The Lord’s Prayer

Many of you know that I recently left the Bible Church I worked at for 14 years, and started a new job at a large Methodist Church here in Dallas.  Since then, I have joked about becoming much more familiar with The Lord’s Prayer.  I just found this video online of a three year old singing this prayer. No joking – this has to be music to God’s ears.

Stuff Christians Like – and What to Do In a Technical Difficulty

I have been reading a website called Stuff Christians Like. It’s pretty funny stuff. Click here to discover what you should do the next time your church experiences a technical difficulty.

Free Resources form Greg Atkinson

Recently, my friend Greg Atkinson experienced a total blog makeover.  If you alredy read his site, but use a reader it’s worth your while to actually visit his site.  Right now he’s giving away 30 social media icons, made by his friend and web developer Ben Jordan.

Church Sound Tweaks – DBX Driverack Installation

Mackie tt24 console

The other day I went to a friend’s church to help with their PA.  Their FOH system was bi-amped, but the subs were not sourced from an aux buss.  They were experiencing lots of problems with to much low end on everything.  Enter the DBX Driverack PA. I have used the Driverack 260, and didn’t care much for it. The audio quality is good, but the computer GUI is lacking.  The window is too small, and the software is not intuitive like the Ashley Protea, for example.  But the Driverack PA doesn’t even have serial control, which surprised me – but it was not a handi-cap.  As much as I disliked using the 260, I really enjoyed the PA version.  Here’s what we did at my friend’s church:

1.  We decided to source the subwoofer feed from an Aux buss.  Since we had limited drive lines, we took the system from stereo (which they did not care about) to mono.  So the left out was changed to the mono out of the Mackie TT24 console, and the right out was moved to Aux 12 out.  We put a curve on the output of aux 12 with the on-board 6 band EQ of the console.  The curve looked something like this:

It’s not the ideal curve – I’d like a steeper slope, and all I got was about 12dB per octave.  24 dB per octave would have been more like it, but we made do.

2.  The DBX Driverack PA was installed in the amp rack.  The Wizard feature on the driverack was very intuitive.   We connected a reference mic to the front panel input, and followed the easy instructions in the quick start guide.  The quick setup guide was all the documentation we used.  So we EQ’d the room and set up some notch filters. I added a crossover filter to the the input to keep the very lows out of the mains.

I would not have done some of these things if we were putting in a new installation, but working with a limited budget and the need to be pragmatic informed the decisions we made.

There’s more work to be done, specifically with the monitoring system on stage.  We’ll tackle that in the next couple of months.

Small steps.

TokBox meetups

I just used Tokbox today for the first time.  I met with a couple of tech director friends. One lives here in Dallas where I live, and the other is in Minnesota.   It was a very encouraging time, and we plan on doing it monthly.  Sort of a small tech/ leadership forum.

With resources like Talkbox and Skype, I encourage you to find others in your network who you can get advice from, unload on, and pray with.  Our jobs can tend to be pretty isolating, and having brothers and sisters to stand by you is not really optional. Ecclesiastes 4:9,10 says “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”

Video Announcements

Does your church play video announcements in your worship services?  I was on Gateway’s site the other day and was reminded of just how good their video announcements are. If you do video announcements, or are thinking about it, take a look at these.

Tech Links

Here are some things that help me do things better, easier, or with more style . . .

Evernote
Notes, clippings and audio recordings that are shared between a mac application, website version, and Iphone client.  I just ditched backpack for Evernote

nuevasync.com
Bi-Directional syncing of Google mail, calendar and contacts with mobile devices, including the iphone.

Warm Cards
Produce better looking video in a variety of lighting conditions, including fliourescent lighting by lying to your camera.

Stock20.com
Affordable buyout production music.  Good underscores, solo pianos, etc.  VERY reasonable pricing.

Digital Transition Update

This information is not exactly new, but here’s a link with some information about the House of Representatives stopping the delay of the digital television transition. Read about it here . . .

