Article

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Gulf Breeze Church Rocks Its Contemporary Service With QSC Line Array

Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church, situated near Pensacola, Florida has installed a QSC Audio WL2082-i installation line array with PLX Series amplification and an SC28 DSP processor in the main sanctuary at its Fairpoint campus. The new system is part of a renovation of the church’s aging audio-visual systems.

Michael Evans, vice president of Satsuma, Alabama-based ALPHA Sound & Lighting, the design-build company that installed the system, says, “In the contemporary service they use electronic drums, electronic keyboards, guitars, bass guitar and praise singers. Bo Parker, the church’s director of worship, felt the current sound in the house lacked definition.”

Walthall & Associates, a design-consulting firm located in Pensacola, FL that specializes in acoustics, audio, video and digital technologies, was called in by Evans to redesign the system. Founder Chuck Walthall was already familiar with the church, having installed its original sound system over 15 years ago when he was managing a contracting company.

As part of the redesign, Walthall, recommended the removal of the old main system, which over time had undergone modifications that adversely affected its performance.

“A single point source was definitely the choice for this room, which is rectangular-shaped with a balcony,” says Walthall. “Mike and I were impressed with the performance of the QSC ILA system on another project and felt that this design called for it as well. We went with nine WL2082-i elements, four on top for the balcony and five below for the main sanctuary. Now the coverage is great, with maybe 2 dB of variation.”

“We’re very proud of the way it looks; Kenny & Kris from ALPHA did a great job flying the cluster, using an FB2082-i frame and flying hardware.” says Evans. He also notes, “We had to stay within a budget. The church had quite a few of the older QSC MX Series amplifiers which were still working, so we left them in place for the monitors. But we replaced the main speaker amps with three PLX2502s and two PLX3102s, and installed an SC28 processor. They were also using some boxes for front fills, which we left in place.”

“We performed a dual FFT tuning, and the ILA system responded with accuracy,” adds Walthall.  “The system is compact, it sounds great, the coverage is great and coupled with the controller it does what QSC says it’ll do. I like it when things just work.”

ALPHA Sound & Lighting
Walthall & Associates
QSC Audio

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PESA PRO Routing Switcher Offers Internal Power, Optional Pushbutton Control

PESA has expanded its PESA PRO line of professional AV routers with the new PRO-3GSDI-1616 Routing Switcher.

It supports all common SMPTE and ITU standard serial digital video signals, as well as embedded audio and other ancillary data required for HD-SDI and DVB/ASI broadcast sources. For digital cinema high definition video distribution requirements, it can be configured to switch SMPTE 372M dual-link HD-SDI in configurations up to 8x8.

The PRO-3GSDI-1616 supports standard data rates from 50Mbps to 3Gbps and video transports up to 1080p/60. All inputs are auto-equalized. With standard SMPTE formatted outputs, each signal is auto-sensed and re-clocked to the appropriate transport stream. Signals can be re-clocked up to 100m for 1080p/60. For non-standard formats, re-clocking circuitry can be set to bypass mode. Two independent reference inputs allow easy selection of genlock from a black burst or tri-level sync source.

Two models are available: the PRO-3GSDI-1616-C and the PRO-3GSDI-1616-PB, which includes a local pushbutton control panel. Both models feature an internal power supply and can have multiple remote control panels added via an Ethernet interface.

The PRO-3GSDI-1616’s compact 1 RU frame design features front load, hot swappable card sets, and includes space for an optional redundant power supply and controller module. It is also compatible with PESA’s Cattrax graphical user control interface.

Cattrax is an intuitive GUI control system that supports comprehensive configuration, diagnostics, and monitoring of the PRO-3GSDI-1616 as well as the full line of PESA router frames. The software is installed on a host PC running the Windows® operating system and communicates via an Ethernet port located on each router.

Positioned at a more competitive price point, the PESA PRO line includes several new features that make it an attractive package for small to mid-size video switching environments. The PESA PRO line is ideal for SD-SDI, HD-SDI, and 3G-SDI switching applications in digital cinema, telemedicine, O&P, high-end presentation rooms, satellite imaging, military command centers, and simulation/visualization environments.

“With almost four decades of proven performance in high-quality broadcast switching products, PESA continues to innovate with cost effective products like the PRO-3GSDI-1616,” said Dan Holland, PESA vice president of product marketing. “It’s loaded with features normally found in larger router systems, but it fits perfectly in small to mid-size venues where rack space is at a premium.”

The PRO-3GSDI-1616 has an MSRP of $5,995 and is available now.

PESA

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The Kills Live With Metric Halo

When The Kills went on a tidy fifteen-show tour of North America in support of Blood Pressures (Domino Records), they brought along trusted FOH and recording engineer Philip Harvey (Modest Mouse, White Stripes).

In addition to delivering carefully-crafted lo-fi of The Kills to the fans, Harvey was also charged with the task of recording the shows. On loan from the Amsterdam Recording Company, where he serves as head engineer, Harvey crossed the ocean with his trusted Metric Halo interfaces confident they would capture the musical soul of the band’s performance night after night.

Harvey was introduced to Metric Halo gear and software during his seven-year tenure as the FOH engineer with Medeski Martin & Wood.

