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| A Primedia Property | |
| May 5, 2004 | |
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Table of Contents Houses of Worship Top Story Looking down the road: "Future-proofing" church installations Installation News Electro-Voice FRX and QRx speakers installed in Harvest Assembly Church Fellowship Bible Church uses Sony matrix mixers for bible classes Product News Artbeats announces new Worship collection Audio-Technica unveils AT898 cardioid lavalier mic at NAB Digidesign enters live sound market with new digital mixing console ADVERTISEMENT Since 1980, FSR has been providing ultra high quality audio and video control and switching solutions to the a/v industry. Located in West Paterson, New Jersey, all FSR products are "Made in the USA" and carry the warranty and support that you require. At FSR, "We have what you need". www.fsrinc.com Houses of Worship Top Story Looking down the road: "Future-proofing" church installations By John McKeon For Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, the question was how to be ready, if and when the opportunity arises, to install video cameras and projection equipment. For Calvary Chapel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, it was when and how to upgrade an already-sophisticated video system to high definition and the 16:9 aspect ratio. ADVERTISEMENT  TV One produces over fifty products for the professional video market worldwide, including Seamless Switchers, Scan Converters, Video Scalers, HDTV Converters, Standards Converters, SDI Converters, Matrix Routing Switchers, Digital Video Recorders, Video Servers, LCD Monitors, Frame Synchronizers, Distribution Systems and other Video Terminal Equipment. www.tvone.com These two worship communities are grappling with an issue that challenges churches and systems integrators alike. They're looking for actions they can take in the short term that will both protect against obsolescence and support future, largely indefinable enhancements. "We started out with an audio system only, but we wanted to plan for future video," says Bob Zawacki, a volunteer who coordinated planning for the audiovisual system at Sacred Heart, working with the St. Paul office of SPL Integrated Solutions. "We decided to put in all of the infrastructure for video, thinking the implementation was a ways down the road." At SPL, account manager Matthew Russell says, "We laid conduit for potential floor boxes all over the room." SPL took advantage of the fact that the Sacred Heart church was new construction rather than a retrofit. Conduit runs extended to potential overflow rooms "in case they ever wanted to put plasmas out there," says Russell. (By its example, Sacred Heart has led another nearby Catholic church, St. Xavier, to undertake a renovation, which Russell describes as "considerably more expensive.") Anticipation of video at Sacred Heart was so great that the church worked with the architects to redesign the heating and A/C systems in order to provide space for rear-projection systems that would flank the altar, though the church had no specific plans for rear projection at that time. Russell cites other decisions that Sacred Heart made with an eye on the future. "They could only afford two cameras but wanted to be sure there was room for four," he notes. Additional cameras will mean a need for high-end switching capabilities. "Then they thought they might want to put a camera outside the church, for Easter events and the like, so we installed an A/V wall plate outdoors." Once word of the church's initiative got out, a large donation made it possible to move into video right away, Zawacki says. "Having all that infrastructure done was a good move," he adds. "If you never use it, you're not out all that much, and if you do need it, it's a tremendous advantage to have it done." Russell believes integrators can serve church clients significantly just by helping them visualize what they may need in the future, and attach at least rough cost estimates to these dreams. Sometimes -- the Sacred Heart donation is a prime example -- the opportunity to implement these future plans comes sooner than expected. Bill Meissner, long-time director of Video Ministry at Calvary Chapel, says his church always strives to respond to congregation needs rather than building first and banking on future growth. That strategy means the church always walks a fine line in planning new construction and expansions. In the past, Calvary Chapel elected to extend a computer network throughout a building that eventually became a successful school. Cable television wiring was installed to support several additional rooms, and now the Chapel has four video-served sanctuaries in operation for its most popular Sunday service. When the time came to plan a youth building, Meissner says, "We ran conduit everywhere we could think of." Calvary is now considering relocating its video