Mike Mitchell, a long-time volunteer and part of the production team at Elevation Church has no small task being the producer’s eyes and ears in the auditorium during the live productions at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC.
“When I first used the (Point Source Audio) CM-i3 headset, it was transformational,” proclaimed Mitchell, adding that “The ability to hear better and protect my hearing at the same time has improved the way I approach my role in the production process.”
While Mitchell solves customer problems as an IT professional, he’s also been a volunteer at Elevation Church for 6 out of the 10 years since the church’s inception in 2006. Rapidly expanding from the first church service of 120 attendees, the church now serves more than 20,000 each week across 14 campuses and many more through online streaming and television. Each of the locations has its own worship band, and services are streamed out from Elevation’s broadcast location to its satellite locations and the internet during worship experiences each weekend.
Mitchell, who is a front of house assistant at the broadcast location for the church, was finding it increasingly difficult to hear, especially as sound levels peaked as the worship band played. It became harder and harder to do what the rest of the production team relied on him to do—help manage communications and be the eyes and ears for the producer in the auditorium. Sitting between the lighting tech on the left and the sound engineer on the right, Mitchell needed to be able to hear all communications from the director and producer in order to communicate with the front of house team and the stage crew.
In early January, Mitchell asked the church’s tech team if there were any other headsets that could perform better, and the church purchased a CM-i3 to evaluate. When Mitchell used the in-ear headphones for the first time, he claims the experience was transformational. Finally, he could hear better and protect his hearing at the same time.
The experience gave him a greater awareness of what had been missing and he decided to go all in: “I recently bought 2 – one for me (CM-iX) and one for my partner front of house Assistant (CM-i3) that rotates with me, said Mitchell. We both made personal investments to buy these because it has transformed the way we communicate in our work at the church,” he explained.
Point Source Audio president James Lamb reveals that “We were recently granted the patent approval for our audio headset which is really a huge validation of the unique value we provide.” (The U.S. Patent No. 9,271,065 covers PSA’s audio headset structure where the earphones can be readily separated, removed, and replaced via wired guided grooves designed into the headset.)
“Since using the CM-i3 for a period of time, I decided that it is critical for my performance in my role and have since purchased my own CM-iX headset to custom fit to my new 64 Audio in-ear monitors, said Mitchell. “Hearing the difference that the in-ear headset makes, it is totally worth it for me to make this investment,” he emphasized, adding “I know others on the team are interested as well. They are great replacements for the single ear Clear-Com units I was using. I’ll be able to use my CM-iX and in ear monitors whether I’m in front of house, running a camera, or operating a CG station in the control room.”
The company currently offers two styles, the CM-i3 and the CM-iX for customizing. It reports that additional developments are underway to expand the line. The headsets are compatible with a variety of intercom systems including iPhone and iPad intercom apps, and sell an array of adapters to interchange between the systems.
The CM-i3/CM-iX intercom headsets are designed for concert venues, front of house operations, multimedia production, as well as camera operators. The in-ear headset eliminates fatigue; weighs only 2oz., and offers 12dB off-axis noise rejection, replaceable earphones, and kink-free cable design. Both of the intercom headset models will be on demonstration at the InfoComm show in Las Vegas, June 8-10 at Point Source Audio Booth C10820.
