Church Tech Arts

iLevite is hosting another webinar to follow up on the FCC ruling of Nov. 4. This is important information for church sound folks, especially if you’re using wireless mics (and who isn’t?). Panelists include: Chris Lyons of Shure, Karl Winkler of Lectrosonics, Kent Margraves of Sennheiser, Curt Taipale, Jacquelynn Green of AT.

If you read this before 10 AM CST on Nov. 11, you can listen live. If not, iLevite is hoping to record the event so you can hear it later. Visit iLevite for more information.

It’s been a week since the FCC voted on the issue of White Spaces. The cynic in me believes that they chose Nov. 4 as their day to vote figuring the rest of the country would be earnestly following the other election, and they could escape any real critique. That may be, but the techies among us were just as concerned about what will happen to our wireless mic spectrum. 

Details are still coming out, but overall, it looks like generally good news for those of us who use wireless mics. I talked a bit with Chris Lyons of Shure and Kirk Longhoffer at WFX, and got a few more details. The short story is that the unlicensed white space devices will be limited to a few unused TV channels in each market, the will use spectrum sensing and geo-location to avoid other signals (which means churches can register their frequencies) and they are not allowed to use channels 14-20.

So overall, it’s good news. Kirk Longhoffer has a more detailed assessment that you can read at his site, TechnoPraxis. I just met Kirk and learned of his site at WFX, and I have to say, it’s a site to check out. Stay tuned for more details, particularly regarding the ruling on the 700 Mhz relocation plans. In the meantime, check out Kirk’s article.

While most Americans are busy watching the results of the presidential elections, those of us who regularly use wireless microphones have been anxiously awaiting the results of another vote. The FCC voted today to open up the “White Spaces” to other unlicensed devices from Google, Microsoft, Motorola and others. While this will be a boon to internet access, it is likely to be a nightmare for users of wireless mics.

So far, the white space devices have not been able to successfully detect and avoid wireless mics (and at times even TV stations) more than about 50% of the time. So over the next few years, expect to start having issues with wireless mics, even if you are properly frequency coordinated and under the 698 Mhz range. It’s a jungle out there, and it’s going to get more crowded. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

As for the proposed 700 Mhz band relocation…well, I don’t know how that turned out yet. The final rules are not yet available. But as soon as I hear something, I’ll let you know. As we’ve been saying all along, start making a plan to move out of the 700 Mhz band, whether sooner or later. 

More to come…stay tuned!

Tomorrow I fly to Houston. I’ve been looking forward to going to the WFX Conference for quite some time. Since Upper Room is in the midst of planning to be planted, I’m doing tons of research on new equipment, facilities design and system design. I’m thoroughly excited to be able to start from scratch for our new systems. I hope to be able to get some good hands-on time with some of the gear of particular interest (the RSS V-Mixing system for example), and meet some equipment reps. We’re starting almost from scratch, so we’ve got a lot of gear to purchase.

I’m also looking forward to meeting up with some friends that I’ve only virtually met. I’m looking forward to finally shaking hands with Colin Burch of FaithTools and Brian Davis of Worship Tech Online. I have a really full schedule, but if anyone else is coming down and would like to meet up to talk for a few minutes, please shoot me an e-mail (mike[at]churchtecharts[dot]org). [update: I had previously listed my e-mail as .com instead of .org. I've been a bit scattered lately...sorry]

On a sadder, more personal note, some of you may have noticed in my Twitter feed that my father passed away last Friday. His death was not entirely unexpected, but was very sudden and caught my siblings and I really off guard. I will be leaving WFX early to fly to Virginia for the funeral. I will be bouncing amongst 5 airports in 4 days, so if you think of it, say a prayer for me, especially Thursday and Friday. The schedule is really tight and a missed flight would be bad. For everyone who’s Twittered, called and e-mailed thoughts, prayers and condolences, know that they are much appreciated and have been very sustaining. It’s times like these that being part of the Body of Christ is so precious. 

More from WFX coming soon!

Yesterday I listened in on a webinar sponsored by iLevite and Shure. Chris Lyons of Shure gave a good summary of where we are right now with the digital TV transition and the reallocation of spectrum. There wasn’t a lot of new information, mainly because there haven’t been that many developments, but it was a good seminar nonetheless. Here’s the upshot.

