Last month, I wrote about the uses of small format consoles in houses of worship. So it would only make sense for me to focus on large format consoles this month. Actually, I will be writing about large and mid-sized consoles. For the purposes of this article, I’ll assume that you are looking for — or at least dreaming about — a bigger board for your sanctuary, and preferably a console with more channels, more aux sends, more features and generally more bells and whistles.
Before we get started, my personal definition of a mid-sized board is any console sporting 24 or more channels in a frame that is 48 inches or less wide. My rather random definition aside, the reality is that, these days, many digital boards fall under 48 inches wide and can offer dozens of channels. That said, there are still a lot of large-format analog boards in use in worship houses throughout the world.
Livin’ Large
So, let’s consider the advantages of a bigger board. The most obvious advantage is offering more channels to play (or work) with. If your house console has 16 channels and you need 20 channels to properly mix your worship band, choir and minister, the problem is obvious. Certainly you can get by on 16 channels, but the overall mix will suffer. However, if you have a 32-channel board and you need only 20 channels for a proper mix, the advantage is equally obvious. As someone who’s been mixing in houses of worship more than two decades, I can tell you, the more channels the better.
Along with the additional channels, larger boards have more features. You can expect additional aux sends, and better EQ (or at least a wider range of EQ features) and subgroups (or additional subgroups).
Some console manufacturers use the same components in their small boards as they do in some of their mid- or large-format models. For example, a small-format, rack-mountable Mackie Onyx board has the same pre-amps, EQ and faders as the mid-size Onyx mixers. Yamaha and Midas also use some of the same components in many of their console offerings. (I know there are more manufacturers building consoles using the same quality components across their models lines, so forgive me if I did not mention your favorite manufacturer.)
Let’s get back to exploring advantages of using that big console. I occasionally mix at a church in the Los Angeles area that has a 40-channel Allen & Heath GL3300. The sanctuary seats about 600, yet the building is actually used by two different church groups. The groups are completely separate from each other, but they use the same stage and the same sound system.
With the Allen & Heath board, one church worship group is set up on the first 20 channels and the other worship group is set up on channel 21 to 40. It really works out seamlessly, even though one service is in English and the other is in Spanish. However, I did lock up the front of house graphic equalizer just to keep things consistent from week to week.
A Few More Considerations
Those are some of the more obvious advantages of a mid- or large-format mixing console. However, the real question is: Are you really planning to acquire a new mixer? If so there are more things to consider.
How many channels will you actually need? If you think you will need 24, then I suggest you find a 32-channel board. If you need 32 channels, go for a 40-channel board, and so on. Will you need a lot of aux sends? If you have an in-ear monitoring system for your worship band, a couple of extra aux sends will come in handy. Will you need four or eight subgroups? Will you be using your new board for recording or broadcasting/webcasting? Do you want to go digital or analog?
And, of course, the amount of money you’re planning to invest in your new console is important. Generally speaking, the digital board will cost more dollars than its analog counterpart, but a lot of your outboard gear will already be onboard.
Another thing to consider is whether you plan on purchasing a new console or a used one. The prevailing thinking in most houses of worship is that a new board will have no problems and a used console is going to have potential issues. That said, you can encounter some amazing deals on a used analog console these days, especially with many organizations (churches and otherwise) trading in their analog boards for digital ones.
Of course, buying a used console takes some knowledge and skill. You must get your best audio tech involved with the process, and every aspect of the board must be tried and tested. The Allen & Heath GL3300 I mentioned earlier had been purchased as a used console. I was not involved with the acquisition, but the board works beautifully and sounds awesome. Apparently that house of worship went through the proper steps (or prayed a lot) before they purchased it.
Once you get your new console, you’ll have to make room for it. Whatever format size you decide on, you’ll need an appropriate sized area from which to mix. That may just mean you will set up your new console in the old mixing location. Alternatively, you may be finding an entirely different place in your house of worship to mix from.
In some future column, I should write something about selecting — and/or dealing with — console locations in houses of worship. To tell you the truth, most congregations have an uncanny knack for putting their consoles in somewhat less-than-desirable mixing locations. But that is another story for another time. Until then, good luck with your console, whether it be small, medium or large, or analog or digital.