control room and installing more extensive fiber optic wiring throughout its multi-building campus. Calvary is in the early planning stages for a new main sanctuary, which could be in construction within the next few years, Meissner says. The decision about an upgrade to 16:9, high-definition video will come soon, he adds. "When we started buying our cameras, the 16:9 cameras were out but at a premium price, so we decided to buy 4:3 and review the decision in a couple of years," Meissner says. One future-proofing option, he adds, is to install the wider screens ahead of time, and mask them as needed to accommodate the smaller 4:3 image. ADVERTISEMENT  Project the word in a new light! Capture your congregation's attention and inspire your audience by engaging them in an audio visual experience they will not soon forget. IAVI can help by providing state of the art LCD Projectors at an affordable cost. For more information call us toll free at (888) 999-6564 or visit our website at www.iavi.com Installation News Electro-Voice FRX and QRx speakers installed in Harvest Assembly Church Across the U.S., thousands of churches host congregations of fewer than 1,000 people. Many such houses of worship are upgrading their audio systems to provide sound quality that both enriches the worship experience and meets the heightened expectations of contemporary congregations. This does not have to be an expensive undertaking, if the right contractors and the right equipment are employed. Magdon Music of Olyphant, Pennsylvania, specializes in small- to medium-scale sound production and installation projects, and works frequently in this section of the HOW marketplace. Jason Oakey, Magdon's director of pro audio, describes working with Electro-Voice before, during, and after such an installation took place. "We recently completed an installation at Harvest Assembly Church in Lakeland, Florida," Oakley says. "This is a new, 500-capacity sanctuary built right in front of the old church, which has now become offices and a youth center. Churches like this are expanding in small towns across the country, and audio/visual system upgrades are an essential element of this process, especially in terms of attracting new congregation members and improving the quality of worship for their current members. "This has been a great source of work for us, one sustained largely by word-of-mouth recommendations. Putting pro-audio-quality gear into a small church is more affordable than many people think, and the dividends paid in vocal intelligibility and system versatility make it worth every penny. "We use EV QRx speakers a lot with the production side of our company, and love the way they perform. The QRx is a reliable workhorse, and always sounds great. For Harvest Assembly we used QRx 112s at left and right, with an FRX 940 in the center. Two QRx 118 subs we installed under the stage. Mike Marr [of EV representatives RJ Marketing South] was instrumental in me selecting the FRX, which I'd never heard before. After considering the specs, I agreed that the FRX would work well in this shallow, rectangular space. "It's great working with a rep who knows how to address specific problems with specific solutions -- and that's what the FRX was designed to be. The QRx boxes give great vocal intelligibility, and the FRX fills in the low and low-mids with equal responsiveness, and has a really tight downward (40-degree) and wide horizontal (90-degree) projection for controlled medium-throw coverage and intelligibility below 2000Hz. That's the point at which other boxes can begin to struggle in reverberant spaces. "The rotateable horn in the FRX adds high-range detailing to this wide-beamwidth facility for optimum front row coverage across all bandwidths. It's also extremely efficient compared to other boxes you encounter in these applications -- it's rated at105dB -- so you have the ideal combination of directivity, control and power. Using a made-to-measure LCR system like this will do more than callow a clean vocal sound; it will reinforce the sound of the band, improve music playback, and also open up possibilities for video-based productions and movie nights. "Harvest Assembly has actually been visited by representatives of several churches in the area that are in the same stage of growth. All were really impressed by this system. They won't run into any issues regarding power, coverage, or intelligibility, and they won't need to replace these speakers for a long time! For full details on all Electro-Voice products, please visit www.electrovoice.com. Electro-Voice is a professional audio brand of Telex Communications, Inc., a leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of sophisticated audio, wireless, multimedia, aircraft, broadcast, and communications equipment for commercial, professional, and industrial customers. Telex Communications markets its products in more than 80 countries under the brands