latest news headlines
New Soundcraft MH4 Goes To Queensway Cathedral
Queensway Cathedral in Toronto is in the process of upgrading its sanctuary sound system and has replaced its aging desk, which was installed when the 4,000-seat sanctuary was constructed in 1984 –with a Soundcraft MH4. Of particular note is that this is the first MH4 sold in Canada to feature Soundcraft's new mono input modules, which expand the use of the aux buses by adding true mono/stereo configurations to take maximum advantage of the desk's 16 auxiliary buses.
The cathedral's technical director, Rich Bodnar, explained that while the old console had provided excellent service, parts were starting to wear out; and since it was configured 24/8/2 with only four aux sends, they were limited by channel capacity for their larger events. "The availability of parts and cost of repairs was proving prohibitive, and so we started to look for a new console," he said. A short-term loan agreement funded the new purchase, which was made through distributor Soundcraft Canada and Mississauga-based Audio Operations – a dealer with whom Queensway has enjoyed a relationship over the past seven years.
The cathedral was already familiar with the Soundcraft pedigree, having owned a smaller 32-channel board a number of years earlier in its studio. Bodnar admitted: "It proved to be a competent console and this helped to shape my decision. I have also rented Series FIVE consoles on a number of occasions, as well as a K2. I find the Soundcraft consoles to be reliable, rugged, intuitive, and straightforward with a good number of features for the investment made."
In addition, Bodnar has experienced a number of other different-branded consoles during events at both his church and others. “Having been able to speak to different engineers on their opinions, Soundcraft always appeared to have the edge in reliability, layout, quality, and cost."
While Bodnar is the cathedral's technical director, he still took the precaution of bringing in two consultants "to make some recommendations upon which I ultimately made my final proposal to our board of directors," he explained. "Many factors had to considered, including monitoring capability, channel capacity, cost, and ease of use for the volunteers using the console. The MH4 easily fit the bill in all categories."
During normal Sunday church set-up, Queensway can expect to utilise just over half of the MH4's 36 channels and approximately ten aux sends for the instrumentalists and vocal monitors (mostly IEM). However, the cathedral also stages large-scale Christmas and Easter productions, which utilise nearly every channel on the console. "During our 2004 Easter Passion Play performances we used 55 of the 56 channels available as we ran 24 wireless lavalier mics, an ensemble singing group of 16, as well as instruments – plus tracks and FX," said Bodnar. "The flexibility of switching between modes on the MH4 has been a definite asset because of the varied types of event the church is involved in."
Bodnar was aware that this would be the first of the new breed of MH4 consoles sold in Canada. "We were very fortunate to have it up and running about a week and a half before one of our major events here at the church, and it certainly proved its worth and versatility through our Easter productions."
Queensway's upgrade program is expected to take a couple of years to complete. The cathedral has yet to tender out the rest of the installation process, but expects this to be done in the near future.
In picture: Rich Bodnar at Queensway Cathedral's new MH4.
2nd August 2004
HEADLINES
news archive
search stories
FOOTNOTE: Select the news type you require in the red band above; this will enable you to see the current news stories from that section
© 1999 - 2012 Entertainment Technology Press Limited News Stories
