How-To Use Assistive Listening Devices for Translation

In Audio, home_page, Web Articlesby admin

There’s been a lot of talk about assistive listening systems in houses of worship, particularly when it comes to what your facility is legally required to provide by law (Assistive Listening and the Law, TFWM, March 2015).  Having an assistive listening system in place ensures that all your congregants have an opportunity to fully participate in worship, hear the message, and remain a vital part of your church community. However, listening assistive systems can be used for more than just helping your congregants with hearing loss; they can also be used for translation services – and, as the country continues to grow more multi-cultural, this use will become more important.
What would it mean for your facility if you could offer real-time translation of your pastor’s message for the non-English speaking members of your congregation?  For example, if you have a high-percentage of Spanish-speaking congregants, having someone who can translate the message and transmit that translation to them via an assistive listening device allows them to participate more fully in worship, and shows them that they are a valued member of your church community.
Many devices offer multiple channels and programmable receivers, so you could run both translation and assistive listening at the same time – just let your guests know what the channel assignment is for their specific need.

The Brighter Message:

In home_page, Install News, Projection, Projection Install Newsby admin

BenQ LK952 4K HDR BlueCore Laser Projector Delivers Clarity and Reduces Operational Expense at Frisco Bible Church
Frisco Bible Church in Frisco, Texas, is celebrating 25 years. Founded by Pastor Wayne Braudrick, the church started with a congregation of only five families at a time when the rural farm town’s population was only 7,000. Since that time, Frisco has experienced a record-breaking boom and was the fastest-growing city in the United States in 2017. It now has a population of almost 180,000 with Frisco Bible Church serving 1,500 members.
“We have a small-town vibe and being close to Dallas — the home of the Cowboys and the National Soccer Museum — sports have heavily influenced and brought our community together,” said Josh Chilton, Technical Arts Director for Frisco Bible Church. Frisco Bible Church lives by it’s mission, “We are a redeemed community, doing the great commission, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God.” Through that mission, the worship and technical ministries create connections to reach the world.
In 2011, Frisco Bible Church moved into its current location. At that time, three standard lamp projectors where installed in the church’s worship center to deliver lyrics, background imagery, sermon PowerPoints, and occasionally live video. The projectors’ upkeep, however, was steep. The church had to replace the bulbs and filters annually. The church was spending almost $2,000 a year on replacement bulbs that slowly diminished over the course of the year, impacting services. The projectors’ color wheels were also burning out after only 9 years of use, and the rear projector was no longer in operation.

HOW-TO Matrix Intercom Systems

In Audio, Audio Product Reviews, home_pageby admin

by Christian Diehl
Intercom systems today come in many different shapes and sizes. When considering an intercom system, it is important to prioritize the things that are important. Make sure that you get the sound quality and scalability that you need!
In terms of sound quality, digital systems will provide the highest quality sound with virtually no hums or buzzes. In a quiet church environment, extra noise can be especially annoying. In a concert environment or during outdoor services, the ability to hear and be heard are not just instrumental to the success of the production, but often can be key elements in the safety of the production crew and audience alike.
Scalability is a completely different issue because it’s something that can be easily overlooked or disregarded. Yet, in an effort to make your productions better or to service and reach more people, it is often necessary to grow your intercom system. The ability to do so without spending a lot of time, money, and spirit is the essence of scalability.

Life Church Selects VITEC Houses of Worship Streaming Solutions

In home_page, Install News, Live Streaming, Media Solutions, Video/Broadcast, Video/Broadcast Install Newsby admin

VITEC, a worldwide leader in advanced video encoding and streaming solutions, today announced its MGW Ace Encoder and Decoder were successfully installed at Life Church and its four satellite campuses in Memphis, Tenn. Part of VITEC’s Houses of Worship Solution, the MGW Ace Encoder and Decoder allow the church to live stream its services from the main campus to its satellite locations easily, affordably, and in the highest quality with perfect synchronization, providing an enhanced video delivery that truly engages followers.
“The two most important things for us when we were looking for a streaming platform were reliability and performance,” said Brian Pitre, Life Church’s Creative Director. “VITEC, without a doubt, delivers on both. It’s been more than a year, and we have not had a single issue. That’s a testament of VITEC’s absolutely flawless technology.”
Life Church’s years long search for a streaming solution that would easily and reliably record a high-quality broadcast video from the main location and stream it live to multiple satellite locations simultaneously without errors and with delayed playback ended with VITEC. Well-known in the house of worship market, VITEC utilizes cutting-edge HEVC encoding technology and the industry-leading Zixi™ error-free streaming protocol to seamlessly and reliably transmit multiple independent IP streams in high quality to churches of any size over the existing IP infrastructure.

