Case Study: Cedarview Community Church

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At Cedarview Community Church, we teach God’s word, prioritize worship, welcome God’s spirit, proclaim salvation, seek God’s face, serve God’s people and have a heart for missions.  As we strive to equip the local church body to grow and to be Christs’ extended hand to the community and world, we aim to do it with excellence and purpose by directing all attention to Jesus Christ. It’s important for the church to be focused on God’s word and to honor its authority over every aspect of our life and conduct.  With that comes a heart of worship, a sensitivity the Holy Spirit in line with New Testament Scriptures and desire to reach the lost. 

I have worked with Cedarview a few times. I actually attend the church and serve as their Technical Director, and over time – because of the age of the gear in the church – they needed to look at modernizing and replacements. In some cases, the church ran into emergency situations where gear needed to be replaced immediately.  As an integration contractor, we set up a stewardship approach which allows churches to plan for natural evolution for failure and obsolescence, identifying and planning for replacement equipment before it reaches a fail point.

Case Study: Woodlawn Baptist Church Brightens Its Service with New Hitachi Projectors

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Woodlawn Baptist Church is a community church with a congregation of 250. When its 11-year-old projectors came to the end of their life, we decided to upgrade the entire projection system in the sanctuary to provide a better experience. With the help of Shepherd Multimedia, Woodlawn Baptist Church has become home to two new Hitachi CPWX-8750 7,500-lumen projectors.
Inside the sanctuary at Woodlawn Baptist Church, we have an AV set up complete with two new Hitachi CP-WX8750 projectors and screens, one on each side of the stage, for the congregation to be able to follow along with song lyrics, Scripture readings, testimonies, and announcements before and during services. Because of the A-line shaped ceiling, we have permanently mounted the projectors on the side walls near the back of the sanctuary, which also allows for easier access to change out bulbs. Equipped with long-throw lenses, the two new projectors have integrated into the entire AV system for easy control.
The projectors that we were using before the upgrade to the new Hitachi projectors were eleven years old. The picture at that point was so dim we had to turn the lights completely off in the sanctuary to see images. With the increase from 4,000 lumens to 7,500, the new projectors are a great improvement. On top of that, we installed two larger screens above our platform, which really helps with visibility when compared to projecting onto the wall. As well, with the Hitachi Perfect Fit feature, we can easily fine tune the image to the screens week to week.

Tremendous Fidelity and Great Pattern Control Make Danley Sound Labs the Right Choice for First Baptist Church of Cushing

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Although its original building was lovely to look at, First Baptist Church of Cushing in Cushing, Oklahoma was faced with the wonderful problem of having outgrown its sanctuary. The church raised money for a new building that would preserve the charms of its original building while improving on its function and expanding seating capacity to 750. They hired local integration firm Beasley Technology and its sister company, AVL specialists, Hart Designs, to handle everything from security to sound reinforcement. Although the original design involved a different loudspeaker manufacturer, the Beasley-Hart team experienced a revelatory Danley Sound Labs demo before anything was committed and immediately switched the project over to Danley, much to everyone’s delight.
“First Baptist Church of Cushing’s new sanctuary is approximately ninety feet by ninety feet with a thirty-two-foot peak,” explained Doug Hart, owner of Hart Designs. “Their service style is contemporary, with a full band, but they keep the volume under control, in part because the congregation is a mix from very young to old. They wanted a sound system with great intelligibility and impact. I had been hearing good things about Danley for a long time, but it wasn’t until I was on vacation with my family in Silver Dollar City and caught a show at the Opera House that I heard Danley boxes for myself. The show sounded fantastic! When I got back home, I arranged a Danley demo in a local theater that Geoff Beasley is restoring. Kim Comeaux of Anderson Sales and Marketing drove eight hours round trip for the demo and Geoff and I, along with all of our audiophile friends, were totally blown away. They were the best speakers we had ever heard!”

