Founded in 1835, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church has come a long way from its beginnings in an Owensboro, Kentucky log cabin. Just as the church has weathered over 185 years of growing pains and trials and tribulations, the congregation pivoted to social media and streaming services to stay connected in a socially distanced world. As the church family begins to return to in-person services (at a 33% limited seating capacity with many health and safety precautions in place), an Allen & Heath SQ-7 console and ME personal monitoring system is there to sonically greet them.
“The audio quality difference is night and day,” says Alex Peake, Integration Specialist at JCA Media. “The church had been using another digital console brand before and immediately noted how much easier it is navigating and configuring the SQ. The musicians also appreciated the sonic difference in their in-ear mixes with the ME-1 over what they had before. It is important to provide a system like ME to get the tech out of the way and let the musicians focus on playing and worshipping again.”
JCA Media was able to deliver a flexible and cost-effective audio system design due to the compatibility of the SQ series with stage boxes such as the AR2412 and AB168 and the plug and play integration with the Allen & Heath ME personal monitoring system. The SQ4You personal mixing app is used by the praise band to control their own stage mix from Android or iOS devices and free up the audio engineer to focus on the front of house sound.
“It really was amazing how simple this board was to learn and the layout made navigating through the board a breeze,” notes David Rogers, Pleasant Grove Minister of Music. “We are loving the multitrack recording, assignable SoftKeys, and how fast you can fly through the desk. Our broadcast mix has never sounded better. It’s also astonishing how quickly our bands have adapted to the ME units. Each volunteer is able to use their gifts in a better way because of these in-ear mixers. Our church can now push forward in proclaiming the Gospel online in a much clearer, more powerful, and professional manner.”
In addition to the major mixing console upgrade, Pleasant Grove also stepped up their PA system and lighting. The SQ-7 connects to a full complement of Danley loudspeakers and power amplifiers, including the SH69 full range point source mains. An array of Chauvet Pro fresnels, spots and battens help set the visual mood.
“We were especially excited to see this one come together,” Peake adds. “Even with the scale of this system upgrade and the challenging environment we’re all working in, we came out the other side with a great sounding system that just works like a charm.”
