subwoofers concealed in the stage bring up the low end, while 12A amplifiers power the arrangement and a QSC Q-SYS Core 110F acts as the system DSP.

Phillip Kloppers, media and technical director at NSC, explained: “Stage Audio Works did an amazing job with the proposal.

Cost was a big issue for us, so they proposed a new solution from Plus Audio which matched all our criteria and worked perfectly in the space.

In addition to the main hangs, we also went with some subs below the stage, which provide the bottom-end punch that we were looking for. Often, it’s tough to keep the lows from being muddy, but the sound quality is very crisp and coverage across the entire auditorium is incredibly consistent.”

Kloppers and the rest of NSC are said to be thrilled with the results.

“We’ve been getting tremendous feedback from our congregation, who are really impressed with the consistent audio quality of the new system. They can sit anywhere in the room and the experience is the same. Moving forward, this is going to be such a beautiful space for us to use.” www.stageaudioworks.com

Hitachi provides volunteer-friendly operation at Oak Ridge Baptist Church USA Founded in the early 1970s in Salisbury, Maryland, Oak Ridge Baptist Church is a forward-thinking, missionminded church with nearly 1,500 members. Accelerating a planned upgrade of its video production capabilities in response to the pandemic, the church has purchased three Z-HD5500 cameras from Hitachi Kokusai to elevate the quality of its online streaming experiences.

Since 2004, Oak Ridge had been located in a former “big box” store within a retail shopping centre now owned by the church. More than 1,200 congregants attended services each week in the space’s 450-seat main sanctuary or 220-seat theatre. In 2018, Oak Ridge launched its Build the Dream (BTD) campaign, which included a five-fold growth strategy for the future of the church. Its initiatives were led by the design and build of a new 1,300m2, 1,000-seat main venue, with video production a key consideration.

“We needed a space that allows room for growth of our prime service, but we also wanted the new sanctuary to have high ceilings and a better layout that would enable more camera positions to improve our online presence,” explained Mark Reynolds, executive pastor of

business operations at Oak Ridge Baptist Church. “We planned to purchase new cameras as part of that process but, while Covid-19 has delayed the new building until 2022, the pandemic also motivated us to get the cameras much sooner.”

Initially used only for online streaming during in-person restrictions, the three Z-HD5500 cameras now also provide acquisition for IMAG on the sanctuary’s 3.3m x 2m screens – which will be replaced by LED videowalls in the new venue – with its own distinct production path. Half an hour of each service is also broadcast on the local public access TV station.

The visual results from the Z-HD5500s have also impressed the Oak Ridge team. “The video quality compared to what we had before is ‘next level’, and the exceptional low-light handling gives us complete control of capturing our environment,” added Tim Dennis, Oak Ridge Baptist Church’s global technical pastor.

“The Z-HD5500s give us a lot more operational freedom, which enables our volunteers to be successful in their roles.” www.hitachikokusai.com

8 WORSHIP AVL January–February 2022

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25/11/2021 12:26

Evolution Wireless Digital

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NEWS

Elation supports worship at Living Word Church USA When Living Word Church in Houston, Texas, was having trouble maintaining its sanctuary lighting system – partly due to problems acquiring spare parts – it contacted Eric Bernstein of Lighting Ministries, who suggested an upgrade of Elation stage and house lighting fixtures.

The pandemic soon made the HOW realise that any design needed to look as good on camera as it does live. A moving head package of six Artiste Van Gogh, six Smarty MAX, 12 Fuze Wash Z350 and four Fuze Profile CW was chosen for stage lighting impact, while 20 Fuze Pendant LED wash lights provide a dynamic house lighting solution.

Bernstein and Lighting Ministries handled design, specification and installation of the new system.

Bernstein installed upstage support shelves on which the Artiste Van Gogh and Smarty MAX fixtures sit, resulting in a cleaner, more traditional look. He says the choice of the hybrid Smarty MAX was a conscious decision in order to achieve a true beam look that only a lamp can produce, while the ability to instantly switch to a wash look creates a very versatile fixture. The Artiste Van Gogh, LED wash moving heads with CMY/ CTO colour mixing and framing, and Smarty MAX fixtures work with a Therma Tour 600 haze machine

from Magmatic atmospherics. The decision was also made to add full colour lighting to the baptistery in the form of ADJ WiFly bars, which add more depth to the platform without added clutter. Mounted on downstage support beams and used as front light are Fuze Wash Z350 LED wash lights with

barndoors and Fuze Profile CW LED profile spots.

The Fuze Pendants have replaced 20 outdated discharge-based pendants resulting in at least a 65% saving in energy, according to Bernstein. The new system gives the church the ability to light the complete sanctuary or highlight a specific area in any colour or white colour temperature at any time.

“Colour is emotion,” Bernstein continued, “and with the Fuze Pendants they can really make an impression.” www.elationlighting.com www.lightingministries.com

HALO-C brings even sound throughout CANADA While the structure of the 1,900-capacity auditorium has changed little over the years, Glad Tidings Church continues to evolve at a technical level. Recognising the need to replace its ageing point source system, the Vancouver church approached Canadian production company and AV integrator, Gearforce, headed by Bryan Adam’s longterm monitor engineer, Rob Nevalainen.

While the touring scene remains on hold, Nevalainen has turned his considerable expertise to designing audio systems.

“This year, Glad Tidings has a new pastor who was keen to revitalise the building and grow the congregation,” explained Nevalainen. “One of his most important criteria was to ensure that his words could be heard clearly throughout

the auditorium so that every member of the congregation could benefit from the same worship experience, regardless of where they were seated.”

Gearforce was asked to specify a sound system that could deliver exceptional audio yet come in at a reasonable price point. Specifically, Nevalainen and co-designer Dakota Poncilius were looking for a system with a high level of predictability and even propagation. “We looked at all of the major manufacturers, and EM Acoustics came out ahead,” said Nevalainen.

“They were the only ones that matched all the criteria, making it an easy choice.”

The previous audio system was concealed behind a scrim above the stage and so to minimise disruption, Nevalainen and Poncilious opted to maintain the same design approach, flying the new system behind the scrim.

“We only had an aperture of 2m deep to work with. This meant we had to use a system that allowed us to achieve sufficient vertical coverage through a small opening as well as even horizontal coverage. EM Acoustics’ HALO-C compact line array supported by two EMS-129 and an S-18 subwoofer array

allowed us to deliver a consistent audio experience from the near seats right to the upper balcony where previously there was no coverage at all.”

The design consists of a central hang of six HALO-C cabinets augmented by a pair of EMS-129 in a column configuration per side. An array of six EM Acoustics S-18 compact reflex subwoofers extends the low frequencies to 35Hz (–3dB). With single L-R EMS-129 enclosures providing the side fills and six EMS-41 front fills, a further seven EMS-41 serve as under-balcony fills.

The passive outputs are powered and controlled by EM Acoustics’ Advanced System DQ20 (2) and DQ6 (1) amplifiers, which also handle all system routing and processing.

Glad Tidings sound director, Bien Bernadino, added: “Properly tuned to the space, it delivers balanced sound throughout the spectrum.

Everybody benefits from the same audio experience at the same intensity, regardless of where they are seated.” www.emacoustics.co.uk www.gearforce.com www.gtchurch.ca

10 WORSHIP AVL January–February 2022

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25/11/2021 12:27

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26/11/2021 09:48

NEWS

Kettering SDA Church illuminates worship with elektraLite and Avolites USA Ohio’s Kettering College is a private university at the forefront of medical technology learning. Chartered by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the school welcomes a growing community of students on Saturday mornings for Sabbath worship services.

Earlier this year, Kettering SDA expanded its building with an adjacent wing allowing the church to run two simultaneous services: a collegiategeared worship service known as Ascent in the new space, and a multigenerational “blended” service in the pre-existing 600-seat main sanctuary.

With Ascent’s space equipped with modern AVL technologies, the church called upon lighting designer Tom Sellars of Eagle Eye Design who in turn called upon Scenic Solutions to provide a fresh, contemporary look for the main sanctuary.

“Kettering’s stage, choir and organ area is almost 158m2 and the PAR/ spotlight system they had in place

L–R: Eagle Eye Design’s Tom Sellars and Scenic Solutions’ Chad Penix simply wasn’t meeting their needs,” recalled Sellars. “The church really needed a better solution to provide better coverage, especially for their video facilities, so I designed a system that would provide more versatility and even lighting for both their in-person and web-streaming audiences.”

That solution combines 30 elektraLite Stingray Profile Warm White 300W

COB LED fixtures, equipped with 19° lenses for washing the entire stage, and four elektraLite Paint Can COB RGBW washes on the pipe organ. With assistance from Active Electrical, the fixtures were mounted onto four arches in the house and over the stage.

The simultaneous upgrade to an Avolites Titan Mobile console, now located in the lighting/FOH mix

position at the front centre of the balcony and running the latest Titan v15 software, has been equally beneficial. “Kettering had previously been using two separate lighting controllers,” added Sellars. “The house lights and stage lights were controlled by a Crestron system that was on a laptop with just one preset, so it was basically just on and off with no creativity.”

Both the new console and fixtures were designed to be futureproof.

“This whole lighting installation was really made for expansion,” continued Sellars. “Kettering now have a scalable solution that can very easily be grown to encompass more fixtures and additional control options when the church takes its next step.” www.avolites.com www.ketteringadventist.org www.myelektralite.com

Sound system fit for the King of Kings USA

King of Kings Lutheran Church in Minnesota has upgraded its sound system with the help of SI, Collins Electrical Construction and manufacturer, Dynacord.

The church’s goal was to achieve an even coverage as well as improve clarity and fidelity for both traditional and contemporary services. Having already installed the church’s lighting system, Collins Electrical Construction proposed a solution combining Electro-Voice speakers and Dynacord electronics.

“We do a wide range of commercial contraction, often working with Electro-

Voice, and it has become my go-to brand for larger spaces like churches,” said Collins’ project manager, Shawn Withrow. “We were confident that it was just a matter of finding the right system to fit the space. For King of Kings, that turned out to be EVA line arrays.”

Many churches were left with little choice but to update their systems when the pandemic hit in order to allow for virtual services, but Chris Vorrie, King of Kings’ director of worship arts, stressed that plans had been in the pipeline prior to the crisis. “With our previous

system, the ability to understand the words varied depending on where you were sitting,” he explained. “We needed consistent, highly intelligible sound throughout the nave.”

Discussions with Dynacord’s regional sales manager Dave Notch led to the installation of flown dual-18-inch subwoofers. An in-house system utilised by both Dynacord and Electro-Voice aided Collins in finalising the deployment details, using EASE mapping software in combination with Dynacord Sonicue Sound System software to ensure full

coverage throughout the sanctuary.

Local company Twin Cities Sound was enlisted to handle the physical hanging of the loudspeakers.

To ensure even coverage throughout the main seating area, the L-R hangs in the primary system each consist of two EVA-2082S 90° horizontal dispersion cabinets atop a pair of 120° models. To cover the side seating areas and choir loft, one Electro-Voice EVF-1122S is angled to each side, and two X12i-128 subwoofers are flown further out above the congregation. The system is powered by two Dynacord DSP power amplifiers: an IPX20:4 providing up to 20,000W via its four channels and a single C2800FDi supplying the EVFs. Speaking on the installation, Vorrie concluded: “Musically, everything is enhanced and sounds so much better than before and we eliminated multiple fill speakers in the process.

Both the spoken word and lyrics are easier to understand, no matter where you sit.” www.collinsmn.com www.electrovoice.com www.dynacord.com www.twincitiessound.com

12 WORSHIP AVL January–February 2022

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25/11/2021 12:27

3000 Series Network systems are compatible with A-T Wireless Manager

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NEWS

Eagle Brook Church welcomes DiGiCo’s Quantum225 USA Eagle Brook Church has 10 locations around its Lino Lakes, Minnesota main campus in the Minneapolis–St Paul area, and collectively hosts over 25,000 worshippers a week. As part of a renovation that saw the installation of a new videowall system and L-Acoustics A10-based PA system, the Ham

new campus is heavily Dante, so it was also smart to move to the DiGiCo DQ-Rack, which keeps it an all-Dante signal infrastructure,” added Matt Beckstrom, Eagle Brook Church’s audio systems engineer.

“For instance, we’re going over Dante right from the DQ-Rack to the in-ear monitors onstage.”

Paragon 360 facilitates downsizing upgrade USA The pandemic of 2020 took its toll on many churches, including First Baptist Church of Jacksonville in Florida. The church decided to move its services from its 9,000-seat sanctuary into the smaller 900-seat Lindsay Memorial Auditorium on the sprawling downtown campus. To facilitate this downsizing, the church commissioned Paragon 360 to help renovate the space. The US$1.8 million investment is now catering for multicultural and multigenerational activities and audiences.

system design utilises a nearfield technique, with smaller monitors mounted throughout the choir. This technique drastically reduces the overall volume required for each choir member to hear their tailored monitor mix. All three monitoring systems work in unison to provide the right mix to each musician and lower the onstage volume to provide clarity and control.

Updates to the existing lighting system, including new LED lighting fixtures, data distribution equipment and hardware were implemented.

The project included the demolition of the interior back-of-house area and a basic remodelling of the sanctuary. The sanctuary renovation included replacing the auditorium carpet, painting the lower floor pews, adding new toilets and creating a new modular choir loft. The Paragon team also modernised the audio, video and lighting systems in order to enhance livestreaming capabilities for hybrid services and programmes.

Paragon upgraded the existing audio system and added extensive acoustical work throughout the venue.

In addition, it added its signature monitoring system for the choir, orchestra, praise team and front-line singers. Paragon’s choir monitor

The most prominent addition to the new stage design was the addition of Unilumin LED walls serving as IMAG screens on the right and left driven by NovaStar processing. An additional Unilumin LED wall has been custom built into the front side of the choir wall to create virtual imagery behind the presenter.

The newly updated Lindsay Memorial Auditorium at First Baptist Jacksonville is well-positioned for the future. With the modular choir loft and centre stage LED wall, the space is ready for contemporary and traditional worship, kids and youth programming and special events.

Eagle Brook Church’s audio engineering staff with the new DiGiCo Quantum225 console Lake church – Eagle Brook’s newest location – has reportedly become one of the first houses of worship to implement DiGiCo’s new Quantum225 console, where it is paired with the Dante-specific DiGiCo DQ-Rack.

“They wanted to push the envelope with this installation, and we had been talking to them about the Quantum225 ever since we had heard about it,” said Cameron Fries, project manager for systems integrator Summit Integrated Systems. “The Q225 is the console they wanted to use to make the leap into the next generation of technology.

It’s a perfect fit for them. It’s compact but it has all of the features and functionality of the larger Quantum338, flexible routing and function assignment, and a great user interface and intuitive operation.”

Eagle Brook, which typically deploys an Optocore-based cabling infrastructure at its campuses, this time chose to use a Dante network for Ham Lake’s audio, a good match for DiGiCo’s Dante-specific DQ-Rack, which provides all of the power of the larger SD-Racks but in a more compact unit, along with the flexibility of Audinate’s Dante protocol. “This

In addition, connection to the Q225 via the console’s DMI-DANTE64@96 card means that all inputs and outputs on the racks can be accessed at both 48kHz and 96kHz. The DQ-Rack is also equipped with dual redundant power supplies as standard.

While much about the Q225 was immediately familiar for Beckstrom, “the added power of Quantum processing was very welcome and there’s a lot of headroom for the church’s mix staff to grow into. For now, they’re continuing to use the Waves processing integrated into the Q225, but are looking forward to getting into Mustard and Spice Rack processing in the very near future.”

He said that familiarity with DiGiCo systems made installing the new Q225 themselves, with relatively minimal assistance from Summit, a simple and straightforward process.

“That kind of simplicity is especially important for churches, who are always budget-conscious, no matter how big they are,” he added. www.digico.biz www.eaglebrookchurch.com www.summitintegrated.com

www.paragon360.com

14 WORSHIP AVL January–February 2022

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25/11/2021 12:28

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An integrator can help HOWs select the best audio delivery systems for the hearing-impaired

Houses of worship can be an isolating experience for people with hearing loss

Hearing loss Kim Franklin, vice president of marketing at Listen Technologies, looks at how the use of technology in houses of worship can foster inclusion

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Kim Franklin “ALL ARE WELCOME.” THE actual wording and language may vary, but the overriding message of acceptance and hospitality that phrase conveys is one most houses of worship want to communicate to congregants and visitors. Look and you’ll likely find some variation of this message on signage in worship buildings, in language on a church website and in a minister’s sermons. Houses of worship should be places of refuge, a safe haven where congregants and visitors can find comfort, community and inspiration. Unfortunately, for individuals with hearing loss, attending services in houses of worship where they cannot hear clearly can be a frustrating, embarrassing and isolating experience – the very opposite of welcoming.

Prevalence of hearing loss In its 2021 World Report on Hearing, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 401 million people in Southeast Asia and 546 million people in the WHO region of Western-Pacific have hearing loss.1 In these specific regions, 5.5% and 7.1%, respectively,

have moderate or a higher grade of hearing loss. The WHO predicts that “unless measures like increased access to health care and noise protection are enacted”, one in four people worldwide2 – 25% of Earth’s total population – will have some degree of hearing loss by 2050. One in four people will struggle to hear clearly, understand and engage.

Often called the invisible disability, hearing loss is not always readily identifiable in others. Individuals may not be aware of how much their own ability to hear has declined. They may think hearing loss only affects older adults. In reality, hearing loss can affect everyone. One survey3 estimated approximately 15% of children and teens have hearing loss. While hearing loss often increases with age, it can be accelerated by illness, lack of access to vaccines and medicine, and prolonged exposure to loud noise.4 If churches, mosques, temples, synagogues and other places of worship truly want to welcome visitors, they should design for inclusion.

This means if they are planning new construction or remodelling buildings, they should design with full accessibility in mind. There are accessibility-focused

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resources5 available to help with this.

With regards to designing for optimal sound quality and hearing, houses of worship should consider the layout of a space, capacity and proximity of seating to video screens, speakers and sources of background noise, such as HVAC systems, exterior windows and doors, and adjacent rooms that could impact one’s ability to hear clearly.

They also should consider acoustics and select interior fixtures, materials and textures that optimise sound clarity.

a space, and they help all users – not just people with hearing loss – hear more clearly. This is important since sometimes hearing can be impacted by background noise, distance, language and even face coverings that muffle sound.

There are four primary types of assistive listening technology6: •

Assistive listening technology An integrator can help houses of worship select the best audio systems, and audio delivery systems for the hearing impaired (assistive listening systems), to meet the unique needs of a space and congregation now and in the future. Audio delivery systems are different than hearing aids; though they can be used to expand the functionality of a hearing aid or cochlear implant by amplifying the sounds the user wants to hear. Assistive listening systems are typically installed systems that end users have access to while they are in

•

Radio frequency (RF) – An RF system works like a radio to deliver sound from a house of worship audio source, such as a microphone or speaker, to a small receiver a congregant wears on a lanyard around their neck. The user listens to the audio through headphones, a headset or earbuds connected to the receiver. RF systems are perfect in large sanctuaries and classrooms.

Infrared (IR) – IR systems look and operate similarly to an RF system from the user perspective, but this type of technology uses light, like a TV remote control, to transmit sound from a church audio source to a congregant’s

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25/11/2021 16:19

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receiver. IR is good for houses of worship that want to use it for simultaneous broadcasts and language interpretation because audio does not spill over into adjacent rooms.

Wireless one-way or twoway technology – A user wears a transceiver (combination transmitter/ receiver) that lets them listen to a speaker and, if it is a two-way unit, push a button to talk to the leader or group.

Users listen through a headset or earbuds. This technology is ideal for assistive listening and interpretation.

Wi-Fi audio distribution – Audio transmits directly to smartphones using a church’s existing Wi-Fi network.

