First Presbyterian Church puts faith in Lectrosonics
Published: WORSHIP
WORLD: Music plays a prominent role in the Augusta-based First Presbyterian Church’s worship activities, so to ensure the best possible sound quality for all involved, an assortment of wireless technology from Lectrosonics was recently purchased.
Brandt Fincher serves as the media consultant at the HOW, and decided to deploy Lectrosonics’ Quadra IEM systems, Digital Hybrid Wireless UM400a beltpack transmitters and HM plug-on transmitters in conjunction with a Venue receiver mainframe and VRT receiver modules.
‘Worship can occur in a variety of settings at First Presbyterian,’ said Mr Fincher. ‘Our music and arts director, Paul Roberts, is encouraged by the church leadership to explore a variety of musical avenues. We are not only covering traditional services that incorporate a wide scope of instrumental ensembles and choirs, but contemporary services that can range in a variety of styles from blues to bluegrass. With roughly 1,500 worshippers each week divided among the various services, we need equipment that can reliably perform well. Of particular note, after vacating the sanctuary for renovations, we also found ourselves with limited space in our current location. We couldn’t afford to sacrifice the amount of floor space stage monitors require, so an IEM system was very appealing. This eventually led us to the Lectrosonics Quadra system.
‘Our goal has been to maintain a relatively clean stage while keeping sound quality and flexibility a priority,’ Mr Fincher continued. ‘I have a long history with Lectrosonics and selected their products for their exceptional sound quality and reliability. When the company introduced the Quadra, I knew it had to be good and viewed it as a wise and very low-risk investment. We initially bought six Quadras but added two more systems shortly after. The Quadra system is a unique fit for us because we are able to feed multiple channels of clean audio for each person – enabling them to custom tailor their own mix without having to resort to networked systems. The Quadra IEM’s provide the versatility we need without having to maintain extra lines and hardware in an already confined space.’
For wireless microphones, Mr Fincher’s choice of UM400a beltpacks and HM plug-on transmitters proved a suitable choice to address the church’s wide range of wireless applications. ‘Our microphone requirements vary quite a bit,’ he said. ‘Having the ability to use any mic in our collection wirelessly without a noticeable loss in gain or sound quality is a great advantage. With the HM transmitters, not only are we able to choose which mic we need for a particular purpose, we are also able to spot mic choirs and other ensembles without having to run cabling through a congested area.
‘We could not be more pleased,’ he enthused. ‘The gear is very well crafted and performs beautifully. When the time comes for us to move back into the sanctuary, we already have plans to add more Lectrosonics equipment.’