The Old Apostolic Church has a long history in South Africa and has its origins in the Cape in 1926, therefore making it an 88-year-old institution with deep rooted traditions. However, as time marches on and progress is made, institutions such as these tend to evolve concordantly to bring the message closer to the congregation through modern technology.
In South Africa it seems that houses of worship are constantly looking for newer and better ways to aid them in that endeavour. While churches have steadfast traditions and beliefs that form the core of their spirituality, I admire the way that they appreciate the value of up-to-date technology. After all, a great sounding audio system and effective AV go a long way to improve the efficiency of broadcasting the message and can certainly make the service more engaging.
The Old Apostolic Church in Christiaanville, Pretoria, recently received an upgrade to its audio, lighting and AV systems, performed by turnkey solution specialists Wild and Marr in conjunction with audio and AV specialist integrators Celestia AV, and directed by design and sales engineer Ralph Moehrke. The aim of the installation was to supply a system that could be used for church services as well as for third parties wishing to use the hall for other events so for this reason a comprehensive and user-friendly solution was desired.
Audio
“The main structure is a 2 000-seater with two overflow rooms that seat about 200 people in each’, says Moehrke. “They have their own dedicated PA in addition to the main PA or it is able to operate independently with a wireless handheld or lapel microphone as well as a video input for the display. So they’re completely self-contained. The two rooms can work in conjunction with the main auditorium or they can work independently.’
The main audio system in the church is based around a JBL Vertec VT4886 subcompact line array. Nine elements per side were installed along with nine accompanying VT4883 single 12′ high output subwoofers. Both the mid-high and subwoofer arrays were flown on a splayed arch of truss above the stage. The subwoofers particularly were configured in a 4 x 1 x 4 configuration (four a side with a centre-fill) due to the arrays having to be positioned around a central air duct and the organ speaker system, which is independent from the main system. The VT4886 and VT4883 systems are powered by seven Crown IT-12000HD amplifiers installed into the main rack.
Front of house received a Soundcraft Si Expression 32-channel digital mixing console (expandable to 64 channels) with an accompanying Soundcraft Compact stage box that offers 48 inputs and 16 outputs and a wireless access point was configured for iPad remote control of the Si Expression mixer. For onstage monitoring, four JBL PRX612M two-way self-powered loudspeakers were supplied.
The preferred microphone system was the Shure ULX-D digital wireless system. A ULX-D four-channel digital diversity receiver was installed along with two ULX-D1 beltpack transmitters and two ULX-D2 digital handheld radio microphones with SM58 capsules. For direct injection, two BSS AR133 DI boxes were the go-to choice for acoustic guitars. Since the church engages in a lot of choir performances, six Shure SM81 condenser microphones were strategically hung around the stage area to pick up the performances.
The backbone of the audio distribution system is based around a BSS Soundweb BLU160 AES/EBU 8x 8 digital signal processor. This enables the system to be configured for multiple zones. Presets can be stored and recalled to cater for specific independent configurations where the audio systems can be split for independent use or unified as one.
Each of the overflow rooms received identical equipment. As mentioned, these rooms were designed to be used in the event of overflow from the main auditorium or as separate rooms with their own audio and visual aids. Eight JBL Control 47LC two-way, low-profile ceiling speakers were installed, and individually powered by a Crown CT8150 eight-channel 150W amplifier. A BSS BLU8 control panel with power supply was wall-mounted for system configuration. Two more input panels were installed for microphone or PC audio input. In terms of microphones, a Shure ULX-D dual channel digital diversity receiver was supplied along with accompanying ULX-D1 and ULX-D2 beltpack and handheld transmitters with SM58 capsules. In keeping with the flexibility of the system, two Shure UA820 ½ wave antennae were installed into the roof, which enables the microphone systems in the overflow rooms to be patched into the main system if need be.
“The microphones are all integrated into the Soundweb London BLU system’, says Moehrke, “There are inputs at the back points that link between the two rooms so everything is shared so that we can actually access the rear microphones at front of house.’
One of the more interesting aspects of the installation was the inclusion of a “hard of hearing loop’. This is a band of chairs marked with red backs where hearing impaired people can tap into what is called an “induction loop’.
Moehrke explains:”People with impaired hearing that have hearing aids can simply switch their hearing aids into induction mode and tap into the loop that is driven by an amplifier driving 80 to 100 Watts and tuned down to four Ohms. There is a single wire that runs under the chairs and that basically energises the loop.’
AV and video
The AV and video system at the Old Apostolic Church, designed by Dean Holdstock of Celestia AV, is comprehensive. The main feature that immediately catches your eye as you step into the church is the large LED wall to the rear of the stage that is capable of displaying service material and live camera feeds. A total of 16 47’LG 6.3mm LED panels configured in a 4 x 4 array were supplied and installed along with a Kramer VM4HXL HDMI distribution amplifier and a Crestron DSP controller.
Video and vision mixing hardware was supplied which included a Panasonic HMX100E mixer with an AW-RP50 Remote Camera Controller and a Kramer VS-66H3 6 x 6 HDMI matrix. Full pan and tilt is supported. This hardware interfaces with two Panasonic HE50SN DH pan tilt indoor cameras, a Panasonic PH360L professional pan tilt head and a Panasonic AG160 HD SDI camera on a tripod for live switching between cameras and display on the LED screen. Two PCs were supplied to the front of position. One PC is used to display service material on the LED screen while the other is loaded with video recording and editing software (Adobe Premiere). A 32′ LG LED display for camera previews was also supplied, as well as a Panasonic HPD24E SD recorder for video recording.
An interesting feature of the AV system was the inclusion of an Apple TV unit. This enables a person giving a presentation on stage to share audio, video or image material on the LED screen via their iOS device. Since many people own these devices in this day and age, this seems like a very pragmatic option.
Finally, for each of the overflow rooms a 2.7m Elite motorised screen, an NEC 3 000 lumen WXGA projector and wall panels with VGA, CV and audio inputs were installed.
Lighting
The relatively simple lighting system at the church was also designed and installed by Dean Holdstock of Celestia AV to resolve the video lighting requirements. Moehrke comments: “The lighting system was small enough to incorporate as a turnkey solution instead of pulling in various other parties. It’s a small system meant to light up the stage but there is colour. It does, however, have the possibility to add moving heads, washes or spots at a later stage.’
To suspend the lighting from the roof structure 10 Prolyte H40V L400 and five H40V L200 trusses were hung to the right and left side of the stage. 30 LED par cans were strategically positioned to shed light on the stage. The lighting console of choice was a Phillips 200 PLUS 24/48.
The wrap
One of the best ways to find out how an installation is faring is to ask the people who are commissioned to use it. Richard Hoey is the man in charge of the audio and AV at the church.
“This is something new to me as I’m used to the old analogue desks,’ says Hoey. “The digital desk is a lot easier to work with and it’s getting easier the more I work with it. It’s very user-friendly once you know what’s going on and without much training on it you can actually help yourself.’
Piet Fourie, the church evangelist says: “I think that if all the sub-contractors that were involved had given us the support Wild and Marr did, it would have been an absolute pleasure. But at this stage, Wild and Marr has done extremely well.’
Wild and Marr has, by evidence of the comments of those involved at the church, clearly pulled off an effective, user-friendly and powerful turnkey system that I’m sure will serve the congregation at the Old Apostolic Church for many years to come.
