Based in the Malaysian city of Petaling Jaya (PJ), the New Life Restoration Centre recently installed a Harman Soundcraft Si Compact 32 digital mixing console at its group headquarters.
PJ is the hub of the New Life Group of Churches—an independent charismatic church founded in Malaysia over 30 years ago. The church in Petaling Jaya serves two distinct congregations—one English speaking, the other Mandarin. For the former the church conducts two Sunday services, with around 450 people attending each service, while around 400 members of the congregation are welcomed to the Chinese service.
According to New Life’s Media Executive Vince Seah, the Soundcraft desk is central to the new technical setup, as a series of source feeds need to be mixed, including the pastor mic, live and recorded music.
Seah said that after 20 years working with their trusty analogue desk, it was time to upgrade. “For our sound engineers to mix three live worship sessions, with three different groups of musicians in a single weekend was just too much for the old desk to take,” he said. “We were taking hours to sound check and sometimes had to forego this entirely, which often ended up with bad mixing.”
They were recommended the Soundcraft solution by local dealers AVF Trading. “After several meetings, they convinced us that the Soundcraft Si Compact 32 would solve our problems, based on the quality of the product, Soundcraft’s excellent reputation and good after sales support,” Seah noted.
Vince Seah confirmed that all 32 channels and eight auxes were currently being utilized, adding that New Life had immediately recognized the advantages of the Si Compact 32. In particular, he highlighted a number of features, including the multi presets, motorized faders, generous aux and bus capacity, quick response, recallable show settings and compact footprint.
Summing up, the New Life executive said, “The Si Compact 32 has been an excellent purchase and represents good value for money within the budget. As our first digital mixer it is providing us with a lot more than we anticipated and will enable our technicians to improve their abilities and indulge in more creative mixing.”
