Blue Box Technical Services

Event production professionals based in Manchester, covering the North West and North Wales. Specialists in lighting, sound, and media for live events, and technical consultancy for new-build and refurbishment projects at schools, churches, and entertainment venues.

Case Studies → Churches & Places of Worship

Cheadle Hulme Methodist Church

Stockport

In 2009, BBTS staff were invited into Cheadle Hulme Methodist Church to look at some of the problems they'd been having with their Church sound system. The problems included feedback, radio mics dropping out, hearing aid users being unable to hear, some mic input sockets no longer working, poor vocal clarity, and inadequate overall volume levels. BBTS staff spent a couple of days thoroughly examining the entire sound infrastructure and setup, and making changes to improve the overall system:

The cause of the radio mic drop-out was established and remedied (poor receiver location, and an aerial that had become detached)

The input signal to the induction loop amplifier was boosted, with the overall loop current reduced slightly, so hearing aid users could once again be able to listen to services

Every XLR Mic Tie-line was tested, and those not working repaired.

The problems with feedback were primarily due to poor gain structure within the system. The Church's 4-channel amplifier had been "custom built" many years ago by an "enthusiast", however, the amplifier's gain was fixed at full, with no way to reduce it! As such, the church had been running the sound desk at very low levels to compensate. This poor gain structure drastically increased the likelihood of feedback. BBTS staff advised the church on the purchase of two new, suitable amplifiers to replace the existing "custom built" amplifier, which the church went on to purchase and that were subsequently installed and configured by BBTS staff.

During the works at Cheadle Hulme Methodist Church, BBTS staff were also able to repair a small show-relay speaker that fed services through to staff manning the creche. This speaker hadn't worked for years, so the Church were overjoyed when BBTS staff were able to re-wire it and get it working again for them!

In 2012, BBTS were again invited back as the Church wished to upgrade and replace their aging technical systems. Retaining the original speakers, tie-lines and amplifiers installed by BBTS a couple of years earlier, BBTS designed a brand new state-of-the art digital sound system and media system.

The new systems boasted a 24-channel digital sound desk, new radio microphones, congregation pick-up microphones, digital recording capabilities, live media streaming capabilities, a foldback system, a new 5000 ANSI Lumens, high resolution projector with wireless capabilities, a slide advance, an on-stage comfort monitor, lockable storage for microphones and other items of value.

Full training was also provided on all systems to members of the congregation who had volunteered to operate the technical systems for services.

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