New Zealand Church Upgrades to dLive and ME from Allen & Heath

	The Eastgate team with dLive including Michael Joll, Matthew Bayly, Vaughan Saywell, Ralf Fields.

Eastgate Christian Center in Auckland, New Zealand, recently upgraded its audio system, selecting a combined dLive digital mixing and ME personal monitor system from Allen & Heath to manage front-of-house and monitor audio requirements.

"We needed a greater auxiliary count and a more flexible workflow than the existing front-of-house mixer could provide, plus the monitor system was no longer reliable, so the church decided to replace both systems with a higher capacity system that can easily handle the most demanding services," explains Matt Bayly, technical arts director at Eastgate.

After researching and seeking advice from AV consultants, the church enrolled its team of volunteers to test out different mixers before a purchasing decision was made.

"It was a unanimous decision -- everyone preferred dLive as it had a superior work-flow, was more user friendly, and it sounded incredible," says Bayly. "Following dLive's installation, there has been a marked improvement in the audio quality, and we have received great feedback from church goers, pastors, musicians, and sound technicians. The transition couldn't have gone more smoothly between the old and the new systems and we are left without regrets."

The flagship S7000 and DM64 MixRack were installed in Eastgate's 450-capacity main auditorium, offering future expansion possibilities. The system manages the front-of-house mix, auxiliary sends throughout the building, and the mix sends for the front line vocalists. Musicians mix their own monitor mixes with the ME-1 personal mixers, of which there are currently eight.

"Having access to 40 channels has proved invaluable. The ability for musicians to have customized stereo mixes has only improved musicianship and their enjoyment of playing at Sunday services," explains Bayly.

Eastgate also installed a Dante card for recording services, podcasting, archiving, multitrack mixer training, and the ability to connect to legacy sound consoles for monitor mixing.

"As an end user we have really enjoyed learning to use the dLive system. The flexible channel strip layouts, low noise floor, DEEP processing, and large dual touchscreens, are stand out features for us. We would highly recommend the system to other churches -- it's a pleasure to use!" concludes Bayly.