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| A Primedia Property | |
| May 19, 2004 | |
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Table of Contents Houses of Worship Top Story First steps into pro audio can be slippery Installation News ATI PII production console at home in Mariners Church Christ Church Of Mason Installs New TrueLine TLV8 Compact Line Array Product News AmpliVox launches Wireless Travel Audio Pro Architectural Acoustics to feature new loudspeakers at Infocomm Panasonic launches new XGA micro-portable projectors 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 First steps into pro audio can be slippery By John J. McKeon The typical pastor, gazing out from the pulpit, wants to see faces gazing back in rapt attention, not straining to hear and understand. When people can't hear, or what they hear is muddled and confusing, it's often an early sign that a church is ready for a big step...its first foray into professional audio. Deciding to take that step puts a church leader in touch with an often confusing array of options, a prime opportunity for a systems integrator. 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 Often, a small church may be using temporary or multipurpose quarters, notes Jake Rivera, CEO of Design and Integration in Baltimore. "We're seeing a lot of flex spaces," he says, "like combined gymnasium/sanctuaries," he says. In such a case, if the church does not own the facility, its audio options can be limited. For a recent Maryland church job, Rivera says, his company designed a fully portable system the church can carry around to different locations. It includes wireless speakers for such peripheral spaces as cry rooms for parents with infants. Later, when the church moves into a more permanent setting, "this may not be their main system, but they're get some use out of it." Rivera sees a lot of churches starting out with gear from music stores, "stuff that's not really in the professional category. Speakers are hung in the wrong spots, they're not getting good gain before feedback, they've got intelligibility problems, and so on." What such clients need most, he says, is a professional to do a thorough needs analysis and system design. Whatever system results from this design process should stress user friendliness. Even if a number of microphone plug-in locations are provided, the system should still support a "set it and forget it" approach, Rivera says. Such a starter system may include some basic recording and playback capabilities, but not a mixing console, he says. For Matt Card, vice president, Client Development at Clark ProMedia in Atlanta, "the biggest service we as an industry could provide to the church market would be to convince them that it's not about the gear. It's about the room, it's about the room, and after that it's about the room." Card believes it's difficult for pastors and church leaders to grasp what a big step they're taking when they go from a chiefly acoustic environment to an electrified one. The former may help the preacher, choir, and organ sound good, but won't do the job when guitars, drums, additional keyboards, and other instruments are added. "You need to be able to get the room to behave well acoustically," Card says. Acoustical design is "one area where small churches never want to make the investment," he says. Card adds that clients need to realize each sound designer has a personal style or "fingerprint" that's easy to recognize. Clients should visit other facilities designed by candidate designers until they find one whose sound pleases them. "Get all of your gear in roughly equal quality," Card says. "Don't get one item that's significantly better or worse than the others." Rivera says that churches "often just don't recognize that professional audio costs money. But it is part and parcel of getting your church to grow." 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 ATI PII production console at home in Mariners Church Mariner's Church, a dynamic, non-denominational Christian church in Irvine, California, recently installed a new ATI Paragon PII Production console for its 2,300-seat worship center. Mariner's has four weekend worship services that regularly draw approximately 4,500 adults. Weekend youth programs draw an average of 900 children and 800 students. Audio coordinator and main house mix engineer Van Metschke specified a console with 48-channels and four stereo inputs. "We have a typical rhythm section," he reports, "drums and bass, plus a couple of guitars, piano, keyboards, and an occasional string section or horn section," he says. "And we could have up to 16 vocalists on individual mics. We also have a 50-voice choir once a month." "The Paragon is just a great sounding board, and it's very friendly to mix on," he says. "What pushes the Paragon over the top is that it has dynamics on every channel. This eliminates the need for any outboard compressors or gates. Just add some effects processors and you're good to go." Why not a digital console? Metschke reports the church considered several. "It's not that we didn't like the digital consoles, we just didn't need the recall features and playback cueing in our venue," he says. "No one could dispute the sonic quality of the Paragon in comparison with the digital consoles. The only thing we wrestled with was the industry trend towards digital. But from a stewardship and application perspective, we couldn't justify the extra expense." The ATI Paragon PII will eventually be installed in a new 3,200-seat worship center that is scheduled to open in May 2005. Acoustic Dimensions, based in Dallas, designed all the A/V production systems in the new worship center. www.audiotoys.com Christ Church Of Mason Installs New TrueLine TLV8 Compact Line Array When Christ's Church in Mason, Ohio, decided to expand their facilities to include a new children's wing and multipurpose room, the decision was also made to purchase a sound system that was capable of providing sound for concerts as well as a contemporary worship service and many other church functions. The church opted for a left-center-right