As far as the “White Spaces” goes, the FCC recently released it’s report on field tests. TV Technology has a good summary article on the report. In the testing of the new wireless devices Google, Microsoft and others want to bring to market, it was found that the devices could detect and avoid TV stations and other wireless carriers (ie. mics) about 50% of the time. Doug Lung, author of the TVT article mentioned above, concludes that these White Space Devices (WSDs) are likely to cause interference. Regardless, the FCC seems to be convinced that the WSDs can work. They will issue a ruling on Nov. 5th.

The whole issue with WSDs is a murky one, as no one really knows what it will mean for church sound, schools, theaters, sound companies, etc.. One of the plans of the WSD proponents is to put together a database using geo-location and registered frequencies to avoid interference. This plan has its own problems, of course. The good news, if there is any with WSDs, is that we’ll at least have some real information to act on come Nov. 5th.

The other topic discussed is one we’ve dealt with here before; the 700 Mhz band (698 Mhz-806 Mhz). As previously written about here, the days for us to use the 700 Mhz band for wireless mics are numbered. We’ll know exactly how numbered on Nov. 5th. Shure has been leading the charge of an industry coalition to establish a 24-month transition period for users of wireless mics in the 700 Mhz band. If the FCC agrees to this, we would, in theory, have roughly 2 years (from Feb 17, 2009 or another arbitrary date) to stop using our wireless mics in that band. 

This would be a God-send to the thousands of churches, schools and other venues that are looking at multiple thousands of dollars to replace existing wireless gear. Being able to spread the costs out over a 2 year period would be most helpful. Personally, I doubt we’ll get that much time. If we’re lucky, we’ll get a year. 

Like I said earlier, if you own wireless mics that operate in the 700 Mhz band, start making plans now to replace them. It’s not a matter of “if” but of “when.” The question is today, what do we buy? The answer to that is, “Wait a few more weeks.” Once the FCC issues its ruling, we’ll have more guidance on how to proceed. 

Given this climate of uncertainty in the wireless spectrum, I’m looking at trying to get away from as many wireless mics as possible for Upper Room and CPC. I’m hoping to drop down to 2 wireless IEMs and go Aviom for the rest of the band. Ideally, we’ll only use wireless mics for the pastor and other verbals during the service. I want to keep my vocalists on wired mics. They’re cheaper and sound better to boot.

In the meantime, we have a few days left to comment on the ruling. Shure has an excellent resource with full instructions on how to file a comment. If enough of us get together on this, we might be able to buy some more time to make the switch out of the 700 Mhz band. Follow this link to learn more on making a comment. Hurry–we only have until Monday, Oct. 27 to comment. After that, we get what we get.

Stay tuned for more information. I’m guessing that the FCC’s Nov. 5 ruling will be a topic on the FaithTools “Live from WFX” episode coming up. In the meantime start planning for change–’cause it’s coming!

If you’ve already updated to 10.5.5 and don’t want to roll back, the good folks at Renewed Vision have found a work-around to get you back in business. The only downside is that you use the ability to play back DVDs (until a permanent fix is issued) through ProPresenter. Here’s the post from Greg:

So far we’ve determined that the DVD component is involved. A temporary solution is to disable the DVD playback.

You can do so by running the following command in the Terminal (copy everything inside the box below):

Code:

defaults write com.renewedvision.ProPresenter3 disableDVDFunctions -bool true

Note, that you can’t use the preference setting in Pro because it crashes before it is able to save the preferences.

This seems to resolve the problem. If you are experiencing the kernel panic, run the command above in the Terminal and please let us know along with the information requested above.

When you wish, you can turn DVD playback back on directly in ProPresenter, a terminal command is not necessary.

So there you go. As always, remember there’s no rush to install Apple’s software updates. If your system is working normally, and you aren’t having issues that the update is supposed to fix, hold off for a bit. You’ll find life a lot easier for you if you stay off the bleeding edge.

[Update] It should also be noted that this seems to only affect MacBook Pros.

That and have a full-bootable backup of your system before you update. Then rolling back is really easy.

Thanks Greg, Brad and others at Renewed Vision for staying on top of this and getting a fix out so quickly. You guys are the best!

Here’s the whole thread on the Renewed Vision Support Forums…

For reasons probably only Steve Jobs knows, the 10.5.5 update breaks ProPresenter in a major way. It’s causing Kernel Panics (those are really, really bad…). Renewed Vision is working on figuring out what Apple broke this time and will post an update when it’s figured out.