EV, Telex, RTS, Dynacord, Midas, Klark Teknik, University, and others. Fellowship Bible Church uses Sony matrix mixers for bible classes Since its formation in 1977 by a small group of University of Arkansas graduates, Fellowship Bible Church of Little Rock has enjoyed constant growth. In 1996 the congregation, now numbering some 5,500 parishioners, moved to a sprawling new worship center. Taking full advantage of new technology to enhance bible instruction, ministry leaders developed five unique "themed" classrooms for grades two through six. Employing a combination of CD, DVD, VHS, PowerPoint, projectors, wireless mics, live actors, and sophisticated puppetry, traditional teachers instruct groups of upwards of 90 youngsters as the children's parents attend adult services. The classes include a Clipper Ship-inspired "HMS Gospel" for second graders, a futuristic space adventure "Mission To Planet Earth" aboard the "Starship Redeemer" for third graders, and a "Knights of The Cross" class held in a "castle" for fifth graders. The 75-minute classes are repeated in conjunction with both services held on Sundays. With the exception of second grade, all the classes rely on Sony SRP-X700P powered A/V matrix mixers to integrate the wide range of input sources required to maximize the effect of their lessons. David Mills, audio technology director at FBC, selected the multi-faceted mixer as the most "user-friendly option" to provide an efficient, dependable, flexible, and easy-to-use solution for teachers. "Sony had sent me some basic information on the SRP-X700P, and I investigated further by logging on to their www.sony.com/professional Web site," Mills says. "The unit seemed ideally suited for our needs. When I contacted Mike Harris of Harris Audio in Miami for additional information, I learned nothing else on the market could provide comparable equipment integration within our budget. We started out with two units and ultimately purchased seven. Four are used in the classrooms, the others in meeting rooms. "We have been able to bring instructors up to speed on the operation of the X700P very quickly. They hit the power button, turn on their mics, push up the fader, and they are ready to roll. The X700P's management software allows us to preset, store, and save all of the settings so there are no feedback or volume issues. It eliminates all the guesswork for the users (almost always volunteers), and allows our events to run smoothly. The units have been a very good choice." Product News Artbeats announces new Worship collection Artbeats, a world leader in royalty-free stock footage for film, video, and multimedia producers, today announced the company's new Worship collection. Specifically designed for church media directors, worship leaders, and producers, Artbeats' new Worship product is available now and includes more than 34 clips of worshipers praying, looking up, and raising hands. There are also crosses, Bibles, doves, and church scenes. "More and more churches are using visual media in services, events and productions, and almost no one is addressing the needs of this community," said Phil Bates, president and founder of Artbeats. "I experienced this need for footage as well, since I edit music videos for the 'LifeTogether' DVD Worship project. Our new Worship product is designed to fill this gap, and was created by producers who like myself have a strong passion for worship." Artbeats' Worship collection includes 34 worship-related images that can be used in almost any religious or spiritual setting. From small churches using PowerPoint or Adobe Premiere to mega-organizations with full media departments, these images are universal enough for almost any project and any denomination. "This footage is appropriate for non-spiritual applications too, since many of the clips show people in postures that are generic, yet positive," continues Bates. "This collection barely scratches the surface of what can be done in this genre; however, this is a solid first step and a great addition for anyone needing inspirational and uplifting content." Pricing and Availability Artbeats' Worship collection is licensed royalty-free and is available in D1 NTSC (720x486) or D1 PAL (720x576) resolutions for USD $499. All Artbeats imagery is broadcast-resolution or higher and has exceptional artistic and technical quality. The files are delivered in Apple QuickTime format encoded with Photo JPEG at a high quality setting and frame rate of 30fps, and are available for Macintosh and Windows. The Worship collection is available now on Artbeats' Web site at http://www.artbeats.com/prod/product.php?pg=1&id=378. About Artbeats Artbeats, founded in 1989, is an award-winning provider of royalty-free stock footage and still imagery for broadcast, film features, commercial, desktop video, game development and multimedia. The Artbeats Digital Film Library includes nature, special effects, scenics, aerials, lifestyles, backgrounds