Congregants download a free app on their Android or iOS device and stream audio to their device7 (they can listen using their own earbuds), or to Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids and cochlear implants. Wi-Fi is ideal for houses of worship that want to increase inclusion among its various membership demographics, or stream audio to overflow seating and cry rooms.

users per server. It also supports multilingual audio transmission: users select the audio channel featuring their preferred language and can hear and understand.

Regardless of the size or layout of a house of worship space, there are audio and assistive listening solutions to meet the hearing and language needs of congregants and visitors and ensure “all are welcome”.

Congregants can use their own smart devices to hear more clearly in houses of worship

Streaming clear sound Audio streamed over Wi-Fi to personal smart devices supports the BYOD (bring your own device) trend and the prevalence of smartphones – more than 80% of the world’s population has smartphones.8 With audio over Wi-Fi, congregants can use their own, familiar smart devices to hear more clearly in houses of worship. Systems are plug-and-play for houses of worship since servers work on existing Wi-Fi networks and

there is no additional equipment to track, clean and store.

Churches can customise the free app so it features welcome videos, weekly bulletins, readings, hymns, information about upcoming events and more.

Listen Technologies offers an audio over Wi-Fi system that is an affordable, low-latency solution for environments where ambient noise, distance and hearing loss make it difficult to hear audio clearly. One available system can be used indoors or outdoors9 and can accommodate up to 1,000

References 1 Hear-it.org, “Hearing loss in Asia” 2 WHO, “1 in 4 people projected to have hearing problems by 2050” 3 JAMA Network, “Prevalence of hearing loss among children 6 to 19 years of age” 4 Halvard T Eriksen, “Age 52, married, bad knees, and worsening hearing loss” 5 Listen Technologies, “An invisible disability” 6 Listen Technologies, “Deliver an awesome experience” 7 Listen Technologies, “Project: Boulevard Baptist Church” 8 BankMyCell, “How many smartphones are in the world?”

9 Listen Technologies, “Project: Church Bingo Night” www.listentech.com

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Precise directivity and exceptional fidelity make Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers preferred solution for PRECISE DIRECTIVITY AND EXCEPTIONAL FIDELITYthe MAKES RENKUS-HEINZ LOUDSPEAKERS houses of worship THE PREFERRED SOLUTION OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AUDIO PROFESSIONALS Learn more at renkus-heinz.com

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PROJECTS

KYRA 12 and 6 speakers have been fitted to the church’s pillars

Gothic revival Leigh Church has undergone a technological facelift and upgrade to its dated 20-year-old audio system THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY the Virgin is a 710-seat, Grade II listed church in Leigh, Greater Manchester.

Built in the 15th century then rebuilt in 1873, the HOW is constructed in the style of Gothic Revival and is made mainly from red sandstone.

The leadership team for the church felt it was time to upgrade its 20-year-old audio system, just in time for its re-opening following lockdown. Blacka Group, a local AV integrator that specialises in places of worship, was chosen to install an audio and control system that would aim to improve the quality of speech and audio distribution across the entire church.

The building presented several challenges for the company, both acoustically and aesthetically, as the stone surfaces within the building were quite reverberant, meaning the design of the sound system needed to blend into this. It was important that the church maintained its traditional look without visible cables or at least keep them to a minimum. “The surfaces within St Mary the Virgin are ones we commonly see within churches from this era and, because of the size of the building itself, we

knew we needed an audio system that would be able to manage this space and counteract its difficulties,” said Craig West, managing director of Blacka Group.

The solution comprises Symetrix Prism 8 Dante DSP and Audac’s KYRA speakers, with the Dante element of the DSP keeping cabling to a minimum. Both KYRA 12 and KYRA 6 column speakers were installed, with the 12s in the main space and left and right pews, while the 6s were installed as side fill and in the outer pews. The slim design of the speakers meant that they could blend in with the church’s existing pillars.

Blacka Group opted for Powersoft’s Mezzo 322AD and 324AD amplifiers to provide power to the KYRA speakers, as well as reduce the cabling between the speakers and the Prism DSP. “The use of Dante across the install proved to be a bit of a life saver, as we were worried about how much cabling we’d need to run around the building given the amount of equipment that was being installed,” said West. “We were able to keep a lot of the long-distance cabling to a minimum by using Cat cables, and this granted us far more flexibility when

Clockaudio C 33E-RF gooseneck microphones were placed in the pulpit and the choir trying to hide everything and maintain the building’s aesthetics.”

Clockaudio C 33E-RF gooseneck microphones were placed in the pulpit and the choir. Clockaudio’s C 900 condenser microphones and CA 900-RF microphone shafts can be adjusted to suit people within the

choir, and MIPRO’s ACT 70HC-UK72 handheld microphone and MU-55HN headworn systems can be used when speakers are moving. All the microphone systems are connected to the Symetrix Prism DSP, which then transfers the audio signals via Dante to the building’s speakers. Blacka Group opted for a Symetrix’s Arc-2e wall panel, which acts as a hub for managing the entire building’s audio levels. For assistive listening, an Opus Technologies LD2.2 induction loop amplifier transmits audio via Bluetooth to a churchgoer’s hearing aid.

The installation is said to have propelled St Mary the Virgin straight into the 21st century, while keeping to its traditional roots. “The system has integrated perfectly with the aesthetic of the church and will bring it a whole new lease of life. Such a drastic upgrade will not go unnoticed by regular members and the new system will allow St Mary the Virgin to focus on their services and communions, without worrying about audio quality or control,” concluded West. www.audac.eu www.blackagroup.com www.cuk-audio.com

18 WORSHIP AVL January–February 2022

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26/11/2021 10:54

PROJECTS

It’s in the DNA Diversified US has installed d&b KSL loudspeakers to The Belonging Co church to supplement an existing J-Series system in the student room THE BELONGING CO (TBCo) IS A local church based in Nashville, Tennessee, founded by Henry and Alex Seeley in the basement of their home with a handful of people in the very first meeting. Today, TBCo sees thousands of people gather each weekend at locations in both Nashville and Columbia.

Still in its relative infancy as an organisation, TBCo is known for its unique DNA of “encounter over entertainment, intimacy over industry, presence over presentation, people over position and Jesus over everything”. Services are extremely dynamic musically with a high overall energy.

Thanks to this DNA, audio, worship and music in general have an extremely high priority. During the time the church was renting its facilities, TBCo purchased its first d&b loudspeaker system, a J-Series rig for load-in and -out of the temporary spaces.

“I was producing, mixing albums and touring as a worship leader for years before I became a pastor, so sound has always been a big part of my life,” states Pastor Henry Seeley. “In a town like Nashville, where many people are part of the music industry, good sound in church is more than just a luxury – it’s a huge part of helping people engage without being distracted, especially for those who spend much of their week focused on creating music at a world-class level. I have been a big fan of d&b loudspeaker systems for a long time, so it was no surprise to my team when I asked them to approach Diversified about a system for our new church building.

We ultimately decided on a KSL rig for the space and could not be happier.

The punch and clarity of these boxes and the consistency throughout the room deliver an unparalleled experience. We get comments from people all the time about how clean the mix sounds in our services, and the d&b KSL is a fundamental part of that experience.”

The SL-Series, of which KSL is the smaller sibling for large- and mediumsized applications, boasts full-range broadband directivity and extended low-frequency response. The directivity and cardioid pattern control are what help to keep unwanted reflections off the walls to increase intelligibility and also provide a quiet stage environment.

The control room at TBCo The church purchased its first permanent home in late 2018 in downtown Nashville. Construction of a 1,470-seat, 1,400m2 phase one began in 2019 and concluded in the middle of the global pandemic of 2020.

“Successfully converting a warehouse into a high-performance worship facility is full of many challenges; most specifically around trim height, sight lines and maximum weight loads,” adds Tim Corder, director of strategic accounts, house of worship for systems integrator

Diversified, who completed the production technology design and integration for this facility.

“This room only has a maximum of 6.5m to the bottom of the roof deck which is extremely tight to fit the kind of PA that this music style expects and achieve consistent coverage performance throughout the seating space with minimal delay and fill speakers. Sight lines are a constant tension to navigate – large screens necessary for image magnification and camera shots must work in harmony with the large drivers in

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PROJECTS the loudspeakers. And, of course, performance of the system is the were mixing on our J-Series rig at buildings like this were not constructed anchor of this facility.” The Diversified Rocketown,” states Brenton Miles, originally with the expectation of team partnered with Gavin Haverstick audio team member. “Being in thousands of pounds of production from Haverstick Designs on the our new space, the KSL does not equipment being suspended from acoustic performance design for disappoint – it’s still my favourite rig steel.” the new room, as well as respected to mix on. So much dynamic range, Corder says that today his team seems to be tasked just as often with repurposing existing spaces as building from the ground up due to the increasing scarcity of real estate in the up-and-coming areas of many cities.

“One of the most significant audio design challenges in this space was that the stage is located on the long wall of the rectangle, leading to both a deep and wide seating area. We knew early on that the space would require more than two arrays to cover evenly.”

Although the church owned an existing J-Series system, the new space would still require additional boxes to achieve the coverage requirements.

Natural advances in PA technology led Diversified to organise a demo for the church of the J-Series alongside the recently introduced systems engineer Chris Clark and Nick warmth and the punchy goodness a KSL loudspeakers to quantify the Geiger from Diversified’s team who d&b loudspeaker system is known performance goals. were instrumental in the PA calibration for, and all the benefits of the “The results of the demo blew and commissioning. Both d&b SL-Series with the customisations everyone away,” describes Corder.

ArrayCalc and R1 software were used within R1. The SL-Subs still blow my “Impact and pattern control combined to create and qualify the PA design mind with how much output they to create a really stunning result throughout the construction process. produce while keeping practically ai16370899847_Always Listening_horz_live _updated_Worship 1 11/16/2021 12:13:14 PM with the KSL system that was head “I’ve been a huge fan ofAVL.pdf d&b since non-existent LF behind and onstage. and shoulders above the rest. The I first started at TBCo when we Being out on the road again now, I

always look forward to coming home to church, especially if I get to mix.

Tim and the Diversified crew did an outstanding job of integrating our new systems and helping translate the necessary protocols to our team for implementation and knowledge on the rig.”

Main L-R arrays are comprised of seven KSL boxes each – two 80° horizontal boxes on top with five 120° horizontal boxes below. A single Y7P point source centre fill covers the first few rows between the two main arrays. 24S-D point source out fill boxes wrap the horizontal coverage to the 160° mark in the front of the room, with a single Y10P in each rear corner. 10S-Ds serve as front fills around the perimeter of the stage, with six SL-SUBs on the floor under the stage to widen the sub coverage to the size of the listening area.

The church’s existing J-Series rig has been repurposed for the youth room, continuing to provide a rich and impactful experience for the next generation. “The technology used in this room is an incredible tool to support the worship experience TBCo wants to create for their congregation,” Corder concludes. www.dbaudio.com www.thebelonging.co

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PROJECTS

Moving with the times St Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church upgrades with a new multipurpose system OPENED IN 1997 TO SERVE THE community in Tsing Yi Island in Hong Kong, St Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church can welcome a maximum capacity of 500 worshippers for traditional Catholic services. Located in the southwest of the island, the HOW was in need of a new sound system to meet the modern-day requirements of its Sunday and weekday masses.

this would be too expensive.” After consultation with the church, Lau has installed a new laser projector which offers twice the brightness compared to the previous model and comes with a laser lamp which has a working life of around 5–6 years.

A Sony SRG-300H high-resolution camera has also been installed for projecting images or messages onto the main screen. In addition,

100 system, while an MM845 microphone capsule has been chosen for its high-frequency reproduction to help reduce spill and feedback and eliminate ambient noise. In addition, a MKE 2-4 Gold-C subminiature clip-on lavalier microphone has been selected for its suitability for both speech and instrument miking applications in all areas of live work. The HOW has been vindicated in its choice of the MKE 2-4 Gold-C’s Umbrella Diaphragm and welded housing that provides further protection from sweat and moisture. Completing the Sennheiser element of the upgrade are an A1031 UHF antenna and

the shape of the church is cylindrical and the perimeter is longer than the front. Two sets of weatherised JBL AWC62s have also been deployed outside.” An Allen & Heath SQ6 has been selected to mix the wireless microphones, computer audio, organ and choir inputs to the PA system. The church reports that the XCVI 96kHz FPGA engine “brings the mixing to a new level and has never been easier”.

An SQ MixPad app provides offline editing and online wireless control of the main mixing functions.

“The new system at St Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church promotes flexibility and can serve weekly services alongside special events such as

One of six JBL Control 25 speakers The church contacted Powermax (Asia) Engineering to upgrade the audio, in-house video projection and livestreaming equipment.

In terms of audio, the main challenge was the lengthy reverberation time of the building.

With one side of the wall being fully glazed, splashback was common at amplified SPL levels. The positioning and level of the speakers would be critical to provide an intelligent sound system.

“We needed to improve the fidelity and coverage of the sound system,” explains Patrick Lau, sales director at Powermax Asia. “In addition, the LED projector brightness was suffering – the lamps needed to be replaced and the church decided

video signals can be transmitted to overflow rooms if the church is fully occupied and the church is now able to livestream to Facebook Live. St Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church is one of only a few churches to start streaming its services over the pandemic as the number of people attending church had significantly reduced.

“The church had been satisfied with the performance and reliability of its Sennheiser Evolution G2 system for several years,” says Lau. “It was natural to consider the ew G4 100 as the replacement as it’s compatible with the existing G3 wireless system.” As a result, two sets of handheld and clip-on microphones form the new ew G4

The Allen & Heath SQ6 ASA214UHF active antenna splitter system, deployed to ensure good reception between the transmitter and the receiver throughout the church during services.

Powermax Asia has also installed Linea Research Xi4 amplifiers integrating DSP, Class-D amplification, network operation and multi-layer EQ. “Two L-R Control 25 speakers have been installed at the front and two at the back,” continues Lau. “A further two speakers have been installed in the rear of the church in the centre as

weddings and funerals,” concludes Lau. “The SQ6 audio console has greatly enhanced the church’s operations and has ensured that the audio engineer can get a great mix of the audio system.” www.allen-heath.com www.jblpro.com www.linea-research.com www.powermaxasia.com www.longjoingroup.com www.sennhesier.com www.stthomaschurch.org.hk

22 WORSHIP AVL January–February 2022

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Solution Highlights • • • • • • • •

Easy-to-Use & Volunteer Friendly Everything Comes in The Box Repetitive Tasks Automated Content Management Configurable User Interfaces Templates and Content Included Great Customer Support Complete & Affordable

No matter your size or budget, we have a complete and easy-to-use live production solution that will meet your congregation’s needs.

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PROJECTS

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Less is more Ecclesia Sound has been able to shrink the required audio equipment at Notre-Dame du Port by 80% by embracing Active Audio

Four Active Audio Ray-On 110 speakers have been placed on the columns

WHEN NOTRE-DAME DU PORT’S ageing audio system started falling apart, the HOW first contacted the Italian integrator that had installed the original equipment nearly 25 years ago. However, when the quote arrived, the church decided to seek a second opinion, this time from a French company. A Google search led to the discovery of Ecclesia Sound, a newly formed local systems integrator with only two years of experience installing sound systems in houses of worship in the south of France.

Notre-Dame du Port was built between 1840 and 1853 by architect Joseph Vernier, designer of the Place d’Île de Beauté where the church is situated.

When the building nearly collapsed in 1845, construction had to begin again but it wasn’t until 1896 that the façade and columns were added by architect Jules Fèbvre. The HOW has been listed as a historic monument since 1991 and overlooks the luxury yachts moored in Nice’s historic port.

“When I visited the church, I did a full diagnosis and tried to explain that 20 speakers was way too much,” explains Ecclesia Sound’s owner, Joachim Fritsch. “When I said I would replace the existing speakers with just four fixtures,

they were very sceptical. The priest was unsure if the speakers would cover the entire audience and if he would be able to hear himself, and wanted to add more cabinets. I suggested adding the four speakers first and then adding more if he wasn’t happy. When he tried the system, he commented that he had never heard himself so clearly.”

Fritsch provided the church with a sound simulation using EASE software. Even though he offered to do a site demonstration, the HOW was happy with the specifications on paper and was in a hurry to complete the installation ahead of a special celebration and visit from the Bishop of Nice. Located on the historic harbour of Nice, the church celebrates the feast of Saint-Peter every year on 4 July, as Saint-Peter is the patron saint of fishermen (although nowadays the harbour has more yachts than fishing boats). This year, the church invited the Bishop of Nice, Mgr André Marceau, to celebrate the feast, and so they needed to upgrade the sound system fairly quickly. “The church asked if I could finish the upgrade in two weeks. I said yes of course. Because I’m local I can be very flexible and responsive, and they really appreciated that. We skipped

the site demonstration and went straight ahead with the installation.”

The new Active Audio Ray-On 110 speakers have been placed on four columns of the church: two at the front and two as delay speakers. The challenge came in the form of cabling, however – Notre-Dame du Port is planning a much larger refurbishment in two or three years’ time and so Fritsch was asked to reuse the existing cabling for the new speakers. “The old speakers weren’t 100V speakers, neither were they 8Ω speakers, they were somewhere in between,” he describes. “When I removed the last speaker from one side, all the others on the other side stopped working. It took me some time to figure out how they’d laid the original cabling.

“When the refurbishment takes place, I will be able to lay new cables and a time delay for the second row of speakers,” continues Fritsch, who was unable to add the delay line because there’s currently only one cable running from the front speakers to the delay speakers. Looking ahead, he’s planned enough channels in the amplifier to be able to separate the delay speakers from the front speakers when the time comes, improving the church’s speech

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PROJECTS intelligibility. With some services spoken in Latin, the spoken word takes precedence over music, even though the church has an organ and singer to lead the congregation. However, even though there is currently no delay, Fritsch reports that the new system is already vastly improved from before.

To ensure speech intelligibility and overcome issues caused by reverb from the church’s marble interior, Fritsch had to choose his speaker manufacturer carefully. “Instead of having all the speakers tilted, the transducers inside the Active Audio units are already titled downwards by by a few degrees so you don’t have to tilt the speaker itself,” explains Fritsch.

“So, in terms of aesthetics, it’s much

better. And because the speaker is fitted flat against the wall, it uses the wall or column as a sound reflector, producing higher-quality sound. When speakers are tilted, the space between the speaker and the wall creates a back reflective wave that pollutes the sound.

I have not found any passive column speakers that perform as well as the Active Audio fixtures.”

Sitting along the Active Audio units are two Shure Microflex MX412-R189 gooseneck microphones on the pulpits, a Sennheiser MEB 114 W-S surface microphone on the altar and an AudioTechnica ATDM-0604 automating mixer, which automatically detects which microphone is being used and shuts the other ones down. According

The Denon multimedia player in the choir section to Fritsch, the priest is particularly pleased with the preset recall function that allows him to select his original presets if someone has changed the settings. “For the amplifier, I chose Powersoft’s Mezzo because it sounds great, it’s realiable and it literally has no buttons, so you can’t alter the settings or even turn it off. It also has natural cooling which means it doesn’t have a fan so you get less dust inside, which stops the components degrading over time.”

Fritsch has also installed a Denon DN-500cb multimedia player in the choir section of the church. “I was particularly pleased with this part because the church wanted to have access to the multimedia player without having to go to the sound equipment area. But the difficulty again was the marble, which I wasn’t allowed to drill into. So, I built a custom wooden frame and used extra-strong, double-sided

tape to glue it against the marble.”

