The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd has been a fixture in downtown Reno, Nevada, since the 1950s. Over the years, the church's congregation has grown steadily, and last year plans were drawn for a new 500-seat worship center to be constructed adjacent to the original sanctuary.
Like many of today's churches, Good Shepherd has been expanding outside the traditional Lutheran model, offering a range of services to cater to a broader congregation. “They offer a traditional Lutheran service early in the morning, followed by a more contemporary service with full band, and then one more traditional service,” says Scott Schmidt of Reno-based JC Productions.
Not surprisingly, that diversity calls for a flexible audio system that can handle everything from a straightforward organ and choir to a full-on rock band. With that in mind, Schmidt opted to install a PreSonus StudioLive 24.4.2 digital console at the front-of-house mix position. The desk is used to mix the sound in the sanctuary, as well as sending multiple monitor mixes to the musicians, and making live recordings.
“The StudioLive is a great console for them,” explains Schmidt. “It gives them all the power and features of an expensive digital console, and it fits their budget. We didn't have to purchase any outboard effects, which saves them money and space; they're just using the processing that's built into the console.”
The church's audio crew took to the console immediately. “They recently hired a part-time technical director, just before the grand opening,” says Schmidt “He's a young guy, very technically savvy, and of course he took to the StudioLive quickly. But even for an old analog guy like me, the console was easy to figure out.”
The StudioLive's remote-mixing capability was one of the first priorities, followed closely by live recording. “We ordered them an iPad and a couple of Mac Minis,” says Schmidt.” They've set it up to record directly into Capture, and of course, the iPad allows the technical director to walk around the room and make adjustments and to walk up to the stage if need be.”
Schmidt also included some video, with a Christie digital projector feeding a DayLight 16:9 video screen behind the band. For the musicians, the back wall is equipped with four 55-inch NEC flat-panel displays, combining to create a single video wall.
“The system has performed flawlessly for them,” says Schmidt. “Everyone's been very pleased with the results.”
