Worship Musician Magazine May 2026 | Page 70

GEAR REVIEW
NAB 2026 // AI, THE HUMAN HEART, AND THE NEXT SEASON OF WORSHIP TECH | Jordan Friday
Walking the floor at NAB 2026, the“ AI-shaped” elephant in the room was impossible to ignore. Every corner touted artificial intelligence as a magic wand for production woes. But as I spent time with these tools, a familiar truth surfaced: we are still in the fledgling years of this revolution.
While algorithms are getting smarter, they aren’ t a replacement for the human element; they are an extension of it. It takes a skilled engineer to hear the nuance in a mix, and in the House of Worship, it will always take a heart for service to create an atmosphere of worship. Technology is simply a tool to remove distractions, giving you the freedom to focus on ministry rather than machinery.
PRODUCT
TOP“ BIG WINS” FOR YOUR CHURCH
KEY SPECIFICATIONS
Allen & Heath Avantis V2.0
Free 96-input expansion & 56 configurable buses. Moves studio-grade processing entirely“ inside the box.”
• 96kHz XCVI FPGA core.
• Dual 15.6” HD touchscreens.
A & H RackUltra FX Card
Adds 8 dedicated FX engines( including natural Vocal Tuning) without eating up console resources.
• Hybrid FPGA / ARM architecture.
• 8 Stereo FX slots.
Barco Swift Agent
AI-driven“ Live Intelligence” handles camera switching and tracking so you can focus on the mix.
• 4K60 4:4:4 processing.
• 100Gbps connectivity.
Bitfocus Buttons
Centralized server management. Lock down specific control surfaces for volunteers via Stream Deck.
• 700 + Device Modules.
• Native Elgato support.
Bolin R9- L420N
1” Sensor for cinematic depth-of-field. Dual 12G-SDI outputs a wide and tight shot from one unit.
• 4K60 / 20x Optical zoom.
• Built-in ND Filters.
Bolin Range
IP65 All-weather PTZ with gyro-stabilization and a 270 ° roll for native vertical social media content.
• Built-in Wiper.
• Gimbal-like stability.
Here is the gear that defined the show for us.
Bigfoot
Mobile
Fully modular“ Studio on Wheels.” Transforms any
room into a production suite in minutes.
• Ergonomic pull-out trays.
• Custom branding
The NAB 2026 Tech Highlight Sheet
Systems
available.
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