Digital Television Transition Most Likely Delayed

The Senate has voted to postpone the digital television transition until June 12.  The House still needs to pass it also, but it looks like that will happen. Here’s some links for you to read more about it.  I’ll post more shortly when more information is available.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/16679.cfm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090127/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/digital_transition_delay

http://www.churchtecharts.org/Blog/archives/621

Practical Application of Technology (Twitter Success Story)

For years now, I have purchased all my alkaline batteries from one supplier, and it’s been a while since I checked prices. So here’s how I checked my prices. I twittered. I tweeted a question “Who do you use for battery supply?” Within half an hour I heard from several tech directors across the country. I double-check what they said, and indeed, everyone seemed to be in agreement. In fact, the responses were 100% in recommending the same company. Sure made my decision easy. The company? Medic Battery.

TWITTER

Do you twitter?  Follow me at brian_davis  

Please comment below with your twitter username and I’d love to follow you, too

Want to know more about twitter?

Happy New Year

I spent New Year’s Eve mixing a band for a party. It’s the first year I haven’t spent it at home for quite some time. The band I was mixing consisted of my friend and worship leader, and a few others playing pop, dance, a little country, and some classic rock. They did all cover tunes. Here are some questions I was asking myself last night . . .

1. Why do people hire rock bands and think that it would be good dinner music?

2. Why did I bring Mackie SR 1530’s without anything to elevate them? Wouldn’t the 1521’s be just as effective, as well as being able to mount them on stands?

3. Why did I wear these boots when I knew I’d be standing all night?

EXTRA

I start my new job in less than a week. I’ll be at Highland Park United Methodist Church. My job title is Media Resources Manager. I’ll be responsible for all audio/video/live event-worship service production.   Really looking forward to plugging in and getting back to work.

I hope you have a great start to your year, and I’ll soon be posting about my new church and new job. There are some pretty exciting things on my horizon that I’ll be talk about soon.

New Chapter in My Life

I recently gave notice to my co-workers and supervisors at Fellowship Dallas that I am taking a new position with another church in our city. January 6, I start at Highland Park United Methodist Church as the media resources manager. This change is after 14 years of service at Fellowship Bible Church Dallas. My wife works at Fellowship and she will be staying, as well as my children, who are pretty plugged into the student ministry. I’m leaving Fellowship well, and wish the very best for it’s continued ministry.

Change – even good change – is always stressfull, but I am eager to start this new position. I’ll still be blogging right here.

How Lively Are Your Meetings?

I was in a meeting today and we were planning our Christmas Eve services.  Maybe it was because the meting didn’t start until 3:30 PM.  Maybe we were all meeting’d out.  Maybe we all had low blood sugar.  But at one point, with six of us in the room, the motion sensor turned the lights out on us.  That’s just pretty sad.

Iphone Companion for Backpack

Yesterday I installed FrontPocket for Iphone. it’s a native Iphone interface to the popular 37signals product, Backpack.

It gives me access to my to do lists, notes and journal entries. It doesn’t seem to give me access to my writeboards. That’s okay – I’ll just use the notes feature of backpack.  I don’t use it to collaborate with others, so that won’t be a big deal

This combination of website / iphone app gives me similar functionality to Evernote, with the fast syncing of my data.

If you use Backpack, you’ll probably like this app.  It sells for $9.99 in the app store.

Flexibility and Resourcefulness

On the first day of our trip to Guadalajara, we installed a motorized screen and video projector in a small chapel. The lesson of the day – Be Willing to throw out the plan.

I was in communication with the church long before the trip, getting distances from the screen to the lens, heights of mounting points, etc. When we arrived and hung the screen, we realized the projector wasn’t nearly high enough. So we had to make a trip to the hardware store. I didn’t say Home Depot, I said hardware store, where the merchandise is lying in piles all over the floor. We needed a different way to mount our projector. We had to remove the nifty Chief I-beam clamp I brought, and go with 1.5″ pipe, with an elbow, and muffler clamps holding the pipe to the cement ledge. The new location for the projector mount was better as far as getting the projector higher, but it also brought a little too far forward. We’re not quite filling the screen with the image any more, but everyone is happy with the results nonetheless.