“It was around 2000 when the folks from Metric Halo approached the band,” he explained. “They showed me the Metric Halo Mobile I/O 2882, which was their top-of-the-line interface at the time. I was amazed to learn that I could reliably record twenty-four tracks with my Macintosh G3 laptop and three 2882s.”

“The thing had something like 256 MB of RAM, and with all the processing taken care of by the Mobile I/Os, Metric Halo could always coax an incredible performance out of it.”

At the same time, Metric Halo demonstrated its SpectraFoo sound analysis software to Harvey.

“Since then, I’ve used all the other programs, including a few quirky iPad apps, but nothing compares to the smooth, musical performance of SpectraFoo,” he said. “I’ve come to trust the tight correspondence between the reality of what I’m hearing and its visual representation in SpectraFoo.”

Because The Kills only had a trailer for gear on this tour, Harvey had to keep his rig as light and compact as possible. A Digidesign SC48 digital console fit the bill and still afforded him plenty of flexibility. He installed a XO16 output card into the SC48 to feed sixteen channels or groups to his Metric Halo ULN-8. In addition, he tracked both the mix output from the board and a M/S pair of AKG 414s as audience microphones with his Metric Halo Mobile I/O 2882.

In all, he recorded twenty inputs of every performance using Metric Halo’s rock-solid MIO Console software to the custom installed internal hybrid hard drive on his 2011 MacBook Pro. After doing some experiments in rehearsals, Harvey determined that the whole rig sounded significantly better if he let the Metric Halo ULN-8 serve as the master clock.

“Since I’ve been working with Metric Halo equipment for over a decade, I’ve come to appreciate the company’s extreme commitment to ensuring that everything it sells is future-proof,” said Harvey. “It is the exact opposite of the ‘planned obsolescence’ business model that pervades the industry.”

“I bought the MIO 2882 I use today in 2000, and then a couple of years ago they sold me a 2d card for a fraction of the price of a new interface… it increased its processing power by a factor of five! What other company is that serious? And then, of course, you have the ULN-8, which sounds absolutely amazing. Between the pre-amps, converters and clocking, I use it when recording, mixing, and mastering. It reveals things in the mix that other interfaces completely smear over.”

Harvey used the fifth input on the Metric Halo 2882 to feed an Earthworks TC40k omni-directional mic to the Metric Halo SpectraFoo sound analysis software that was constantly up and running on his MacBook Pro.

“It’s all the routine stuff that SpectraFoo makes easy,” he said. “I adjusted the soundcheck mix to compensate for all the bodies present at the show. I watched for frequency buildups. I watched my volume by calibrating the volume to an SPL meter, which is a simple thing to do with SpectraFoo. I even used it to identify the precise delay time between the board and the ambient mics, which is crucial when going back to mix these live recordings.” When not on the road, Harvey uses SpectraFoo at the Amsterdam Recording Company to analyze the recording and control rooms and to deliver consistent, error-free mixes.

Harvey has logged many hours of live recording with his Metric Halo interfaces, notably, he recorded Under The Great White Northern Lights while on tour with The White Stripes in 2008.

Although the fate of these particular recordings is not yet determined, it’s a good bet that they’ll find their way to fans in many forms. Recordings from previous tours have been available on The Kills’ website, on live videos, and as promotions on other websites.

Metric Halo Labs

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Chartmakers Mastering Studio Expands Into Mixing With SSL

Chartmakers has installed an Solid State Logic (SSL) AWS 948 Hybrid Console/Controller in its Green Room studio.

Chartmakers purchased the AWS to expand its business into mixing, a new direction for the facility.

The engineers chose the AWS to preserve the analog workflow they already have, while gaining advanced DAW control to work with their clients’ project files.

“We have found that by running an existing mix through the AWS from Pro Tools we can really enhance the overall sound of a track before it is finalized. Our in-the-box clients are now lining up for our services because of the AWS,” says Henkka Niemisto, mastering engineer for Chartmakers.

“As a mastering facility, we see that artists are finalising their music mixes mainly in the box using programs like Logic, Pro Tools® and Cubase,” says Niemisto. “In the past, when those files arrived here for mastering, the mix could sometimes sound thin, narrow and dull, so we would start the process of rescuing the sound – with our analogue equipment – at the mastering stage.”

“Now that we have the AWS for mixing, with its extremely good analogue sound, we can achieve sonic excellence for a track right from the start. This means by the time we bring an AWS project to the mastering stage, we don’t have to worry about doing any more rescuing, we can just do the fine-tuning. The AWS allows us to expand our business in a new direction – what we call sum-mixing – while enhancing our primary mastering business.”

Chartmakers began operations in 2004 when mastering engineer Svante Forsbäck and long-time associate Henkka Niemisto decided to form a company dedicated to serving Finnish and international clients interested in high-quality audio mastering services for CDs, vinyl and DVD. Chartmakers has since grown its client base and has launched Emakers, an online mastering service designed for independent artists and small labels to submit tracks for mastering over the Internet.

Forsbäck and Niemisto chose the AWS 948 for Chartmakers because they wanted high-quality analog electronics for mixing. While trialling the console, they worked on a project with Finnish star Chisu and this experience sealed the deal for the console and encouraged them to expand into mixing new business direction.

