Green-GO system services clear production communications at Brisbane’s Nexus Church

A series of Green-GO digital intercom products have congregated at the fast-growing Nexus Church in Brisbane, Australia, to aid clear and directed communication between the team of AV operators.

The church offers its 1,500-strong-congregation music and Bible-based training services across three sites and online, with an on-stage set up that features large LED and IMAG screens, a professional sound system and concert venue-like lighting. The technology is manned by a team of volunteers that is expanding, and they needed to upgrade to a future-proof digital communications solution.

“The existing analogue, party line system was stretched to its limit and was no longer suitable – we needed more customisation and expandability,” says Andy Rogers from Brisbane Sound Group, which specified and supplied the Green-GO system. “During services, the intercom system needed to be clear, robust and simple to use. Green-GO offered us all of this.”

Rogers designed a system based on Green-GO Beltpack X and Wireless Beltpack X units, Green-GO Multi-Channel Rack Stations, a Green-GO Dante interface, Green-GO Headsets along with Wireless Antenna and battery charging units. The team now has easily available communication options from the in-room Production Booth, Video Control Room, Broadcast Audio Studio and the on-stage worship team. With the configured group and priority channels, it allows all the relevant team members – and only the relevant team members – to hear queues and quickly communicate technical issues.

 “With 16-20 production team members rostered across three Sunday Services, as well as mid-week ministry events and large-scale conference events, the system is used regularly and has proved to be reliable and flexible,” says Rogers. “The Green-GO headsets are high quality and digital signal transmission means you can hear clearly in all production environments. We previously had a very high noise floor from analogue systems piggybacked across each other. That went away overnight using Green-GO.”

Rogers says that being network based and POE, deployment of the Green-GO products was straight forward with only a minor expansion to the church’s existing network infrastructure: “The Green-GO Dante Interface opened communication to the on-stage worship team, suddenly allowing for more accurate start queues and faster emergency communication, all resulting in less running around and stress at those key moments.

“One unexpected benefit of adding Dante capability was the ability to improve our sound check process. With better and clearer communication, our soundcheck times became very consistent and predictable, allowing refinement of the process and we began hitting our service start times on time, every time. These small improvements go a long way to making the pastoral and eldership teams happy.”

Since the church invested in the new system, the Green-GO rack units have been in constant ‘on’ usage, with no issues. The team of AV volunteers were given basic training to configure and use the Green-GO system and have quickly picked it up. “They love how quickly they can access team members and leaders, other rooms and the Service Producer,” says Rogers. “The User and Group-based configuration allows very easy communication between team members. For example, our Multimedia Operator can talk with Lighting to discuss colour and layout, but not the Broadcast Audio Operator. If for some reason that communication is needed, they can talk to the entire tech team. The Service Producer can communicate to the whole team, sub teams, stage only or even the Music Director only without interrupting the worship team during a service.

“The worship team also really appreciate having low noise communication from the Service Producer for directions and the Music Director to Service Producer communication really improved the Production and stage relationship.”

The Brisbane Sound Group works closely with Rod McKinnon at Green-GO’s Australian and New Zealand distributor, Event Communications Australia, to deliver Green-GO production intercom solutions for varied markets ranging from house of worship, studio/broadcast, live event and theatrical applications.

Rogers comments: “Other comparable matrix systems from different manufacturers, at a comparable scale, have been at least three times the cost, which is totally prohibitive for our local church environment. Between Green-GO and Brisbane Sound Group, the total system price became affordable and the value proposition was massive.”

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Images © Brisbane Sound Group / Event Communications Australia