Pliant Technologies’ CrewCom Proves to be Reliable for Grace Church

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When Grace Church was looking to upgrade its coms, they found the ideal solution with Pliant Technologies’ CrewCom wireless intercom system. The Church, which regularly uses intercoms for weekend services, communion, prayer services and concerts, needed a reliable system that also had a small learning curve for volunteer staff. Its wireless system also needed to provide wireless coms throughout the main sanctuary. The church often has up to four users operating in one zone in their 3200-seat auditorium, and Pliant’s CrewCom provides seamless connection for multiple users.
“I’ve been band-aiding our aging 700MHz wireless coms system for several years now, and earlier this year we finally made the decision to invest in a new, modern system,” says Banks. “Our main contact at Pliant, Art Gonzales, just happened to be in Saint Louis for a live sound event and was able to set up a demo of CrewCom so we could put the system through its paces. The demo was an amazing opportunity to try CrewCom, and we quickly saw how we would benefit from making the purchase. We examined other options, but at the end of the day, Pliant’s system just worked better, was easy to set up, and simple to use.”

CLEAR-COM DIGITAL WIRELESS SOLUTION ENABLES CLEAR, FLEXIBLE COMMUNICATION FOR LIFE CHURCH

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LIFE, a multi-site church in Auckland, New Zealand, has a sophisticated live audio-visual production set-up that provides its congregation with superior coverage of services, worship-based concerts and conferences. In late 2018, it opened its newest facility, LIFE Central Campus, with an 1800-seat auditorium, a 300-seat Chapel facility and foyer spaces. The extensive facility necessitated a wide-ranging, high-functioning communication system to keep production teams connected, not just around the building but also with the other LIFE campuses.
Riki Willis, Production Project Coordinator, LIFE, said, “The new facility is set up as a typical live production environment, including a vision control room and auditorium FOH. We needed multiple channels of simultaneous communication to support the various job functions, from technical directors and video producers to lighting operators and stage management crew, so a matrix was deemed necessary. We also wanted to be able to live-link audio and video to and from our two other Auckland-based campuses.”
Having evaluated and priced the major market competitors, the LIFE team chose Clear-Com® for a number of compelling reasons, as Willis explains, “I tested the competitors’ latest generation wireless system against FreeSpeak II and felt that FreeSpeak II’s audio quality and noise floor were far superior. We also already owned some Clear-Com LQ® units and partyline equipment, so there was compatibility with existing kit, and there is also more knowledge of the Clear-Com product line in New Zealand, which is helpful when we are hiring or welcoming external teams to the facility.”
The Clear-Com installation includes an Eclipse® HX-Delta matrix frame with E-IPA cards, with FreeSpeak II® IP-enabled transceivers and beltpacks, V-Series Iris intercom panels and LQ Series IP interfaces.

Danley Point-Source Speakers Replace Line Array at First United Methodist Church of Midland, Texas

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At over 130 years old and counting, First United Methodist Church of Midland, Texas is the oldest church in Midland, an oil industry hub and home to over 100,000 people. The church enjoys local fame because its spacious and beautiful sanctuary was the site of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush’s wedding, and the First Lady’s mother, who is local to the area, is still a member. Unfortunately, a recent sound reinforcement system “upgrade” to line arrays disappointed congregants, staff, and musicians alike because of its murky, indistinct sound. FUMC called in local AV integration firm Romeo Music, who worked with Danley representative Anderson Sales and Marketing to design and install a straightforward replacement system at a fraction of the cost using Danley’s patented point-source technologies. The new Danley system is a hit, so much so that FUMC is considering a new Danley system for its contemporary worship space as well.
“This was a sensitive situation,” said Rebecca Lowrey, account manager at Romeo Music. “First United Methodist holds a traditional service in the sanctuary, with reinforced voice, piano, choir, and string quartet. They also have a pipe organ. Many of the solo musicians are paid, which gives you a sense of how much the church respects music. Their new line array system was less than three years old. It was expensive, respectable technology but the wrong application. There were many spots in the sanctuary where no one could make out what the pastor was saying, and everywhere else it was muddy and reverberant. No one could even hear the choir, and the choir couldn’t hear themselves or the piano that is just ten feet away. There was a lot of frustration as the line array system was very far from meeting their needs.”