We had to surface mount the switch for the motorized screen. We didn’t have access to any double pole, triple throw switches, so we drilled holes and mounted the inline switch that came with the screen.

We surface mounted this inline switch, using a little silicone to secure it.

Another lesson – on jobs like these, let the local church members take some ownership in the process. One of the local guys who was helping us is an engineer, and loved the opportunity to devise a mounting solution using locally available parts. He and another member, were also very skilled with a drill. The walls in the church are 10″ thick and solid cement. They had to drill several locations in order to run cables. I fact, if it were not for these men, and their tools they made available, we would have had real trouble getting the job done.

I recently heard a report from the pastor of “The Little Chapel”, that everyone loved the projection. He used it for worship and sermon support. When I trained him, I said he should identify a few people who could be trained, buy he said he wanted to operate it himself. After one Sunday, he told me that he’s going to look for someone else to train.

The front of The Little Chapel, Lake Chapala, Mexico

Video projection in The Little Chapel

My next post will be about the rest of of my trip.

A Few Things I am Thankful for

• For my wife, Julie.  This March will be 20 years with this woman who has shown me the meaning of selflessness.
• For the saving work of Jesus.
• For my kids.  Good kids.
• For my friends Sammy and Julie, for their influence in my life, and their constant example to me and Julie.
• For God’s constant care and provision for my family.
• For my mother-in law, Beth, who is an example of grace and courage in extreme difficulty.
• For God again, proving to me that the most difficult circumstances are not out of His reach, or too hard for Him to handle.
• For a great group of local tech directors, and some that are not so local.  Guys who really love God, love what they’re doing, and who are willing to come together in a spirit of cooperation to build the Kingdom.
• For technology and the arts.
• For a great group of volunteers who serve without a trace of ego
• For repentance, for change, and for the love of so many in my life, and in the life of my family

Mexico Mission Trip Report #1

I will post more later, but just wanted to say that we’re are having an incredible trip. The purpose of our trip was to install a motorized screen in the “Little Chapel by the Lake” church, along with a video projector and to rewire their sound system. We also installed a sound system in an orphanage, for calling the kids to meals, in for bed-time.etc. Today was a very impact-full day. We went to a 500 year old village called San Juan Tecomatlan and shot footage an informational / support video for a ministry supporting the local villagers who are in abject poverty. I was in homes with dirt floors, some with toilets but no running water, no hot water, and people cooking over open flames in the middle of the house. It’s amazing – the work of the local people here to support those in great need.

My wife and I are already making plans to come back with all three of our kids for another missional vacation. Although we have been working hard, we have had a few moments to relax end enjoy Mexico as well. For the next few days I’ll post about our trip, but let me leave you with a pic I took with my Iphone – A beautiful sunset over Lake Chapalla.

Finally Headed to Mexico

My wife and I have had a trip to Guadalajara, Mexico on the schedule for several months now. The first time we were supposed to go we discovered shortly before we were to leave that Continental Airlines had an excess baggage embargo in effect. We were planning on packing a lot of the equipment we’re going to install as extra baggage. So our trip got bumped. We rescheduled our trip, were ready to go, and Hurricane Ike cancelled our flight for us. Back to the drawing board and trying to get everyone’s schedule together. So now we’re set to go this Sunday after church. Me, my wife, my good friend and worship leader with his wife, and another couple will head to Guadalajara.

We’ll be installing multimedia equipment in church just south of the city. We’ll also install a paging system at an orphanage.

This is what I call a missional vacation. Plenty of hang-out time, but spending a good deal of the time putting these tech systems in and training on their operation. I’m not really sure what kind of internet access I’ll have while there so I may have to resume blogging on my return.

Behind the Mixer

Behindthemixer.com is a church audio blog featuring training articles, videos, product reviews and interviews with church sound techs. Recently they interviewed me and you can read it here.