Design of the OprahLite system is credited to Chris Gille. Chris Piloted the original Oprah project, explained in detail here. He then took it and “miniaturized it,” which also made it affordable for a regional campus. Matt Satorius, our current audio systems guru, has made some small tweaks, and unleashed the fury of OprahLite for the enjoyment of all.

Why OprahLite?
About 18 months ago, about the time that I took my current position with Willow, our campus put a very high value on our remote video venues. Our 850 seat main auditorium is 80-85% full for both weekend services. At the same time, in one year we went from a weekly “overflow” attendance of approximately 20-30 people, to more than 100 (it has since grown to over 200 each weekend). To our staff, this signaled a change from an “overflow” mentality, to treating the one video venue we had as a true second venue. This meant guest hosts, hand-outs/programs, more tables, better ambiance, etc. It also meant we needed to get that production system up to par… which could be a whole series of posts by itself.

Previously, all our remote systems were getting a simple matrix feed from our Yamaha M7CL with little more processing than the onboard dynamics from the console. While this did some good disaster control for the myriad TVs and feeds around the building, it was far from an appropriate, excellent solution.

Around this same time, Matt Satorius and the systems team from South Barrington had successfully integrated the first OprahLite system in the Lakeside Auditorium. It seemed to be working wonders for their recordings, video control/master control monitoring, etc. Taking full advantage of the amazing people resources we have at Willow, I quickly jumped at the opportunity to raise the bar at our campus as well. Matt got us started with a default file, and I’ve made tweaks, both small and large, to fit our venues.

How Does OprahLite Work?
OprahLite consists of the following gear:

• 1 Symetrix Symnet Express 8×8 Cobra DSP
• 2 Shure SM57
• Associated Distribution Amps
  

  Symnet Express 8x8 Cobra DSP

  

  Symnet Express 8x8 Cobra Back Panel

Clear-Com CellCom!

Brilliant, virtually future-proof (while we’re young enough to care) wireless com. Dear goodness how we’ve been longing for wireless com that’s dependable. A huge step up from Telex BTR300 any way you look at it.

http://www.clearcom.com/product/wireless/cellcom

Right now we’re using it in, literally, it’s most simple form. Our need for better communication on Sunday mornings seems to be growing faster than any of our other systems over the last two years. We’ve gone from linking all our coms on one channel, to splitting those, then adding an additional two channels on a switchboard. We then added what I like to call a .5 channel, with a separate master station in video control that isolates the cameras from the TD.

CellCom will give us the expandability we need as we approach the inevitable eventuality of a Matrix system and a larger facility.

Reviews to come.

photo courtesy yamahaproaudio.com

First, this review will not directly save you any money. The following app is free. It may, however, save you time, either in your choice to use or not use the product, or in unleashing your volunteers into new roles and making your Sunday mornings more efficient.

I’ve been running Yamaha’s Stagemix for about 4.5 months now. It was literally the first app I downloaded when I got my iPad in December, and I was using it within hours for a service in Willow Creek South Barrington’s Activity Center. I’ve talked to plenty of other audio guys in and outside of Willow with mixed reviews. Some love it, some hate it.

What is StageMix? StageMix allows remote control of certain functions of Yamaha’s M7CL digital audio console. Over a simple WiFi connection, you can view your console’s banks of 8 faders one at a time. Change EQs, levels, access sends-on-fader, and one or two other simple functions. The StageMix Website states that, “The software has been specifically designed to allow engineers to adjust monitor mixes from the performers’ positions on stage, directly controlling mix parameters via the iPad rather than having to rely on verbal directions to a second engineer.”

Here’s what I love and don’t love about this app.

What I love most about this iPad app is what it has done for our audio team’s relationship with our vocals and band. At Willow Creek North Shore, our entire band is on Aviom mixers, while our backup vocals are on wireless PSM900s mixed from the M7. These backup vocal mixes are mono (which we’ll talk more about later), and makes StageMix the ideal way for us to bridge a gap between artists and techies. Our weekend audio team consists of two volunteers each week. One is our FOH/A1, the other acts as A2, with some added stage manager duties when necessary. During soundcheck, StageMix has given us the ability to have a monitor “mix position” for the first time ever. I put mix position in quotes not because it’s still controlling our FOH console, but because there really isn’t a position. Our A2 can literally walk-up to a vocalist, ask what they need, and make the change while standing right there. In some cases, it has bolstered confidence because our vocalists know that we’re actually making the changes they’re asking for (no phantom knob turns for us!). Our sound checks and monitor tweaks have gone from 30-40 minutes, down to 20-25 (including the first rehearsal song and some tweaks immediately following). Also, for the first time, all our vocalists know the name of all our audio volunteers, and visa-versa! Who knew we had names?!

