19/10/2011 [Commercial Audio]
Hillsong Church’s Greater West extension service has recently upgraded to an integrated Yamaha PA system featuring Installation Series Speakers. Yamaha Commercial Audio spoke to Steve Le Roux, Hillsong’s Technical Facilities Manager, and Luke Fairbairn, Technical Director at Greater West, about the new system.
Hillsong Greater West is one of 12 extension services run outside of the main Baulkham Hills campus of Hillsong Church. Every Sunday sees the worship team running a 9 AM and 11 AM service, meaning bump-ins are early, fast and need to be done right. Steve Le Roux was tasked with finding a PA solution that could not only deliver the quality and coverage that Hillsong need, but also be secure and flexible. Steve Le Roux explained further;
“When I first looked at a solution for this venue, I wondered ‘How can I get all the power and coverage it needs and still have something that is plug-and-play?’. The biggest priorities we had were even front-to-back coverage and the security of the system - we needed the processor to be locked-out for most operators.”
To this end, Steve decided on a combination of an LS9-32 digital mixer and digital multicore connected directly via Cat5 to the processor, a DME8o-ES. This enabled one Cat5 to run between FOH and stageboxes, and a short Cat5 patch between the stageboxes and the DME processor.
“Running one Cat5 cable from Front of House down to the stageboxes makes it really quick”, agrees Luke Fairbairn, “and one of the big things with the DME is that it also means a really easy set-up for us.”
With mixing and processing taken care of, Steve turned his thoughts to a speaker system. Understanding the benefits of an integrated one-supplier solution, Steve thought of the Installation Series;
“I had heard some very positive comments about the Installation Series from respected audio consultants, and when I heard them I wasn’t disappointed”, said Steve.
The speaker system Steve specified consists of two IF2115/95 15”s with 60x40 horn underhung with two IF2112/95 12”s with 90x50 horn. Two IS125 dual 15” subs provide the bottom, and the whole rig is powered by T5n power amplifiers. “In the end, I was excited about the way the whole system came together. “, Steve added.
Luke agrees; “At this price point, offering a digital mixer that can be operated easily, a speaker system that gives full coverage of the room and a quick easy set-up just makes it for us.”
Luke also sees the benefit of rolling out an integrated solution for similar congregations; “Hillsong has 12 extension services and most have to bump-in within an hour”, he explains, “To do that, a system like this is perfect. That’s appealing to a lot of the services – they can set up a PA really fast and know it’s done well. “
The Full System Spec:
1x SB168-KIT2 32 in, 16 out EtherSound digital multicore system
1x DME8o-ES open architecture processor; 16x16 EtherSound I/O, 8 analogue out
2x IF2115/64 Installation Series loudspeakers; 15” woofer with 60x40 horn
2x IF21125/95 Installation Series loudspeakers; 12” woofer with 90x50 horn
2x IS1215 dual 15” Installation Series subwoofers
3x T5n power amplifiers; 2x 1400W at 8Ω, (1kHz, THD+N=1%)
For further information on all Yamaha Commercial Audio products, please visit www.yamahaproaudio.com or call Yamaha Music Australia on +61 (0) 3 9693 5272
