UK - The 2,500-strong congregation at Belfast's Metropolitan Tabernacle is finally enjoying the results of an 18-month project to upgrade its audio services. From the prominent Electro-Voice XLC line array in the main auditorium to the compact ZX1s and SX100s in the adjacent youth centre, the extensive digital audio network designed by the Church's in-house team features almost exclusively EV sound reinforcement products.
Trevor Bowron and Ian McAlees from the Metropolitan Tabernacle worked closely with Neal Allen from Shuttlesound to draw up the system specification, selecting XLC for the main house PA. "We hadn't really used Electro-Voice before," says McAlees, "but, from the start, the experience has been really positive. We auditioned the XLC and XLE line array cabinets at the Shuttlesound Big Day Out conference, and Neal Allen made the effort to travel to Belfast and attend one of our church services. Throughout the project, the quality of support from Shuttlesound has been outstanding and exceptionally responsive."
McAlees also points out that "the breadth and depth of the EV range of products meant that we could realise our whole audio solution from within their catalogue." The church has embraced every aspect of EV technology, from the IRIS-Net management software platform carried throughout the building on CobraNet and controlled via NetMax processors, to a full-blooded line array PA that can offer audio quality to match the pro-broadcast standards of the church's TV and DVD programmes. The Metropolitan Tabernacle is one of the first major installations in the UK to exploit fully EV's new FIR-Drive processing capabilities, implemented through their EV Tour Grade amplifiers and accessed via four NetMax 1500 digital matrix controllers. "The mic into the stagebox is the only analogue element in this system," explains Neal Allen. "Everything else is in the digital domain, from the desk to NetMax to the TG amps."
