Calvary Church Slims Down With SymNet
Feb 3, 2005 11:53 AM
In an age of rampant materialism, "less is more" is a lesson that more and more houses of worship are trying to impart to their flocks. Calvary Church Santa Ana, in Santa Ana, Calif., found that to be true this last year as it wrestled with solutions to a faltering sound system. Frustrated with an aging analog system that was increasingly unreliable, the church opted for a digital audio processing and control system in the form of SymNet Audio Matrix, one of the leading digital audio matrix products on the market provided by Symetrix, Inc.
At Calvary Church Santa Ana, they were able to shed racks full of old analog equipment, replacing them with a SymNet Audio Matrix digital audio processing and control system.
In utilizing SymNet, the church was able to shed racks full of old analog equipment, replacing them with a system easily configured and controlled via computer. Doug Gates, owner of Gates Sound, a Buena Park, Calif., sound systems installation company that installed SymNet for the church, says the system has vastly simplified audio management, and given the church the confidence to make future changes as needed.
"This was the first major upgrade to the church's sound system since it moved into the building it's in, since the early 1990s," Gates says. "In the process of putting this system in, we took out about 15 audio hardware units, like mixers, limiters, and compressors. Now, all of those functions are handled by SymNet."
For a church relying heavily on audio capabilities, SymNet was an ideal answer. Like many churches, it increasingly incorporates live music into services and stages drama skits. In addition, the facility is used for other non-church purposes, such as school graduations, which demand extensive mic capabilities.
To gain digital control over all of the required inputs and outputs for a system that must cover a large, 2,800-seat auditorium and adjacent areas, Gates utilized two SymNet 8x8 units and one Breakout12, configured in a network using SymLink, a digital audio and control data bus that runs over Cat 5 cable. With a big left-center-right loudspeaker cluster and a host of delay speakers, as well as lobby speakers and an assistive listening system, a SymNet solution able to handle a significant number of outputs was critical. With the Breakout12, in addition to the 16 provided by the two 8x8s, those additional output needs are readily handled.
"The Breakout12 has no digital signal processing capabilities, but it's a way to get more analog outputs to the amplifier," he says. "SymNet also gives the church the ability to send audio to areas in different combinations. For example, the lobby area, which is often used for meetings, can be set up as its own area, with audio directed just to lobby speakers. There are several combinations we can fashion like this."
The SymNet solution also incorporates two adaptive remote control (ARC) devices. Consisting of a small button-controlled LCD panel, the units give church technical staff ready access to system controls and presets. One is located at the soundboard and the other is in an usher's closet.
"The ARCs are handy for making changes, such as turning off the delay speakers if there's not a big crowd in the auditorium, turning off lobby speakers when not needed, or simply adjusting the system volume. There are a host of options available using the ARC units."
Compared with the church's old sound system, the new SymNet-based configuration has proven to be more manageable, secure and capable of delivering the kind of sound quality needed by different users, Gates says.
"The security issue is an important one," he notes. "Since the system is now completely controllable via computer, there are a lot fewer analog equipment knobs for people to mess with. You now have password-protected controls in place that allow only selected people to get onto the computer and change settings."
Additionally, incorporating digital controls makes it much easier for the church to check system setting and make needed changes. "Before, when all the equipment was rack-mounted in the basement, it was difficult to EQ something upstairs in the auditorium. Now all of that can be done in the auditorium itself, eliminating the need to go running upstairs for a sound check after settings are adjusted. Computer control makes it so much easier. Before there were no external controls."
Future upgrades and changes to the system also will be much easier with SymNet. Gates says SymNet already has proven its worth in that respect. "Since installing it, we've upgraded speakers, and the process of programming the new speakers only took about 20 minutes," he says. "With SymNet, things are easily reconfigured and it saves a lot of rewiring time."
For Gates, the Santa Ana Church was his first experience with SymNet. Since installing it, he's deployed similar systems for other churches in the area. For many would-be users, the question of cost may come up, but it's always justified in the end.
"Digital solutions like SymNet always look pricey at first to those who don't know about it," he says. "But with Calvary, we had talked to them a long time about something like this being the ultimate solution. It's proved to be an economical solution for them."
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