Studer Vista 5 SR takes FOH position at Midnight Oil Summit
Published: WORSHIP
WORLD: A Studer Vista 5 SR console was deployed for the recent Midnight Oil Summit worship event in Birmingham, England, which saw approximately 1,600 worshippers attend the three-day praise event each day. Spearheaded by Seth Pinnock, this year’s Midnight Oil Summit celebrated its seventh year, and included a live recording ‘live in worship’ segment held at the Birmingham Symphony Hall, which was streamed live via broadcaster OHTV to Africa and the US, and a live gospel event on the third day.
Taking FOH position with the Studer Vista 5 SR was Bethel Productions’ director, Raphael Williams, who took the role of production manager/front of house engineer, whilst monitor engineer Aaron Boothe used a Soundcraft Vi1.
‘I met Seth eight years ago where we started to work together,’ said Mr Williams. ‘I worked on the first ever Midnight Cry, which was at his local church holding 200 people. Then in 2007 he held the first Midnight Oil Summit at the Bethel Convention Centre and because he is my good friend and I believe in his vision I stood by him and worked on all the productions for the event, creating Bethel Productions out of it.
‘The Vista 5 SR was great for Midnight Oil Summit because of its flexibility, and I could configure it how ever I needed to,’ explained Mr Williams. ‘With it being a live recording I needed up to 96 channels to play with, consisting of 40 channels for the band, eight for the choir, 15 for the orchestra, 12 vocal mics and 16 channels of ambience mic for around the room.’
Usually using a Soundcraft Vi6 for live events, Mr Williams found the Vista 5 SR a welcome change. ‘The performance of the Studer console was amazing – the high-end pre amp gave the mix that extra sparkle. Every little thing I did, whether it be using EQ or the dynamic section, I could hear everything in fine detail. It was my first time working with it on a show situation and I got around it quite quickly. Also, Studer came down to make sure everything was working okay, so the customer service is great too!
‘I have technically always done these types of events, and they allow themselves to be exposed to the professional world,’ he furthered. ‘Sometimes it’s hard to pull these events off with regards to the production side of things because the budget doesn't always allow it, but we do the best with what we have, and I have learnt from working with the big leagues like the London Community Gospel Choir and Tinie Tempah. What some people doesn't realise is that a few of the good engineers, musicians and singers come from the gospel worship world. What I do feel is that the music industry brings the professional out of them.’