Willow Park Church relies on Countryman for 21st annual Living Nativity
Published: WORSHIP
WORLD: Multiple E6 Omni Earset microphones from Countryman Associates were used by Canada’s Willow Park Church for its recent annual Living Nativity. The audience was able to partake in an interactive town depicting Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth, and experienced a Victorian-themed room inhabited by live mannequins in various displays.
Audio quality was crucial to the Living Nativity’s success, and to ensure the highest level of vocal reproduction, Chris Neufeld, technical director at Willow Park Church selected the Countryman Associates microphones. Mr Neufeld was also tasked with providing leadership to the 500 volunteers that made the show possible, including assisting with the sound, lights and media across the four locations within the church network.
‘Our services can best be described as contemporary with an emphasis on music and a Bible-focused message,’ Mr Neufeld explained. ‘The Countryman E6 Omni Earsets are a very effective microphone choice for both weekly services and our various productions. We use E6’s on all our preaching pastors, as well is in any drama productions we do for Christmas and Easter. This Christmas, we had nine E6’s on stage and in past years, we’ve deployed as many as 16. Our first E6 purchase dates back to within weeks of its initial release to the public, so we have considerable experience with the microphones.
‘The thing that attracted me to using an earset mic initially was the excellent high gain before feedback it would provide,’ he continued. ‘Until the E6, I couldn’t get a pastor to wear a headworn mic. Now that we’re using the E6, I have come to appreciate the consistency in the volume when the pastor looks up, down, and around – as compared to a traditional lavaliere mic. Because it rarely feeds back, the E6 requires very little EQ, and sounds far more natural.’
Mr Neufeld noted that he considers the E6’s replaceable cable to be an important feature. ‘Fast costume changes in the dark can cause some pretty bad abuse,’ he explained. ‘I have tried competitor’s microphones, and when that cable gets damaged in a costume change, the mic suffers. With the E6, I simply keep a couple of extra cables backstage, so a damaged connector takes only a second to swap out, and the show goes on!’
When queried about the pastor’s use of the E6 earset mic, Mr Neufeld said: ‘Our current senior pastor interjects a lot of humour during his sermons, so he uses the E6 as he feels it makes him look more dignified and less like a stand-up comic. None of our pastors would consider using the bulkier headsets that were commonly available prior to the E6.
‘I occasionally get asked to help other churches in the area with their sound issues,’ he added, ‘and typically, they want me to help them upgrade their loudspeaker system. I always take an E6 with me, and once they hear how their pastor can sound with a proper microphone, they often decide against costly upgrades. A good microphone may seem expensive on the surface, but money spent on the right microphone is always money well spent. When we bought our first E6, I would carefully place it on the actor with the most lines, or the one who sang a solo. Now, I wouldn’t consider using any other microphone on any actor, which is why we had nine E6’s in use this year.’