Intelligible speech amidst York Minster’s ethereal reverberation with the d&b xC-Series

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Steeped in centuries of history, the city of York’s magnificent Minster holds a revered place in the lives of locals and visitors alike. The Minster’s in-house team recently completed a ground-breaking project by installing over one hundred loudspeakers from the d&b xC-Series of cardioid columns, forming the largest system of its kind in any Minster – and becoming the largest single installation of the xC-Series to date. As a space designed for reverberant excitation by the choral songs of old, which now hosts a myriad of services and events, the requirement and challenge of this project was to deliver a sound system like no other. To enable a platform for transparency, engagement and spiritual intimacy no matter the expression of Worship.

d&b Partner, Wigwam, part of SSE Audio Group and now Solotech, in response to a commission from church leaders, commenced work on a solution capable of delivering the spoken word without distraction, and reinforcing live music for a variety of events within the Cathedral situated at the heart of Christianity in the north of England since the seventh century.

Wigwam Installation Manager Phil Goldsworthy was familiar with the 2-way passive column loudspeakers from the d&b xC-Series, which are elegantly engineered to provide effective solutions for acoustically challenging environments whilst being architecturally complementary to their surroundings. Inevitably, a RAL color matched system was the perfect companion to the soaring masonry on display throughout the Ministry.

First Baptist Dallas Implements DPA Subminis For TV Broadcasts and Worldwide Streaming

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Through broadcast and online digital channels, First Baptist Dallas’ reach expands beyond its in-house attendance. With a following that spans tens of thousands of worshippers, the megachurch takes its audio and video capabilities very seriously, looking to Lead Audio Engineer Brad Roberts to choose just the right gear. Most recently, Roberts became one of the first U.S. users of DPA Microphones’ new 6066 CORE Subminiature Headset Microphone, relying on its capabilities to provide a discreet, high-quality sound for the church’s lead pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress.
“I chose to upgrade the lead pastor’s microphone to DPA’s 6066 because of its impressively small capsule and redesigned headset—for such an unobtrusive solution, the sound quality is impeccable,” explains Roberts. “The 6066 is completely hidden from close-up HD camera shots and its non-reflective boom further improves the aesthetic, as it does not catch undesirable stage light.”
The church’s arsenal of DPA microphones also includes numerous 4061 Omnidirectional Microphones for acoustic pianos and violins in the band, a 4098 Supercardioid Gooseneck Microphone at the podium, the 4018VL Vocal Microphone when a handheld mic is needed and a wide array of 4066 Omnidirectional Headset Microphones in all 12 of its worship venues. Roberts relies on the headset mics most often during speaking/teaching presentations, baptisms and drama productions, including the church’s annual Christmas concert. Together, these solutions provide Roberts with the audio quality he desires for these large services, where all eyes—and ears—are tuned in closely.

Leading the Way for Live Streaming Services

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After just two months of live streaming, the Olivet United Methodist Church in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, has been able to connect with church members from all around the world, including some who have moved away, some who were temporarily home-bound, and other who were on vacation. The new live streaming system was in place just before Christmas in 2018. In that time, the church media team has been able to live stream a candlelight service, the 2018 Christmas service, and a special baptism. The live streaming system has connected house bound parishioners like Tori Parker who commented “Glad I can be here, even from my couch as I recover from surgery.”

The system has also connected members of the church who have moved away from the area, like Agnes Miner who says “What a blessing to happen (though I’m not convinced things just “happen”) to check my Facebook feed just a few minutes before 10 this morning and discover the first live feed of your service! And then to discover Pastor Spiegelhalder was participating, and the service included the baptism of his great-granddaughter! It’s been 40 years since our family lived in Coatesville and were active at Olivet. What a joy to participate in the service remotely!” It’s comments like these that remind us why we live stream church services.

In the included video above, you will get the chance to see a behind the scenes look at the new church video production system installed in the Olivet United Methodist Church. This system includes two PTZOptics cameras, the PTZOptics Producer Kit and a whole lot more!