Intensity Surrounds the TFWM Pavilion at LDI 2008

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At LDI 2008, TFWM once again held an extremely successful series of seminars within the prominent TFWM pavilion on the exhibit floor. For three solid days, the pavilion cranked out powerful performances by musicians from Central Christian Church (Las Vegas, NV) which raised the adrenaline level of attendees and exhibitors alike. Visitors to the pavilion also had the opportunity to sign up for hands-on training sessions covering everything from mastering digital consoles to setting the lights for HD cameras, and much more.

The pavilion was a focal point on the LDI exhibit floor; it bustled right through to the waning hours on Sunday when the show concluded. Attendees had the benefit of migrating from workshop to workshop within the pavilion over the duration of the conference, picking up technical tips and learning valuable lessons from industry experts to bring back home with them.
Training and education are the main motives for the pavilion. An assorted variety of classes and workshops (all offered at no extra charge to attendees) give attendees a chance to sit down and work hands-on with gear and experience the operation of brand new technology in a real-world environment.

Multiple Training Areas
The TFWM pavilion is made up of several unique training areas, each with its own specific purpose. One section of the pavilion is called the Quiet Stage. At LDI 2008, the Quiet Stage was essentially a Stageline SL 250 mobile stage. The truck was driven into the convention center during setup and transformed into a platform for musicians to perform live during the exhibition. Audio Ethics, a rapidly expanding design build firm based in Charlotte, NC drove the stage in and were instrumental in setting all the pieces together to make it sing.

At LDI, opposite the massive 250 model mobile stage in the TFWM Pavilion was Stageline’s brand new model; the SL 100 mix position. Many of the staff from Stageline were there to field questions about the new model. It is designed to provide a front of house console position in a sheltered area, addressing weather concerns for live outdoor events. The two mobile stages situated across from one another made for a stunning addition to the LDI exhibit floor.

On the Quiet Stage, a live band performed throughout the course of the conference. As they performed, several technologies were incorporated, including video projection, background software and lyric display, lighting, and obviously audio, comprised of digital snakes, personal stage and in-ear monitors for the musicians.

For the video portion, Brad Weston, President of Renewed Vision was on hand to answer questions about the content generated on the screens behind the band. The software Pro Presenter 3 made the backdrop for the band members while they played, incorporating stock videos of fast-moving highway footage, fire and water imagery, song lyrics and other visual elements. The imagery was projected by three Eiki projectors (including their powerful EIP-5000 model), and displayed on a stunning canvas of three custom-made Stewart Filmscreen screens. Another signal was captured by a JVC GY-HD250U video camera which shot the praise band live and passed the signal through a video configuration including an Overture Video Production System provided by Echolab. The video camera was mounted with a CitiDisk™ Hard Drive from Shining Technologies, and Matt Roberts of Shining was there to explain how they were able to capture the video content directly to disk for easy editing.

The Quiet Stage
The band that performed at LDI 2008 was made up of praise teams from Central Christian Church in Las Vegas who performed potent worship songs, such as “We Shine” by Steve Fee.

One of the contrivances of the TFWM Pavilion is the concept of the Quiet Stage. The idea is, as the band performs, people can come right up and listen to the performance in personal headphone sets plugged into individual Aviom A-16 Personal Monitor Mixers (PSM). Having the PSM’s at the front of the pavilion gives people intimate access to the music when the front of house speakers (Q-Series models from d&b) are turned down. What makes the Quiet Stage “quiet” is the fact that there is no ambient noise on the stage. The instruments and mics are run though DI boxes so that the front of house sound can be turned all the way down. When this happens, the only sounds that can be heard are the singer’s ambient vocals and the faint, muffled accents of an acoustic drum kit. As Perdue Acoustics’s Bodie Gregory explained, because the drums are housed in an Isolating Drum Booth enclosure from Perdue, even the loudest of stick-brandishers who take the stage are effectively silenced when the front speakers are turned down. Of course, needless to say, when the d&b cabinets are turned up, everything sounds incredible.