Fritsch’s minimalist approach to speaker placement has won him high praise from the priest. “It is obvious that the sound system of a church can alter its relationship to the celebration,” adds Abbot Vincent Bottin, administrator of the parish of the Holy Family, Nice. “Before the intervention of Ecclesia Sound, everyone had to suffer during our ceremonies. What a joy for all of us when we inaugurated the new sound system during the feast of Saint-Peter in July, to be able to pray, worship and be understood. It gave us the impression of a liberation. The speakers are discreet and efficient, the sound system is very easy to use and the multimedia player in the choir is a real plus. Many thanks to Ecclesia Sound and to its founder, Joachim.” activeaudio.fr www.ecclesia-sound.com

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PROJECTS

Grand ambition

The main auditorium

Love of Christ Generation has opened a new worship facility in Lagos filled with a vibrant mix of AVL brands

Three Kiva II per side are used for out fill in the main auditorium

WITH A RICH HISTORY AND multiple locations throughout the UK and Africa, Love of Christ Generation’s most recent addition is a newly built cathedral on Landmark Beach in Lagos. The modernist building can accommodate 5,500 worshippers across its two main spaces and hosts church services, choir practice and bible classes.

However, construction of the cathedral was already underway when Reverend Esther Ajayi, founder of Love of Christ Generation, asked Ghana-based Amsons Audio to come onboard.

“My business partner, Charles Amoah, and I were in Abuja when I got a call from Reverend Esther Ajayi,” says Amsons Audio’s owner, Eben Awuah. “She said, ‘Eben, I’m building the cathedral. I want you to look at it.’ We studied the drawings that had already been produced and the design was for speech only. The system would be used for music as well, so we knew it would be a disaster. We said, ‘let us design something new and fresh, and we’ll come back to you.’”

Awuah and Amoah had worked with AV services company SFL to design and install the Reverend’s London church, so he knew she wanted Lagos to be the same. “Within

what seemed like a few minutes of submitting the design, the green light was given and we were packing the system into containers,” Awuah adds. “We arrived onsite in December 2019 and were the last contractors to start work.”

The installation began in early March 2020, with a rigging crew flown from London to Nigeria. Then the pandemic struck and, in less than a week, they were on a plane home, leaving Awuah, Amoah and an engineer colleague from Trinidad in Lagos as the only people onsite.

This remained the case until October and, by the time the other contractors were allowed back, the Amsons team had completed most of the installation. “Three of our contractors managed to fly home just before they shut the airport,” explains Awuah.

“The three of us that stayed behind lived in the same apartment, so we were given permission to continue working onsite – we had a police escort from the apartment to the cathedral in the morning and back again in the evening. Working through the pandemic was actually a blessing as we were able get everything done the way we wanted it done, without anyone else in the way.”

Such challenging circumstances and limited personnel meant the

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PROJECTS project took a year to complete, with the system finally commissioned in April 2021. “Everything came from the UK,” continues Awuah, “trunking, screws, every frame had to be flown into Nigeria, so that was a challenge.

If we were missing some equipment, we had to contact the UK and wait for a few days before it arrived. And because of travel restrictions, it was difficult finding the right personnel to come in and commission the system – we had to fall back on freelance engineers.”

Awuah centred his audio system around L-Acoustics K Series loudspeakers to ensure the church would have the highest quality. “As well as L-Acoustics being tried and tested in London and certain to fulfil the Reverend’s ambition, it’s my favourite loudspeaker brand,” describes Awuah. “When we looked around the cathedral, we absolutely knew L-Acoustics would be right for this amazing building.”

L-R hangs of nine Kara per side form the main PA in the 3,000-capacity main auditorium, with three Kiva II per side for out fill and hangs of four KS28 positioned behind the Kara. Four hangs of two Kiva II are used as under-balcony delays, and Syva paired with Syva Low provide front fill. For the 2,500-capacity multipurpose hall, the main PA comprises two hangs of three Kiva II, positioned left and right of the stage, with two further hangs of three Kiva II for delay. Four X12,

The DiGiCo Quantum 338 at FOH two on either side of the room hung from columns along its periphery, were proposed for out fill. A stack of four SB18 subs have been placed in front of the stage with an X12 for onstage monitoring, while an X8 delivers audio in the lobbies. The system is controlled by 10 LA4X, five LA8 and two LA12X amplified controllers, with a spare of each also provided.

“We did absolutely everything on the project: sound, which also included a DiGiCo Quantum 338 and SD9 mixing consoles and Sennheiser microphones; lighting and video; and the rigging, including doing some intelligent things in the roof to be able to spread the load

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The Screen International screen combines with a Barco UDM 4K22 projector

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in the ceiling to hang the Kara and the subs,” explains Awuah. Amsons Audio also provided a system handover for the church’s team, including a workshop on LA Network Manager.

On the video side, Awuah also followed the design of the London branch but on a larger scale. The setup includes eight Panasonic PTZ cameras plus a mobile Blackmagic Design camera on a wireless signal for moving around the whole site.

Blackmagic switchers and controllers are combined with a Datavideo NVS33 H.264 video streaming

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L-R hangs of nine Kara per side in the main auditorium

running on a Dante network around the whole building. We’re also using Q-SYS to turn the system on and off, which I’ve not used before in my many years of carrying out church installations. I don’t think anyone else in Nigeria has a system like this.”

Love of Christ Generation, like many other churches, is lucky enough to have access to volunteer engineers but they come with limited experience. “My policy is that every installation we do has to be as easy to use as possible,” explains Awuah.

“We let the system do the hard work so that volunteers can come in, turn it on, push a couple of faders up and be ready to go for mid-week services, choir rehearsals or bible

An all-Chauvet rig lights the stage encoder for livestreaming to YouTube and Facebook. “When we completed the London installation, everyone was happy with the Panasonic PTZs and the client requested an almost identical setup in Nigeria but with a bigger system,” adds Awuah. A Barco UDM 4K22 projector has been installed as the main screen in the church. “I proposed an LED screen but the client had projectors in London so they wanted projectors here too.”

Chauvet Professional’s Ovation E-910FC, Maverick MK3 Profile and MK1 Hybrid and Rogue R2X Washes combine with Prolights’ StudioCob FC to light the stage, while Prolights’ LumiPix 16H are used for uplighting the walls around the stage area. These provide a general white light wash for the cameras as well as colour washes to give the services more atmosphere for viewers watching the livestream.

Livestreaming is an integral part of both London and Lagos’ services.

The church has a wide network of viewers in Europe, especially the UK and Belgium, but also in the US and Israel.

Awuah believes the way the whole system is linked together is quite unique for Nigeria. “Everything is

classes. When it comes to the main services, the experienced engineers turn up, so we give them the ability to have more control. When we turned the system on for the first time, the Reverend was delighted, and everyone there started singing and dancing.”

Awuah is hoping to revisit Lagos for phase two of the installation.

“The client wants a television studio and a recording studio.

We’ve already laid the cables and fibre links and the new studios will be linked into the Dante network.”

But it’s not just Lagos that Love of Christ Generation has plans for. The HOW has already purchased land for new facilities and is once again enlisting the help of Amsons Audio.

“The church has acquired land in Ghana and they’re about to break ground,” says Awuah. “They’ve sent us the design which we’re currently looking at. And they’ve also acquired about 10–15 acres of land in Abuja.

The systems in London and Lagos have proved very popular – it’s a formula that works for them – and so it’s likely the new facilities will follow the same pattern.” www.amsonsaudio.com www.l-acoustics.com

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PROJECTS

Worth the wait

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Antioch Missionary Baptist Church looks to the future with its new 2,500-seat sanctuary

Four ProWedge 212s on the stage

THERE IS NO GROWTH WITHOUT change, no change without loss and no loss without pain. Any new convert to Antioch Missionary Baptist Church worshipping in the newly constructed 2,500-seat Dwelling Place sanctuary will be completely oblivious to any growing pains. Established in 1957, the Miami Gardens church has been led by Pastor Arthur Jackson III since 1991. Powerful sermons and a growing neighbourhood in this part of south Florida led to a 20-fold explosion in memberships, which demanded a larger facility and added Sunday services.

Having outgrown its 1,500-seat sanctuary, the Dwelling Place blueprints were drawn up in October 2016.

“Following our ground-breaking service, we have been plagued with adversity, delays and then the pandemic,” explains Antioch Missionary Baptist Church’s sound engineer, Kimbrick Jordan. Having adopted well to the harsh climatic elements thrown at them, Floridians are known for their steely resilience. Temporarily closing

their house of worship, however, was on par with a force four hurricane for many of the long-serving congregants.

Even though the building wasn’t completely finished, Dwelling Place opened its doors on 11 September 2021. “Antioch is first and foremost a church, where we care about the worshipping experience where people in suits and shorts, dresses and jeans can worship together and have the same experience,” continues Jordan.

“Because of this, our entire production, from audio, lighting and the way we capture our service, is done with worship in mind. For us, it’s more than pushing buttons and moving faders – this is the way we worship through our gifts and talents.”

The new system was also designed with production in mind, from the flat stage to a rider-friendly AVL system that’s capable of handling any size conference, concert or play. “I knew from the beginning what was needed and was given total control to design and purchase a cutting-edge sound and lighting system that would meet our

needs today and well into the future,” furthers Jordan.

In addition to the sanctuary, the 5,500m2 footprint includes office space. “Building during the Covid-19 pandemic was extremely difficult – tariff charges, product increases, product availability and not being able to get supplies in a timely fashion made this a stressful process,” adds Jordan.

“However, while we were waiting for the new facility to open, we relied on online streaming which we’d started back in March 2020 when Covid-19 forced us to move online. Through our ministry via Zoom and livestreaming, we’ve been able to reach people locally as well as abroad.”

While Jordan designed the audio and lighting system, his partner Calvin Seymour was put in charge of the new video system. Jeremy Mora from Image Pro Sound and Lights installed the audio and lighting components, while Fernando Iglesias from MidTown Video installed the cameras, LED walls, video world control centre and displays.

To bring the audio system online, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church turned to ISP Technologies and its leader, Buck Waller. Designing and manufacturing pro audio equipment with over 38 patents, the company doesn’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. Loudspeaker enclosures are generally customised for houses of worship, schools, restaurants, bars and auditoriums. Waller’s first company, Rocktron Corporation, was highly regarded as the forerunner in DSP guitar signal processing products. Following the sale of Rocktron in 1999, Waller incepted ISP

Technologies and a large proportion of the design and engineering team from Rocktron followed him. His audiophile brother Jon was one of those whose impressive credentials include software and electrical engineering, DSP and audio design.

“I was introduced to ISP Technologies

by Scott Pederson from Remote Production Group around 2015 and had the opportunity to meet Buck in Vegas in 2016,” continues Jordan.

“After that, I went to visit him for three days in Michigan and listened to every box they make. All their boxes are powered and the amplifiers are better than anything I’ve heard of before.

Buck helped design our new system, but Seymour complains sometimes because when I really turn everything up, it rocks the cameras!”

Finished in white, the flown FOH system consists of 24 ISP Technologies HDL3312 high-definition line array modules augmented by six ground-stacked and two flown XMAX218 dual 18-inch subwoofers.

Front and under-balcony fills are catered for by eight HDL2208 cabinets.

Onstage, the musicians, singers, choir and worship leaders are served by an extensive wedge monitoring system, including six VM110 floor monitors, four HDM112s and four HDM115 stereo pairs in addition to four ProWedge 212s and six OVP-1s.

All the equipment is based on the manufacturer’s patented Dynamic Adaptive Amplifier (DAA) technology.

“We don’t integrate Class-D topologies into our designs, as they exude a brittle, shrill tone compared to our much warmer Class-A/B amplifier,”

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PROJECTS explains Waller. “We get almost the same heat, but we also pull less current than Class-D. This makes them much more efficient and cost-effective for the electricity bill. We also pay particular attention to the midrange, so the vocals can always be heard clearly, which is imperative for the church

Blizzard Aria Profiles and Colorise Quadra LED PAR fixtures

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market. It is no good if the music is loud and then the pastor speaks, and you can’t understand him. All the cabinets are housed in Baltic Birch and we make our gear in Michigan.”

Connected to I/O stageracks, an Avid Venue | S6L takes up residence as the main FOH console, while an

Allen & Heath dLive S7000 was preferred for mixing broadcasts on. The S7000 interfaces with an Allen & Heath ME personal mixing system used by the choir, singers and musicians. An impressive collection of wired and wireless Audix, Lewitt and Sennheiser microphones are stored and charged backstage. Lighting consists of 36 Aria Profiles and 48 Colorise Quadra LED PAR fixtures from Blizzard, all controlled by a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 lighting console.

“From a buyer’s perspective, Buck and the ISP family went above and beyond exceptional customer service,” Jordan summarises.

“Everyone went to such extreme measures to make sure everything went according to my vision. They paid close attention to every detail regardless how large or small – if it mattered to me, it mattered to them. From an end user perspective, after over 30 years in the production field, I’ve now had the opportunity to mix on and listen to what I consider to be the best sound system in the industry and I promise, you won’t find a better built or a better sounding versatile box in its class.” www.antiochfl.com

The Avid Venue | S6L is the main FOH console

www.isptechnologies.com

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PROJECTS

The Broadcast Pix system comprises the FX6 integrated production setup with BPswitch streaming software

From the font to the front line The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help has turned to Broadcast Pix for a streaming solution for its Sunday services and outreach HOUSES OF WORSHIP HAVE experienced an extremely challenging 2020, with most having to rapidly adapt to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions by closing their doors to congregants.

A difficult situation to navigate for the majority, yet many have broadened their outreach into the wider community via online services.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rapid City, South Dakota, was drawn to the expertise of reseller Stream Dudes and systems integrator KT Connections to upgrade the existing audio system and include video for the first time. The effort has been led by Father Brian Christensen, who served as the parochial vicar of the cathedral from 1999–2002 and returned to the cathedral as pastor in July 2017.

“Back in March 2020, we were shutting down like many others and trying to figure out how we could continue to connect with people,” Father Christensen explains. “The Sunday Service was our top priority, and initially we set up something via WiFi with an iPhone. That was our first line of connection but, while it was easy, it

wasn’t that reliable. When we realised the pandemic was going to become longer lasting, we started to think about a solution and an investment that would continue to work in the future.”

An audio cabling infrastructure had already been installed at the request of previous pastor, Father Michel Mulloy. However, plans for a locked-off camera to be positioned towards the rear of the church to capture a wide view of services never materialised.

KT Connections systems designer, Nickolaus Dunn, had gained some valuable experience working within the fabric of the building.

“Normally, we work in commercial buildings with drop ceilings and stud walls, but this was very different,” explains Dunn. “The cathedral is full of imported marble from Italy, so you have to be very careful and sensitive with any installation works. As such, we actually had artists come in and paint the loudspeakers to match the marble décor when we installed the audio system.”

Prior to the works commencing, KT Connections had previously been commissioned by the cathedral for IT

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One of three RoboPix PTZ IP cameras and other upgrades. The cathedral approached the same team to provide a streaming solution for its Sunday services and outreach. In turn, this connection led them to Broadcast Pix and Stream Dudes.

“I was familiar with Broadcast Pix as it was really the only system that I’d ever used in the commercial streaming world,” comments Dunn. The manufacturer in turn recommended the services of Stream Dudes. “We worked with them to find the right solution and agreed that the FX6 switcher was the best fit for the cathedral. We wanted several cameras to provide multiple views and the FX6 has the functionality, features and tool set required, enabling us to design the production exactly how the church wanted. It gave them everything they needed to do the job.”

The cathedral has been installed with a Broadcast Pix ecosystem comprising the FX6 integrated production system with BPswitch live broadcasting and streaming software, a 1,000 hardware control panel and three RoboPix PTZ IP cameras. With most of the cabling infrastructure in situ having undertaken some futureproofing during the audio installation, the IP network cabling helped to speed up the works. “The installation went really smoothly,” adds Dunn. “It was a learning experience for everybody involved, but the support from both Stream Dudes and Broadcast Pix to get everything up and running and programmed, and to get us trained on how it functions and operates, was great.”

“We are using it all on a daily basis now,” comments Father Christensen.

“We conduct Mass every morning at 7am, so we’re broadcasting to Facebook live every single day. When we do that, I don’t need anybody operating the system as I just turn on the main camera and we’re up and running. On Sundays, we have our main celebration Mass at 10.30am.

Because the system is so easy to use, we now have about eight or nine people trained to produce the service using the three-camera system, who generally adjust camera angles and movement.”

Weddings have also been streamed around the world. Military personnel on deployment, for example, can now attend virtually with the new video capabilities. The cameras are switched using the Broadcast Pix control system in a rear room of the cathedral.

Used for larger-scale events, the volunteers manning the system are gaining more confidence operating the equipment during events. During a recent baptism, one camera panned across the top to show the faces of the parents. Other volunteer groups are testing the system’s capabilities and have started to discuss adopting scripted content as the church’s outreach programme grows.

Hosting additional I/O capability, the FX6 seems destined to serve the cathedral’s growth plans. In addition, Father Christensen is investigating more advanced features, such as DVE for producing a more engaging transmission. “It’s not about adding to the system, it’s about fully using it,” he continues. The KT Connections team, meanwhile, is also looking at the possibility of routing feeds to other locations in the cathedral to serve as overflow zones when crowds and congregations return.

“Now that we’ve got through the emergency section of all this and have it functioning to meet our immediate needs, we’re becoming more creative,” Father Christensen analyses. “The solution has surpassed my expectations. What I thought we could do for the price, and what we can actually do, is better than I imagined. I’m excited about moving forwards because I know that people are enjoying this opportunity and we have the capacity to draw people into the life of the church in a whole new way.”

fos/4 and Source Four LED Series 3 Create reality for every studio studio.etcconnect.com

www.broadcastpix.com www.cathedralolph.org www.ktconnections.com www.streamdudes.com

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KnowHOW

Gain staging – the digital realm versus the analogue world Gordon Moore explains why setting the preamps is the single most critical step in your entire sound system gain structure WE HAVE ALL ENCOUNTERED A house of worship where you hear a distinctly audible audio hiss when you walk into the room. Or perhaps the microphones get distorted when the lead vocalist hits a powerful note during worship. These problems are almost always due to poor gain structure.

Gain (or trim) is the amount of amplification applied to an original source signal usually by a preamp (for microphones) or – in the case of a line level signal – an op amp. What many sound system operators fail to realise is that the most important amplifiers in the system are not the big amps in the rack connected to the speakers.

It is the little preamps in the mixing console. These circuits are capable of boosting a microphone level signal as much as 1,000,000 times – or more.

Yes, you read that right. One million times more. Remember that decibels are logarithmic. When dealing with voltage, a 3dB boost is a doubling of electrical voltage. A 6dB boost is four times more. Jump up 20dB and you have increased the power by 100 times. Another 20dB (for a total of 40dB) is a 10,000 times jump and a 60dB increase is a million times more voltage.

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Although different brands’ gain controls do exactly the same thing, their labelling will be different – read the manual

Setting the preamps is the single most critical step in your entire sound system gain structure. Get this right and everything downstream will work beautifully. Get it wrong and nothing will behave like it should.

Nearly all microphone preamps are – by nature – analogue because the vast majority of microphones are analogue.

In a digital mixing console, the signal is converted to the digital realm after the preamp. So, the same rules apply when setting the input trim or gain of a microphone into your system. In a music-based environment, you want to set your input trim so that when you are getting a normal level signal at the microphone, your signal will be about 20dB below maximum at the incoming level meter. The 20dB is known as “headroom” – the additional amplification available in case the source suddenly jumps up in level.

20dB of headroom helps prevent clipping should there be a sudden increase.

The important word here is “normal”.

What is normal for one source is weak for another. So, you must set up each channel based on the particular source – whether it is a singer, musician, drums or multimedia source. As an example, my worship leader is a trained professional baritone operatic singer. When he hits a strong note, there is hardly any need for amplification at all. His microphone is set at very low amplification – about 16dB. Our lead female singer, on the other hand, is not a professional and while she has great frequency range, she doesn’t have the volume that our worship leader does. So, on an identical microphone, I need about 35dB of gain on her channel. The witness/announcement microphone, which is used for spoken word only by members of the congregation, requires nearly 60dB of gain because those who use it usually speak in very low

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KnowHOW levels holding the microphone pretty far away. The computer audio comes in at a pretty hot level and we only apply about 5dB to it.

