CARY, NC – An Aviom Pro64 audio network installed at the new Cary Church of God facility here is helping to distribute 64 channels of audio throughout the church's sanctuary for signal capture for live monitoring as well as audio recording and PA distribution for the church's FOH sound. Designed and installed by Audio Artistry, the Pro64 system supplements the church's original Pro16 Personal Mixing System, which was moved from the former sanctuary.
"The Pro64 network just made sense for this installation," said Marshall Kay, president and owner of Audio Artistry, who designed the Pro64 network to run audio from the stage to the FOH sound booth and to an audio/video recording room. "To make this whole system work with the architecture they needed for this church, it was going to take a lot of analog cabling to get all the data they required back and forth, and it would have been impractical. Since the instrumentation is captured at the stage and then routed to various areas, the church can pick and choose which channels to use at any given time without loss of signal."
At FOH, the sound booth houses a Yamaha M7CL console with three Aviom 6416Y2 A-Net Interface Cards for handling the FOH mix and sending monitor stems to the multi-zone personal mixing system. From there, the signal is routed to the audio/video recording room, where the church creates mixes for CDs, DVDs and webcasts of the services through a Yamaha 02R96 mixing console.
This console is connected to the FOH console via another three 6416Y2 Cards and a single Cat-5e cable. Here, the 64 channels of audio are output to a digital recorder using four of Aviom's Pro16 AN-16/o v.4 Output Modules, which are connected to an Aviom ASI A-Net Systems Interface to convert the Pro64 signal to Pro16 for use with the personal mixers.
In addition to the 6416Y2 Cards used in the Yamaha consoles, several Aviom 6416i Input Modules and a 6416o Output Module are used throughout the sanctuary to distribute the signal from one location to another.
The Aviom network simplifies what could have been a more complex setup, with all audio runs on a single Cat-5 cable. Most importantly, Kay noted, "it just works. People don't ask or complain about what is behind the scenes. It's as good as the old days with an analog snake; it's that reliable."
Audio Artistry consultant Jeff Creasy agreed. "The Aviom Pro64 system made audio networking at the church simpler in many ways. Not only did it meet all of the necessities the church was looking for, it also preserved the church's existing Pro16 investment."
In addition to the Pro64 audio network, the church band and praise team uses a multi-zone Aviom Personal Mixing System. A total of 32 channels of direct sends and sub-mixes are sent from the Yamaha M7CL at front of house to 16 A-16II Personal Mixers used by the band and praise team on stage.
The praise team uses the mixers with their Shure wireless in-ear monitors, which lets them move about the stage while customizing their monitor mix. This group receives 16 channels made up of sub-mixes of the band and direct sends of themselves.
Including everything from guitar, drums and electric keyboards to trumpets and saxophones, the band receives a separate 16 channels for their monitor mix that includes sub-mixes of the praise team and direct sends of themselves. This multi-zone system ensures that the needs of all the performers are met, giving them exactly what they need to hear as well as control over the volume and pan of these mixes.
With the new facility, the praise leader asked for the ability to have more direct control over the instrument and vocal mixes. To fulfill this goal, Creasy provided him with a means to monitor all 32 channels of audio, using an A-16CS Control Surface with an A-16R Personal Mixer, positioned off-stage, in conjunction with his A-16II.
"The church practices under a Pentecostal style, which is a very upbeat service," noted Kay. "Music is a pretty important part of the church, which makes the Aviom Personal Mixing System an essential part of the weekly services."
In fact, when the choir and band travel to remote locations, they take the system with them. For these events, they travel with their A-16II Personal Mixers and an AN-16/i Input Module to connect to the console in use on location.
Originally founded in the early 1980s, North Carolina's Cary Church of God hosts nearly 1,100 parishioners each Sunday. For more information, visit www.carycog.com.
Located in Raleigh, NC, Audio Artistry was founded in 1992 by Marshall Kay and Kurt Pasquale, who serves as vice president of manufacturing. More information can be found at www.audioartistry.com.
For more information about Aviom, go to www.aviom.com.