“Chisu is a very talented young lady who writes, performs, produces, records and mixes her own projects,” says Henkka. “We mastered her first project, and for the second project we worked with six stereo stems which we individually tweaked to improve the overall sound of the track. We won accolades from distributor Warner Music for the improved sound quality of this second release. Then for the third project we used the AWS 948 that we were evaluating and the results were excellent. Based on this experience, we bought the console and our process now is to sum-mix tracks as a form of pre mastering before final mastering.”

Solid State Logic

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MC2 Audio Introduces New S Series Signature Reference Power Amplifiers

MC2 Audio has introduced the S Series, a new range of power amplifiers designed for studio monitoring and other applications.

The S Series is the culmination of years of work undertaken by MC2 Audio technical director and co-owner Terry Clarke in developing linear power amplifier technology.

“Our first amplifier range came very close to being the best and we won many plaudits from different market sectors, however the new S Series has taken the audio quality to another level,” Clarke says.

The S Series utilizes MC2 Audio’s AB bipolar output stages, combined with the company’s proprietary current driven floating drive stage. Analog level controls are provided for ease of use and resultant minimal signal degradation.

Sophisticated “side-chain” limiters prevent loudspeaker damage and distortion. These stay out-of-circuit until the onset of clipping so do not compromise the signal path under normal working conditions.

The S Series comprises two models: the S800 and S1400, both of which are outfitted with high-fidelity shielded toroidal power supplies and intelligently controlled, low-noise fans. This combination ensures optimum conditions for the output stages.

Weighing in at 42.5 pounds, the S800 runs 8-ohm loads at 475 watts and 4-ohm loads at 950 watts.

The S1400 weighs 51.4 pounds, producing 775 watts at 8 ohms and 1500 watts at 4 ohms.

Group sales and marketing director Bill Woods adds, “The S Series is a very welcome addition to our range. Our unique position held in live, installed and the more challenging recording studio market is testimony to MC2 Audio’s belief that superb audio quality remains as important to our customers as it does to us.”

All S Series are covered by MC2 Audio’s five-year warranty.

MC2 Audio

MC2 Audio

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Harman Professional Promotes David McKinney To Lead Operations In India

11-year veteran of company now leading operations in India.

Harman Professional announced the promotion of David McKinney to senior director, operations – India for the professional division. The announcement was made by Blake Augsburger, Harman executive vice president and president, Harman Pro.

McKinney, an 11-year veteran of Harman Pro, previously established the Asia regional sales office in Kuala Lumpur, where he achieved significant success at establishing the organization and growing the business.

“David McKinney has done an excellent job for Harman and our partners in the Asia sales region. Now, as senior director, operations – India for the professional division, I am confident that he will be a great asset to our partners there and that his skill set and experience will serve as an accelerant for our business and that of our partners and customers in India,” Augsburger said. “I am similarly pleased that the Asia sales office is well-organized and under strong leadership with Thomas Marcher now serving as director of sales, Asia regional sales office.”

In his new role, McKinney will report to Lakshmi Narayan, Harman India country manager, and will be based at Harman’s Bangalore offices.

Lakshmi notes McKinney’s suitability to the role. “David McKinney is uniquely positioned to understand the needs of our customers and distribution partners and to find solutions that address those needs. I look forward to working with David as we plan our future in this market, grow our business and support our partners with the best technologies, the most advanced integration and the industry’s most progressive support.”

McKinney adds, “This is a compelling opportunity in a remarkable culture at a time of growth. I am very honored to lead such an impressive team; to work with such dynamic, industrious distributors and with an infinitely creative community of end-users in installed sound, portable PA, recording and broadcast and tour sound.”

McKinney has a Bachelors Degree in Electronic Music & Electronics from Keele University in the United Kingdom. Since 2003, he has been based in Malaysia, initially as director of sales for Harman’s Signal Processing Group, and more recently he led the start-up for the professional division regional sales office there.

Harman

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Sometimes You Need To Able To Dance As Good As (Or Better) Than You Mix

What can we do to sort it out, meet needs, and help them put on the best performance possible?

The venue where I serve as technical director has recently had a number of touring acts come through. 

With each tour, there are always special technical requirements that the artists need, particularly in these tight economic times where few of them are able to travel with everything they need.

The last three events, the venue was responsible for providing the entire house system, and for two of them, I served as the front of house engineer.

When a tour group comes to a venue they never know what they’re going to get. Yes, the rider said six separate wireless in-ear monitor systems, but the venue only has two and is unwilling to rent any more. Yes, the rider said the PA needs to hit peaks of 110 dBA, but the installed system can only hit 95 dBA. I know, I know…

I understand this type of thing happens all of the time on tours, and I also know it must be very frustrating for touring artists.

On the venue side, I’ve seen many riders that really don’t mean much at all because they’re not specific enough. Things like “concert quality sound system required” or “adequate monitors for the band” are so open to interpretation that it’s almost comical.

I’ve also seen riders that are rife with overkill, i.e., microphone requirements that include every exotic studio mic that you can think of, the latest, greatest stadium-caliber line arrays, and so on.