Different brands of consoles present their input trim and fader levels differently. On our console, the input trim shows a gain of –10dB to +60dB. The faders show +20dB at the top with –60dB at the bottom and a prominent mark on the 0dBu position.

When I set the gain at 16, it means I have amplified the source signal by 16dB. On a different brand, the trim is shown as an opposite scale – instead of showing the amount of gain, they show a scale related to the source signal. So, on their scale, the minus (–) 16dB would indicate a signal that is 16dB below 0dBu – by applying the control to the –16dB setting, you are adding 16dB to the signal for a 0dBu result. A digital board I tried once had the faders marked in DBfs (decibels full scale) which had 0 at the top of the fader and –80 at the bottom of the fader.

Read the manual carefully on how input trim is calibrated on your console. There is no wrong way to present the gain, only a wrong way to interpret it if you don’t read the manual.

To properly set the gain for an individual channel requires the operator to have the performer or source performing at their typical volume while the gain (trim) is set on the console. You don’t even need the amplifiers turned on for this step.

Use headphones with the pre-fade listen instead and use the Cue or Solo buttons. Have the performer sing while you adjust the input trim level (not the fader). The console main level should be set for 0dB (or 20dB below maximum) and the individual channel set at 0dB (or 20dB below maximum).

Then, while they are singing or playing, adjust the trim until you have a reading on the board output meters at either 0dBu or 20dB below maximum on the meter – whichever is lowest. You will have to repeat this for every input source in your system. Once set, have them really hit the microphone or the instrument hard – much harder than normal. If you get distortion, turn the trim down until the distortion goes away. Remember, the band members almost always seem to practise at lower levels than they will perform during the service. Don’t be afraid to turn the levels down another 5–6dB to anticipate a more robust performance during the service.

Once each individual channel is set, you can dial in your typical performance mix (you are still wearing

These are examples of different fader control schemes. In this diagram, although different, each one is set to 20dB below maximum level – plenty of headroom for sudden level jumps those headphones) while keeping the main output faders at 0dB (or 20dB below the maximum).

I have found that having a “tech” night once in a while with the entire church staff and performance groups is very useful in re-setting systems.

Performers change, instruments change (ask any guitar player) and church staff changes. Additionally, you have the influence of “helpers” in a church who often change your system settings without your knowledge. I call this effect “system specification creep” where an ideally tuned and setup system slowly changes and drifts off into poor gain structure. (This is less of a problem today due to the digital consoles – more on that later.)

The goal is setting the gain structure to give your sound system enough signal for all functions to operate properly. Too little gain up front means a noisy system as amplifiers are tasked to drive harder to capture weak signals.

Up to this point, analogue and digital systems are behaving the same way.

After the preamp trim, however, setting up gain structure changes dramatically.

In a digital console, once you have properly set up your input trim, your signal level is digitised into the realm of ones and zeros. If yours is a fully digital system – where the audio signal remains digital for the entire pathway to the final amplifiers – your signal integrity is locked in. There is typically no gain structure adjustment going from the console output into the digital signal processing or amplifiers downstream. No input or output trim for subsequent digital

Metering to 0dBU (approximately .775VAFC) – in the field, this is close enough components including in-ear monitors and recording systems. If you set your output fader correctly for no distortion in the loudspeakers (you are not overdriving your speakers/ amplifiers), you are going to be good to go. House levels can be set to the desired level of amplification with a good mix setup and the output fader for the console set to the 0dBu level (or –20dBfs) – 20dB below maximum.

With proper input gains, getting a clean, no hiss mix is easy.

There is one final advantage to a fully digital system. You can, with most digital consoles, capture a snapshot (or scene) of your idealised system setup onto a USB thumb drive. Store this drive nearby in a safe place. Then, if the youth group completely messes your system up, you have a full digital setup you can

simply reload to get the system back to operational mode.

It is perfectly OK for the amplifiers to be set at a lower level. Do not get into the bad habit of setting amplifiers at full levels and then turning levels down upstream to get the level you want. This is a road/concert method used for live performances on a road system that has to be torn down and set up again in another city every other night (such as a bar band). Systems used in this way are not aiming for critical signal-to-noise ratio – they are trying for simplicity of setup/teardown.

The resulting broadband hiss is masked by the concert noise itself plus the audience ambience which can bury a poor signal-to-noise ratio. It is not a recommended practice for a house of worship.

With proper gain structure, a house of worship mix will be quiet – as in “silent” – when there is nothing happening in the service. Prayer doesn’t require a background hiss from the speakers. In my church, the amplifiers are attenuated to one-third of total “volume” because the amplifiers are getting a full 0dBu signal from the mixing console (via Dante). One-third down doesn’t mean the amps are underutilised – it means that we can attenuate the amplifiers and still achieve the 93dB levels we want without straining the amplifiers.

An amplifier cranked up to full volume brings the entire noise floor up and that noise cannot be attenuated by turning down the console output faders.

In an analogue system, gain structure is more complicated downstream because each analogue device will add noise and affect gain. Each device, whether it is a compressor, an equaliser, a dynamics processor or a distribution amplifier, will have an input and an output level control. A test signal should be put into a console input at 0dBu and then all input and output levels of each unit downstream adjusted so they read 0dBu. (OdBu is 0.775V AC as measured with a digital multimeter – you can use a test tone such as 440Hz (A note) or 1kHz.) This is known as the unity gain method and assures a steady reliable signal across the entire signal chain. Just as with the digital system, set the amplifiers last for the desired loudness. Never start with the amplifiers.

By setting proper gain structure, you can achieve a quieter system, better clean performance audio and improved intelligibility. It is not a set and forget process but must always be reviewed and adjusted to keep your system at its best possible performance level.

Mix well and be blessed.

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Green Acres Baptist Church’s Worship Center

2022 – make time for you Casey Hawkins looks to the new year and considers the importance of time management IF YOU FEEL THAT THERE IS never enough time in your day to get all the things you wanted or needed to get done, or if 2021 ripped a hole in your time and space, then this article might help you. At the time of writing, New Year’s resolutions are on my mind a little. It is not technical, but I wanted to share with you a very important lesson that I have learned recently that I hope will help you better survive 2022.

2020 was the great Covid event that shut church down and it was a stressful year for many, if not all churches globally. 2021 has proven to be special in its own lure.

For me, having lost staff in 2020 and early 2021 meant an increase in workload and, with it, the requirement of learning new duties and how to fit them into an already hectic work schedule. Thankfully, new positions created elsewhere in the church structure have taken some video production duties away from my plate, but live events and video engineering and maintenance are still my main job. I like it that way.

MEET THE AUTHOR Casey Hawkins is the director of video engineering and IMAG operations for Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, a Southern Baptist megachurch with over 17,000 members. Having begun his career in 1990 volunteering at his childhood church in Fullerton, California and later at Green Acres in Tyler, he spent the past 25 years in broadcast Casey Hawkins television working for multiple television stations in the US. He has worked as a broadcast technician for a major telecom company, managing national and international television broadcast signals over a switched fibre optic network. He also owned and operated an independent video production firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma for 10 years before returning to Tyler in 2016.

As 2021 progressed, the calendar of events here at the church began increasing exponentially as activities began to resume after a year of shutdown. As if that wasn’t enough to stay busy, our senior pastor of 30 years announced that 2021 would be the year he retired and that his last day would

be 31 August. Additionally, our city convention centre is being demolished for a new facility to be built in its place, so all those civic events normally held there have been booking our CrossWalk Convention Center instead.

Every week began to ramp up and, by summertime, I was under water.

I literally was exhausted and really felt burned out. Those increasing outside events along with new internal events being established along with event after event and video project after project leading up to and honoring our pastor’s retirement and, of course, all the changes surrounding our new leadership and subsequent worship styles merging; I really had to learn how to manage my time more effectively than ever before. I’m sure this is a state of mind shared by many at the moment and here’s what I learnt last year.

With all the new events we have managed this year at our conference centre, I have had to add new infrastructure and extend existing infrastructure to handle a whole new world of technical requests by our clients and ministries. I have had to add laptops and AVL booth connectivity as well as stage connections for presentations. These were not nearly as necessary in years past.

I also realised the need to have a full Adobe suite in the AVL booth

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KnowHOW in CrossWalk because clients and staff would hand us material (that is almost always near the event start time) that needed to be transcoded, resized or otherwise adjusted for our system. I also extended livestreaming capabilities in the conference centre, which was previously relocated to our main Worship Center during the Covid shutdown in 2020. I built a new livestream control room for the Worship Center last fall and moved the conference centre system back when services resumed last winter.

I wanted the same livestream capabilities in CrossWalk that I had in the Worship Center, realising the need to go live from both locations, or either location.

I was running ragged trying to satisfy everyone who needed my services each day. After all, even

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Green Acres Baptist Church’s video recording studio the IT department needed my help fixing issues that they could not resolve. All this work added up and I soon became burned out. As blessed as I am to have a church that supplies me with everything I need to do the work they ask me to do, it is a lot for one person to manage. It is very easy to look at an event from 11:30am till 1:00pm and think that is only going to take an hour-and-a-half of your time.

This is the keystone of my entire message to you today – plan for the invisible time.

I am the kind of person who likes to plan every minute of every day.

When time gets short, I don’t react so well. And when time gets shorter because of others who don’t plan, then it gets even

tougher for me. So here is what I did to protect myself from burnout.

The 1.5-hour event takes six hours of my time. Yep. You don’t realise it until you’ve been burned by it over and over, but it does. Those civic lunches that are from 11:30am–1:00pm that are normally across town at the convention centre take six hours to accommodate. And that is from a video-only perspective. That senior luncheon that has a guest speaker takes six hours to accommodate.

When you don’t allow the correct time for these events, and you only see them as an hour-and-a-half event, then you run out of time real fast.

Why does it take so long? There’s the original booking process. You

receive the original info, and you enter it into your calendar. You start to email and call around to ask what is needed. Then you end up in a meeting for 30 minutes.

Then you receive the slides, ProPresenter bundle, PowerPoint, Apple Keynote file, JPEG or PNG files at the wrong resolution (forever PowerPoint was 4:3) and the never-ending video downloads, so now you need to add preproduction time to this event.

Then they ask you to record it (get all permissions and always get a signed release), so then you take the raw recording and import it into your editing software so that you can trim the event, or maybe you just do that within a media player. Regardless, you have the

export time there. Then you end up with a trimmed video file that you need to upload somewhere so you can share it with the client to download. All that takes time.

But I am not done. I realise that I work for a mega church and most of you do not. But consider things of this nature nonetheless: walking. From my office in the Worship Center to the AVL booth in CrossWalk, is a five-minute walk.

I must transition floors within the architecture of the facilities twice (stairs or elevator), and nothing is small here. If I have to transition between my office area and the control booth of the conference centre three times in a day, then that is 30 minutes of walking.

Since organisers of events want to meet you earlier in the day, and then you must get set up after that, then you have to actually facilitate the event, you have made three trips back and forth.

I logged 77 events in CrossWalk last year that I have worked. If each of those events required me to walk back and forth three times each, then I have spent 38.5 hours just walking from my office to where I work that event. Does that sound familiar? Yes, that is almost an entire work week just walking the campus to support these events. That could be a week off.

So, if you are looking for a good New Year’s resolution at work, consider time management if you have been facing burnout this year. Take the time to consider the time you actually spend doing your job and give yourself a raise – a raise in time!

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The SDVoE Academy offers education and training for AV professionals

Growing your knowledge Learning about new systems and technology now will help overcome obstacles in the future, reports Bob Mentele ONE OF THE MOST COMMON questions I receive from fellow technicians is “Where can I learn more?” I often ask myself that as well. We work in an industry that is under a constant level of change and development. New technologies are being created constantly; lights are getting brighter and more complex; lighting consoles are growing in capabilities as well. We are constantly being asked to integrate and control more equipment from a single point and with minimal effort. We can be sure that the innovations are not going to stop, so we must grow and adapt along with them or be left behind.

While we often get comfortable with our level of knowledge, we can never be too prepared. No matter who you are, or what you know, we can all improve ourselves by learning. No single person knows everything, and we must acknowledge that before we can grow.

A day may come when our system goes down and we must troubleshoot every possible failure. We may get to a point when we can upgrade our system to all-new technology, and we have to be prepared in advance for that change.

There also may come a day when we are asked to do something we haven’t

The Elation Coffee Break is an online presentation series done before with equipment we’ve never used. Spending time now to learn more about the systems we use and the technology they rely on can help us overcome a number of obstacles that we could face in the future.

The technology we rely on is growing every day and beginning on a path of learning may be a daunting task.

Finding and deciding on what to focus our time and attention on initially can be overwhelming. The first thing we need to do is to self-evaluate where our strengths and weaknesses are. The key to a solid base of knowledge is a strong foundation. Do you understand the basics of lighting, sound and video?

Do you understand the components of a system? Do you know why we do things the way we have? Do you understand the history of the design theories we rely on? If you are a strong technician but are not comfortable with creative design

choices, you should start with focusing on the why, learning more about design methods, colour theory and the art of production. If you are a very creative thinker but do not know the technology you need to recreate your vision, you should start with learning the how, beginning with the basic building blocks of a system. Think about the big picture and slowly narrow your focus on specific topics and technologies as you grow.

I firmly believe that we learn more when we have a passion or interest in a subject. If you really want to learn about repairing moving lights, then researching and attending training for that skill would make sense for you. Spending time on a subject that you don’t have an interest in is not a good use of your time, and you may not get any value out of it in the end. Any topic that helps you grow skills or can be applied to your passion should be of interest to your journey in learning as well. Learning about IEEE network standards might not be an interesting subject for most. Using that knowledge to put together a lighting control system or keeping that in mind and learning to apply the information to your application might make it more attractive, and it may help you retain the information better as well.

We will also want to make sure we keep in touch with new technology and methods as they become more integrated into our industry. Even if you work in a single venue, or with a seemingly never changing system, you will want to make sure you keep on top of what’s new. There will come a time when upgrades need to be made to your system. Old technology is not always going to be available.

Knowing what the current technology requires and is capable of will make the process easier on you and on your facility. There also could be a point when you move on from your current position into a new facility that has new equipment. Already having the knowledge you need to be successful will make you a more valuable team member.

And, of course, we can always spend time to learn more about the equipment we use every day. Are we using its every capability? Can it do more than we know? Can I practise a new process with it to improve my efficiency? Can I review the service information on the device so I can ensure it’s running properly, or so that I can troubleshoot future issues if they ever occur? As technicians, we rely on our equipment

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KnowHOW to perform as expected during performances, no matter what those events are. We need to make sure our equipment is fully reliable and, if we notice any issues, being able to alleviate them ourselves when they occur can save our facility time and money.

Now that we may have a better idea of what we want to learn, you might want to know where we can we go to get the resources we need. While anything offered in your region may vary or be limited, there is an everincreasing capability to find online or remote learning opportunities. This has been expanded recently due to the limitations that the pandemic has placed on us, so if a few good things came from it, consider this one of them. The internet is a wonderful resource we can use to find learning opportunities or connect with people that can help us find them as well.

As we look for resources, we might also want to reflect on what method of learning works best for each of us.

Some of us can learn by reading and watching, some of us learn better by doing. Knowing what methods will benefit you the most will make the time you spend more effective and valuable.

It wasn’t too long ago that resources tailored to our industry were a little more difficult to come across. One of the most reliable for a long time has been industry publications (like Worship AVL. Congratulations, you’re on the right path!) There are a number of industry-specific periodic magazines that are offered for free. The publishers have access to industry professionals and manufacturers, and they work to assemble information on new technology and techniques to benefit you. They are not just magazines filled with ads and useless information, there are ads placed so that they can send you the magazine without charge, but each page is filled with information and knowledge. They also offer a way to

Most industry tradeshows feature the newest technology available get exposed to areas of production you may not be familiar with because many publications focus on all aspects, not just lighting, sound or video.

AVIXA represents the professional AV and information communications industries worldwide While we come to rely on the internet and other digital media, one of the best and most informative resources are still books. Books are my personal preference and there are an almost endless number of titles available for any area of interest. The nice thing about using a book over digital media is that once you own it, you can easily and consistently reference the information at will. The information never changes, is inadvertently altered or deleted. If you want to refresh your memory on some information, you can recall that section of a book. Of course, books can

become aged and need to be updated to stay accurate, but the base level of knowledge will never change anyway, so it will always be a great reference.

Equipment manufacturers are also a very good resource to learn from.

Manufacturers want to have their equipment used by us, and they want us to be happy with the gear that we have so they are constantly offering training on their technologies. They may offer training on equipment repair and maintenance, new technologies they’ve developed and if they offer a lighting control software, programming and operation techniques. Manufacturers want technicians to be comfortable with the equipment they make, and they are the best source of information. Keep in mind that the information they offer may be skewed to make their products look superior, but it is going to be good information nonetheless.

For those that learn better by doing, industry tradeshows and training events are going to be a very valuable resource. Most industry tradeshows and exhibitions are going to feature the newest technology available.

Manufacturers are going to want to make sure anyone who wants to know more about their new developments has the opportunity to do so. While it can be costly to attend these events, especially if you have to travel to another location, they can be worthwhile. You don’t have access to the amount of knowledge and the number of specialists anywhere else.

Often, training events or courses are offered at the same time as the tradeshows, so you can save some effort by attending in-person training while you are there.

Want to know more about the industry and other resources in your area? Industry organisations are some of the best avenues available.

They are assembled to support the industry; from the technicians to the manufacturers, anyone that has interest in the industry is supported by various organisations. They also head the initiative of creating industry standards and common practices. They are going to be fully unbiased in their information so any learning resources that they offer are going to be universal and beneficial to everyone. There are a number of organisations focused on all aspects of the live production/live event industry and the organisation that would best serve you is going to vary on where you live in the world and what area of focus you find most interesting. If you’re not sure you’ve found the correct organisation for your area, just reach out. If not, they’ll usually be happy to point you in the right direction.

As we discussed initially, the first step in a path of learning is to acknowledge what you don’t know. Reflecting on what you want to learn, and how you learn best, is going to lead you to the types of resources best suited for you.

The amount of knowledge available is almost endless but focusing on our goals and interests will help direct us down the correct path.

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TECHNOLOGY

Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona Images courtesy of Clearwing Systems Integration

Meyer Sound Constellation design manager, Pierre Germain

Shaping the environment Meyer Sound explains how Constellation has enhanced the audio quality within houses of worship WHETHER SOMEONE IS ATTEMPTING to understand speech or listen to music, a house of worship rarely provides a perfect acoustic model. In addition to reverberant sound levels, early reflections, refraction and absorption all contribute to intelligibility problems and the overall “acoustic signature” within a space. When designing a modern house of worship, subjectivity and empirical measurement combine to create an optimal result, whereby a compromise has been struck between spoken word and music.

In their attempt to distinguish themselves as dedicated audio problem solvers in this sector, several prominent developers have significantly increased their R&D efforts. By blending and adjusting direct and early reflected audio levels, the same room can be made to sound alive or dry depending on whether speech or music is required. With the launch of the Constellation Acoustic

System in 2006, Meyer Sound entered a new universe and in doing so became one of the first to tailor room acoustics that could deliver favourable results for any type of event.

With Constellation, the same physical space can share the acoustics of an ideal classroom, chamber music hall, symphony hall or, indeed, a vast cathedral. The adjustable acoustics available exclusively in Constellation are accomplished using the patented Variable Room Acoustic System (VRAS) algorithm.

VRAS incorporates a multichannel reverberator that is electroacoustically coupled to precisely installed loudspeakers within a room, together with microphones that locate and capture the audio in the space. VRAS redistributes the resultant audio through the outputs to create a room with a different tonality (if desired) or longer decay time than the natural reverberation.

