Summit View Church in Vancouver, WA was looking to bring the post-production audio quality of polished pre-recorded web services to its live in-person services. Following much research, it decided to replace its old system and start fresh with an Allen & Heath ecosystem as the new audio backbone.
System Design
Pairing an Allen & Heath dLive S7000 at front of house (with a DM64 MixRack) and a dLive C2500 in its broadcast suite (with a DM0 MixRack), Summit View selected the Allen & Heath AHM-64 as the central hub of the system. In its role as the central audio processing matrix, AHM-64 is controlled via a purpose-designed Custom Control app. This enables single-tap iPad scene switching for Sunday morning services, scaled down mid-week events, AirPlay audio playback, key dLive console functions, and more.
Custom Control is a free customizable cross-platform control app, providing control over the AHM-64 as well as dLive and Avantis digital mix systems. Created using free Custom Control editor software (macOS/Windows), any device running the app can log into the system with a given authorized user profile, at which point the correct user interface is downloaded and displayed.
Reactions To The New System
“The AHM-64 was such a pleasant surprise,” notes Roy Fisher, contractor, Black Collar Productions, which handled the project. “We bought it as a systems processor, but it ended up being so much more than that. It became integral as the inevitable ‘scope creep’ from the church staff and tech crew brought in additional control needs like the IP-1 wall controllers, increasingly complex signal routing, more channels here, more outputs there. AHM handled it all with ease. No dealing with complex coding or costly licenses, we just dove into Custom Control editor and created cool control interfaces for the system in no time.”
Specs
The AHM-64 is a 64 x 64 audio engine equipped with next-generation FPGA technology. It’s capable of delivering processing that includes 8-band PEQ, gate, compressor and delay on all input channels, and 8-band PEQ/30-band GEQ, compressor, ANC, source selector, limiter and delay on all zone outputs. An AHM-64 system can be controlled using a range of remote controllers, GPIO and third-party devices. With support for 64×64 Dante and Waves networked audio and up to 96 IP remote controllers, venues like Summit View Church can continue to scale as the AV needs of the church grow.
Matt Robertson, owner of Black Collar Productions, concludes, “There are a lot of matrix boxes out there that look ok on paper. But AHM-64 not only handily covered the tech spec side of things, it delivered the post-production-quality audio goal we were all striving for. One of the main FOH engineers for the church said that it felt like he just put on glasses for the first time, never realizing he had a sight problem. The audio quality difference is really that extreme. We all were hearing detail and clarity we’d never heard before. Running everything at 96 kHz with great preamps and with the real-deal audio engine in the AHM makes a huge difference. When sound quality is at the top of your requirements list, AHM-64 is the answer.”