Community Church Rocks with Audio Installation
2009-12-01
SSE Sales has recently completed a major audio and lighting installation in a former North London church for the Nigerian based Christian charity, House on the Rock.
The old building at St George's Church, in Tufnell Park, has been renamed Rock Tower and has reopened as a place of worship. The building, which operated as a theatre and a community space in recent years, has been fully refurbished with a new extension, a cafe with free Internet access for the community, a youth centre and a day care facility for under-fives.
The charity approached SSE over two years ago at the earliest stages of the renovation. SSE was commissioned to install a complete audio and lighting installation for the church auditorium and adjacent spaces.
Audio Design & Installation
The audio design for the main auditorium was a challenge because the local Council had set demanding noise restrictions on the building. In addition there was no steel structure for the suspension of the PA, only Heavy timber beams.
A NEXO GeoS8 system was specified for the main PA.
"This was an easy choice" says SSE's Alex Penn, who has worked on the project from the outset. "It provided the renowned NEXO hi-fi quality sound in a very small and lightweight package. This worked both with the aesthetics of the building and the weight restrictions the roof presented."
In order to keep within the noise restrictions set by the council and use all of the available limit, it was important to achieve consistent levels across the auditorium. This was achieved through accurate system design, which included the use of NEXO PS8s as fills under the balcony.
CD12 subs were flown with the main PA hangs to keep the majority of the system off the floor and to direct bass onto the balcony using the cardioid pattern. These are supported by two RS15s operating in omnidirectional mode and located in enclosures at the front of the chancel for sub-bass on the floor.
To ensure the whole system could be controlled and limited, a Master System control was installed using Yamaha DME64N. The DME is also responsible for all signal routing between various areas within the building. The complete NEXO installation is powered via the new NXAMP powered digital TD Controllers. With their impressive Yamaha powered DSP capability, these are specifically designed for NEXO products to achieve the highest possible audio standards.
Rigging
To overcome the limitations of the roof structure, SSE worked closely with Outback Rigging to safely calculate the load distribution for each of the flying points. It was necessary to bridle to multiple points on the timbers to spread the load across the roof structure.
As SSE were also responsible for the lighting installation, multiple points were installed to fly a front lighting truss and a U-shaped truss above the stage area.
All trusses are suspended via six Loadguard electric chain hoists and an eight way motor controller makes for easy access to all trusses. A key advantage of the Loadguard hoists is the ability to meet BS 7906: Part 1, Category A, this means that safety's are not required and therefore all trusses can be raised and lowered without the need for anyone to have to work at height. A seventh Loadguard hoist was also installed as a cable pick.
Recording Facility
‘House on the Rock’ wanted the facility to record their live Christian acts, and Digidesign ProTools HD was suggested as the best means. SSE provided a Digidesign Profile digital mixing console with Mixrack HD64 bundle at front of house. In addition a packaging solution was created for the MacPro, enabling the recording system to be taken to external editing suites for post production purposes.
Monitors
‘House on the Rock’ were very keen to use Digidesign for both front of house and monitors as their technicians already had experience with this range of systems and they were enthusiastic to have Digidesign Plug-ins available in a a live mixing environment, so we specified a Digidesign SC48 for the monitors" says Alex Penn.
Originally in-ear monitors were specified in order to keep noise levels as low as possible on stage. Shure P6HW hardwired in-ears were chosen and a stage loom was installed to give musicians local feeds in all areas of the stage. However, it was later decided that many musicians might prefer more traditional wedge monitors.
"This allowed us to make use of the new NEXO PS R2 series for the first time, as these are ideal for use as monitors. They as sold with both LH and RH variations and the new grills are much more appropriate for wedge monitors than the original PS series as they are stamp proof."
In total, eight PS10 R2 and four PS15 R2 were delivered, powered via NEXO/Yamaha's NXAMP. "This combination produces a definite audible improvement from the original PS series and keeps standards at the cutting edge of current technology throughout the audio installation."
Lighting
For the initial installation, Par Cans have been installed on the FOH truss and the U shaped truss above the stage, but with future expansion in mind, cabling was installed for additional lighting, such as moving light units, when budgets permit.
For lighting control, Avolites was an obvious choice. As well as producing popular products, SSE enjoys a good working relationship with the company. A Pearl Expert was installed at front of house, controlling Avolites ART2000 Dimmer packs.
Other Areas
The extended church consists of community halls, meeting areas and offices used by House on the Rock staff and their congregation. All these areas were also provided with audio facilities using an Australian Monitor 100V line ceiling speaker system. This flexible system enables paging to designated areas and audio services can be plumbed into the rest of the building via the Yamaha DME64N. Additionally, inputs can be connected in the community hall areas so music can be played locally.
An Evolving Project
Because SSE was involved from the start of the project, it has been possible to integrate the audio design into the fully refurbished building. At all stages, SSE has liaised with the architects, building contractors and House on the Rock staff to ensure that the project was implemented as effectively as possible.
"We have been able to contribute to the overall project throughout, which I'm sure has enhanced the Church's function as a live music venue" notes Alex. "This has differed from most of our projects as were able to make design changes as we went along to achieve improvements. For example, close liaison made the cable management more effective than is often the case."
The completed church now provides weekly services, along with a range of community events.
Omawumi Efueye, pastor of House on the Rock, said: "In our search for a permanent home, we were looking for a progressive multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, cosmopolitan environment in which we could flourish and make a positive impact. Our goal is to influence the community by providing focused activities for residents in a manner that affords individuals an opportunity to achieve their full potential and to make an effective contribution to the society."
Alex Penn concludes: "SSE continues to work with House on the Rock and we are now holding weekly training classes with their personnel so they can get the most from their investment."
"We would like to thank all involved with the House on the Rock project and wish the church, its congregation and future generations a happy and prosperous future in this fantastic new facility."
Further details and Information can be obtained from Alison Jones on 0151 649 0467 or by email on alisonjones@liftturnmove.co.uk.