configuration using TLV8 line arrays from WorxAudio. The install features four TLV8s on the left and right sides and three TLV8s in a center cluster, along with four WorxAudio Max 8.0 dual 18's (two per side). The LCR arrangement was chosen to provide maximum versatility to meet the church's many needs. Since the system was being installed in a multipurpose room, steel grilles were used to keep basketballs and volleyballs from damaging the speakers. These grilles and steel grilles with foam filters are standard equipment on the TLV8. Thunderbolt Productions in Cincinnati installed the new TLV8 system. For more info, www.worxaudio.com. Product News AmpliVox launches Wireless Travel Audio Pro AmpliVox Sound Systems has introduced the Wireless Travel Audio Pro, a professional portable public address system the company says is designed for houses of worship applications either indoors or outdoors. The system's built-in features include one frequency agile UHF 10 channel user selectable wireless receiver with individual volume controls (user can choose a lapel, headset, or handheld wireless mic), optional UHF second receiver, cassette recorder, variable-speed CD player with antishock pickup, and dual-mode AC/DC power supply with detachable cord is integrated into one unit, making it unique for pro audio applications. The internal AC power supply automatically recharges built-in heavy-duty batteries to provide up to 30 hours cordless run time. It contains a powerful 100W amplifier, full range speaker system, an external speaker output to power optional companion speakers, three pro audio XLR/phone jack combos and two additional mic inputs with phantom power. Also included is an XLR professional dynamic handheld mic with 25-foot cord. With the wireless mic, the presenter can move around within a 300-foot range. For more information, visit www.ampli.com. Architectural Acoustics to feature new loudspeakers at Infocomm Architectural Acoustics, a division of Peavey Electronics Corp., will feature a wide range of new loudspeakers and other products in its booth at the upcoming Infocomm exhibition in Atlanta. The company says its display at Infocomm will highlight: * The Impulse 2652 two-way, permanent installation loudspeaker, which it terms "an ideal fill speaker for voice and live music sound reinforcement in houses of worship. The cabinet's trapezoidal design allows placement in wall corners, on columns, or under balconies. * The Impulse 2414 loudspeaker, with "a unique design that supports flush installation in stair risers and stage lips while providing the performance normally found in much larger enclosures. The Impulse 2414 utilizes a passive, two-way design with extensive high-current protection for rock-solid performance out to 14 kHz with a full 80 degrees of conical dispersion and efficient low frequency provided by two 4.5-inch LF drivers. "Due to demand from consultants nationwide specifying this popular enclosure in new construction -- particularly poured-concrete construction in stadiums and large churches -- Architectural Acoustics has developed an all-steel back box specifically for this loudspeaker. Contractors can now install the back box prior to the concrete pour or before the stairs or walls are closed up and return later to install the speaker itself. This avoids the possibility of cosmetic damage to the loudspeaker or theft during the construction phase," the company says. * The FMW 12 and FMW 15 floor monitors, "high power-handling, two-way floor monitor loudspeaker systems, available in either black or white with a sleek cosmetic design that makes them the perfect choice for houses of worship," according to Architectural Acoustics. For additional information, visit www.installaa.com. Panasonic launches new XGA micro-portable projectors Panasonic has announced a new family of ultracompact XGA micro-portable LCD projectors that offer high performance, fast operation, and sophisticated features. The new projectors are "easy to move between locations, from a boardroom to a classroom, from a church setting to a training center," the company says. Panasonic's new PT-LB10 projector family consists of the wireless, 2000-lumens PT-LB10NTU; the 2000-lumens PT-LB10U unit and the 1600-lumens PT-LB10VU. They are available at suggested list prices of $3,599, $2,999, and $2,599 respectively. The three models offer XGA resolution and offer a high brightness and a high contrast ratio (500:1 for the PT-LB10NTU and PT-LB10U and 400:1 for the PT-LB10VU). The new projectors are super-slim at just 2.9 inches high and weigh less than five pounds (PT-LB10U and PT-LB10VU weigh 4.7 pounds and the PT-LB10NTU weighs 4.9 pounds). The PT-LB10NTU comes equipped with an IEEE 802.11b-compliant LAN card and Wireless Manager ME software for quick and easy wireless presentations. With no obstruction, the unit's wireless operating range is up to 55 yards (50 meters). The three units offer extremely quick operation with dedicated functions including five-second Speed Start, which assures that an image will appear in about 5 seconds after the power button is pushed; one-touch Auto Setup with Digital Keystone Correction; and Direct Power Off, which allows a user to move the projector immediately after his presentation without having to wait until it cools down. In addition, they're remarkably simple to install and operate with just three control buttons -- Power, Input and Auto Setup. For high security, the projectors offer anti-theft functions including a security lock, user password protection, control panel lock-out (which can only be canceled by the unit's remote control), and text superimposing whereby a user can program a text line-- such as a company name, URL, or warning of choice - at the bottom of the projected image. The three units are HDTV compatible and can automatically resize 1080i and 720p images for 16:9 wide-aspect display; 480p, 480i, and 625i component video signals and S-video can also be displayed in either 4:3 or 16:9. www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/news/news04_nab_31.asp |
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