Trinity Lutheran Church in Waupaca, WI, recently debuted its new sanctuary offering expanded seating capacity, more space up front for musicians and choirs, and new technology to enhance the worship experience for members and visitors.
The new audio system was designed and installed by Sonic Art, also of Waupaca. Among the new technologies included in the audio system design is the new Aviom AllFrame Multi-Modular I/O System to network audio to various locations around the facility. An Aviom Personal Mixing System was also included for the musicians during the audio system upgrade.
Sonic Art designed and installed the Pro64 audio network and Pro16 personal mixing system to be much like an analog system but with the added flexibility the digital system brings to the table.
According to Brian Christ, senior A/V designer for Sonic Art, “The AllFrame System made the installation simple and straightforward with less failure points than an analog system, and the audio quality is excellent.”
Sonic Art wired the church with Cat-5 and placed A-Net connection jacks (RJ-45s) in various locations to allow for the Aviom AllFrames to be placed at any of these points with an installed connection to the digital Yamaha LS9-32 in the sound booth.
Two 6416Y2 A-Net Interface Cards are installed in the console for digital I/O into the Aviom network. The church’s equipment room houses an amp rack with an MH10 Merger Hub which distributes A-Net to five POA80 Power Over A-Net Power Supplies and an ASI A-Net Systems Interface. The ASI converts Pro64 A-Net to Pro16 A-Net and is connected to an A-16D Pro A-Net Distributor that sends power and Pro16 A-Net to up to eight A-16II Personal Mixers used by the choir and praise band.
The POA80s send power and Pro64 A-Net to five locations in the sanctuary. One is connected to the F6 Modular I/O Frame that is in the choir area, which can be placed elsewhere if needed. Here four C4m Mic/Line Input Cards and one C4o Analog Output Cards provide local inputs and outputs to this location. Two additional F6s, each with four C4m Cards and one C4o Card can be placed at any of the other four A-Net locations connected to a POA80. This allows for the church’s sound team to design the audio network to meet their needs for any given sermon or event. Often one of the AllFrames is used in the praise band area, for instance.
Wanda Eikenbary, director of Music Ministries for Trinity Lutheran, says, “I can’t imagine anything better than to have this flexibility. At any given time we can configure this room with musicians and instruments in the way that we choose. The enormous amount of flexibility is worth its weight in gold to us. We can have a small, simple worship service or a large holiday production. This system opens doors for us in terms of what types of presentations we can do in the future. It is a goal of mine to bring in professional performances. This wasn’t an option in the past but it will be now.”
The AllFrame Multi-Modular I/O System also gives the church the ability to expand their system as needed. Their existing F6s each have an open slot to which four more channels can be added. And adding additional AllFrames allows for even more expansion and flexibility. In addition to the flexibility of the system, the church appreciates how simple it is to use. This characteristic is incredibly important according to Eikenbary because the church relies on good-hearted volunteers who are willing to learn how to use the system.
Eikenbary also appreciates the overall warmth and breadth of the sound in the new sanctuary. She explains, “You can physically feel the sound, which we have never had before. As a musician, of course, it’s important to me that the music and sound is first rate. Making the sound the best it can be was a priority on our list for the new sanctuary. I’m glad that others understood the need and allowed us to take it to this level.”
