Feb 4, 2005 5:25 PM, By Mix Editors

FiberPlex’s LightViper fiber-optic solution for state-of-the-art digital data communications was recently installed in the new 3,000-seat sanctuary of Life Changers International Church in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Life Changers has one of the nation’s largest congregations, including international offices and a television production studio. Changing Your Life, a weekly international television program produced by the church, reaches more than 500 million households.

Audio Analysts (Colorado Springs, CO) handled the installed the state-of-the-art sound system. “The church needed the backbone and systems to be able to cover their current facility,” says Audio Analysts’ project sales engineer Dan Shore, “and be able to accommodate 5,000 worshipers when expansion plans are completed. And we had to accomplish this as simply and quickly as possible.”

At the heart of the sanctuary sound system is a Yamaha PM5D digital audio console. The decision to run audio over an all-fiber infrastructure was centered on fiber-optic cabling from FiberPlex and the LightViper VIS-1832 input stage box.

“We weren’t quite sure of the number of splits the church would need,” says Shore. “A split for the main feed from the platform to the console and one for video broadcast were definites,” he says. “The easiest and most convenient way to do this was with the new LightViper audio snake with their new fixed installation, flush-mounting wall panels.”

The basic LightViper 32x8 snake system is made up of two pieces of hardware: the VIS-1832 stage box and the VIM-1832 mix position box. Connecting these two components is an extremely lightweight military-specification fiber-optic cable. Two LightViper fiber-optic snakes and stage boxes (one on each side of the sanctuary stage) provide a total of 64x16 inputs/outputs available at the mix position and the video master control station.

“The ability to keep audio entirely in the digital domain proved an elegant solution all-around,” says system co-designer Bob Langlois. “The ability to get line-level input to the PM5D was another great benefit of the fiber-optic signal path. We’re getting great isolation between both stage and mixer, and between the mixer and power amplification, which will be even more important when the church implements that third split for a recording truck.”

For more information, please go to www.fiberplex.com and www.lightviper.com.

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