New AV System Answers Church Prayers
Unusually for a church, St Martin of Tours in East London is the base for three language communities. Every Sunday it typically holds a trio of services, one following the other, in English, Portuguese, then Spanish.
That Was Then
Over the years, sermons, songs of worship, prayers, choral music and announcements had been relayed via an audio-visual system assembled and added to, bit by bit, by members of each congregation. An exercise in DIY-style keenness, the setup (as shown below) comprised a four by three metre projection screen attached to the back wall, an old analogue mixer, and some unbranded radio mics. Speakers, very high up, were pinned behind wooden beams, and cabling was hanging loose. The screen was too dim, the sound too poor. In truth, none of it really worked, separately or together.
Fortunately, the Church of England heard the venue’s prayers to start afresh and answered with much-needed funding. The summer of 2025 saw St Martin of Tours commission Moss Technical to replace all existing screens and speakers and usher in a revitalised chapter of clear sound and communication.
This Is Now
At its core, the new AV system features an Allen & Heath console and two Martin Audio speakers, positioned left and right toward the front of the church. Gone is the projector in favour of two 85-inch TVs either side of a stained glass window on the end wall. Sennheiser mics and a Dynacord L Series power amplifier complete the line-up. Knitted together, the system ensures 40 to 50 people per service can see and hear the service clearly.
The kit list:
- x1 SQ5 48 Channel 96kHz Digital Mixer 16 Onboard PreAmps
- x1 DX168 Portable DX Expander 96kHz 16in/8out for dLive and SQ
- x4 EW-D 835-S Wireless Handheld Mic System (S1-7) CH38
- x3 EW-D ME2/835-S Wireless Lapel and Handheld Mic System (S1-7) CH38
- x2 EW-D ASA CH38 Antenna Splitter for EW-D/EWDX/EW100/EW300/EW500
- x4 A1031-UHF Passive Omni-Directional Wideband Antenna 450 - 960MHz
- x4 24350 Universal Mic/Antenna Wall Mount 205mm 360° Swivel Black
- x2 GZL RG 58 Coaxial Antenna Cable 50Ω with BNC Connectors 5m
- x2 GZL RG 58 Coaxial Antenna Cable 50Ω with BNC Connectors 10m
- x1 L3600FD Live Series DSP Amplifier 2x1700W @ 4Ω 2x3000W @ 2Ω 2U
- x2 WHHM90-B Back Mount Tilting Wall Bracket Type 90 253mm Black
- x2 CDD12B 12" 2-Way Passive Loudspeaker 300W Black
Moss Technical Managing Director Simon Moss expands on the choice of products: ‘I’ve been using the SQ5 for a long time and will only fit Allen & Heath consoles in this type of venue because they are so easy to use. Martin Audio speakers are perfect for this space, too. They’re so versatile and the coverage is so good that you can get away with not necessarily having them in the optimum spot (churches can be limiting with speakers needing to go roughly where the original ones were) and they still sound great.’
My approach is that every church is unique, there’s no one size fits all, but I have a template I go by with core bits of equipment I always use because they do the job and are versatile.
Simon adds that the TVs may not be as large as the projector screen but they are infinitely brighter and sharper to display hymn lyrics, power points for talks, and videos. As for Sennheiser: ‘I know the EW-D wireless handheld mics are reliable. We usually preset and store everything in the mixing desk – on a balcony in this case. However, the client wanted to be able to control the mics from an iPad within the congregation rather than going upstairs so the option for remote control was part of the brief.’
Singing From the Same Hymn Sheet
A smooth project, with a three-day install orchestrated by a team of two, Moss Technical have remained sensitive to the character of St Martin of Tours while integrating AV technology that supports the church’s activities and events. A strong line-up of brands and products deliver quality sound and vision, plus durability, with the kit sourced from Leisuretec. ‘All my audio I will buy from Leisuretec,’ Simon concludes, ‘the pricing is good, the people are always really helpful, and it’s very rare that stuff is out of stock. You can get hold of anything.’
About Moss Technical
London-based Moss Technical are experts at installing audio and visual equipment, live streaming and network and wifi solutions with more than 30 years’ experience in the industry. Churches are their speciality.
About Leisuretec
Established in 1990, we are Trade Distributors of Professional and Commercial Audio, Lighting, Video, Special Effects and Ancillary. Through our AV Hire Production, AV Installation and Re-seller customers we address the live entertainment, leisure, commercial, residential and retail markets throughout the UK.
We support our trade customers with immense stock holding across a vast choice of products, knowledgeable technical support, competitive trade pricing, speedy delivery and attentive after-sales support.
