Auckland, New Zealand (November 25, 2019)—LIFE Church in New Zealand recently outfitted its newest facility, LIFE Central Campus, with a sizable Clear-Com FreeSpeak II communication system.
LIFE Central Campus includes an 1,800-seat auditorium, a 300-seat Chapel facility and foyer spaces. Riki Willis, production project coordinator, LIFE, explained, “The new facility is set up as a typical live production environment, including a vision control room and auditorium FOH. We needed multiple channels of simultaneous communication to support the various job functions, from technical directors and video producers to lighting operators and stage management crew, so a matrix was deemed necessary. We also wanted to be able to live-link audio and video to and from our two other Auckland-based campuses.”
The church went with a FreeSpeak II system after comparing it to some other systems, and also in part because LIFE already owned some Clear-Com LQ units and partyline equipment, so there was compatibility with existing equipment. Willis added, “I tested the competitors’ latest generation wireless system against FreeSpeak II and felt that FreeSpeak II’s audio quality and noise floor were far superior.”
As a result, the church’s new Clear-Com installation includes an Eclipse HX-Delta matrix frame with E-IPA cards, with FreeSpeak II IP-enabled transceivers and beltpacks, V-Series Iris intercom panels and LQ Series IP interfaces.
Clear-Com’s authorized partner, Gencom Technology, supplied and installed the system. “Their assistance in working through the design and follow-up support was really appreciated,” says Willis. “The confidence we have in the support available on the ground here with Gencom Technology was a significant factor in our decision.”
On the opening weekend of the facility, the LIFE Central Campus hosted the Hillsong Young and Free band for a worship concert, and within a couple of weeks of opening, the church held a Christmas Spectacular show open to the public, with three showings at full capacity. “It was quite a way to start with a new communications system, but everything went very smoothly and has continued to do so ever since,” says Willis.
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