The Constellation Acoustic System was created by Meyer Sound at its Berkeley headquarters in California. Located within the University of California in Berkeley, the Zellerbach Hall was the first to experience how a room’s reverberant characteristics could be extended and modified at the touch of a button. “The stage and auditorium acoustics are configured by increasing reverberation and adding beneficial reflections that help reinforce the direct sound from an acoustic instrument or human voice,” explains Meyer Sound Constellation design manager, Pierre Germain. “The effect is so natural that listeners often don’t realise that Constellation is being used until they perceive the striking difference when the system is turned off.”

Over the 15 years that followed, Constellation has rescued numerous concert halls with poor natural acoustics.

In addition to supercharging presentation spaces, an increasing number of churches have employed the same technology to enhance congregational involvement in both contemporary and traditional worship within the same space.

“Constellation allows one worship space to adapt to a wide variety of worship styles,” adds Germain. “The worship leaders and congregation sense a sharing of common space, and this helps to break down the wall between the chancel and nave. For example, it encourages robust congregational singing in a space that, with Constellation off, would be too dry to provide the acoustical support needed.”

To minimise long reverberation and echoes from impairing voice intelligibility, most contemporary worship auditoriums are designed with relatively dry acoustics.

“This also means that the sound is perceived in a flat plane bounded in the front by the main PA loudspeakers, in other words, a one-dimensional sound arriving only from the front,” continues Germain. “Constellation creates a larger, more three-dimensional acoustic space by adding subtle envelopment to complement the PA.” Constellation can also be adopted in other applications that aspire to create similar acoustics to those found in houses of worship. “Constellation provides flexibility when creating acoustic

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Valley Presbyterian incorporated 97 MM-4XP speakers spaces. A modern church auditorium principally designed for worship with amplified music, for example, would not be suitable for orchestral music.

However, with Constellation, an orchestra or string quartet can be integrated into worship with ideal acoustical support.

In addition, the church auditorium can host community events such as classical concerts. One Constellation-equipped church in Florida has hosted both the Dallas and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.”

The exact tuning and development of acoustical presets depends on the size of the venue and the physical acoustics.

“Constellation is a digital approach to controlling reverberation time, early reflections and other key ingredients vital to the sonic clarity, warmth and resonance of a space. As such, it has been successfully applied in scalable settings ranging from large corporate boardrooms to small arenas.”

The successful implementation of Constellation begins with well-controlled physical room acoustic characteristics.

“In existing spaces, prior to the design phase, the Constellation team carries out a thorough acoustical analysis of the space, measuring the RT60 reverberation time in addition to the frequency balance of the warm or bright reverberation. The combination will determine what types of acoustic treatment may be required to complement Constellation. In new construction, the same team works closely with the architect and acoustical consultant to make sure the physical acoustics will allow Constellation to meet or exceed all expectations.”

When Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona, decided to renovate its 50-year-old sanctuary, a principal goal was to host both traditional and contemporary worship services in the same space without compromising either of the musical programmes. At the

same time, the church wanted to enhance the acoustic flexibility of the 600-seat sanctuary by hosting a range of special concerts and classical music recording sessions.

The very spacious campus includes one sanctuary for traditional worship at one end and a multipurpose space for holding the contemporary services at the other end. Owing to the distance between, the church had a split congregation with little interaction between the two groups during social hour. Aware that reverberant acoustics would be a major problem, the church committee wanted to bring the contemporary service into the sanctuary.

Appointed to provide expert acoustical analysis for Valley Presbyterian, specialist consultancy McKay Conant Hoover (MCH) recommended electroacoustic enhancement. In addition to significantly altering the acoustical characteristics of the sanctuary for both amplified and unamplified music, MCH also comprehended the requirement to instantly switch to a relatively dry acoustic for improved speech intelligibility during the spoken word.

“The church leaders agreed to the recommendation in principle,” notes Germain. “However, they were largely unfamiliar with the technology and decided to evaluate a working Constellation at Laguna Presbyterian in Southern California.” Suitably convinced by the demonstration, MCH specified acoustical treatments that reduced the baseline mid-band RT60 from 1.75s to less than 0.7s and dropped the background noise level from NC 43 to NC 17, resulting in significantly improved speech intelligibility.

To create the desired reverberation characteristics, the Constellation selfpowered loudspeaker system incorporates 97 MM-4XP miniature loudspeakers surface-mounted on the walls and hanging

from the ceiling, as well as 11 Ashby-5C flush-mount loudspeakers in the low ceiling area. Low-frequency extension of the reverberation envelope – critical for the church’s renovated pipe organ – is furnished by 16 MM-10XP miniature subwoofers. Ambient room sound

congregation hears only direct sound without destructive reflections.

Volunteers can select fixed presets from a touchscreen, yet the ease of operation system architecture also promotes custom tweaking of parameters.

This capability was put to good use when the renowned early music vocal ensemble Helios came to the church to record a concert. Two special presets were programmed for the occasion, with the ensemble auditioning both prior to recording. According to Helios tenor Kenny Miller, the results exceeded expectations. “We were incredibly impressed with the acoustics and the aural flexibility in what is normally a space unsuitable for early music,” says Miller.

Most of today’s new-build HOW auditoriums display relatively dry acoustics like other venues hosting amplified events. “Constellation allows these auditoriums, whether they be HOW or secular, to create church acoustics from a bygone era, such as the long reverberation ideal for choral music associated with cathedrals. As a fully integrated, standalone system, Constellation’s controls are hosted by

Northland, A Church Distributed, in Longwood, Florida is captured by 28 miniature cardioid microphones and the eight-module Meyer Sound D-Mitri Digital Audio Platform includes two D-VRAS processors for hosting the patented VRAS algorithm.

Following tuning, the results of Germain’s work were praised as “spectacular” by the church’s technical staff. “Constellation now allows for a variety of acoustical environments, from a minimally transparent setting for a rock band or for when the pastor is speaking to longer settings enabled for sonic immersion by adding natural sustain and decay to the music. Vocal and instrumental soloists performing in classical styles as well as the church’s distanced contemporary band have also been enhanced.”

In addition to music enhancement, Constellation in conjunction with acoustical treatments has improved speech intelligibility. With Constellation off or on a very short setting, the

a web browser on a laptop or tablet. In some instances, a venue may wish to integrate the system operation within a third-party controller.”

Room dimensions and ceiling heights may be fixed but, by applying specific absorptive treatments together with the active acoustics of Constellation, the acoustical signature of the room can be enhanced. Constellation empowers ministries by transforming a fixed space into a multipurpose venue suitable for all types of programming, including spoken word, traditional and modern worship. “During the pandemic, churches with limited attendances successfully reprogrammed Constellation to create the perception of a larger congregation, particularly with participatory singing,” adds Germain. Some 15 years on and Constellation’s journey is only just beginning. www.meyersound.com

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TECHNOLOGY

Remote worshipping Roberto Musso, product manager at NDI, explains how NDI 5 can create a flexible and scalable workflow that can meet the needs of any production

How does a softwaredefined IP video standard work?

Software-defined IP video standards work by allowing audio and video signals to be shared across a standard network in real time. NDI connects all the content, sources and devices through one Ethernet cable, making them available to everybody across the network – and even across multiple networks.

For houses of worship, NDI allows users to create a workflow with cameras, production switchers, graphics generators, audio mixers and more. This allows for exceptional content for in-person services, athome viewers watching via livestream or for video outputs placed elsewhere in a house of worship facility or annex campus.

What are the standout new features of NDI 5 for houses of worship?

NDI Remote is a new addition to NDI Tools which allows any internet connected mobile device anywhere in the world to deliver content directly to a live production team using a standard URL. Other new features include NDI Audio Direct, improved Adobe Creative Cloud and Final Cut Pro plugins for streamlined recording and editing of worship service livestreams and broadcasts.

What would be a typical way of using NDI 5 in a HOW? When it comes to houses of worship, every production workflow will look different, so it fits the unique needs of the space and congregation. However, houses of worship typically incorporate PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras, a production switcher, graphics

New features such as NDI Bridge and NDI Remote are brought to the NDI Tools set with the latest iteration of NDI, NDI 5. NDI Bridge forms a secure bridge between any NDI network regardless of location. Utilising NDI Bridge allows one house of worship to share its entire network of audio and video content with another facility, no matter the location.

A tr o m

Roberto Musso

generators for titles, an audio mixer, pre-recorded video playback and a delivery system.

Camera quality is vitally important to capture the content to be broadcast. PTZ cameras are a great choice and can capture high-quality video – and even newer smartphone cameras are incorporating the technology to be able to stream video in UHD 4K resolutions. With NDI 5 and NDI Tools, users can send the camera or smartphone video directly into any production.

Connecting a quality video source to the production switcher is easier than ever – each device just needs to be connected to the network.

No longer needing SDI and HDMI cables from camera to switcher means a cleaner and neater house of worship facility from an aesthetic viewpoint, and it also means it’s less expensive for the facility as well – no more constantly replacing cables that don’t work or aren’t long enough.

What other elements would a house of worship need in place to adopt NDI 5 for its services?

The most critical element is to invest in ensuring you have the IP infrastructure required for NDI. The good news is that this isn’t a major investment. Standard Gigabit Cat6 cabling works to effectively transport NDI, and other traffic, all on a single network.

How does NDI Remote work specifically in a house of worship setting?

NDI Remote allows worship leaders to stream and speak to many congregations simultaneously and instantly as they are all easily connected to the internet. For example, a minister in a California church can hold a service with a choir in Georgia and incorporate live video feeds from a missionary in Europe, all with low latency.

Is the technology specifically designed for churches with multiple campuses or is it applicable for singlevenue churches as well?

Churches of all sizes and configurations can and should utilise NDI 5 as it is free-to-use and easy to work with. With many churches integrating virtual services over the last two years, NDI 5 enables worship leaders to create stunning live broadcasts for congregation members, no matter the size. In-person services can also be enhanced with NDI 5 – from integrating live video content from missionaries across the world to bringing in PowerPoint presentations for the congregation. Ultimately, NDI 5 can be scaled up or down to meet the needs of each house of worship facility.

Do you think the house of worship market is moving towards IP? Yes, the market is moving increasingly to IP – and this move is integral as remote worship continues through and beyond the pandemic. Houses of worship will continue to host services for virtual congregations and with virtual worship leaders. Having a robust IP infrastructure will be the best way to support those interactions.

40 WORSHIP AVL January–February 2022

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TECHNOLOGY Are there any other trends you feel the house of worship market is moving towards?

Houses of worship have seen considerable growth over the last two years in terms of audience, content being produced and tools available for production. One of the areas that will continue to expand for houses of worship is the livestreaming and broadcasting of their services, education and ministry programmes.

These programmes are appreciated by congregation members beyond a typical weekly service – livestreaming allows those who may feel safer at home, or who may have moved away, to continue to participate and attend the service of their favourite house of worship via livestream.

Has the pandemic had an impact on how NDI 5 was developed?

As NDI is continually incorporated into more and more hardware, we continue to work with our partners to provide end users with all the technology they need to create a simple, streamlined and flexible workflow that can scale up or down to the needs of each house of worship facility.

How can more houses of worship benefit from the technology in the future?

How do you see the technology advancing and being developed in the future?

Lower latency is always a goal. We want to give audiences a sense of a live experience as much as possible. With the most recent iteration of NDI, latency is near-

zero, so improvements are moving at a fast pace.

Simplifying the workflow is another goal we continue to strive for – and one of the ways we hope to do that is by making NDI native in a web browser for users. We believe this will be a huge leap in how IP video is seen and used throughout the world.

We try to work collaboratively with our partners and end users to ensure we provide them with the very best technology available. We want to hear their feedback and continue to improve our offerings. Looking towards the future, houses of worship can benefit from NDI 5 and forthcoming iterations by incorporating NDI native technology into their workflows. www.ndi.tv

NDI 5 was in development for about two years because we wanted to create a release that would change the way NDI is seen and used in the world. For the development of the technology, we worked closely with our customers to ensure the features we included in this latest iteration of NDI would be exactly what they needed.

When creating NDI 5, we wanted to enable uses on a Wide Area Network (WAN) so users can operate at much greater distances. Since the pandemic, NDI has had a much higher adoption rate. When working, creating and worshipping became remote activities, the need to move to an IP platform grew 10-fold. We saw the adoption rate of IP platforms skyrocket and knew our customers would benefit from this due to the nature of the pandemic and remote production needs.

How has the technology changed since the first announcement in 2015?

Since launching, leaps and bounds have been made in terms of technical and quality enhancements. New NDI Tools are being continually added as each new version is released. The release of NDI 3 in 2017 included support for PTZ cameras and allowed users to natively integrate camera movement. NDI 4 came out in 2019 and included the capability to record an unlimited number of NDI video channels with full synchronisation. The next iterations came with lower latency through NDI-HX. NDI 5 is another major advancement with the introduction of NDI Bridge and NDI Remote.

January–February 2022 WORSHIP AVL 41

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TECHNOLOGY

Lighting instruments – the right tool for the job John Black provides a rundown of the different types of lighting instruments on the market today I LIKE ICE CREAM. THERE IS something exciting about walking into an ice-cream shop and peering into the cooler at the variety of flavours from which to choose. I certainly gravitate towards a particular flavour profile, but there wouldn’t be as many choices, say 31 if stopping into a Baskin Robins, if there weren’t a handful of customers interested in each of the flavours.

And regardless of the different ingredients used to create each one, they are all still ice cream and meant to be delicious.

Lighting instruments, despite the many different “flavours” available on the market, are all in essence projectors of light. The quality and characteristics of the projected light can differ greatly depending on the type of instrument you are using. Therefore, when shopping for or selecting lighting instruments for a design, it is important to know the features and attributes of each type so that you can select the most appropriate tool for the job. Let’s look at the characteristics of different lighting instruments so that when you look through a product catalogue for purchase or rent, you can have a good understanding of what “flavour” you are looking for.

Soft-edged vs hardedged instruments

MEET THE AUTHOR John Black serves as the theatre manager for Seoul Foreign School in Seoul, South Korea. Holding a degree in Theatre Design, he provides technical production support and design in three stateof-the-art performance venues on campus for over 40 major concerts and productions a year in the areas of sound, lighting, video and staging. John especially enjoys sharing his passion for entertainment technology with highschool students each year through his student production team, Crusader Live!, giving students the opportunity to learn and work with professional-level technologies in a demanding production environment. the market. For example, older ellipsoidal instruments required a colour filter be inserted in the light beam, whereas newer ellipsoidal instruments may include LEDs able to change colour through programming on the lighting console.

Does that make the instrument intelligent or, as focusing is still a manual process, is the instrument considered a conventional? There are many valid arguments both ways. Therefore, I tend to classify instruments based on whether they

John Black, theatre manager for Seoul Foreign School have motorised features, which would include pan/tilt, gobo, iris, shutter or other mechanical features.

Conventional instruments will be priced much lower than their intelligent counterparts due to their lack of mechanical system components, but these most likely will make up most of your lighting rig, whether LED or not. For now, we’ll look at classifications used to describe instruments regardless of whether they are conventional or intelligent.

The next two broad categories that apply to both conventional and intelligent instruments describe the beam of light being projected.

Especially in the house of worship market, it is likely that you are looking to create smooth, even washes of light across your stage that blend well together. And in these times where many events are video recorded or streamed, having even washes of light is a must. This is where soft-edged instruments excel. This instrument group is categorised as being soft edged because the light beam feathers out around the edges rather than having a clearly defined edge.

Many manufacturers and lighting professionals also refer to these instruments as wash instruments, due to their ability to wash, or cover, a large space evenly with light.

Common soft-edged instruments include Fresnels, strip or border, cyc and PAR instruments. Each excels in different situations, but they are similar in that the beam projected has soft edges. Let’s take a quick look at each of these types.

Fresnels. The Fresnel is one of the most common instruments found

Conventional vs intelligent instruments The two broad categories that lighting instruments fall into are conventional and intelligent instruments. Conventional instruments broadly include any instrument that requires being manually focused, whereas an intelligent instrument broadly includes any instrument that includes internal motors for adjusting the focus through programming in the lighting console.

Depending on who you talk to, the classification of instruments has become somewhat blurred as LED instruments have saturated

The ColorSource Spot jr from ETC is a hard-edged instrument

42 WORSHIP AVL January–February 2022

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TECHNOLOGY in theatrical lighting. It features a stepped lens (meaning it has ridges) that disperses light passing through the lens. It most often features the ability to adjust the distance between the lamp and the lens, allowing you to adjust the size of the beam.

Strip or border. A strip or border instrument is one in which a row of lamps is installed and controlled in groupings. These instruments often do not include a lens, meaning the light beam is completely unfocused. This allows an even greater horizontal expanse to be lit.

These instruments are often used as footlights at the front of a stage or along the bottom of a backdrop.

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Altman’s Spectra Cyc UV 50 Cyc. A cyc instrument is like a strip or border instrument and is used to light a large vertical expanse, such as a backdrop. Many cyc instruments do feature specialised lenses that direct the light beam in a vertical direction.

Scoop. A scoop instrument is a large, bulbous unit that is quite inexpensive and simple. There are no optical features, such as a lens, and so the light beam is completely unfocused, and you have very little control over it. These are most often found in use as work lights as they provide a lot of light in a very large area. Seldom are they used in performance.

PAR. The PAR instrument, which stands for parabolic anodised reflector, is most recognisable from the world of concert lighting, having been a staple light source in touring concerts. The instrument itself is a simple metal can with a very bright, durable lamp that combines the light source and lens into a single unit. It can be fitted with different lamps to produce different beam shapes, but all will be soft edged.

Hard-edged instruments are those in which the beam of light produced can be described as having a crisp,

ETC’s fos/4 Fresnel focused edge. Whereas soft-edged instruments provide you with limited control over the light beam produced, hard-edged instruments provide you with quite a bit of control over the light beam being projected. If you are looking to highlight a person or object onstage, project a pattern (or gobo) for texture or imagery, or if you are needing to shape the light beam, then you will need to be looking at hard-edged instruments.

As previously mentioned, hardedged instruments exist in both the conventional and intelligent lighting categories. In the conventional category, the most common hardedged instruments you will come across include the ellipsoidal and follow spot. Let’s look at each of these up close.

Lamps sources

Ellipsoidal. The ellipsoidal instrument, also called an ERS (ellipsoidal reflector spotlight) or Leko (a brand name that has become a general term, like Kleenex), is an instrument that can produce both a hard- and soft-edged beam of light. Perhaps the main difference lies in the multi-lens system for controlling the beam of light, which significantly adds to its cost and weight. Other features include a set of shutters, or blades, that can be inserted into the light path to cut off, or shutter, a portion of the beam, as well as several accessory slots. Accessories include patterns (also called templates or gobos) that can be inserted into the light beam to project abstract or realistic images, irises that allow you to narrow the projected beam and more. Ellipsoidal instruments feature replaceable lens barrels, which allow you to change how narrow or wide the pool of light being projected is.

This is especially useful in that you

The quality of the light produced by these instruments, whether soft- or hard-edged, is dependent on the quality of the light source itself.

Traditionally, conventional instruments have been equipped with high-wattage, incandescent lamps. These lamps produce a warm, orange-tinted light by passing electricity across a filament that, when heated, glowed. Most conventional lighting instruments today still use these lamps unless you have migrated to the more environmentally friendly LED versions.

Many intelligent instruments use HID (high-intensity discharge) lamps, also called short-arc or metal halide lamps.

These do not have a filament but produce light by creating an electrical arc inside of a globe filled with various gases. These are more efficient than incandescent lamps, producing more light per watt, and are thereby smaller in size. However, this comes at a higher cost. Additionally, the light produced is much cooler (more blue than yellow) in colour.

can use the same fixture in shortthrow or long-throw situations simply by exchanging the lens barrel. I’m sure you’re getting the picture that these instruments are quite flexible and provide you with a lot of options.

Follow spot. The second major hard-edged instrument is the follow spot, and these come in all shapes and sizes. The instruments are designed to project an extremely bright beam of light and are operated manually by an operator to follow an actor or object around a stage.