As always, it’s prudent to hold off on installing any updates on a well-functioning system (and especially mission critical systems) until they’re proven to work well and not break anything. This includes (and sometimes means particularly) Apple updates.

Apple is somewhat notorious for changing things and not letting developers know ahead of time. So be aware. And it never hurts to have a fully functioning backup of your previous version just in case. See Back the Data Up, Pt. 2. for some thoughts on how to accomplish that.

[Update 9-17-08] It appears this issue is only a problem with MacBook Pros. And there is a work-around for it.

Today, we’re taking a break from our usual techie stuff to talk about some of the exciting things God is doing in the midst of Upper Room. I find it good to do this once in a while, as it’s easy to forget that we serve a higher purpose than great audio and video…

First, a little background. Upper Room started about 7 years ago as a third expression of worship at Christ Presbyterian Church. Initially geared toward the next generation, and combining both sacred practices and experiential worship, the community has grown beyond the expectations of those who were there at the beginning. Today, upwards of 1,500 worship with us each week, and we have a staff of 11. Upper Room is in the unique position of being a “church within a church.” 

This has proven very advantageous on many fronts. Because both communities share common facilities, overhead costs are reduced. Having both staffs in the same building is sort of like being a church plant with a mentor down the hall. And, as much as Upper Room has learned from CPC, CPC has learned from Upper Room. It’s been a very healthy and positive relationship.

It’s not been without challenges, however. CPC is more rooted in a traditional/contemporary worship style, while UR is more modern/post-modern. This creates a lot of work each weekend as we change the space back and forth. Trying to work through sub-ministry issues has taken a lot of energy (though not in a bad way, but like all relationships, it takes work). And there’s been a growing sense that UR is being held back missionally because of our physical location. 

About 1 1/2 years ago, the leadership of UR and CPC began to meet, discuss, pray and discern what our relationship would look like going forward. Having joined the UR staff in the middle of this process, I can say it’s been one of the most thorough, God-honoring processes I’ve ever witnessed. The spirit has been fantastic, and it’s exciting to see two communities so committed to each other and to the mission God has set before them. About 4 months ago, the working groups brought forth a recommendation that they felt would serve the interests of both communities best, and allow each to thrive and grow in the work of the Kingdom.

This recommendation was brought to the Session, which approved it unanimously. UR staff were present when the recommendation was proposed, and I was again struck by the spirit of cooperation and support. Rarely have I seen a church be the Church like this. Last night we announced to the community the results of the discernment process and what we feel God is calling us to as a church.

Sometime over the next 12-18 months, Upper Room will be commissioned and sent off as an independent church in a new location. In short, we’re planting a church! To say that this is exciting is an understatement. Right now, there are as many unanswered questions as there are people to ask them. We don’t yet know where we’re going (other than somewhere in the Minneapolis metro area), or what kind of building we’ll be in, how we’re going to get there. 

Going forward, there is a well thought out visioning/ownership process in place that will guide us as we seek to further discern what this all means. I continue to be impressed with the leadership of both communities as we move forward. The potential is here to launch a church really well, and I think we’re going to do just that.

For me, it means a shift in my role. I will be taking on more of the IT needs, and expect to be involved with the build-out and/or rehab of whatever space we end up with. For years I’ve been asking God to let me start from a blank slate, and it looks like I’ll finally get the opportunity. I can’t wait to spec a system out from scratch and hopefully avoid all the problems that I’ve been fixing at the other churches I’ve been part of.

Personally, I’m very excited about this. I find it utterly fascinating that God brought us here for such a time as this. When many looked at my background they said, “Really? How does this qualify you to work in a church?” On the surface, it looks like a hodgepodge of jobs that don’t fit together. In fact, it all makes perfect sense. Ten years in professional video production, for example, is an easy fit. But working for a company that produced huge corporate meetings? Well, I did learn a ton about live production, and I was also promoted to IT manager when I designed, installed and maintained the first computer network they had. Even this seems to fit once it’s explained.

But owner/builder of a chain of tanning salons? How does that fit in? Perfectly, it turns out. It was a serious education on commercial construction, design and building, not to mention learning how to design and install electrical systems of the 800 amp, three-phase size. Add to that HVAC, working with sub-contractors, building officials and the permitting process.

