PROJECTS
Unite180 moves with the times
Unite180’s Pretoria campus enlists the help of DWR Distribution to upgrade the quality of its online broadcasts ESTABLISHED IN 2013 BY PASTORS David and Chanelle Grobler, Unite180 has grown to include auditoriums in Pretoria, Brooklyn, Johannesburg, Potchefstroom and Stellenbosch. Its aim is to reach college and university students by creating uGroups, also known as cell groups. There are over 460 uGroups throughout South Africa and Namibia, Ireland and New Zealand, and Unite180 has a reputation for not only teaching young people about God’s word in these smaller care groups but also to raise up leaders and disciples who will make a difference to the lives of others. During the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, the church’s Pretoria campus decided to make a shift in how it would present its message to members, by placing an increased focus on the online experience. It quickly became the only method of reaching members for a Sunday service. The uGroup network could continue to provide help to families in need, emotional support and weekly fellowship, but Unite180’s Sunday services were quickly halted by stringent lockdown regulations. Prior to the pandemic, the church’s technical teams would record their services, edit the footage during the week and upload at a later time to ensure high-quality audio and video could be preserved. But with all services now being viewed online, it was vital to not lose any quality
The L-Acoustics Kara system at the Pretoria campus when broadcasting live on the online platform. New equipment from DiGiCo and Waves has been instrumental in ensuring audio quality through the stream’s delivery. An L-Acoustics Kara system complements the current professional audio setup at the church. The new Waves eMotion LV1 Mixer, with 64 stereo channels, is a digital software mixer based on SoundGrid technology which can be run on a PC or Mac. It’s been specifically purchased by Unite180 to assist with the broadcast, and provides the operator with “pinpoint-precision” control over the audio by running plug-ins from the console itself. The church has benefited greatly from the multiple accessories the system provides.
Construction is currently running on brand-new HQ facilities that the church will move into during 2021 that will seat 2,000 people and have multiple meeting, conference, kids and Bible School facilities. The organisation had worked with local company DWR Distribution on the supply and integration of AV equipment several times previously, including deployment of the Kara loudspeaker system. The DiGiCo SD12 console has been acquired to serve the church’s future needs as the FOH mixing desk in the new premises. Alongside a number of additional features, the new venue interface is reputed to offer easy adoption for the technical crew working on it. Its deployment has reportedly
enhanced the overall in-house PA quality as well as providing for online quality improvements. Jaco Beukes from DWR Distribution, who assisted the church with its latest audio investment, also supplied a DMI-KLANG card. Unite180 is one of two churches in South Africa using KLANG. “The worship team all run on in-ears and for this reason opted for the DMIKLANG card, which allows the user to create an immersive monitor mix,” recalls Beukes. “Traditionally, monitors provided a level difference when panning from left to right, but that’s not actually how we hear things.” The DMI-KLANG card provides ultra-low-latency KLANG immersive processing for up to 16 two-channel mixes, with 64 inputs at 48kHz or 96kHz. This allowed the worship team to create a 3D immersive experience that produces a more realistic feeling by simulating the exact placement of instruments onstage in the listener’s ears. Unite180 has seen positive growth in both its membership and viewers through the online platform during lockdown. An unexpected benefit of the move online has been a new international audience, spread across the globe, that has been able to tune in and view all Unite180 services online. www.dwrdistribution.co.za www.unite180.com
26 WORSHIP AVL May–June 2021
WAVL Pg26-27 DWR SA.indd 26
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