The technology outreach
Published: WORSHIP
The penetration of AVL technology deep into the worship market is evident in the most modest of surroundings, and its effects can be felt in the most localised of regions around the world where highly traditional forms of worship might be expected to resist too much in the way of innovation. Our Q&A this month provides the proof that this is far from the case, and that even the most parochial of parishes are willing to embrace a carefully selected solution distilled from the best that this industry has to offer.
We visit the First Larne Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland, far away from urbane monuments or flashy televangelism. At this level any technology is likely to be met with suspicion, but this particular ministry in Larne has settled upon a subtle adaptation of conference-style A/V that, according to Coleraine-based installer Darren Gardiner of Light & Sound FX, is winning over converts in the local community.
How does the church community that you deal with respond to the kind of technology services that you provide?
‘The churches are very organised and have dedicated committees for every function. When they say the building will be accessible, for example, it most certainly is – right on the date and time you’ve agreed. It doesn’t always work like that with the city-centre entertainment business that my company works with every day…’
What kind of equipment have you supplied to First Larne Presbyterian Church?
‘At Larne the ceiling above the pulpit carries two KV2 Audio EX12s, while above the gallery at the back of the hall are two EX 10s. These are active, and mixed from a Mackie SR32 placed on the front row of the gallery. We tend to use the SR32 in churches because it’s just so easy to operate. It’s ideal in that budget bracket – very clearly laid out with a gentle sweep to the EQ that prevents an inexperienced user from radically altering things.’
How sophisticated does it get with a system like this?
‘The front and back speakers are time-aligned via BSS Minidrive, but once they were in place and switched on remarkably little tuning was required. That’s down to the sheer quality of the speakers. The alignment ensures that, when the minister speaks, it’s coming from the minister and not from a speaker above your head. They’re full-range, rolled off around 45Hz and EQ’d slightly around 10K and 250Hz-450Hz. That’s all the tweaking there is.’
How much is budget an issue for an installation of this kind?
‘It’s not as much of an issue as you might think. For example, the microphones are all Sennheiser. They may be slightly more expensive, but this is where the churches will spend the money. The cabling, for instance, is all Van Damme Blue Series multicores and Van Damme RGBHV video cable – real specialist cable, and not cheap.’
And there’s more than just audio…?
‘Equally as effective as the audio inventory are the PTZ dome cameras feeding the Kramer Electronics switcher and various screens. These are used for community announcements, biblical images, hymns and even PowerPoint sermons, and now that these features have won over the purists there’s talk of video feeds into the community via CCTV, as well as CD and DVD spin-offs to support the ministry. Crucially, this has worked because of the subtle nature of the installation.’
How does this type of work compare with your entertainment-orientated projects?
‘With a nightclub you can put anything in and nobody really notices, but in a church there’s more time spent on attention to detail than anything else. You have to have it just so, with no loose ends – and, actually, it improves our standard of installation technique.’