Selling home-improvement products? Again, I learned a lot about construction, contracts and managing expectations. It’s like a perfect storm for using all of the experiences I’ve had (except it should be less destructive than an actual storm…).

All of this is why I’m so excited to go to WFX in Houston in a few months. They are having what appear to be some excellent sessions on building, design and re-purposing existing buildings. Not to mention a huge trade show that will again expose me to many much-needed products and services.

I’m also excited to have a growing network of fellow tech directors around the country that I can draw on as we make a few thousand decisions about gear selection, vendors and design. As I said in the beginning, sometimes we can get so wrapped up in what we’re doing, it’s easy to forget what God is doing. This is one of those times when I remember I’m a part of something much bigger than myself.

The next year or two are going to bring many surprises, and it’s going to take a lot of hard work to get there. But just as I have been prepared for this in my area of expertise, so has the rest of the staff. And I think we’re all looking forward to seeing just how things turn out.

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned…there is going to be a lot of exciting techie things to report on coming up!

For several months I’ve made veiled references to some coming changes at Upper Room. And while I can’t talk about it publicly yet, we’re almost there. Tomorrow will be a big night in the life of our community, and I can’t wait to share the news with everyone. God is doing some exciting things in our midst, and I feel like we’re on the cusp of something big. 

So tune in on Monday morning, I’ll have complete coverage of the news. It’s going to be good…

ProSound Web issued a story on Tuesday that detailed an FCC proposal to ban all wireless mics operating in the 700 MHz band. You can read the whole story here. For even more information, click here to read the actual FCC news release in pdf format, or here to read the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Change order.

Having read through the article, the FCC news release and the NPRM (OK, I’m a geek…) a few times, here is my take. First, it’s still in the proposal stages. However, the writing is on the wall. I would guess it’s highly unlikely that this will get shot down. The dealine for comments is less than 30 days, and they have to reply in under 45. So my guess is that within a month or two, we’ll know for sure that all 700 MHz mics will need to be shut down on February 17, 2009.

But in my mind, that’s not the bad news. What worries me is the second half of the NPRM  which states the FCC will start investigating claims of false advertising against wireless mic manufacturers for leading the wireless mic buying public to believe that we could operate wireless mics without a license to do so. Huh?

Here’s the deal. The FCC requires all operators of RF transmitters (TV & radio stations, ham radios, wireless mics and IEMs) to have a license to operate on a given set of frequencies. I don’t know about you, but I know of no one who actually has a license to operate a wireless mic. This is because the transmitting power of a wireless mic is so much lower than a TV station that it’s laughable to think a wireless mic would cause interference. Since the only other devices operating in the same specturm as wireless mics were TV stations, and TV stations obviously have the power advantage, the FCC left us unlicensed (and technically illegal) wireless mic operators alone.

This could all change if the FCC decides to open up the “white spaces” (the open frequencies between TV stations in any given market) to other low-power RF devices (to deliver broadband internet, for example). Presumably these devices would be licensed by the manufacturer, and could be the victim of interference by a wireless mic.

Depending on the outcome of the investigation, and/or complaints filed against wireless mic operators by any new devices, we could be in a lot of trouble.

The uptake on all this is simple. If you have wireless mics operating in the 700 MHz band (that is from 698-806 MHz), you have about 173 days to get rid of them. And don’t wait until after the deadline to put them on ebay hoping people in South America will buy them because the rule prohibits the sale of 700 MHz equipment after the DTV transition date. Get the stuff listed now (thought it’s not likely to be worth much).

Also, be prepared to endure a possible licensing process or the restriction of your wireless spectrum. If you currently run a bunch of wirless channels every weekend, start thinking about how you can get back to some wired mics (they’ll sound better to boot!). We moved all our vocal mics to wired earlier this year, and I’m in the process of cutting our wireless mic inventory down from 16 channels to 8, and our IEMs from 9 to 4 (and adding 4 Aviom mixers to make up the gap).

I know the wireless manufacturers have been telling us it’s all going to be all right, just buy new gear and it will be fine. That’s good for them, as they’re selling tons of new wireless gear right now. But if the rules change again, which they might, we’ll be stuck with the tab (again).

Remember, a wired mic (with good cable anyway) is far less suseptable to RF interference and will almost always sound better than a wireless one. And you won’t (for the foreseeable future) need a license to operate it!