an incredibly good job . In fact , when someone comes in , I say , ‘ Can you find the speakers ?’ and it takes a while before they go , ‘ Oh !’”
To mount the speakers to the stone columns , MacLean Media created custom brackets with semi-circular collars that attached to the columns with Hilti ’ s HIT-RE 500 injectable epoxy mortar system . The minimal hardware profile , along with powder coating to match the speakers and stone , all contributed to a very clean installation .
To return to audio control , at the request of the church ’ s technicians , an Avid Venue S6L console was added at front of house with a Venue E6L-112 engine and DNT-192 Dante option card . Accompanying it are two Avid Stage 16 and one Stage 32 stageboxes . The FOH booth is enclosed in a custom oak millwork surround , designed by MacLean and fabricated at Hamilton Scenic Specialty , that matches the look of the church ’ s century-old millwork .
“ We originally designed the audio signal distribution to use Audinate ’ s Dante protocol , which is how audio is routed to all of the speakers ; however , the Avid console works on an AVB platform . The technicians were invested in going to an Avid deployment and wished to record directly to Pro Tools . So , we said we could do that , but we would need to integrate the AVB system with the Dante system because we were now dealing with two different ecosystems ,” explains Bechard . To bridge the systems , the AVID Stage 32 loaded with two Dante cards provides a 16 x 16 Dante matrix . The pair of AVID Stage 16s are used for connecting the musicians ’ microphones and instruments in the main stage area to get to the console for mixing , and the Dante matrix allows transport of mixed audio program to the speaker system .
“ We also had some challenges in terms of the automation mode . Avid is great for live and for recording , et cetera , but it is not an automation package , if you will . So , we chose [ QSC ’ s ] Q-SYS as our system DSP and automation platform , but also added a third ecosystem . Although Q-SYS natively uses a proprietary Q-Lan protocol for audio transport , fortunately , it can also distribute audio via Dante ”
Microphones such as gooseneck mics at the podium and Eagle lectern that are used for both automated services and live services are connected to DSP . The microphone signals can then be accessible to the console for live mix as well via Dante .
“ We could now trade audio back and forth between AVID and the Q-SYS system using Dante as the conduit ,” Bechard continues . “ Well into construction , the system requirements continued to evolve . We received requests for more microphones to record the choir as well as increased I / O for the post room . As the Dante matrix load is limited to 16x16 , now we are engaged in increasing the size of the matrix to accommodate this expansion .”
While the timeline of this project goes back to late 2017 , the work didn ’ t start in earnest until early 2020 . As mentioned , the first big hurdle for the church was a significant electrical and lighting upgrade , which was done by Guild Electric . That was followed by the aforementioned acoustical report by Swallow Acoustics and then Novita ’ s consultation and design , which led MacLean Media ’ s installation . So , project manager Tanya Mackie definitely had her hands full keeping it all in order . But , of course , as the project got rolling , the pandemic struck . MacLean really credits Steve Shaw for pushing ahead .
“ This project started at the same time COVID was taking hold ,” MacLean remembers , “ and I had many concerns about would or could the project even go forward . But Steve and the church were always committed to moving forwards – and never lost sight of the significance of the project for when we would all be able to gather again .”
In fact , with the church closed for in-person services , and the need for video suddenly more pressing , Shaw and his colleagues at St . Paul ’ s saw it as a good time to up the project ’ s scope . Specifically , the video elements would now be added , including a post-production room .
What Bechard came up with and MacLean installed includes a pair of Barco F80-Q12 12K projectors with 9 x 16-ft . screens that can roll up and disappear near the altar . As well , there are seven LG 75UH5F-Hs , which are 75-in . LED screens , around the sanctuary , which show a mix of camera feeds , hymn lyrics , bulletins , and so on . For that , there are four small PTZ Optics cameras mounted on the columns , as well as a portable handheld camera available .
“ The video distribution is all video-over-IP using Crestron NVX . The video switcher , at the moment , is a Blackmagic ATEM ISO Pro Mini ,”
MacLean says , though notes they ’ ll be moving to a larger switch . At FOH is a Blackmagic Multi- Dock 10G , which allows them to record isolated camera original files to solid state disc drives that they can move to their post-production studio , which is equipped with an iMac running the DaVinci Resolve editing software .
“ The nice part is if you use DaVinci software , your timeline is already there . All you have to do is tweak the timeline and all of your video material has been captured as H . 264 streams , and they ’ re already in the timeline ,” notes Bechard . “ So , you can easily revise the cuts and the edits that you made as you were going live .”
Currently , the post-production room is still evolving , with plans to up its functionality considerably in the foreseeable future . “ Rather than just using the space to edit and stream previously-recorded content , the intent now is to allow the room to behave like a mobile CBC truck used for sports , with the ability to see multi-view of all of the cameras , do switching , and mix audio remotely . As well , with the addition of an intercom system , the director will be able to direct the actions of the technician during a service from the studio ,” Bechard adds .
“ In a project like this , there are a lot of things going on and a lot of moving parts . I mean , the goal posts were moving quite a bit ,” says Shaw in retrospect . He is quick to give lavish praise to both Bechard and MacLean and their respective companies for the quality of the work , as well as their professionalism and adaptability . “ We had a large number of change notices , which on a project I ’ m not quite so comfortable with so many change notices , but as we progressed , we realized we had to not just think about recording , but also streaming , post-production , and all these things . They proved amazingly adept at taking what we had and developing it .”
Michael Raine is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Sound .
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