Sends on Fader for Mixing IEMs

The app is also handy, in the case of my first experience in South Barrington’s gym, for making small adjustments to your house mix. The booth in that room is in a balcony, accessed by stairs outside the room, behind doors that are often locked for traffic control into the venue during rehearsals and programs. There isn’t a great solution for duplicating the sound from the floor, in the balcony. I was able to hit the floor, change some levels, and even make some simple EQ changes. Learning to EQ on a touch-screen is a trip, and pinching to change the Q isn’t easy to do in fine increments. Within minutes, though, I was a fan of this app. I even stepped up on stage next to our guest worship leader that night, and gave him some personal monitor attention, which is what gave me the idea for our volunteers in the first place.

What I don’t love most about StageMix, is that it seems as though there are some functions that are there, but not completely there. I mentioned earlier that our vocal mixes are mono, which is the only reason we can use StageMix to handle our monitors. There is no pan function anywhere in the app, and that’s probably the second most used function for me when mixing IEMs (which is almost 100% of my monitor mixing these days). Channel names appear across the bottom of the screen, but can’t be edited from the app. I’m not a developer, but it doesn’t seem that crazy to think about a keyboard popping-up to change the name of a channel, mix, or matrix. The lack of these and a few other functions keeps you tethered to the console too closely (It’s a tablet! Give me freedom!).

I was tempted to wait and write this post after mixing monitors in a room with a dedicated M7 on stage. After further consideration, though, it won’t really do much good. In that instance, I’ll be 30′ from the furthest band member, with the stage team’s ClearCom patched to my IEMs, dictating each person’s needs. At no point will I ever need to leave mix position, nor would StageMix offer a great enough increase in efficiency, if at all, over walking back to the console. Plus, there’s still something nice about the tactile feel of faders and knobs… kinda’ makes me miss big Yamaha PMs, Soundcraft Series FIVE, and A&H MLs.

It should be said, that Yamaha have been fairly diligent about new releases and bug fixes. Each update gets more stable, faster, and some of my original issues with the app are no longer issues. For those of you who tried the initial release of StageMix, but gave-up due to speed and connection issues, those have been all but 100% remedied. The last vestige of these gremlins is a noticeable latency of up to a couple seconds between changes on the iPad, and an audible difference, especially in IEMs. It stays connected much more reliably, and gets faster with each update.

• Shedding Light on Some WCNS Production Transitions
• Review of Yamaha StageMix for the M7CL on the iPad
• Rundown of our remote audio processing, OprahLite
• A look at our production and systems staffing model at Willow Creek’s North Shore Campus

The Christmas Eve season has come to an end, and was it ever a rush! After a month of intense preparation, and an additional three months of meetings and brainstorming, the week of December 17-24 came and went almost faster than I could blink. I haven’t felt the “big show” rush come and go like this since at least 2001. It’s a strange, yet enjoyably familiar feeling. Months of prep for mere days of the gratification of execution.

It was an amazing experience, too. A 142′ wide x 21′ tall projection screen across our entire auditorium. All custom content, created by Mr. Matthew Drury. I’m calling it Drury-Max. We were treated to a great band with exceptional musicians. We even had a visit from the great “Rev. Ray Ray” a.k.a. Skip Williams, one of my favorite drummers ever. Lighting was intense, no pun intended, and Ryan repeatedly surprised and astounded us with his programming and execution. Matt Skripps brought his A-Game for audio, as did Chris Tara with his mic management and general audio skills. Even the legendary Bob Heil helped-out by lending us some mics on a demo for the Christmas season. Tom Bakjian also served above-and-beyond for graphics and lyrics. We could not have executed these services with the high level of excellence we did had it not been for the team involved. Hats off, as well, to the rest of our department. DK/Little D/”D”eanna Kotrla  produced impeccably. Matt wright, as usual, arranged, recorded, directed, and supervised not only our 45-minute experience, but the entire “Christmastime on the North Shore” event. Mr. Caleb Gregory, also in his typical way, blew us all away with his vocals, as did his wife, April, with hers. One takeaway, I will never hear Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” the same way again. Thanks to everyone for making this a fun experience. Even though we worked late, hard, and seemingly endlessly, it was a blast.

Slight side note, as if it’s not obvious, today is Christmas! It’s been great to spend it with the family (minus the sister and brother-in-law who are in Mexico) and the new fiancee. Not a lot of gifts, but so great to kick-back, watch a few movies, play some Rock Band (2, Beatles, and Country!), and get back to blogging a bit.

I’m looking forward to a couple more days at work this weekend, a surprise on Tuesday from Nita, and hopefully leaving town on Wednesday to get ready for New-Years Eve with the cousins up North. I haven’t been up there for years, at least not for more than about 12 hours. Weddings, funerals, etc., but I haven’t been up there for a vacation since about 2004, maybe 2005? No idea if we’re heading to the family hunting camp, or just hanging around Iron Mountain for the week, but it will be good to get away, either way.