In light of all of this, what can we do to sort it out, meet needs, and help them put on the best performance possible?

Learn to dance.

I’ve found that every one of the tour groups that comes through has a certain dance. It usually starts during the pre-arrival check-in by the tour manager. 

Good tour managers tell you exactly what they need, and are willing to negotiate on the items that you can’t provide without renting or that just aren’t feasible (such as, if your front of house mix position is on the front edge of the balcony, moving it to the main floor may not be feasible).

The ones that are either stubborn or incompetent (and I’ve dealt with a couple who were both) either can’t tell you what they need, or are completely inflexible in their demands.

This initial engagement with the tour manager usually provides a feel for the type of dance you’re going to need to perform.

Here are some dances I’ve done over the years:

Waltz. This tour came in with 18 people crammed in on one bus. Right from the very first contact, I could tell it would be a great event for all. The tour manager was very specific about the technical needs, but also understood some of the limitations that our venue imposed. 

Upon arrival, the tour manager immediately came and shook my hand. He then went over all of the details of the day, handed me a schedule, and asked for my cell phone number.  He went on to say it was going to take a couple of hours to load in, so he offered to call me when all of the back line gear was in place. 

Needless to say it was a great (and very smooth) day. With the extra time, I was able to program some additional lighting looks that enhanced the concert.

Mosh Pit. This was the exact opposite of the waltz. The tour manager never contacted me in advance, and when he arrived, he expressed his frustration that we only had four subwoofers—not the twelve he was used to. Note that our room seats about 1,000, and this was a contemporary Christian band - not hip-hop. To top it off, they were doing what they were calling an “acoustic tour.” 

This tour manager then demanded that that the front of house position be moved. I politely told him it was not possible, and mentioned that if he had called me earlier, perhaps we could have rented a console and snake and had it on the main floor. He was not amused and made a veiled threat to pack up and go home. 

All day, I had to continue to push back on things that he wanted done, including removing the brick wall compression that our system hits at around 105 dBA (the system just can’t do more that and I was not going to let their inexperienced mix guy blow stuff up!)  Needless to say, it was more of a fight than a dance, and unfortunately, the event suffered because of it. 

The tone the tour manager set played out in the entire crew and musicians. People were almost at each other throats and the artists didn’t even look happy to perform.

Line Dance.  Much like the waltz this event ran like clockwork. As I was the going to be the front of house engineer for the event, the tour manager had contacted me in advance and offered to forward some of their music so I would be familiar with it. 

When they arrived, everyone made me feel part of the team. The artists went out of the way to introduce themselves and thank me for being there. The crew asked tons of questions about the set-up, and also came up with some good solutions based on our venue’s limitations.

The entire day everyone seemed in step with each other and performing the same moves. Of course, this turned into a great event, and everyone walked away pleased.

Now, I know there are a lot more “dances” out there, and each tour has its own particular version. To me, the key is figuring out the general dance that’s going to be done as quickly as possible, and then doing my best to anticipate its rhythm and movement. In other words, based on what I learn early in the process, to be well-prepared to meet needs, adapt, improvise, negotiate, and so on.

One thing I’ve found is that it’s almost impossible to get them to change their dance, so I need to be up to speed on all of the steps.

Gary Zandstra is a professional AV systems integrator with Parkway Electric and has been involved with sound at his church for more than 25 years.

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Meyer Sound MINA Enhances Sonic Nuances At Moody Church

Built in the mid-1920s, The Moody Church in downtown Chicago accommodates more than 3,700 worshippers, making it the largest non-pillared auditorium in the metro area. Amplification inside the vast oval sanctuary was once fraught with challenges until the recent replacement of a 20-year-old main cluster with a new Meyer Sound MINA line array system.

“To the untrained eye, the new cluster doesn’t look that much different,” admits Michael Arman, the church’s audio/visual technical coordinator, “so you might not notice we have a new system. But after the first Sunday, our senior pastor [Dr. Erwin Lutzer] told me that a number of people had praised him on his voice being in unusually good form. Apparently, they were hearing nuances they’d never heard before.”

For those sitting in about 80 percent of the historic church’s seats, Dr. Lutzer’s “revived” voice was carried by a single array of 10 MINA line array loudspeakers.

“MINA was clearly the right tool for the job,” states TC Furlong, president of the project’s integrator, TC Furlong Inc. of Lake Forest, Ill. “The MINA loudspeakers offered vastly better performance and coverage, but aesthetically they fit into the same mold as the old system that everybody was used to.”

The balance of the main cluster hang comprises two UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers as side fill, rear-facing choir fills of a UPA-1P and two UPA-2P loudspeakers, and four 500-HP subwoofers in a cardioid configuration. Three UPM-1P loudspeakers on the chancel cover the front rows and hold the audio image down, while a Galileo loudspeaker management system—with two Galileo 616 processors—provides system drive.

According to Arman, the new system also provides greatly improved uniformity of coverage throughout the church. “I find that I don’t have to overcompensate when I’m mixing anymore,” he says. “Before, I’d force myself to mix brighter where I was sitting, because I knew people 30 feet away were in a dead null spot. Now I’m far more confident that everybody is hearing what I’m hearing.”