Probably less commonly found in houses of worship, these are often seen in theatres, concerts and other entertainment lighting situations.

Currently, LED light sources have been flooding the market both in conventional and intelligent instruments. At first, these were unpopular as they were unable to produce enough brightness to compete with the lamps already used in all markets. Over time, however, LED technology has rapidly been improving, and you can find more products featuring LED light sources in all the instrument types listed in this article. These light sources have two major advantages over traditional incandescent and HID lamps. The first advantage is that they consume less energy. As the production world continues to strive towards more sustainable production practices, energy-efficient lighting will continue to improve and replace older technologies. The second advantage that LED sources have is that they have a far longer lifespan.

This means that you will be spending less time (and less money) on replacement lamps over the life of your instrument.

Conclusion So, if you find yourself starting the new year with the opportunity to get your hands on some new lighting instruments, you should now have a good idea of the major categories of these instruments and be able to narrow your search according to the needs of your rig or design. There is no one-size-fits-all instrument.

Each “flavour” has its own mixture of “ingredients” that allow it to excel in the situations it was designed for.

Be sure to check out the March–April 2022 issue to take a closer look at the various accessories that are available for these instruments and how you can put them to use in your designs.

January–February 2022 WORSHIP AVL 43

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NEWPRODUCTS

AV • LIGHTING • LIVE SOUND • INSTALLATION • BROADCAST • RECORDING

Renkus-Heinz IC series adds Dante interoperability Completing the Iconyx Compact Series portfolio, Renkus-Heinz has unveiled the -RD1 lineup INITIALLY LAUNCHED in 2020, the ICC 12/3-RD1, 24/3-RD1, 36/3-RD1 and 48/3-RD1 loudspeakers have been created to deliver accurate, coherent and steerable sound solutions in problematic acoustic spaces.

In addition to adding improved interoperability and flexibility through Dante audio-over-IP functionality, the narrow profile -RD1 models now offer new control options by integrating into Crestron’s remote-control solutions.

Bringing the benefits of Renkus-Heinz’ Iconyx family to a smaller footprint array, the four ICC-RN models are almost 40% smaller than the classic Iconyx. Characterised by diminutive dimensions, the Ultimo platform is particularly suited towards the smaller footprint of the Iconyx Compact Series with the more spaceconstrained network devices featuring a lower channel count. The -RD1 ICC family supports Dante technology features including autodiscovery of devices, labelbased routing of signals and

plug-and-play operation over standard networks.

In terms of performance, the vertical directivity of the beam-steered line arrays are digitally steered and directed from 200Hz. Vertical computer adjustable opening angles vary between –30° to +30°.

The -RD1 models include RHAON II beam-steering with the latest URGO beam algorithms, a movable acoustic centre, multiple beam-opening angles and high-pass filtering of individual beams. The folded aluminium housing can be finished in black or white in addition to customised RAL colours.

Wall-mount brackets come as standard together with analogue and AES inputs.

A–ZCONTENTS AJA

Bridge Live v1.12 54

AKG

Ara

Allen & Heath

dLive V1.9 53

Amate Audio

TPD3K 2.1 49

ArKaos

MediaMaster 6 55

Ashly Audio

AquaControl v1.2.4 54

Audio-Technica

AT2040/ATH-M50xBT2

AVT

Ravenna module 52

beyerdynamic

PRO X 50

Calibre

LEDFusion Pro 56

Clear-Com

Arcadia Central Station 51

49

50

CODA Audio

System Optimiser Beta v0.5.2 52

d&b

XSL System 44

Dynacord

SONICUE Control app for iOS 52

Elation

KL Panel XL 57

Electro-Voice

MTS series 48

Focusrite

Clarett+

51

FOR-A

MV-3240

56

Green Hippo

Hippotizer V4+ MK2 57

Haivision

Haivision Connect 56

HH Electronics

Tensor-GO 47

IFBlue

IFB receiver 51

JBL Professional

PRX ONE 47

KLANG:technologies KLANG:konductor

52

L-Acoustics

SB10i

47

MA Lighting

grandMA3 v1.6 57

Marshall Electronics

CV605-BK/WH 55

Martin Audio

VU-NET 2.2.2 53

Media Links

MDP3020 MAX platform 56

NDI

NDI 5 update 55

Neumann.Berlin

KH 750 AES67 48

Nexo

ePS series 46

Powersoft

ArmoníaPlus 2.2 54

PreSonus

Revelator io24 51

Prolights

EclPanel TWC update 57

RCF

ART 9/RDNet 4.1 46

Renkus-Heinz

ICC 12/3-RD1 44

Roland

V-02HD MK II 55

Sennheiser

HM 200 50

www.renkus-heinz.com

ICC 12/3-RD1

d&b rounds off SL-Series D&B AUDIOTECHNIK has completed the lineup of the SL-Series with the addition of the XSL System, a smaller and more lightweight solution than its SL siblings, but still encompassing the primary feature set of broadband directivity control and extended low-frequency performance, as well as comprehensive rigging, cabling and transportation.

The XSL System includes installation-specific and mobile touring variants in both 80° and 120° dispersion patterns. The XSLi, for permanent installations, is suited to venues dependant on the clarity of the spoken word, together with the need for high power, full-spectrum

performance. In contrast, the XSL mobile version addresses the needs of a range of touring applications. Both XSL and XSLi can be deployed as a standalone, self-contained package, or as a delay or fill system to accompany its GSL and KSL cabinets.

The cabinet itself houses a pair of 8-inch front LF drivers, two 6.5-inch side-facing LF drivers, a 6.5-inch mid-frequency driver/horn unit and a pair of 1-inch exit compression drivers with a 2-inch voice coil on a waveguide. Weighing 39kg, the enclosure occupies a 700mm x 283mm x 507mm (WxHxD)

XSL and XSLi arrays

footprint. The system can be powered by the manufacturer’s amplifier family, including the 40D installation and D40 mobile amplifiers.

With directivity first in mind, the XSL delivers cardioid performance across the full frequency spectrum, which is said to result in reduced audio spill onto open mics onstage, improved clarity and impact of individual instruments and less colouration of midrange buildup in venues and on broadcast and recording feeds. www.dbaudio.com

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High Density HD and 4K/UltraHD NDI Conversion Gateway

Convert up to 16 Channels of SDI to NDI and NDI to SDI The new AJA BRIDGE NDI 3G is a 1RU gateway device offering high density conversion to and from 3G-SDI to NDI and NDI to 3G-SDI for both HD and UltraHD. Designed to drop into any existing NDI or SDI workflow as a plug and play appliance, it’s easy to deploy and administer. BRIDGE NDI 3G supports up to 16-channels of HD conversion or up to 4-channels of UltraHD. BRIDGE NDI 3G brings immense conversion power and flexibility that’s fully controllable remotely for live events, broadcast, eSports, education, and entertainment venues needing high-quality, efficient NDI encode and decode. Set and forget, or use more dynamically as project needs dictate with an easy to use user interface that’s available locally or over the LAN via your favorite web browser.

www.aja.com/bridge-ndi-3g

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PRODUCTS

To the power of 9 with ART CONSTITUTING THE ninth generation of newly designed ART speakers, RCF has enhanced the industry standard ART audio solution as a main loudspeaker PA, fill speaker or stage monitor. The six new active 550W (RMS)-rated models are 50% more powerful than their predecessors, sharing twochannel, Class-D amplification with DSP processing. The energy-efficient amplifier bypasses the need for a cooling fan with a circuit attached to a solid aluminium heat exchanger in the unit’s rear. Comprising Kapton, titanium and neodymium, the newly designed 10- to 15-inch transducers gain more stability over high currents with less distortion. The 1.75-inch compression driver integrates a polyimide-Kapton dome with new bonding technology and reinforced ribs for enhanced durability. Capable of delivering a maximum 135dB SPL down to 45Hz, ART 945-A is the largest model in the series with a

4-inch titanium compression driver and a neodymium woofer. Sharing the same 3-inch titanium compression driver, the ART 935-A and ART 932-A models can produce 134dB and 133dB SPL respectively. A new Kapton driver features in the ART 915-A, ART 912-A and ART 910-A designs.

Electroacoustic innovations include True Resistive Waveguide (TRW), which mimics a resonance-free pure resistive load for reducing the HF distortion of a classic horn. With its asymmetric acoustic radiation, the coverage angle of the waveguide provides constant directivity to the entire listening area with a balanced stereo panorama. Exclusive DSP algorithms have been incorporated for both phase linearisation and crossover design, together with woofer excursion management.

System latencies are minimised and a coherent distribution of sound without phase distortions is ensured by adopting proprietary

ART 9 digital FiRPHASE FiR technology.

With FiRPHASE technology applied, the ART 9 acts as a single source for a true sound image. The Bass Motion Control woofer excursion management feature creates a complete map of the dynamic behaviour of the transducer, to generate a custom algorithm that only limits over-excursions. By granting freedom of signal reproduction, both

high-pass filters and large-band limiters are avoided and the speaker is allowed to reproduce the input signal at all volume levels for the entire audible spectrum.

In brief, RDNet 4.1 has been designed to unlink future software and firmware updates, so the user will no longer be required to perform an RDNet installation when new firmware upgrades are available.

In addition, RDNet 4.1 is able to auto-update when a new version is released. This is made possible through the introduction of the RDNet Launcher. For the user, this is a completely transparent operation, keeping the system up to date with the latest release for maximum compatibility with all RDNet-compatible products. It is recommended to uninstall the old versions of RDNet when installing RDNet 4.1. www.rcf.it

Nexo unveils price-sensitive installation speaker series THE ePS series comprises three two-way passive cabinets and two accompanying subbass units, and takes a no-frills approach with slimmed-down connection and mounting options. The French manufacturer explains that by taking advantage of new manufacturing techniques and driver designs, it has been able to reach “unprecedented price points” for its point source products, and that ePS models provide a way for many public and private installation projects to access a Nexo-badged system without breaking the bank.

The ePS range features three lightweight point source models, in 6-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch iterations.

Each cabinet includes a 1.4-inch HF driver and lightweight LF driver, with Nexo’s trademark rotatable-horn design offering dispersion options to the user.

Presented in Baltic birch plywood with steel grilles for IP54 (and IP55) certified weather resistance, the ePS6, ePS8 and ePS10 offer peak SPL stats of 125dB, 128dB and 130dB respectively. The ePS6 weighs 7.1kg, with a footprint of 367mm x 200mm x 182mm and a frequency response of 90Hz–20kHz. The ePS8 weighs 8.1kg, has a profile of 425mm x 252mm x 227mm and a

frequency response of 80Hz–20kHz. The most powerful of the three models, the ePS10, weighs 14.8kg, occupies a 533mm x 318mm x 283mm footprint and has a frequency response of 70Hz–20kHz. All three cabinets are minimally fitted with a hard-wired strip for connection, offering two generic 7mm pitch in/out screw connectors. The IP cover protects the connectors from moisture in outdoor applications. On each side of the cabinet, two M6 with 80mm pitch and one M10 fitting allow connection to U Bracket, bumper or eye bolts.

The back of each speaker is fitted with three M6 with 70mm pitch for wall mounting in both horizontal and vertical positions. All units are finished in black structural paint – white and all other RAL colours are available to order – with a UVresistant acoustic fabric stretched over the front grille.

All three of the main ePS models are intended to be paired with a dedicated subbass option, although they are phase-compatible with any Nexo model. In the case of ePS, two compact subs have joined the series – the single 12-inch eLS400

and single 15-inch eLS600 – which match the aesthetic of the full-range cabinets.

The eLS400 is a compact installation sub that can be stacked or flown, weighing 14.5kg and measuring 365mm x 425mm x 447mm. The single 12-inch sub has been conceived as the partner for both the ePS6 and ePS8 cabinets.

The eLS600 is 425mm x 533mm x 562mm and weighs 26.3kg, using a high-excursion 15-inch driver in a bass-reflex enclosure design capable of 136dB peak output. It is designed to partner the ePS8 and ePS10. The dimensions of the rectangular subs match their main partner cabinets: a dedicated accessory allows the ePS to be flown beneath the subwoofer, creating small-footprint wideband systems.

Two M10 fittings connect the eLS600 to U Bracket, eye bolts or dedicated accessories. Unused M10 fittings can be used for extra rigging points in areas where legislation requires it. Rear connection is via two (in/out) pairs of screw terminal blocks, while the included IP cover protects the connectors from moisture in outdoor applications. www.nexo-sa.com

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PRODUCTS

All systems GO for HH’s Tensor family HH ELECTRONICS has expanded the Tensor loudspeaker range with the addition of the portable Tensor-GO array system. Integrating a lithium-ion battery for promoting cable-free installation in applications without a dedicated mains supply, a builtin 12V DC charge point promotes charging from a 12V output such as a vehicle battery.

Housed in a polypropylene enclosure, the 8-inch HH subwoofer incorporates a 200W (RMS) Class-D amplifier.

Comprising six arrayed 2.75-inch mid/high woofers providing wide horizontal dispersion, the accompanying 562mm x 107mm x 107mm satellite attaches to the base of the 9.9kg subwoofer with a simple Click and Connect design, bypassing the need for external Sub-Sat cabling.

Equipped with four-channel integrated mic/line mixing functionality, mic inputs include two balanced ¼-inch/XLR combos, 3.5mm stereo aux in and a mic/line preset switch together with two RCAs. Four voiced audio modes – music, live, natural, speech – optimise TensorGO’s characteristics to desired applications. Bluetooth v5.0 expands wireless connectivity by pairing with mobile devices for wireless audio streaming and transmitting audio to a second Tensor-GO system via the integrated Wireless Stereo Pairing technology. www.hhelectronics.com

JBL launches PRX ONE portable PA DESIGNED TO fulfil the requirements of a wide range of portable and installed applications, JBL Professional has extended the PRX column portable PA series with the addition of the PRX ONE. Weighing in at 25.45kg, the system is capable of delivering a maximum SPL of 130dB courtesy of the 12-tweeter column array and a 12-inch bass-reflex woofer powered by an internal 500W Class-D amplifier.

The incorporation of AIM (Array Inumbration Mechanics) acoustic design enhances consistent front-to-back throw properties and even response of the high-frequency transducers.

High-frequency performance is optimised down to 500Hz, allowing the woofer to deliver a more natural bass sound, while the 12-inch woofer itself is capable of low-frequency extension down to 35Hz (±10dB). An optional bracket and adapter allow the array to be wall- or truss-mounted independently of the subwoofer for permanent installations. PRX ONE’s I/O set features four XLR Combo jacks, two channels of phantom power, a Hi-Z input and two USB 2.0 ports.

PRX ONE’s suite of Lexicon and dbx processors, including eight customisable presets, enhance ease-of-use features. Built-in effects include reverb, eight-band EQ, delay, compression, limiting, ducking, echo, sub synth and dbx DriveRack Inside

technology, featuring AFS Pro (Automatic Feedback Suppression).

The Triple Tier DSP control offers multi-level user experiences based on varying knowledge levels. Manageable via the new JBL Pro Connect universal app or a full-colour LCD that provides complete access to all functions, the Soundcraft-designed, sevenchannel, dual-mode digital mixer can be set to control either general mix functions or channel-strip functions. A Setup Saver recalls snapshots, while Simple Success dynamic LED metering verifies levels and channel functions, including mute and clipping.

The latest JBL Pro Connect app promotes simplified management of the PRX ONE system. The universal app provides user control over a full suite of PRX ONE mixer, DSP and Bluetooth features. From the streamlined interface, adjustments and control across every feature can be made on multiple speakers from anywhere in the room, including adjusting volume levels and EQ. Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity allows remote control of up to 10 units using the JBL Pro Connect app, and an XLR Thru output offers true analogue expansion with the ability to time-align multiple speakers with up to 100ms of delay per speaker. pro.harman.com

L-Acoustics scales down DELIVERING THE same sonic signature of the company’s much larger subs, but from a vastly scaled-down enclosure design, L-Acoustics has unveiled the SB10i as the newest member of its SB subwoofer range.

Equipped with a single 10-inch driver, the SB10i measures a 27Hz bandwidth limit and 124dB maximum SPL output yet measures 540mm x 540mm x 170mm (LxWxH) for discreet installation.

Sonically corresponding with the manuacturer’s X4i and 5XT ultra-compact coaxial speakers, the 15kg sub is available in RAL colours, making it suitable for high-end residential and commercial applications. An integrated “tech face” contains all connectors and mounting points in one unobtrusive panel, ensuring that mounting hardware, cables and connectors can be hidden. www.l-acoustics.com

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The next standard in installed sound WITH THE introduction of the MTS series of full-range, long-throw, point source loudspeaker systems, Electro-Voice is expanding its portfolio of sound solutions for larger venues. Reportedly capable of generating more than 151dB peak SPL with exact directivity for very long-throw applications, each high output model is equipped with four 15-inch woofers and dual coaxial mid/ high-frequency compression drivers. Four slot-loaded, LF drivers are symmetrically coupled to the same full-range waveguide as the compression drivers to create a true point source with substantial bass response.

Consisting of 16 unique models, the MTS series is based on two standard three-way configurations (MTS-4153) with 60° x 40° or 40° x 30° coverage and two cardioid configurations (MTS-6154) that provide the same coverage patterns with enhanced LF directional control. The 60° x 40° models are reportedly capable of delivering SPLs of 151dB peak

(music) and 154dB peak (speech) down to 55Hz at –10dB. The 40° x 30° models can, according

to the manufacturer, attain 152dB peak (music) and 155dB peak (speech) down to 50Hz at –10dB. Finished in either black or white, each IP55-rated enclosure is

available as partially weatherised (PW) or fully weatherised (FW) versions.

Ensuring pattern control to below 350Hz, a dual lossless Hydra waveform converter has been integrated into the MTS design to drive a large constant directivity

waveguide with a coherent arc source. In addition, EV has also pioneered manifold loudspeaker and horn technology for MTS products initially devised for acoustically combining the output of multiple transducers. Developed for HF compression drivers, EV has extended the technology to both the coaxial compression drivers and the low-frequency drivers for the MTS Series.

MTS is engineered for use with Dynacord amplification and processing as part of a SONICUE-driven hardware/ software ecosystem, for energyefficient system design and system protection features.

Proprietary speaker settings and limiter functions reportedly ensure exceptional performance at extremely high output levels.

A complete package of design files is provided for advanced acoustical and mechanical system simulation in venues utilising Electro-Voice Preview software. www.electrovoice.com

Neumann.Berlin caters for AES67

THE KH 750 AES67 subwoofer from Neumann.Berlin is a product variant of the KH 750 DSP for AES67-based environments. It has been designed for all areas in which audio-over-IP in an

existing AES67 infrastructure is to be routed all the way to the loudspeakers in a redundant and lossless manner. The AES67 interface allows users to address not only the subwoofer but the

entire stereo system, including the speakers connected to the KH 750 AES67. The dual AES67 audio network connections are fully compliant with broadcast standards, such as ST 2110 and ST 2022-7 redundancy.

The KH 750 AES67 is also compatible with Dante-generated AES67 network streams.

The acoustic properties of the KH 750 DSP have been retained, as well as all other features, such as the unique Bass Manager with four routing modes, flexible acoustical controls for a wide range of configurations and setup conditions, as well as analogue and digital inputs and outputs.

In combination with the Automatic Monitor Alignment (MA 1), which is available for Mac and PC, the entire monitoring system can be calibrated to suit the specific room character. This also includes the monitors connected to it, whose amplitude and

phase frequency responses are corrected and adapted to the monitoring environment. The KH 750 AES67 is described as an ideal complement to all KHLine analogue monitors, such as the KH 120, KH 310 and KH 420, as well as to Neumann’s DSP-based monitors, such as the KH 80 DSP. The 10-inch ultra-long excursion woofer features a linear magnet system with Extremely Linear Force Factor (ELFF) technology.