and much more. Quality, resolution and pricing make Artbeats Digital Film Library one of the leading choices by industry professionals. The library includes over 240 titles, 56 of which are high-definition. Artbeats is headquartered in Myrtle Creek, Ore. with a staff of artists, producers, technicians and marketers. Some of Artbeats' clients include MTV, Direct TV, Country Music Awards, American Idol, Universal Studios, Pixar, CNN, Activision and many more. For more information or to purchase clips, visit the company's Web site at www.artbeats.com. Audio-Technica unveils AT898 cardioid lavalier mic at NAB Audio-Technica announces the latest addition to its expanding line of lavalier microphones -- the AT898 Subminiature Cardioid Condenser Microphone. Intended for high-quality, low-profile operation, the AT898 provides maximum intelligibility and clean, accurate reproduction for lecturers, stage and television talent, and houses of worship. The AT898 is a mere 5mm in diameter, making it ideal for applications requiring minimum visibility. It operates on battery or phantom power and includes a complete accessory kit. The subminiature cardioid element is enclosed in a rugged, low-profile housing with internal construction designed to minimize noise from handling, clothing, and wind. The microphone plugs into the included AT8537 power module, which features battery/phantom power operation, switchable low-frequency roll-off switch, and an integral XLR3M connector supplying a low-impedance balanced output. The extensive accessory kit includes three single and two double interchangeable mounts, clothing clip, viper clip, magnetic clip, and two open-pore foam windscreens. Featuring durable construction and dependable performance, the AT898 is ideal for entertainment, commercial, and industrial applications requiring unobtrusive design, including media production, A/V presentations, and theater sound reinforcement. The AT898 comes complete with a convenient carrying case that holds the microphone and accessories. Wireless and unterminated versions of the microphone are available for use with Audio-Technica and other popular wireless systems. The AT898 Subminiature Cardioid Condenser Lavalier Microphone is currently available with suggested list pricing as follows: * AT898 (wired) -- $299 * AT898c (unterminated) -- $179 * AT898cW (terminated for A-T UniPak wireless transmitters with 4-pin HRS-type locking connector) -- $199 * AT898cT5 (terminated for A-T U100 and Lectrosonics wireless with TA5F connector) -- $199 * AT898cL4 (terminated for Sennheiser SK wireless with Lemo connector) -- $249 * AT898cT4 (terminated for Shure wireless with TA4F connector) -- $199 For more information, visit www.audio-technica.com. Digidesign enters live sound market with new digital mixing console Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, today announced plans to enter the sound reinforcement market with a new digital mixing console system aimed at professionals in a wide range of live performance venues, including tours, theatrical productions, corporate installations, and houses of worship. The system will feature uncompromising audio fidelity and a recording and playback pathway to Digidesign's award-winning Pro Tools digital audio workstation. "In the past decade, Pro Tools has revolutionized the way professionals record, edit, mix, and master audio in music studios and postproduction facilities," said David Krall, president and chief executive officer of Avid. "We believe that the live sound market is primed for a similar transformation, as engineers shift from traditional, analog mixing boards to digital consoles that offer greater creative control and flexibility. No other company is in a better position than Digidesign to integrate a live sound console with a nonlinear recording environment and the vast plug-in processing capabilities that have made Pro Tools the leading digital audio workstation in the industry." Digidesign general manager Dave Lebolt added, "For the past three years, we've engaged in a huge development effort to create a live mixing system that combines our DSP and control surface expertise with the special requirements of performance sound. The result of this effort is a new product line that, like the Pro Tools family of systems, is engineered to be flexible, expandable, and scalable to meet many different needs and price points. With these revolutionary products, we hope to achieve the same level of success in the live sound market as we have in the recording and postproduction industries." Digidesign plans to unveil its sound reinforcement product line in September 2004 at the PLASA event in London, the annual trade show of the Professional Lighting and Sound Association. The system is expected to ship by the end of 2004. For more information about Digidesign's products and services, visit www.digidesign.com. |
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