At the south campus, the audio chain includes d&b audiotechnik point source speakers, d&b D6 amplifiers and a set of Shure ULX microphones for both choir and pastoral use. The space is very acoustically ‘open’ and has a thrust alter jutting out into the sanctuary.
“Given this, the sound must be reinforced as opposed to replaced, it has to be amplified but transparent and not sound amplified. This is where the older congregation worships and they don’t like a loud sound. The GLD-80 processing really delivers an ideal curve on all the audio,” adds Goldman.
A big advantage, as in the rest of the Cokesbury environs, is the compatibility of the WAVES card with Allen & Heath mixing consoles. “This feature made the client very happy. It’s a relief to be able to turn an EQ knob when using a WAVE effect and it does what you expect,” shares Hamilton.
The final Cokesbury United Methodist venue is a high school auditorium. The Hardin Valley high school auditorium is used each Sunday for worship services but during the week it is an active space for the school’s activities, so the audio team must set up break down before and after the service.
“It’s just like doing sound for a road tour but with a shorter amount of time,” reveals Goldman. “We needed a console with a digital snake option, 48 channels of flexibility and processing that can happen on the fly. In other words: drag and drop what you need and forget the rest.”
This unique feature of the GLD-80, easily seen on the LCD screen, makes training the army of volunteers Goldman counts on a simple task.
“The console has everything right there in a simple and logical layout. Terminology is understandable to the layperson and it’s quite quick to get around this desk. Plus the metering on the compressors and gates lets you always see where your threshold is on a per channel basis – that’s a really cool thing about the GLD-80,” enthuses Goldman.
“Finally, Cokesbury Church wanted to record their services. The GLD-80 has a wonderful multi-track recording capability with a DANTE card,” says Hamilton.
Goldman concludes, “Not only do our engineers love the GLD-80, the volunteers have found them easy to use for all events or just for audio playback. The training took very little time. If I was going back out on the road, I’d use the GLD-80 without hesitation.”