Should church be a no-show?

Monday, February 14, 2011 by Billy McCarthy

I recently read an article from a well-known Christian author that served as a warning for churches not to focus on programming, or as he put it, “the show”, and forget what makes or breaks the longevity of the local church – its ability to nurture relationships both within and outside the church community. I don’t disagree, but let’s be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Important, is the method of communicating the timeless truth of Jesus within an ever-changing culture, no? In some Christian circles, the “show” not only contains the message, but attracts those who may not otherwise hear it. I attend a church whose leadership has a healthy respect for programming’s value in relationship building. And that’s really what we’re talking about here, isn’t it?  It’s a valuable tool – not the objective. It’s a style, not the focus. With its goal being to enhance the message of relationship and redemption – not dilute it. That message is the basis from which three vital relationships are launched: community with insiders, influence with outsiders and intimacy with God. Might it be said, then, that this message deserves our very best effort in presentation and communication?  Be it with all the bells and whistles or with just a platform on which to speak. If life change is the goal, and relationships are the means by which life change occurs, let’s allow ourselves the creativity to explore the mediums available – show or no show. The relationships are worth it.

Yamaha – 1, Murphy’s Law – 0

Tuesday, February 1, 2011 by Billy McCarthy

Anyone who’s ever made an educated decision has experienced what’s commonly referred to as Murphy’s Law, or “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” Well, it seems that some decisions, while not keeping you from meeting Mr. Murphy’s Law, may at least keep you from suffering from the acquaintance.

The People’s Church in Spring Hill. TN., along with the CTS Audio Installation team, recently completed the renovation of a vacant Kroger and repurposed all of its humpteen million square footage into a modern worship environment. And making the transition from their Sunday set up/tear down location to the renovated grocery store was their tried and true Yamaha M7CL. And throughout that expansive roof surface, can you guess where the one, single leak surfaced? [Enter Mr. Murphy] The FOH position sat directly below the leak. More precisely, the water stream fell directly into the console. “Like a good neighbor, state farm is there!” you declare. Take up a special console collection, maybe? Certainly it’s not going to work….right? Well, according to Dustin Lemler, People’s Visual Arts Director, “It was no problem. We just drained a quart of water from it, and it fired up without any problems.” The decision to purchase a Yamaha? A good decision, indeed. The other phrase you’ve all heard before may also apply, “Don’t try this at home.”

Asked if he had any ill feelings toward the HVAC units, Dustin aptly replied, “Nah, it’s all water under the (meter) bridge.” Kidding…pretty good line though.

Avid Consoles Find A New Home

Wednesday, December 8, 2010 by Mike Taylor

CTS Audio recently added a few new items to its ever changing inventory. 

The family of Avid consoles is now available for rental with CTS Audio.  CTS purchased its first Avid console, and SC-48, in mid September for longtime friend and engineer Russ Long as he was heading out on the Steven Curtis Chapman fall tour.  This console made sense for size and ease of use as this tour was being packed into 2 trailers at the beginning of the tour.  Working with volunteer crews and having weight and space to contend with made this console an obvious choice for CTS.    

At the same time CTS decided to purchase the big brother of that console in a Profile / D-Show package.  Complete with a full Pro Tools HD recording software capability this console is an engineer pleaser.  We were consistently receiving calls about providing a recording solution that worked seamlessly with Pro Tools and this console made the most sense for us.  As the need for keeping tours and bands on budget continues to get more challenging, we enjoy being able to offer an additional service to our customers.

Both consoles offer a wide assortment of plug in packages that can be bundled with them.  This helps as each engineer desires his own unique sound and functionality out of the console. 

So how can CTS Audio help you on your next event?