Life has been busy lately, but so much fun. The job is going really well, and I can actually track my growth and improvement in some previously intangible areas. I’m developing what I like to call the “spiritual gift of schmooze,” which really amounts to improving my people skills, and a little bit of management development as well. Not every day is easy, some of them I wish I could rewind or forget about, but it’s fun to look back over the last six months and see how far I’ve come. There have even been some patched-up relationships from previous eras of my life, which feels better than ever!

January will reveal a lot in terms of the job. My contract period with Willow is ending, and there are a variety of possible outcomes. On opposite ends of the spectrum, I could end-up full-time on staff with Willow, or could end-up searching for my next adventure. There are a few other potentials, most of which have me staying at the church, and I would love to stick around, as it’s been a great six months. We’ll see, we’ll see.

And, with that, sleep will come like a drug tonight.

Side-note that I never got to post about while I was there: Nita and I got engaged while climbing Mount Rainier on October 9, 2009.

The rest of the trip was great. Spent some great time lounging, catching-up with old friends, playing with kittens (always a favorite!), lighting fires… or just enjoying them, they don’t let city-folk play with fire out there. We celebrated our engagement with some of Nita’s college friends in Seattle. Home-made sushi, Rock Band, White Russians, and incessant movie quoting made for a great night. There were a few other organized events, but mostly we just did our thing and saw as many cool places as possible. I kept trying to convince Nita that we should move to Seattle after marriage, but she won, pointing-out that most of our life is here in Chicago.

Anyway, I’ve been sick since about October 16, two days after getting home. Mostly just congestion, I think it’s a great head cold. Fortunately, I seem to have avoided the dreaded flu thus far. Never-the-less, it’s annoying to not be able to hear 100% accurately with music, and mornings are especially rough.

Speaking of mornings, one plus is that fall weather is finally here! It’s great to wake-up and know that a hoodie is probably appropriate outerwear for the day.

Side Note: In Seattle, they call hoodies with zippers “zippies.” Sounds dumb, I know, but it’s coming, trust me.

Back to the weather. It’s great, not too cold to cause car problems, but chilly enough to merit slippers around the house, a decent beanie if desired, and other such comfort clothing. It just feels good.

Speaking of feeling good, I have one final trip planned this month, which should take this next season of life into full gear. Sunday evening I fly back to Washington, Spokane this time, and begin a two-day massive road-trip back to Chicago with Nita. Sunday night will be spent at her cousin’s place in Spokane, and we leave early Monday morning, stopping in Rapid City, SD Monday night. The plan, if all goes smoothly, is to be back in Chicago late Tuesday night. Worst-case scenario, we have to stop in Minneapolis or Madison Tuesday night, and get back mid-Wednesday. With two drivers, Nita taking mornings and me taking afternoons and nights, we should be able to pull 14-hour days no problem. Quite frankly, I’m just excited to have her here. Phone conversations are fun, but will be more fun when they don’t start at 11:00 Central (which is 9:00 Pacific, when free nights start for Nita), and we’ll avoid them most of the time by just being together, which is a novel idea in our world.

Nita will be living with my parents until we’re married, which is probably June of 2010. My family loves her, and she loves them, so it’ll be a great arrangement… if for no other reason than I’ll have another reason to stop and mooch free food from the ‘rents.

Other than that, it’s pretty much life as usual. Bullet-points:

• November is around the corner, and that means Christmas @ Willow is upon us.
• We’re revolutionizing the programming and production teams and Willow North Shore. visit northshoreloop.com for details.
• I now have too much guitar gear for me to effectively maintain right now… solutions may come with time… stay tuned.

I’m taking a quick moment to write because it’s been a week, and I’m rewarding myself for a good, productive 2.5 days at the office. Here’s a quick glimpse at what I’ve accomplished in the last 48 hours:

• Designing and accepting bids for a cranking new remote video venue.
• Installing the beginnings of a new, more flexible, and more efficient Clearcom headset system for our auditorium.
• Prepping for this weekend and October 18.
• Reorganizing our recording folder structure for Classes @ Willow North Shore.
• Coaching soccer.
• Making progress on a long-awaited video project.
• Cable manufacturing for multiple projects.
• Pedal-board design for a Willow North Shore band member.
• Trying to be a boyfriend while everything else is going crazy.

There are more projects, but most of those are surprises or aren’t worth mentioning.

Back to work, gotta’ go crank some audio in the guise of system testing/tweaking. I love my job.

Stay tuned for a new work blog and “Willow North Shore Programming and Production” website in the next 10-14 days.

- Jeff