The Moody Church’s worship services feature a blend of contemporary and traditional music, including an amplified band, full orchestra, and 70-voice choir. Touring artists have also noticed the sanctuary’s sonic improvements. “We had Keith & Kristyn Getty in here with their full band after we put in the new system,” he recalls, “and their FOH mixer told me we had the best-sounding mono rig he’s heard.”

The new Meyer Sound loudspeakers complement the existing front-end system at The Moody Church, including a Yamaha M7CL digital console, Shure wireless microphone systems, and Aviom personal monitor mixers.

Meyer Sound

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EAW Names Steve Davis Service Manager

EAW has appointed Steve Davis to the position of service manager. A long-time member of the extended EAW family, Davis for many years held this same position, before shifting his focus to his company Performance Audio of New England (PANE), where he continued to contribute with his service expertise.

Coincidentally, PANE has been located in the same mill complex where EAW designs and manufactures its loudspeakers. The announcement was made by EAW president Jeff Rocha and reflects the company’s dedication to enhanced communications and direct access to resources for greater overall efficiency and faster turnaround on service issues.

Having worked as an EAW employee then a contract vendor, Davis is now in his 25th year as EAW’s primary service resource. As a result of the new appointment, he will soon relocate to a new dedicated space in EAW’s manufacturing complex.

With communications streamlined and with service connected directly to the rest of EAW’s resources, customer service issues will be resolved more quickly, efficiently and effectively, having a major impact for EAW customers.

Rocha states, “Steve Davis is one of the most trusted resources – indeed, one of the most trusted names – in all of pro audio. When customers send a loudspeaker to Steve for service or repair, they do so with complete faith in his ability to solve their problems. He is truly world-class, and it’s great to have him back on the team. With Steve again on board, we are one step closer to reaching our goal of being a fully integrated organization with the necessary complement of internal resources to comprehensively serve our customers’ needs.”

Davis notes, “To tell the truth, it’s not that big a change for me, because I’ve been servicing EAW products all along. I know that EAW has recently brought back many of the familiar names from the past, and they’ve all felt like a homecoming. I never really went that far away.”

EAW

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Ashly Audio Admitted To West Point, Bolsters System Performance

The United States Military Academy Prep School (USMAPS) provides critical academic training to promising students who aspire to be admitted to the US Army’s prestigious West Point Military Academy. Although the core institution of USMAPS has been around for nearly a century at various locations throughout the country, only recently did it commit to new construction in the town of West Point, New York, adjacent to the military academy.

A multi-purpose lecture hall/ auditorium is the largest room in the new building (excepting sports-related facilities) and seats approx. 325 students. USMAPS hired New York-based Pro Sound Associates to integrate the room’s audio and video components, many of which were already purchased. Company owner Dominick Campana relied on an
Ashly Audio ne24.24M modular processor to tie the disparate pieces together in a way that would be reliable and easy for the school’s staff to operate.

“When I came on board, they already had Crestron control equipment and all of the video gear on hand,” Campana explains. “They had some good stuff, but they weren’t in a position to make it all work harmoniously. In addition, they had committed to purchasing Crown amplifiers and JBL loudspeakers and subwoofers.”

Under the direction of Campana, sister company Pro Sound Alliance (a division of Live Sound, Inc.) handled the audio installation, and Adwar Video handled the video and system control installation.

“The West Point Military Academy has top-notch A/V staff that I knew would be available to operate the system for more involved productions,” says Campana. “But on a day-to-day basis, the interface and operation had to be very simple. A lecturer would want to be able to speak into a wireless mic, display a PowerPoint, and control both from a wireless tablet.

“I have years of successful systems and happy clients with Ashly-based processing,” he continues. “The Ashly ne24.24M is easy to use, flexible, and robustly accommodating of third-party control systems. Moreover, it networks without requiring a bunch of proprietary protocols or code… and it sounds musical, unlike a lot of its decidedly digital-sounding competition.”

An Extron video switcher paired with a Christie 9500-lumen projector forms the heart of the room’s video system. A combination of AKG and Shure wireless and wired mics join a comprehensive array of line-level inputs at the audio system’s front-end. An 8x8 Ashly ne24.24M routes them in coordination with the video system. Three Crown XTI Series amplifiers power JBL VRX subwoofers and bi-amped line array components. Self-powered QSC K8 stage monitors and Fostex 6301B reference monitors complete the output stage.

For more involved productions, a Yamaha 01v96vcm digital mixing console provides comprehensive, real-time control over all audio inputs. However, most of the time a Crestron CP2E processor and TPMC-8x wireless touch panel provide simple volume control and selection of four presets: speech only, live music, multimedia, and movie presentation.

In addition to its prescribed roles as routing logic navigator, control system integrator, and loudspeaker conditioner, the Ashly ne24.24M has an additional duty at USMAPS.

“The room itself was finished with a concrete floor and sheet rock walls and ceiling,” concludes Campana. “It has a big, boomy sound that can actually do a pretty good job with an unamplified voice. But the sound system naturally wants to energize the howl that resides between 400 and 630 Hz, and we had to get creative with Ashly’s comprehensive equalization modules to even things out.”

