Ross' first exposure to Line 6 digital wireless was the Relay G50 instrument system, which he has been using for two years now. "It started with a demo," he recalls. "I was blown away by the accuracy of the sound. I got one immediately, and my bass player and second guitarist got Relay G30 systems. Not long after that, Line 6 introduced their wireless microphones, first the XD-V70 and now, the XD-V75, which have some features that are perfect for the worship market."
All Line 6 handheld wireless microphones feature DSP-based microphone modeling, which can be set to emulate a variety of popular vocal mics. This feature addresses a vexing problem in miking praise singers. "One model of microphone isn't a great fit for a rotating cast of singers," says Mike Ross. "I might have a female vocalist singing background vocals one week but solo two weeks later, with a male vocalist singing the week in between. Line 6 wireless lets me tailor the sound of the mic for the person singing that day. That kind of flexibility is unrivalled."
Today, The Pointe Church is using a total of eight Line 6 digital wireless systems - three Relay instrument systems, three XD-V70 handhelds, plus headset microphone systems for Mike Ross and lead pastor Ray Harris. All systems deliver the same ease of setup and use, including the normally intimidating area of frequency coordination. Rather than fighting with TV broadcasters and cellular phones in the UHF band, Line 6 systems operate in the license-free 2.4 GHz range, incorporating fourth-generation digital wireless technology that includes Digital Channel lock to prevent interference.
"In a modern worship church like ours, the more volunteer-friendly a piece of gear is, the better. That's another thing I love about the Line 6 system," says Ross. "Assigning frequencies isn't rocket science. You just dial in a different channel on each system and go. It's absolutely intuitive and easy. There's no training involved, and no interference with other wireless systems, like our in-ears. It couldn't be easier."
(Jim Evans)
