FORT WAYNE, IN — Mike Ross is creative arts director at The Pointe Church, based here, which is currently using Line 6 microphones and digital instrument wireless systems. Ross credited the gear for sound quality, flexibility, reliability and ease of use.
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Ross’ first exposure to Line 6 digital wireless was the Relay G50 instrument system, which he has been using for two years now. “It started with a demo,” he recalls. “I was blown away by the accuracy of the sound. I got one immediately, and my bass player and second guitarist got Relay G30 systems. Not long after that, Line 6 introduced their wireless microphones, first the XD-V70 and now, the XD-V75, which have some features that are perfect for the worship market.”
All Line 6 handheld wireless microphones feature DSP-based microphone modeling, which can be set to emulate a variety of popular vocal mics. This feature addresses a vexing problem in miking praise singers. “One model of microphone isn’t a great fit for a rotating cast of singers,” says Mike Ross. “I might have a female vocalist singing background vocals one week but solo two weeks later, with a male vocalist singing the week in between. Line 6 wireless lets me tailor the sound of the mic for the person singing that day. That kind of flexibility is unrivalled.”
Today, The Pointe Church is using a total of eight Line 6 digital wireless systems—three Relay instrument systems, three XD-V70 handhelds, plus headset microphone systems for Mike Ross and lead pastor Ray Harris. All systems deliver the same ease of setup and use, including the normally intimidating area of frequency coordination. Rather than fighting with TV broadcasters and cellular phones in the UHF band, Line 6 systems operate in the license-free 2.4 GHz range, incorporating fourth-generation digital wireless technology that includes Digital Channel lock to prevent interference.
“In a modern worship church like ours, the more volunteer-friendly a piece of gear is, the better. That’s another thing I love about the Line 6 system,” says Ross. “Assigning frequencies isn’t rocket science. You just dial in a different channel on each system and go. It’s absolutely intuitive and easy. There’s no training involved, and no interference with other wireless systems, like our in-ears. It couldn’t be easier.”
Mike Ross sees Line 6 wireless as a major asset in achieving the worship goals of The Pointe Church. “We started six years ago in a movie theater, and now we’re in a permanent space, with around 500 attending every Sunday,” he relates. “We reclaim music from the secular world, everything from The Rolling Stones to Lady Gaga, and relate those songs to the preacher’s message. If my sound system isn’t good, we can’t create an environment that people are drawn to, where they are receptive to the message. With Line 6 wireless, we get great sound and flexibility, plus rock solid reliability. In the two years we’ve had it, I have never had a signal drop out in my church on a Sunday morning. It’s just a great fit for contemporary worship. I recommend it constantly, both to touring Christian bands and other churches.”