Ashly Audio

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Danley Sound Labs Gear Makes A Difference At Salvation Army Church

The sanctuary of the church of the Salvation Army in Clearwater, FL, was recently outfitted with a new sound reinforcement system by Florida-based CSI: Christian Sound Installations that is headed by
Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers, subwoofers, monitors and processing.

“The main trouble with the old system was a profound lack of intelligibility together with deeply uneven coverage,” explains Paul Garner of CSI. “It started out as a tight-packed center cluster of horn-loaded cabinets, and the church paid someone too much money to explode the cluster out. Instead of improving intelligibility, the ‘fix’ led to even worse interference.

“It was hard to understand what was being said from any seat, and it was truly impossible to understand what was being said in the front rows and the back corners. When they asked me to assess the situation, I modeled the room in EASE and determined that there was no configuration of the existing speakers that would lead to even marginally acceptable performance.”

Because the church officials had not heard of Danley Sound Labs, Garner brought in a pair of Danley SM-60F molded loudspeakers on poles and set them up on stage. The head of the church, Captain Zach Bell, walked around with a microphone and quickly determined that the pair of Danley loudspeakers on poles was already outperforming the existing system.

“I told him, ‘wait until we engineer it correctly so that the energy is focused on the congregation and not the walls,’” Garner says. The permanent system adds little complication to the simplicity of the demo. From a custom-designed truss on the wooden ceiling, Garner tightly packed two Danley SM-96 full-range loudspeakers rotated 90-degrees in order to provide 120-degrees of horizontal coverage. A pair of Danley SM-60Fs provide side fill from the same location.

“I initially thought that the church might want to forego a subwoofer because the services don’t include bass-heavy instruments and the congregation is composed of individuals who are, on average, older,” says Garner. “But Captain Bell said that, without detracting from the service for the older members, the church was eager to welcome a younger generation. And a contemporary sound, with a full bottom end, would be part of the attraction.”

Garner coupled a Danley TH-212 subwoofer to the ceiling and powered it with an Electro-Voice Q1212 amplifier. “During tuning, we had the subwoofer cranked up, and it was literally shaking the building,” he laughed. “But of course I backed it down. Now it fills things in and rounds out the response… with tons of headroom.”

For the rest of the loudspeakers, Garner re=purposed the church’s rack of Crown power amplifiers, and an analog Midas console still resides at front of house.

But backing the new loudspeakers and subwoofer is a new Danley DSLP48 signal processor that Garner pressed to its fullest extent. The unit has four inputs and eight outputs, and only two inputs and three outputs were needed for the main system. He used several of the additional outputs to feed the existing systems in the overflow rooms, lobby, and cry room.

“We used the Danley processor to equalize and time align all of those spaces,” explains Garner. “Now, when the sanctuary doors are open and you walk into the lobby, you hear just one coherent sound. It all hangs together nicely.” Because the Danley DSLP48 easily connects to a laptop for programming, Garner was able to start tuning the system from a rough template that he had created off-site.

With such radical improvements in the sanctuary, Captain Bell asked Garner to consider the sound system in the adjoining gymnasium, which is used almost every day for community events and meetings – in addition to regular use for indoor sports.

“When I suggested replacing their collection of beefy-looking double-15 cabinets with just two smaller-looking Danley SH-100s, they stared at me like I was crazy,” says Garner. “But the sound of the two Danley boxes, together with the existing amps and 1/3-octave EQ, is much bigger and truer than the sound of the old boxes. And as a bonus, the single point-source design of the SH-100 makes the system vastly more resistant to feedback.”

The changes at the Salvation Army Church in Clearwater are obvious to the congregants. “An octogenarian approached me after one of the first services with the new system,” Garner notes. “He said, ‘I sat back in the corner where before I couldn’t understand anything that was being said, but now I can hear everything clear as a bell.’”

The church is so happy with the performance of the Danley boxes that when the onstage musicians requested a similar upgrade, they approached Garner and asked if Danley made monitors as well. Garner obliged, installing a Danley SH-100M monitor on each side of the stage. “We also took an aux feed from the Midas into the Danley DSLP48 processor,” he adds. “In addition to some subtle equalization, that allowed me to time align the monitor system as well.”

Danley Sound Labs

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In The Studio: Tips For Mixing Toward Loudness

In order to deliver the most musically effective loudness, that goal must have been addressed in the mixing process

 
Some people want their music really loud, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

If loudness is part of their aesthetic and the audience likes it, then I say let’s go for it.

In order to deliver the most musically effective loudness, that goal must have been addressed in the mixing process, but not as directly as you might think.

It’s important to remember that there are mix masters, and then there are replication or download masters. Your project isn’t finished until it has been mastered, so the relative loudness of a mix does not represent the final level of the project. Comparing the loudness of a mix master with a finished commercial CD is not particularly useful.

However, there are a lot of aspects of mixes that directly contribute to the eventual loudness of a finished master. So what should you be listening for while you’re mixing? Here’s an example scenario:

My client has brought me a set of five multi-track recordings to mix. The client is very concerned that her project should fit in with the latest release from “Artist X” as much as possible, including being equally loud.