Despite its compact dimensions, the KH 750 AES67 provides bass extension down to 18Hz. Because the subwoofer relieves the connected monitors of much of the low-frequency reproduction, intermodulation distortion is said to be drastically reduced, and the maximum sound pressure level is increased. By adding another KH 750 AES67, even larger systems can be created. www.neumann.com

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AKG unveils its Ara USB mic

3K power with Amate’s latest TPD addition FOLLOWING THE introduction of the original TriPhonic 2.1 power amplifier in 1986, Amate Audio recently revived the concept with the Class-D-based TPD. Designed as an integrated L-R and sub solution for small sound installations, the Barcelonabased company has extended the application potential of the platform with the launch of a higher powerrated model of the format.

The TPD3K provides more than 3,000W of combined power, with up to 750W continuous programme power each for the left and right channels, and 2,000W for the sub channel (at 4Ω). Onboard DSP control incorporates presets for the manufacturer’s fully active loudspeaker systems, including

remote PC-based configuration via its DSPLink software. Adjustable system parameters include filters, parametric EQs, peak/RMS limiters and delays that enable the time alignment of amplifier channels.

Weighing 9kg, the TPD3K extends control to some of the larger models in the Nítid series, including the largest N18WP and N218WP subs. I/Os include balanced XLR stereo inputs, L-R and sub speaker connectors on binding posts and speakON connectors and three configurable DSP aux outputs on balanced XLRs for DSP control of a second 2.1 amplifier setup within a larger installation.

ARA IS a two-pattern USB condenser microphone designed for podcasters, YouTubers and music makers. It can be used to create studio-quality, 24-bit, 96kHz audio for speech and vocal/ instrument tracks.

Two pickup patterns focus on a single source or everyone in the room. The directional Front (cardioid) pattern captures sound directly in front of the mic while rejecting sound from other sides, making it suitable for podcast hosts, bloggers, videoconferencing and for recording voice and instruments. The Front + Back (omni) pattern picks up sound evenly from all sides, making it ideal for recording interviews with multiple speakers.

Ara’s essential functions, including pattern selection, mic mute and a headphone volume knob, are located on the front of the mic for easy access, while a 3.5mm headphone jack allows latency-free monitoring. The microphone’s compact footprint and versatile mounting options make it suitable for both desktop use and studio scenarios. Users can set Ara on a desktop using the included yoke and base stand or attach it to a boom or standard mic stand.

Alternatively, users can record on the go with a mobile device and optional adapter.

Accessories include a 2m USB-C to USB-A cable, a 3⁄8 - to 5⁄8 -inch threaded mic stand adapter and a free registration card for Ableton Live 11 Lite recording software. Ara works with all major livestreaming, videoconferencing and music-recording applications. www.akg.com

www.amateaudio.com

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Sennheiser focuses on the voice SENNHEISER HAS launched a “sturdy yet lightweight” head mic, that brings the sound of its MKE 1 lavalier microphone into a headset configuration. The HM 200 uses the same capsule as the German manufacturer’s smallest lavalier mic, the MKE 1, which is known for its omnidirectional design that offers lower susceptibility to wind noise while still putting an audible focus on the speaker’s voice. The HM 200 head mic is said to be virtually invisible from a distance

HM 200 while offering powerful sound – making it an ideal choice for musical productions.

The metal frame of the HM 200 microphone is lightweight and flexible with a fixed cable fitted with

a professional three-pin connector.

The boom arm is shorter than other similar models, which the manufacturer says adds to the inconspicuous nature of the design.

The headset is silver-coloured with transparent ear-bows and a beige cable. It comes with a beige foam windshield, one large and one small protection cap for the makeup artist, six attachment clips and a transport case. www.sennheiser.com

Broadcast-quality audio for content creators

beyerdynamic targets content creators with PRO X

THE AT2040 from Audio-Technica is a hypercardioid dynamic microphone specifically created for this growing sector of audio users.

The new model seeks to blend the performance of A-T’s BP40 Large-Diaphragm Dynamic Broadcast Microphone at a more affordable price point for typical content creators.

The AT2040 microphone is said to excel at isolated/up-close vocal reproduction and the rejection of unwanted room noise as a result of its tight, hypercardioid polar pattern.

The manufacturer states that the mic produces a “smooth, warm and natural sound”, while its multistage windscreen combines a non-woven filter with foam mesh to provide internal pop filtering.

BEYERDYNAMIC HAS set its sights on the content creation market with its new PRO X line of microphones and headphones. The two headphones, the DT 700 PRO X and DT 900 PRO X, are open- and closed-back models, respectively, and employ the manufacturer’s newly developed Stellar.45 driver.

The M 70 PRO X and M 90 PRO X

ATH-M50xBT2

AT2040

Featuring a rugged all-metal construction, the model also includes a specially designed integrated shockmount to prevent unwanted noise by attenuating vibration from a boom arm or mic stand. The AT2040’s XLR output connects to a conventional analogue microphone input and comes as standard with a pivoting stand mount, threaded adapter and a soft protective pouch.

Meanwhile, the manufacturer has added to its popular ATHM50x professional monitor headphones. The ATH-M50xBT2 offers updated features such as improved vocal pickup; dual-microphone beamforming technology; the addition of multipoint pairing to let users connect wirelessly to two Bluetooth devices at once; an updated USB-C connection; a low-latency mode, improving synchronicity between audio and video for streaming; and compatibility with multiple audio codecs (SBC, AAC and LDAC). Users can adjust the headphone’s EQ settings by making the changes in the A-T Connect app and saving the settings on the headphones themselves. www.audio-technica.com

respectively are cardioid dynamic and condenser microphones intended for livestreaming or recording, either at home or in the studio.

The new Stellar.045 drivers powering the PRO X headphones feature a neodymium magnet and a voice coil made of copper-plated wire. According to beyerdynamic, the conductivity and weight of the wire make it “perfectly balanced”, which in combination with the newly developed three-layer speaker cone and its integrated attenuating layer, creates a highly efficient driver with an impedance of

48Ω. Other important specifications include a 5Hz–40kHz frequency response, with THD at 1kHz specified as being just 0.04% for a 1mW input.

In terms of the design, grey velour ear pads and soft memory foam in the headband promote long-term use.

The new microphone models have been created to meet the demands of content creators. Optimised for speech, the M 70 PRO X is better suited to broadcasting, podcasting and streaming, thanks to its ability to block out unwanted surrounding noise,

while the M 90 PRO X is better suited to recording vocals and instruments.

The dynamic M 70 X PRO has a cardioid polar pattern, a sensitivity of 1.8mV/Pa and a frequency response of 50Hz–18kHz. The M 90 PRO X condenser is a side-address cardioid microphone, with a broader frequency response of 20Hz–20kHz. It’s reportedly capable of handling SPLs up to 133dB and ships with a newly designed cat’s-cradle shockmount and a gooseneck pop filter. www.beyerdynamic.com

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Clarity redefined

Audio interface for recording and streaming PRESONUS HAS developed its Revelator io24 for both recording and streaming. The loopback mixer allows users to add backing tracks to a livestream performance or bring in a Zoom caller to a podcast. With two dedicated stereo channels just for loopback audio on both macOS and Windows, the audio can be mixed and recorded from two different applications, along with both channels of the Revelator io24, all at the same time. Users can also stream and record to Studio One and other applications simultaneously.

The audio interface comes with onboard DSP. When ready to stream, users can engage Stream Mix mode and analogue inputs, loopback channels, reverb and effects are routed directly to USB and then sent to the streaming software. Two

XMAX-L mic preamps can reportedly capture complex musical harmonics smoothly and naturally, with no audible distortion. Wireless remote control via UC Surface for iPadOS, Windows and Android devices provides users with touchscreen control over all of the Revelator io24’s features.

Revelator io24’s mixer can be used to create a custom zero-latency monitor mix. Independent levels for the headphone and main outputs (plus a mute option for the latter) allow switching between mixing on studio speakers and monitoring on headphones. MIDI In and Out ports can be used to connect MIDI controllers and external hardware synthesisers and drum machines. www.presonus.com

Clear-Com feeds into Arcadia THE LATEST solution from ClearCom integrates all its wired and wireless partyline systems into a single solution. Named Arcadia, the next-generation platform can license up to 96 IP ports in a single RU device, with further licensing add-ons

anticipated in the future, making it the manufacturer’s intercom centrepiece for a vast range of applications best served by partyline workflows.

Clear-Com states that Arcadia represents the next evolution in partyline workflows, by combining digital, analogue and AoIP intercom technologies into a single integrated system. General connectivity to a wide range of Clear-Com endpoints is available through a mixture of

two-wire and four-wire audio ports, together with third-party Dante and AES67 AoIP devices, while

the solution also supports the full range of FreeSpeak digital wireless products encompassing the 1.9GHz, 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and HelixNet wired digital partyline systems.

The need for quick adjustments to the system is reflected in Arcadia’s dual large front panel touchscreens, which include four rotary encoders to scroll through menus or for use as a four-way key station. System configuration and monitoring is achieved through a new, re-imagined version of the manufacturer’s browser-based CCM software. www.clearcom.com

FOCUSRITE HAS introduced the Clarett+ range of USB audio interfaces for PC and Mac. Building on the strengths of the previous Clarett ranges, the Clarett+ 2Pre, 4Pre and 8Pre interfaces feature mic preamps with very high headroom, low distortion and ultra-low noise. All-analogue Air with impedance switching and relay control enhances vocals by emulating the ISA 110 mic preamp from the Focusrite Studio Console. Other benefits include improved high-dynamicrange AD/DA conversion with ultra-low distortion and improved headphone outputs and DAC performance. A collection of

software, including mixing plugins and virtual instruments, is included.

The Clarett+ 2Pre is a 10-in/ four-out bus-powered USB-C interface. It comes with two Clarett+ mic preamps and two JFET instrument inputs. The Clarett+ 4Pre is an 18-in/eight-out interface with four preamps, two analogue headphone outputs and two JFET instrument inputs. The Clarett+ 8Pre is an 18-in/20-out interface with eight preamps and two analogue headphone outputs.

All three interfaces are expandable using ADAT optical output. www.focusrite.com

IFBlue adds value IFBLUE, A new value-priced brand of products being distributed worldwide

by Lectrosonics, has introduced an IFB (Interruptible Foldback) receiver pack and associated dock charging system. The new IFBlue receivers are fully compatible with Lectrosonics IFBT4 transmitters, or any Lectrosonics Digital Hybrid Wireless transmitters operating in IFB compatibility mode, so that users can add these receivers to existing IFB systems. The IFB receiver comes with 10 presets and is said to be easily programmable from the backlit LCD front panel.

There are five tuning ranges: the VHF version covers 174–216MHz, the A1 (470–537MHz), B1 (537–614MHz) and C1 (614–692MHz) versions cover the UHF TV frequencies for most countries, and the 941MHz band version covers the North American licence-only 941–960MHz range. Future firmware updates can be installed in the field via the USB jack located behind the battery

door. The IFBlue receivers have an integrated, spring-loaded belt clip for lightweight and easy, secure placement.

The IFBlue companion dock charging system, the CHSIFBR1C, is capable of charging up to four receivers when using NiMh rechargeable

IFB receiver and charging dock batteries. The charging dock units can be mechanically linked for easy organisation on the mounting surface. www.ifblue.com

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KLANG conducts the onstage mix AVT integrates Ravenna GERMAN DEVELOPER KLANG:technologies has unveiled KLANG:konductor, an immersive in-ear mixing processor capable of delivering up to 16 immersive mixes and processing 128 input signals at up to 96kHz, with a processing latency of less than 0.25ms.

Designed for monitor engineers and fixed installations, KLANG:konductor offers three DMI slots on its rear to provide I/O freedom and integration into any existing setup. Two DMI-MADI cards can provide 128 input channels and mixes to be returned to a console; and one DMI-Dante card can connect the mixes to KLANG:konductors.

connected and routed to the console’s cue output. The device also has a front-mounted 7-inch colour touch display to allow for direct mix control, audio setup, routing and monitoring meters. A network port on the front of the unit provides power over Ethernet to directly connect a KLANG:konductor or KLANG:quelle, and dual redundant power supplies offer maximum reliability.

KLANG has also teamed up with DPA to create a system that will enable live event teams to immerse singers and musicians in their onstage performances. The solution integrates DPA’s 5100 Mobile Surround Microphone

V

FOLLOWING THE software-based AES67 integration for almost all AVT systems, Audio Video Technologies (AVT) has announced availability of the

new Magic Ravenna module – based on DirectOut’s RAV2 OEM card – for selected AVT systems.

The Magic Ravenna module is initially available for AVT’s most powerful VoIP telephone hybrid system, Magic THipPro. Integration for the Quad DAB+ Encoder Magic AE4 and the DAB Ensemble Multiplexer Magic DABMUX plus is scheduled for the following months.

Magic Ravenna may be integrated into both new and existing Magic

THipPro VoIP systems, providing an additional 32x32 audio channels via IP, which can be distributed to up to 32 network streams. The module does not interfere with the digital and analogue audio interfaces of the Magic THipPro so both can still be used. The Ravenna module directly supports the AES67 and SMPTE ST 2110-30/31 standards to promote compatibility with other systems. www.avt-nbg.de

Dynacord cues iOS control management

Paired with integral singlechannel routing capabilities, it also allows the user to freely route between the immersive mix engine and convert between different DMI formats, such as Optocore, Dante or MADI, with each DMI card offering up to 64 input and output channels at both 48kHz and 96kHz. Integration into DiGiCo’s control interface and the KLANG:app provides direct control for engineers, with KLANG:konductor allowing musicians to control their own mix. By incorporating the same amplifier circuit as KLANG:quelle on the front of the device, IEMs can be directly

and KLANG’s Immersive Mixing Processor for a “fully engrossing experience”. In addition to the benefits of KLANG’s panning capabilities, the use of DPA surround mics replaces the need for large quantities of microphones to capture the entire environment. Dedicated presets can be integrated through the KLANG:app, including KLANG:vokal and KLANG:kontroller. DiGiCo users can also take advantage of the full workflow implementation on the surface of their SD or Quantum range desks. www.klang.com

DEVELOPED FOR iOS devices, Dynacord‘s SONICUE Control panelviewer app allows the monitoring and control of preassigned sound system parameters. Enabling iPads and iPhones to be supported for the first time, SONICUE was previously restricted to desktop PCs running the TPC-1 touchpanel controller.

With the release of V1.2.2, a host of new additions and functionality are added to the audio system software ecosystem, including quicker setup in addition to tuning and audio system operations.

The app allows users to operate control panels that have been created using the SONICUE Control panel designer, which can be used to create standalone control panel applications for running on the SONICUE Control app. The design of the user interface is customisable with various control functions and access-protected

SONICUE Control app according to user type. When connected to a compatible hardware device, such as the Dynacord MXE5 matrix mix engine, all functions can be monitored and controlled. In addition, the v1.2.2 update improves the functionality of the SONCIUE panel designer with further control parameters, design options and faster installation routines. www.dynacord.com

CODA improves Optimiser with latest Beta v0.5.2 CREATING AN accurate simulation of CODA Audio loudspeakers in any 3D View, CODA Audio has announced the availability of its proprietary prediction software, System Optimiser Beta v0.5.2. With documentation available online, further details for offline use in addition to full v.0.5.2 release

notes can be accessed on the dedicated website. Offering bespoke tools and detailed SPL pressure mapping, the software promotes the design of audio systems of all sizes, from the smallest gatherings to larger productions. www.codaaudio.com

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VU-NET support for TORUS

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MARTIN AUDIO has announced the latest release of its control software VU-NET (2.2.2), alongside new firmware for iKON amplifiers.

Preset support has been added for the manufacturer’s constant curvature loudspeaker, TORUS T12, including when it is also used in conjunction with its partner cardioid subwoofer, the SXC118.

In addition, iKON amplifiers can now be added to the Q-SYS

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ALLEN & HEATH has announced dLive V1.9. An overhaul of dLive’s RTA engine presents an array of new options for audio analysis. Two RTAs are now available, with dual-surface applications able to benefit from independent RTAs. Visualisation is no longer limited to a 31-band bar display – a new line display and sonogram view is provided, with the latter capable of displaying the difference between RTAs for system tuning. The bar and line visualisations can be displayed underneath the PEQ curve, enabling engineers to make swift EQ decisions. To give engineers

ecosystem within the Q-SYS Designer software. Features can be controlled from the software, Q-SYS compatible UCIs and GPIO logic ports integrated into Q-SYS cores and peripherals. These control features include gain and muting, sleep and standby and alarm notifications, as well as amplifier snapshot recall.

TORUS, VU-NET, iKON and Q-SYS

www.martin-audio.com

the full picture, the new RTA tools can always be visible, whether that’s on a dedicated screen, on the PEQ screen and widget, in a dedicated RTA widget or on an external monitor. dLive’s zero-latency DEEP Processing tools have gained new

additions. Two expanders offer increased gain before feedback and improved audio separation in live applications. Source Expander provides control of threshold and depth for set-and-forget operation, while Dual Threshold Expander is provided for challenging environments where expert control is required.

Bus, a new compressor, is modelled on a hardware unit renowned for its ability to glue together mixes, and the OptTronikcompressor has expanded with a new model for an alternative flavour of classic ‘2A compression.

For engineers working with IEM mixes, NEQ12 is a 12-band parametric EQ with selectable hi/lo pass filters that

can replace the GEQ on any of the dLive’s 64 mix outputs.

Wireless integration has been opened up to include Sennheiser 300/500, 2000 and 2050 wireless microphones, which can be monitored from the dLive Surface or Director software. Key wireless information, including mutes, signal level and battery bars, is visible from the bank screen, with detailed information and control accessible via the Preamp tab.

The feature list for V1.9 also includes preamp sharing with automatic Gain Tracking across multiple dLive systems. www.allen-heath.com

ORCHESTRATING YOUR MIX

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Welcome to the

SOMETIMES MORE IS MORE Unrivaled IO freedom via three DMI slots

Easy control via DiGiCo, KLANG:app or KLANG:kontroller

#MOREISMORE

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Collaborate in the cloud POWERSOFT HAS released version 2.2 of ArmoníaPlus.

The update frees up systems integrators, designers and installers from the constraints of local storage, making it possible to access and collaborate on projects remotely from anywhere in the world. Primarily designed for systems engineers, but available in both ArmoníaPlus skins (Install and Live Sound), the new feature allows users to save projects in a Microsoft-based cloud or on a local drive. Project owners are then able to work on files remotely from any internet-connected PC, as well as invite their colleagues to collaborate on the project via an email link.

When used to share projects, ArmoníaPlus 2.2 is said to offer an intuitive, user-friendly platform tailormade for collaboration. After joining the project and being assigned a specific role (either an editor or full

project owner), all collaborators can see the full version history of a cloud project, listed in chronological order. This means installers will always have access to the latest version of the project, even when last-minute changes are needed, while system designers can provide remote support in-application.

Also introduced with version 2.2 of ArmoníaPlus is the ability to monitor the status of Powersoft amplifiers

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via the SNMP protocol. Suitable for fixed installations with a central monitoring platform, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) provides systems integrators with information on network devices, such as printers, switches and amplifiers.

ArmoníaPlus’ implementation of SNMP relays essential data on the status of amplifiers and their operating conditions, including device faults and availability.

Other features of the v2.2 updrade include four zones on four-channel Mezzo so that users of Dynamic Music Distribution (DMD) systems are now able to drive up to four independent zones with a single 324A/AD or 604A/AD amplifier. Mono-mix Dante sharing means that distribution of stereo sources as mono mixes in Dante is now available in all Mezzo amplifiers.

SIs using DMD can now have more global music sources available for selection in the system, reducing the number of channels and flows used.

WM Touch network recovery allows users to configure the IP address of a WM Touch, Powersoft’s wall-mounted touchscreen control solution, from ArmoníaPlus, even if the device is set in a different subnet. ArmoníaPlus will also warn users when their system design could exceed the maximum number of Dante flows available.

