WADSWORTH, Ohio — When
looking to upgrade its front-of-house console at Northside Christian Church in
Wadsworth, Ohio, Matt Howard, Music Pastor at the Church, opted for the most
appealing and intuitive desk for the job: HARMAN’s Soundcraft Si Compact 32.
Northside Christian Church holds Sunday morning and
afternoon services and utilizes the console for all FOH and some wireless in-ear
monitor use. The morning service is mostly traditional, which differs from the
afternoon program, which Howard referred to as “worship on steroids,” meaning
they incorporate lighting and music for a whole show experience.
Howard wanted a console that wasn’t too daunting for his
volunteers to operate, but still had the sound quality and durability of the Vi
series Soundcraft boards that Howard has used before with great success.
“One of the biggest challenges was finding a console that
allowed us to save our settings so volunteers could easily operate the console
week after week,” Howard said. “We have a pool of about 20 musicians and 40
vocalists who constantly rotate each weekend. Since we don’t have professional
sound engineers, we wanted the easiest board to manage their settings. With Soundcraft’s
ability to snapshot settings, it has made the whole process very easy.”
With the additional MADI card that Northside Christian
Church uses, the Si Compact 32 allows them to record rehearsals and provide a
learning tool for the volunteers. “We turn the rehearsals into a virtual sound
check where the person operating the console can play the service back and find
the optimal settings for high-quality sound,” Howard added.
With an acoustically challenging building, having the
ability to find the perfect settings has proven to be beneficial. “We have a
huge wooden wall behind the stage which dulls all the sound and there are also
sound absorbing panels in the back row of the audience,” explained Howard.
“With the matrix on the Si Compact, we can offset that with some delays, and it
has become really easy to manage.”
Along with the Si Compact 32, the Northside Christian Church
deploys Crowns CTs 1200 and CTs 4200 amplifiers. “We never have to touch them,
it’s great having the confidence that they are always up and running and
providing the power we need,” Howard added.
“I’ve always loved the sound quality of Soundcraft but am
greatly surprised by the power of the Si Compact. Soundcraft has always given
me great support and everyone at the Church is extremely pleased with the
results of the upgrade,” Howards summed up.
For more information on the Northside Christian Church,
please visit: www.northsideweb.com
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