Here are some things I would be sure to pay attention to while mixing her project:

1. The Loudest Instrument

What is the loudest instrument in Artist X’s mixes?

The answer is probably pretty consistent across the whole CD; and I’ll be sure to use a similar approach with my client’s project.

This may not seem like a pivotal factor, but the relative loudness relationships within a mix establish a lot about the eventual absolute volume of the mix (and the project). If one hip hop mix has a lot more vocal content than another, the relative loudness of the two mixes will be confused.

If I’m mixing in a drum-heavy genre, I’ll be careful to reference that primary balance benchmark. If my next project is a vocal-driven style, I’ll simply re-establish my benchmark. In either case, I’ve setup the balance relationships within my mixes so that they can directly compare with other albums in the presumed audience playlist.

2. Relative Loudness Relationships

What are the relative loudness relationships between kick, snare, bass, and lead vocal?

Before you start cranking around on piles of processing, set up these simple balance relationships. They go a long way toward establishing the fundamental structure of mixes in many musical genres.

Try starting by mimicking the balance between the lead vocal and the snare drum from your reference. Once that makes sense, add the kick at a level that is referenced from the snare drum. Finally, rough in the bass level relative to the kick drum.

Beyond just setting up the framework for balance within your mix, these balances establish a lot about how you will work with these instruments tonally. A loud vocal, for example, may get a totally different EQ treatment than one that is buried (however appropriately) in a sea of guitars.

Do some reference listening; you might be surprised.

3. Tonal Contrast

What is the brightest instrument in Artist X’s mixes?

Articulation is a big component of apparent loudness. Pay particular attention to tonal contrast between instruments to get the most impact out of any particular tone choice.

To put it simply, it doesn’t matter how bright the drums are; it matters how articulate they are compared with other instruments. A mix with built-in tonal contrasts can be more effectively managed in the mastering process.

4. Panning and Depth

Apparent dynamic range can have a lot to do with panning and depth.

Do Artist X’s mixes have a lot of subtle panning, or are they essentially 3-channel stereo? What is the contrast between the instruments that seem nearest to the listener and furthest away?

If your goal is blaring, ‘too loud,’ loudness, it’s important to note that these spatial contrasts survive aggressive mastering much better than subtle differences in level or tone do. It is not uncommon for even the most critical listeners to initially mistake spatial contrast for audio dynamics.

Mastering

These types of musically relevant aspects of mix structure will help you create consistent, engaging mixes that fit into a genre in a lot of fundamental ways. The mastering process can then more effectively finish preparing those mixes for their commercial audience, including addressing their market loudness.

Rob Schlette is chief mastering engineer and owner of Anthem Mastering (anthemmastering.com) in St. Louis, MO, which provides trusted specialized mastering services to music clients across North America.

Be sure to visit the Pro Audio Files for more great recording content.

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Warner Audio Visual Adds Soundcraft Si Compact 24 Digital Console

Warner Audio Visual Co. recently purchased a Soundcraft Si Compact 24 digital console in order to provide corporate organizations the proper audio support for their annual meetings and events.

Warner Audio Visual, with locations in Chicago, Phoenix and Orlando, is a a full audiovisual supply house, stemming from creative design and logistics to setup and take down, all while maintaining affordable budgets for its clients.

The company has had the opportunity over the past 40 years to work with countless companies to provide audiovisual systems for their events, including the use of video feeds and playback, and satellite feeds.

“We went with the Si Compact 24 as it was the perfect option for a small footprint console and allows us the flexibility to work with many diverse clients,” states David Ruke, technician at Warner Audio Visual. “I am able to get the feel of an analog board all in such a small setup.”

For many corporate events where space is limited, the Si Compact 24 allows Ruke and colleagues to set up in the corner with limited cable and distraction; so important for a high-profile event.

Since switching to the Si Compact 24, many aspects of the board have excited Ruke and the rest of his team. “I have worked with other digital consoles and the sound quality is noticeably different and so much better on the Si Compact,” Ruke explains. “It feels like a bigger board than it actually is. I love the built-in control, EQ, compressors, and limiters. It’s tough to find all those options on a small board.”

As many challenges present themselves up to hours before large events, the Si Compact helps to keep changes simple. “Whether it be adding a performer, another presenter or the podium being moved to a different side of the room, it is easy to adjust EQ and calculate the differences quickly. I can add a monitor mix in, throw a few patches in through the reverb, it’s all easy.”.

Soundcraft
Harman

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The Changing Face Of Church Technology

I think what we'll see is tech doing what tech really does best

 
I wanted to provide a glimpse into what I think are some significant changes that will be coming over the next 5-10 years that will effect what we as church techs in large contemporary or modern churches do every week.

First let me say that I in no way think our current model is necessarily bad.

And by current model I mean the highly produced services that can often resemble rock concerts. Big, well played music, lots of haze and moving lights, a loud PA, video backgrounds, IMAG; those are all tools we use to engage our audience.

And as long as the audience is engaged, they are a good thing. And to be sure, there is still a large audience that wants to experience that during their weekend service. This is good.

On the other hand, it’s important to recognize that there is also a growing number of people who don’t want that in their service. They don’t want a “hip” experience, they prefer people to come as they are, be who they are and if the singer hits a wrong note from time to time, oh well.