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Virtual Ashly controller arrives Bridge extension for AJA in free AqauControl update A VIRTUAL version of the Ashly Audio WR-5 controller has been introduced with the company’s latest upgrade to the AquaControl software suite (v1.2.4). The WR-5 remote is reportedly one

of the most popular accessories added to systems featuring Ashly solutions, and the development of the virtualised version is part of the manufacturer’s commitment to the long-term support of its audio solution platform.

The virtual WR-5 remote operates on commonly used touchscreen devices, allowing end users to quickly and easily control their onsite audio systems. The software

also includes additional notifications for preset recall and import, improvements to tips and warnings, and the ability to save and load individual presets to and from files and templates.

FOLLOWING ITS launch in 2020, a software update for AJA’s Bridge Live multichannel live video solution has been made available. Intended for use in remote production, contribution, collaboration, streaming and delivery, the v1.12 update delivers an extended feature set.

These include upgraded I/O and transcode capabilities, a video preview, user interface improvements and a bidirectional Network Device Interface (NDI) input, output and transcode.

Bidirectional NDI support simplifies the encoding of SDI inputs for NDI output to the network in addition to receiving NDI for outputting SDI. The ability to also transcode IP video streams to NDI and transcoding NDI inputs to IP video streams enables new workflow opportunities. Bridge Live can be positioned at the edge of

an NDI event or facility network, for transporting outbound NDI video as a streamed format and for returning the stream to NDI for use at a remote NDI production destination. An HLS output (HD) inputs SDI sources and IP video streams into Bridge Live for encoding and sharing to devices and software.

AJA has also collaborated with Microsoft to ensure that a range of its audio and video I/O solutions support the new Hardware Out feature in Microsoft Teams. Using the new feature with an AJA KONA 5, Io 4K Plus or T-TAP Pro, live production and AV professionals can output SDI and HDMI high-quality audio and video streams from interviewees or events in remote locations and weave the footage into live productions.

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The company has also announced an overhaul of its ducker within the AquaControl software, which brings improved flexibility and smoothness of operation, free from incorrect triggering and uncomfortable volume changes. This reportedly provides greater customisation of priority signal management to deliver a better customer experience. www.ashly.com

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MediaMaster climbs to Level Six

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WITH THE release of MediaMaster 6, ArKaos has updated its MediaMaster real-time video control software platform. In addition to a streamlined user interface, the update provides new features including a Remote Player, which is a cue-based programming tool for long-term projects and permanent installations.

The network-based media player allows the control of multiple servers from a single point on the network and a central programming hub can control cue lists for allocation to one or more separate MediaMaster entities on the network. The cue lists can

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NDI HAS announced its upgraded support of Adobe Creative Cloud following the launch of NDI 5 earlier last year. The expansion includes integrated extension panels for Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. The

be triggered manually or run via external triggers.

MediaMaster 6 brings compatibility with Elgato Stream Deck and adds two DMX fixture profiles in Layer Extended 2.0 and Layer Full 2 that can control up to 112 DMX parameters per layer. The number of available layers has been increased with the update, with MediaMaster Express doubling from 12 to 24 layers and MediaMaster Pro providing 48 layers.

Simplifying and speeding up the programming of visual transitions, Single Layer Transitions allow crossfading between two visuals

new NDI output is said to streamline production by removing the need for producers and creatives to export designs for teams and clients to review them. The NDI Plug-In for Adobe Creative Cloud is said to

on a single layer. On each layer the software also adds a second Effects Generator and a Mask Engine for a mask to be loaded directly. In addition to a broad group of codecs, the software can now run the ArKaos SAGA codec, for maximising the number of visual playbacks with 10-bit definition per colour and an Alpha Channel. SAGA

includes lower disc usage than with a standard HAP codec, plays clips backwards and accelerates CPU and GPU rendering. Compatibility with any HDR 10/HLG screen has been added, with the specific HDR modes used by most major LED screens.

open up new remote editing and collaboration capabilities and break down physical boundaries of editing.

The key benefits for users of NDI 5 for Adobe Creative Cloud include remote working – multiple editors can create different output from the same live sources, at the same time, anywhere in the world; creative collaboration – NDI reportedly widens access to creative talent; integration – NDI, acting as the common standard, helps bridge between disparate tool sets and make the workflow cohesive; and enhanced talent

acquisition and retention – NDI adds flexibility, allowing talent to focus on creativity rather than the process.

NDI has also announced that it is fully compatible with Microsoft Teams, allowing users to harness the full capabilities of NDI 5 for broadcasting, webinars and other video applications. Microsoft Teams and NDI 5 work together to provide better privacy and security for users.

The enhanced NDI Tools available with NDI 5 are said to unlock live video production and remote capabilities for Microsoft Teams.

www.arkaos.com

www.vizrt.com

Marshall adds to PTZ lineup THE CV605-BK/WH 5X optical zoom 3G-SDI camera from Marshall Electronics uses a professional grade 2 Megapixel sensor to capture HD video up to 1920x1080p resolution at 60fps. The wide-angle optical zoom lens offers an 85°

angle-of-view through to 20° (15mm) with an additional 10x digital zoom range. The camera offers low-latency 3G-SDI (BNC) output as well as an IP interface with multiple protocols supported. An IP interface is said to provide an easy one-cable setup

with an Ethernet (Cat) cable handling video, audio, control and PoE. The CV605 provides a clear picture in variable and challenging lighting conditions.

CV605-BK

www.marshall-usa.com

Professional livestreaming simplified by Roland INTENDED FOR a wide variety of video applications including smaller houses of worship, Roland has created the V-02HD MK II streaming video mixer for bringing higher production values to computerbased livestreaming. The compact V-02HD MK II can connect and switch two HDMI cameras for outputting directly to a streaming platform over USB-C. In addition, audio sources with video effects and transitions applied can be

mixed via dedicated inputs and HDMI. The V-02HD MK II eliminates USB conflicts with multiple webcams and HDMI-to-USB encoder adaptors.

Hosting an intuitive control layout and T-bar fader, the plug-andplay video mixer provides ease of operation for instant streaming with platforms including YouTube or advanced workflows such as OBS Studio, Streamlabs and Restream.

In terms of audio features, a

10-channel digital mixer is included together with two inputs with 3.5mm jacks that can each support a microphone including lavalier models that require plugin power.

Advanced features allow the connection of an HDMI monitor for display, audio and video effects and footswitch assignments. With

one of Roland’s free remote-control apps, the V-02HD MK II can be operated via a GUI on an iPad or computer. proav.roland.com

January–February 2022 WORSHIP AVL 55

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PRODUCTS

G H

Taking IP to the max WITH THE rising demand for live content and an increasing infrastructure need for portable, network protected, remotely configurable and cost-effective IP media gateways, Media Links has unveiled its MDP3020 MAX platform.

The MDP3020 MAX encodes/ decodes video, audio and data content for carriage over wide area IP networks. It is designed primarily for use in live remote production environments where economical, highest contribution quality IP media conversion and transport robustness is essential.

The MDP3020 MAX can be configured to support four 1080p video channels using JPEG-XS compression, which achieves bandwidth reduction ratios of up

to 10:1, visually lossless quality and sub-millisecond latency. In addition, the MDP3020 MAX supports JPEG2000 compression.

It is ideal for the edge of an IP WAN network where bandwidth is typically constrained, where minimal latency is necessary for live interactive broadcasts and where the transport of uncompressed high-quality video isn’t feasible.

The MDP3020 MAX is described as compact and portable, housed in a ½U footprint. Dual 1GbE or 10GbE trunk interfaces supporting ST 2022-7 Seamless Protection Switching as well as frame synchronisation come standard, as do dual “hitless” 1G/10G data ports. www.medialinks.com

Energy savings THE LEDFUSION Pro screen management solution from Calibre comprises all-in-one screens available in 130-inch and 163-inch sizes and

LEDFusion Pro A130C-15 screens can be deployed which uses splicing.

Installation benefits include simplified cable management and ruggedised

are either sold as a standalone unit (A130C-15 and A163C-09) or a multi-system solution for advanced screen management (W236CF-15 and W260CF-15). LEDFusion Pro has been designed to bring advanced operational features, energy saving and installation benefits. Calibre believes that users will benefit from the energy-saving design of the LEDFusion Pro thanks to a dynamic power supply reportedly ensuring that operation can be at 1,600W at maximum brightness (100–240V @ 16A switching power supply) for the A130C-15 model.

For widescreen displays, a wallmounted dual system using two

four-in-one LED modules. Viewing angles are optimised and maintenance and service are described as quick and easy thanks to front panel access.

For large-scale 4K applications, Calibre offers the One Canvas Solution, a multi-screen management solution using the LEDFusion Pro integrated with the HQPro1000 scaler/ switcher with premium 4K50/60Hz 4:4:4 RGB processing and 4K EDID management. One HQPro1000 unit can manage up to four FHD LEDFusion Pro screens with flexible screen layout at any one time. www.calibreuk.com

Multiple viewing FOR-A HAS unveiled the MV-3240, a 32-channel, multiformat multiviewer that supports customised layouts with up to 25 windows for one 4K output. It comes with up to 16 inputs for 6G-SDI and up to 32 inputs for 3G/HD/SD-SDI, as well as HD-to-4K up-resizing. The multiviewer includes five outputs for 3G/HD-SDI or one output for 12G-SDI, as well as one HDMI output that duplicates the SDI output. Cascading connections between multiple units allows users to expand the number of inputs with low latency. Customised layouts for up to 40 windows for four 2K outputs, as well as optional support for up to 16 inputs for 12G-SDI, are under development.

Built on the same 1U chassis as FOR-A’s MV-1640IP multiviewer, the MV-3240 shares many of the standard

features common to other MV Series units. For example, displays can include tally, title and time code, as well as time, timers and information display. The integrated layout manager can be used to create custom layouts, which can be saved and recalled directly from the unit’s front control panel.

Up to four logos can be stored for display in title areas. Audio level display and audio monitoring output are also supported. Flashing borders or error icons help identify screens with errors. An integrated M-JPEG streaming video output serves as a simple way to monitor signals outside of the control room, with users accessing the signal from any web-enabled device. www.for-a.com

Haivision simplifies streaming DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY for houses of worship, Haivision has announced the launch of its Haivision Connect livestreaming solution. It’s described as an easy-to-use live and simulated livestreaming platform that helps organisations reach viewers online simultaneously with embeddable web players, mobile

Created with ministry workflows in mind, Connect is said to simplify the complexities of video streaming by giving ministries the ability to engage audiences on the platforms they love and maximise the reach of content by leveraging previously recorded or uploaded media for scheduled sim-live events. Users have access

and OTT apps, and through social media platforms, including YouTube and Facebook. With Connect, users can schedule livestreams, manage devices and monitor events, all from a single browser window.

Connect’s user-friendly interface enables anyone, even non-technical volunteers, to quickly set up a highquality reliable livestream.

to meaningful insights into what content is resonating with audiences with advanced analytics that track audience views and engagement time.

In addition, users can also schedule events, set up metadata, manage devices and monitor streams from a single cloud UI. www.haivision.com

56 WORSHIP AVL January–February 2022

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PRODUCTS

A grand update Green Hippo releases Hippotizer V4+ MK2 hardware HIPPOTIZER V4+ MK2 has been designed to deliver video and audio content productions in fixed installation applications. Offering up to 100% more processing power than the previous version, the V4+ MK2 offers 3D mapping and visualisation capabilities for projection on different surfaces. With the ability to drive up to 32 clips at 4K resolution, the

hardware-based platform provides generative playback, smooth visualisation and automated or production team-driven control. Builtin DP1.2 or HDMI 2.0 outputs and HDMI 2.0 live capture allows the V4+ MK2 to integrate with existing and future 4K infrastructures. www.green-hippo.com

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MA LIGHTING has added several workflow improvements and new implementations to its grandMA3 software. Version 1.6 focuses on the areas of presets and data handling, including programming with selective, global and universal presets; auto preset mode which takes care of standard preset operations without thinking about data; fixture exchange which transfers the preset data; and universal presets which can be created before patching fixtures.

Additional information for showfiles has been added to the Backup menu and the Stomp command has been revised based on numerous user feedbacks. The new version also includes visibility

and overview improvements, especially for grandMA3 onPC users. Following the update, the new command wing bar is said to fit perfectly at the bottom of screens used together with a grandMA3 onPC command wing or grandMA3 onPC command wing XT. Other improvements include markers for moving and rotating objects in 3D, even with connection to PSN data; a CleanUp command for deleting objects which are not used in the showfile; new RDM parameters and notifications; and support of RDM proxy devices, especially useful for installations. www.malighting.com

KL Panel goes large AN XL version of Elation’s colour temperature-adjustable KL Panel extends the size and emits nearly twice the power of the original. The KL Panel XL uses a 544W RGBW+ Lime + Cyan LED array to produce soft white or full-colour washes up to 44,000 field lumens at a 100° half-peak angle. Colour reproduction is described as extremely accurate both to the eye and to the camera with a CRI of 95, while colour temperature is adjustable from 2,000–10,000K for a wide choice of variable colour or white shade projections. Additional colour tuning is possible through a green-shift adjustment and virtual gel library to match the white balance for the camera.

16-bit dimming and selectable dimming curve modes as well as a high-speed electronic shutter and strobe, are included. Measuring 763.8mm x 306mm (LxH), a 4x2-section control option is said to provide additional creative capabilities for colour effects and visual impact. A diffuser creates softer projections, and adjustable eightleaf barn doors promote customised

shaping of the beam and less light spill. A 900Hz–25kHz LED refresh rate adjustment ensures flicker-free operation.

The luminaire can be mounted on a stand or suspended using any standard clamp or the included Junior pin adapter. The unit is fully self-contained without the need for an external power supply and offers power passthrough for linking multiple units. The fixture can be powered remotely through its integrated fourpin XLR 24-36 VDC battery input.

Professional control options include DMX/RDM, Art-Net and sACN. The luminaire can also be controlled manually for standalone use using the included encoders and OLED display, providing instant control of intensity, colour temperature, green shift and other settings. The display and encoders are positioned on the bottom of the fixture for easy access while the fixture is mounted on a stand. The unit can also be integrated with Elation’s E-FLY wireless DMX system.

Prolights updates its EclPanel TWC

EclPanel TWC www.elationlighting.com

THE ECLPANEL TWC LED soft light from Prolights has released its 2.9 firmware update which includes features such as XY coordinates control in DMX and standalone modes, editable cinema-effects that enable users to customise effects and improved PWM frequency up to 36kHz. CCT has been expanded to range from 2,200–15,000K in the new Film Mode, reportedly providing a broader set of white

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points than before. This new mode includes predefined settings for best results on-camera, and a dimmer off feature with snap or fade out options. There is also a high-resolution mode at low dimmer value, and a new dimming curve that offers a 16-bit dimming experience while using an 8-bit dimmer. www.prolights.it

January–February 2022 WORSHIP AVL 57

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THE TECH VIEW

A man of many talents Shiloh Ministries’ Stephen Heywood juggles multiple roles but believes strongly in involving the younger generation in ministry Stephen Heywood

SHILOH MINISTRIES IS A NONdenominational family church in Mercer, Pennsylvania, led by pastors Ken and Linda Woods. In ministry most of his life, Stephen Heywood is the assistant pastor, media director and children’s pastor. His responsibilities include preaching, scheduling events, training new volunteers, installing and maintaining all tech equipment, IT director and, just as important, playing drums. He has been in the broadcasting and livestreaming industry for over 15 years and combines his duties at Shiloh Ministries with his role as broadcast engineer for PTZOptics. He specialises in Telestream’s Wirecast, NewTek’s TriCaster, Streamlabs’ OBS, vMix and other software and hardware switchers. In his spare time, he co-hosts PTZOptics’ new podcast “Sound and Light Tech Talk (SALT)”, a monthly discussion of best tools and practices specifically for churches. He has a network of IP TV shows called The Tech Buzz Gaming and a retro game/arcade/modern gameshow called The Retro Buzz.

Shiloh Ministries has a large online presence with its livestream; the church puts a lot of time and emphasis into it. Even before the pandemic, the HOW was streaming live. “Other churches have come to our facility and asked what equipment we are using and how we are doing things,” explains Heywood. “Our typical technical setup is a NewTek TriCaster Mini, which is our main switcher. There are four PTZOptics cameras and one Simpltrack2 from PTZOptics’ sister company HuddlecamHD which tracks and follows the pastor. We use vMix to livestream, bring in comments and output to overflow rooms such as the kitchen, nursery and VIP station.”

For audio, the HOW uses a Behringer X32, two Peavey three-

Mini to a TriCaster TC1 for more inputs and automations.

Shiloh Ministries’ contemporary style of worship attracts worshippers from all walks of life, and believes strongly in mentoring younger members to encourage them to participate in worship and other aspects of the church.

This includes handling all the production and audio equipment during the services. “We rely heavily on volunteer help,” continues Heywood. “We have members aged between eight and 18. I’ve spent a lot of time with the technical producer, showing him the ins and way speakers as well as a 15-inch Peavey sub onstage. “We use in-ear monitors for the musicians and plug the board directly into the vMix machine for the best digital audio we can get,” continues Heywood. “We also use Pro Presenter for visuals on two 75-inch TVs. Our lighting system consists of 10 LED PAR cans and four LED splash lights controlled by DMX to USB on the computer and smart phones using ShowXpress.”

Heywood reports that audio has been his biggest challenge at Shiloh Ministries. “When I was brought in, we were using old technology and gear, which made working with today’s software and hardware switchers quite difficult. We solved the problem by partnering with another church who had an audio expert able to come in and tell us what we needed to move forward.”

Similarly, Heywood is using his expertise to help other churches in the area improve their output. “I’ve shown a lot of churches in the area our SimplTrack2 camera; at least three churches have purchased it in the last few months based on my demonstrations.”

Each week, worshippers unable to attend in person can watch the service live on the church’s website. Services are also archived

The recording setup at Shiloh Ministries for later viewing. At the start of the pandemic, Shiloh Ministries decided to upgrade its equipment with the PTZOptics cameras and Behringer X32 as attendee numbers were restricted. “Having Midas preamps meant one person could control everything from an iPad,” describes Heywood. “Before the pandemic, we needed between five and seven camera operators and sound technicians – now we can do everything with three.” The HOW is also looking to upgrade its TriCaster

outs of the system. He then trains our younger members on how to use the system and he leans on me if he gets stuck. I’ve always approached my positions in ministry as training my replacement because no one person should have the keys to the kingdom. The only challenge we face is who does what – most of the teenagers love the video production side but find the Pro Presenter side less interesting.” www.shiloh-ministries.com

58 WORSHIP AVL January–February 2022

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Shine the perfect light on your message with the latest additions to the KL Series

by Elation Professional

KL PAR FC

Full Color Spectrum LED System High Quality, High Lumen Output Color Temperature Adjustable Tunable Whites or Full-Color Washes Designed for Live Streaming/Broadcast Color version C/100 M/50 Y/50 K/50 C/98 M/88 Y/22 K/18 C/0 M/0 Y/0 K/0

KL PANEL XL

www.ElationLighting.com Grayscale version C/50 M/50 Y/50 K/100 C/0 M/0 Y/0 K/0

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A10

ON BRAND. ON TARGET. IMPECCABLE PLUG-AND-PLAY SOUND FOR MID-SIZE CONGREGATIONS A10

delivers

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50 to 500. A10 can be mounted on a pole for intimate gatherings, or for larger events, can be stacked or flown in vertical and horizontal arrays. A10 provides adjustable coverage with exceptional sound quality in a 2-way 10’’ passive enclosure. A10 is lightweight, weather-resistant, and combines plug-and-play ease with global brand acceptance.

Join our provider network with A10. Welcome to the Best Sound.

www.l-acoustics.com

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