Big River Audio-Visual

Roland M-48 Live Personal Mixer at Atlanta Conference

Display models of the new M-48 Roland Personal Mixing System made an appearance at a special product show in Atlanta GA. Representatives from Big River Audio-Visual were on hand to test-drive the equipment, which is expected to begin shipping in the near future.  Hosted by Roland Systems Group, this show combined the elements of trade show and instructional seminar. This product is a much-anticipated addition to the Roland RSS line of integrated system components, placing digital personal mixing within easy reach of entry-level markets.

The RSS line has already made a name for Roland, by providing professional features and flexibility, coupled with a low price tag and an intuitive, user-friendly control interface. With features like Roland Ethernet Audio Connection (REAC), remote computer control software, low latency and optical conversion options, the RSS system sports features previously found only in systems triple the cost.

Christian Delfino, Roland System Group’s Vice President of Sales led eager conference goers through an impressive set of features and fielded questions regarding real-world applications. The M-48 personal mixer, when used in conjunction with the S-4000D Splitter and Power Distributor, permits control of 40 audio channels, through 16 discrete stereo groups. In spite of this power, the M-48’s interface is amazingly simple, utilizing only 8 lighted fader knobs, with access to the full 16 stereo groups achieved via layer buttons. The M-48 also has 4 outputs, including .25” and mini headphone jacks and two stereo lines out. An ambient microphone removes the need to extract in-ear monitors when conversing with bystanders or checking room response and an Aux In port allows for the use of a metronome locally.

The M-48 seems to be more than living up to the hype that has built in the months prior to its release. Big River Audio-Visual looks forward to filling orders for this immensely capable personal mixing platform.

Form and Function at First United Pentecostal

The primary challenge faced by Big River Audio-Visual at First United Pentecostal Church, was that of eliminating serious quality issues present within the existing system, in the process tailoring a new system to the needs and budget of a relatively small congregation. The church has a highly skilled choir and praise team who were expressing frustration with the existing equipment. Talented musicians were being stifled by the limitations of an obsolete system that was long past due for replacement.

After a system analysis and consultation with the Church staff, BRAV recommended a complete system overhaul, including a Roland digital mixing board, a Renkus-Heinz speaker system, and Roland digital snake. The totally digital system permits the making of very high quality recordings of services and talks, something the old system did not allow. Chris Thomas, Technical Director of BRAV said, “We recommended a Roland digital board because it provides superior sound processing along with all the advantages of digital control, at a reasonable price.”

To meet the needs of individual musicians, in-ear monitors were installed, giving each person on stage optimum monitoring, regardless of their position.

To top off the project, First United Pentecostal requested the installation of two computer-controlled spotlights. These lights can be controlled from the sound booth and can be programmed to respond to music from the sound system.

The new system at First United Pentecostal represents an excellent balance between cost effectiveness and functionality.

Crawford Avenue Job Finished

Big River Audio-Visual recently completed the sound-system upgrade at Crawford Avenue Baptist Church. This upgrade solved several significant acoustical issues in the main sanctuary and improved the overall quality of the sound. Whole sections of the seating area had been rendered unusable because of dead spots in the speaker coverage. Because of these problems, people avoided those areas, even though they afforded a good view of the sanctuary. The upgrade solved these problems. In addition to these benefits, new possibilities were opened for contemporary worship services and other types of sound intensive productions.

In order to improve the quality of sound and eliminate unexpected noises in the system a new mixing board and Digital Signal Processor were installed. In addition a centrally mounted line array and two new subwoofers were installed to ensure that the sound reached all areas of the space.

The work at Crawford Avenue is an excellent example of how relatively simple technical improvements can reap great benefits in acoustical quality.