Sorry for the long post here, but I'd love some advice from you SAC experts out there. I'm the chief audio tech for a large-ish church in Mid-Missouri (USA). We have a 600-seat auditorium, run three Sunday services, and do a live stream (separate mix) for one of them. We currently use a Roland M-5000 console with the Roland REAC digital snakes and M-48 in-ear monitors. Most of our system is 10 years old and starting to become a little flaky. Roland ditched their pro audio division some years ago, so parts and service are no longer available. I've been an ardent SAW user since the mid 90's, so am naturally looking at SAC for a replacement system. However, I've never actually built a large digital sound system, and it may be an uphill battle convincing the powers-that-be to go with SAC vs a major console system like Allen & Heath or Yamaha. Our needs are:
64 inputs, either mic or line
6 or so outputs to various speaker systems around the building, including the sanctuary
A completely separate mixing system for the live stream
in-ear monitor capabilities for up to 20 musicians (our usual Sunday is about 10, but we want the capability for more for big services on Easter or Christmas)
It seems like SAC could handle all of this with ease. So here are my questions, at least at this point:
1. Is it better for the sake of redundancy to get, say, 8 interface units of 8 channels each? Or maybe 2 at 32 channels each? We're not a professional recording studio, so we don't need the very best sound quality, but we do want it to be good. I've been reading on this forum that RME seems to come highly recommended, as does Behringer. Any other brands you'd like to suggest? I'd rather avoid Behringer, as my local music store can't get them anymore, and I'd like to give him some of this business.
2. What is the best way to handle the in-ear monitors? I can't really imagine having a whole bank of laptops backstage. Do you just have a few and let people stand in line to adjust their mix? Or do you have a Monitor Engineer?
3. We work with several volunteers for running sound, both FOH and Streaming audio. How is SAC for easy teachability, especially for people who are used to running big-name consoles? I feel like I'll catch on to it right away, but then I've been using SAWStudio for years.
4. I've been working my way through (and enjoying) Martin's "Make Your Own Sound" YouTube series. For those of you who have watched that, is he right on with his recommendations? Some of his videos are three years old - has anything changed drastically in that time?
5. Any other comments of things I should be considering? Anyone in the midwest with a similar setup that wouldn't mind a visit?
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this!
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