Stage Audio Works delivers full solution for Die Bron Church

In Audio, Audio Install News, home_page, Install News, Lighting, Lighting Install News, Video/Broadcast, Video/Broadcast Install Newsby admin

Stage Audio Works’ Cape Town office has helped to enhance the services at Die Bron Church and Theatre with new audio, video and lighting solutions throughout its campus. The project called for a campus-wide integrated solution and saw Stage Audio Works partner with Gearworx for the installation.
“Die Bron Church required a complete solution, covering AV, audio and lighting,” recalls Jerome Gideon from Stage Audio Works’ Cape Town office. “The client wanted the best solution for their budget and to make operation as easy as possible. They also wanted to make sure that no matter where you were seated within the venue, you could hear every spoken word clearly.”
To meet this brief, Stage Audio Works designed a wide-reaching solution, drawing on the strengths of many of the brands it represents. Starting with the audio solution in the theatre, the main PA comprises eight d&b audiotechnik 10AL line array cabinets, with a pair of 18S-SUBs and the same number of B22 subwoofers providing low end reinforcement. Delays are in the form of eight d&b E8 cabinets with power for the audio solution from the German manufacturer’s 10D and 30D amplifiers. On stage, performers use Sennheiser EW500 wireless microphones, while monitoring is available via Sennheiser EW300 in-ear monitors or dBTechnologies Flexsys FM12 wedges. Completing the audio signal chain is a Yamaha QL5 digital mixing console and Rio3224 stage box.

DPA Microphones’ 2028 Vocal Mic Makes U.S. Debut at AES

In Audio, Audio Industry News, Audio Product News, home_page, Industry News, Product Newsby

DPA Microphones
will debut its new 2028 Vocal Microphone, which aims to change the live performance landscape with its renowned natural sound, road-ready design and competitive price point, to the U.S. pro audio market at AES 2019 (Booth 633). The company will also highlight its new 4097 CORE Supercardioid Choir Mic, expertly tailored to capture dynamic choir sound, at the show.
“DPA continually strives to provide the most advanced technology and best sound possible to meet the growing needs of current and potential customers,” says Christopher Spahr, director of sales and marketing, DPA U.S. “Our new 2028 Vocal Mic and 4097 Choir Mic solutions are the latest representation of our mission. From churches to concerts, DPA is proud to offer ground-breaking solutions that continue to push the limits of modern technology.”

Danley Sound Labs Delivers Crystal-Clear Intelligibility on a Tight Budget at Saint Barnabas Catholic Church

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Saint Barnabas Catholic Church is a vital social anchor and community-builder in an economically-challenged section of Birmingham, Alabama. Its beautiful sanctuary was constructed in the early 1950s, and, although the room itself is still in excellent shape, the sound reinforcement system that went in fifty years ago was not. The room can accommodate 300 people, but congregants routinely avoided all of the middle pews because it was impossible to understand what was being said, and intelligibility toward the front and back was still challenging at best. Local AV integration firm ENG AV designed and installed a simple but remarkably effective Danley Sound Labs loudspeaker system comprised of two Danley SM100 loudspeakers and four small Danley Nano loudspeakers for choir and stage monitors.
“Many of our parishioners are older, and hearing can be a challenge for them even under the best of circumstances,” explained Father Douglas Vu, who, in addition to leading Saint Barnabas, volunteers his time as a sports commentator. Father Vu’s boundless energy and enthusiasm have made him a local celebrity in the Birmingham area. He continued, “Our parish is located in a poorer neighborhood of Birmingham, and money is always an issue. That’s why I was happy to work with Gary [Boackle] at ENG AV. I trusted that he would deliver a custom-built system that would solve our intelligibility problems for the most affordable price.”

Altman Lighting creates a balanced and colorful worship design at Bannockburn Church

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Dedicated to creating a welcoming and authentic relationship with their congregation, Bannockburn Church is a sanctuary filled with encouragement and bonded through a common faith. Located near Austin, Texas, the church recently made the decision to renovate their outdated production design behind the worship environment, and they needed a partner to make the design a reality. With preparations of their own already underway for the opening of a new office in Texas, the design and integration specialists at 5 Words Media were ready to take full control with a design utilizing Chalice downlights and AP-150 LED Par luminaires from Altman Lighting.
“We were traveling a lot in Texas for a number of projects in the House of Worship market, so we began looking at the possibility of opening a new office,” began Daniel Gourley, CEO, 5 Words Media. “Strategically located in the middle of San Antonio, Dallas and Houston, Austin is a very progressive entertainment environment, making it an ideal expansion possibility. Since we knew Dustin Parker from our work with him at Life Austin Church, we did our best to convince him to join us and it’s been a natural extension for us as we continue to grow year-after-year.”
“When I first spoke with Daniel, I was doing a lot of in-house projects, but then also working on additional AVL freelance projects with other churches throughout the area,” added Dustin Parker, Sales Engineer, 5 Words Media.  “My true passion is to help congregations get the most out of the worship experience, so when I had the opportunity to join 5 Words Media, I really took it and ran with it.”
As discussions began with Bannockburn Church on how they would like to renovate their production design, it became clear that the architecture of the sanctuary was a valued aspect of the worship environment. Wanting to both highlight and accentuate the design characteristics already in place, the team at 5 Words Media would need to completely revamp the antiquated lighting technology.