The lights on the stage are made up of a mixture of moving lights, washes, par cans and LEDs provided by Elation Lighting and Ocean Optics. Tasteful lighting looks were developed and carried out on a Jands Vista i3 console supplied by A.C. Lighting. Stephen Ellison, editorial Lighting Advisor for TFWM, was on hand to answer questions about how to run the lighting console in real time, in conjunction with his workshop on fundamental lighting. The lighting console was at one point controlled by Tom Stanziano, former Lighting Director from Lakewood Church in Houston, who has recently taken a position at Ocean Optics as Sales Specialist for its Thin Films Divisions’ SeaChanger products.

The lighting workshop area, being right by the Quiet Stage, was outfitted with LR-400 Portable Display systems from Listen Technologies to ensure that attendees could hear every bit of the instruction with crystal clarity.

Around the Stage
In front of the stage, the duplicator manufacturer Microboards featured their MX series duplication systems, where sales representative Barry King printed DVDs of digital handout information (complete with disk artwork) for people visiting the pavilion.

To one side of the booth space, an array of Yamaha M7CL consoles were set up in a training configuration. Dan Craik of Yamaha Commercial taught multiple classes each day of the exhibition, demystifying digital consoles for attendees and instructing inquiring minds as to the secrets of digital mixing. One church group was so comfortable with the console after the workshop that they ended up purchasing one right off the show floor.

In a separate area, Ashly Audio’s power amps were on hand as well as Tom Knesel, Ashley’s newly appointed National Sales Manager, to answer questions about the various levels of digital signal processing their products provide in different environments.

The pavilion was also a launching ground for press announcements during the show, including pavilion partner Midas’ new Pro 6 console. The smaller version of Midas’ XL8 made for an eye-catching element at the front of the pavilion space, and Matt Larson of Midas was front and center to field any questions about it.

Attendees who visited the TFWM pavilion were encouraged to ask questions, not only about products, but also about process and implementations. The pavilion is designed to be about more than gear, it is a place to learn what will work for any church’s given setup.

Looking Back
Technologies For Worship Magazine was extremely pleased with the turnout and the response from the pavilion at LDI. “It is a great indication of how strong the house of worship market is,” remarked Shelagh Rogers, owner of Technologies For Worship Magazine. “Everyone who came by was so thankful for the training that was offered [at the pavilion].”

TFWM is very excited about what is in store for the future. The pavilion is going on the road internationally at the start of 2009 with a trip to Amsterdam for IS Europe, happening February 3rd through 5th, followed by a subsequent return to Las Vegas for the 2009 NAB Show and a journey to Orlando for InfoComm 2009.

“We want houses of worship everywhere to have access to the training we provide in conjunction with our valuable partners.” remarks Rogers. “Together we are carrying out a plan to raise the level of technical excellence in houses of worship worldwide.”

TFWM thanks LDI and all of the partners who made the TFWM Pavilion such a huge success.

As the pavilion continues to develop, you will be able to see new technologies featured that represent the bleeding edge now being incorporated into worship services around the globe. The instructors and the environment the pavilion provides allows people to get a glimpse of what is possible. If a church is right in the midst of making a decision as to what the budget is going to be for their new duplication system, streaming solution, remote camera setup or video software/projection preference, the TFWM pavilion is the place to get the proper direction. Not only that, because of its location in the middle of trade show floors at major technology conferences, it gives visitors adjacent access to hundreds of exhibiting technology manufacturers who are unveiling their newest wares. New for 2009, look for Trade Show Tours by our experts.

Check www.tfwm.com/conferences for upcoming pavilions in 2009.

TFWM Partners at LDI 2008 included: A. C. Lighting, Ashly Audio, Audio Ethics, Aviom, d&b audiotechnic, EIKI, Elation, JVC, Listen Technologies, Microboards, Midas, Mobile Stage Rentals, Perdue Acoustics, Renewed Vision, Seachanger, Shining Technology Inc., Stage Line, Stewart Filmscreen and Yamaha Commercial Audio.