To them moving lights are a distraction and they are less concerned about the mix sounding exactly like it does on the album. They come to church to be with other believers, both cool and uncool, to connect with God and to serve others. This is also good.

Again note that I’m not making value judgements. One is not better than the other, and I don’t want to pit one side against the other. Both are equally valid and both have their place. The problem arises when we want to force one into the other’s mold.

Our church is a great example of this. For many years, Coast Hills has been the place to come if you want to experience a great worship service. We hired the best musicians, employed professional technicians and spent thousands of dollars on sets to make the experience amazing. And it was! People came, lives were changed and the church grew. And then the church changed.

Slowly, over time—partially driven by economic realities, but only partially—the congregation began to realize they didn’t need that level of production each week. In fact, it started to become a distraction. What they really wanted was to see people they knew on stage leading worship. They wanted more time in the scripture, and more time to spend together. And so, our production has scaled back considerably.

I believe we’re seeing this happen in more churches, and at some point, this “less produced’’ style of weekend will become the norm. To be sure, this will be a gradual change, probably taking 5-10 years, but I think it will happen.

And it will happen because many in the next generation doesn’t care that much about high level production in their church service. They come for different reasons now. And in some cases, high production turns them off.

Now I don’t think this means that we’re headed back to crappy sound and overhead transparencies (thankfully!). In fact, I think we as church techs will develop more fully in our roles, becoming truly invisible and non-distracting.

The sound will still have to be good, but it won’t be the main reason people are there. The words still need to be on the screen at the right time, but no one will get fired if they make a mistake. We still need lights to see, but I think we’ll see a lot less ballyhoo and color chases.

I suspect there will still need to be a minimum standard that is met each week with regards to production, but that standard may be lower than it is now.

Instead, I think what we’ll see is tech doing what tech really does best—creating an atmosphere where people can connect with God. The trick will be doing it in such a way that it doesn’t appear that we’re using a lot of technology.

I believe we will get to a point where sound, lighting and video will just be there, like microwaves and wi-fi. Yes technology is important, but it’s not the point. It will still need to work, but it will be background.

Mike Sessler is the Technical Director at Coast Hills Community Church in Aliso Viejo, CA. He has been involved in live production for over 20 years and is the author of the blog, Church Tech Arts . He also hosts a weekly podcast called Church Tech Weekly on the TechArtsNetwork.

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Tommex Deploys Community At World Heritage Designated Centennial Hall

Tommex Zebrowscy Sp. J. has recently completed the design and delivery of a new pro audio and voice evacuation system headed by Community Professional loudspeakers at Hala Stulecia (Centennial Hall) in Wrocław, Poland.

Constructed in 1913, Centennial Hall is undergoing a comprehensive program of renovation and new development that transforms it into a state-of-the-art venue for its centenary. The installation of the sound system, handled by Asseco, is one of the final parts of this ambitious development program. 

Centennial Hall was built to commemorate the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, which ended Napoleon’s occupation of the region. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, chosen as one of the most important achievements in 20th century architecture.

At the time it was built, Centennial Hall was the largest reinforced concrete structure in the world and featured the biggest dome to have been constructed since the Pantheon in Rome eighteen centuries earlier.

The Centennial Hall complex serves the citizens of Wrocław and Lower Silesia as a venue for trade fairs, conventions, theatrical and opera performances, concerts, international sporting competitions, political and business meetings as well as recreational and spiritual events.

“The system’s prime function is to provide for voice evacuation, meeting strict Polish Fire Department standards,” explains Marcin Zimny, manager of Tommex’s office in Wrocław. “But it also has to deliver a dual function as a pro audio system for voice paging and entertainment for the main hall, where the audience capacity has been increased from 7,000 to 10,000.”

“Centennial Hall is an acoustically challenging building,” Zimny continues. “Its UNESCO status also meant we were restricted in the placement of loudspeakers. Unable to use, for example, a central cluster under the main dome, we had to position the loudspeakers around the lowest ring of the dome. This required loudspeakers with precise coverage patterns, excellent voice reproduction and very high SPL.”

Tommex designed a system based on fifty-two high-output, dual 12-inch Community R-Series R2 loudspeakers and eight wide-angle, dual 8-inch Community WET W2-2W8 loudspeakers.

“From long experience we knew Community offered the solution to the complex set of demands for this venue,” says Zimny. “A combination of 50 x 20, 70 x 70 and 90 x 40 degree devices were used to give us complete, consistent coverage.

“Additionally we knew that the Community loudspeakers would meet the intelligibility and SPL requirements and would pass the fire department tests, which included being subject to 250 degrees for half an hour.” 

Tommex chose Switzerland’s g+m elektronik to provide the voice evacuation and amplification systems and a Dynacord P64 system for the digital audio matrix. With a digital console, transport of the audio is via fibre optic cable from front of house to the amplifier room.

“This was a very demanding installation and we are very proud that the result is a system that meets every requirement,” concludes Zimny. “The client is very happy with the system’s audio and operational performance, and also that the loudspeakers and their installation have been very sympathetic to the aesthetic needs of this beautiful historic building.”

Community Professional

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