BRIGANTINE, NJ — During the summer, the number of church-goers at St. Thomas the Apostle Church swells from 1,000 to 3,000 or more. To accommodate the seasonal surge, video and audio from the main sanctuary (also renovated to accommodate more people) is now seen and heard at a new overflow event center. ACIR Professional provided new gear including a Yamaha MG series mixer and installed and portable JBL speakers.
More information from Yamaha (www.yamahaca.com):
Phase One of the enhancement to St. Thomas The Apostle Church included the installation of a 5.1 audio system for playback of media for non-service affairs and a portable audio and video system to handle church services for overflow and other events such as weddings, meetings, etc.
ACIR accomplished this with the installation of a Yamaha MG series mixer, Eiki Projector, JBL ceiling and wall speakers, JBL portable PRX12M and PRX18 speakers, and Sennheiser wireless microphones.
“The church budget was influential in the requirement criteria,” noted Bobby Harper, VP of sales at ACIR Professional. “The combination of equipment used fulfilled the budget requirements as well as the quality and portability requirements.”
Phase Two was to renovate the existing sanctuary. The interior of the church was modified slightly with the addition of Naves on Altar L+R. The entire floor was converted from carpet to marble, so an affordable, yet highly intelligible distributed speaker system from Community Professional was used.
This system is also driven by a Yamaha MG series mixer (for a total of three Yamaha mixers throughout the premises), and includes a Community DSpec processor, all powered by Yamaha P series amplifiers (four in total).
“Sennheiser wireless microphones were chosen for their clarity,” added Harper, “and Shure MX series boundary mics are utilized on the altar, pulpit, and choir area.”
While Phase Two was taking place, the sanctuary was moved to the overflow event center. Because audio I/O panels were placed throughout the room, the church was able to setup a portable sanctuary and perform services as needed, while waiting for the renovation of the main sanctuary to take place. Once the main sanctuary was complete, the services were moved back to the church, with feeds continually sent to the overflow event center.
“The sound system is awesome in the church and the hall,” said Mary Jane Morey, director of Liturgy and Music. ACIR was exceptional to work with and unbelievably knowledgeable. I was able to contact them with concerns during the installation process and initial use of the system 24/7.”
For more information on ACIR Professional, please visit www.acirpro.com.
