grandMA3 Guides the Light for the Good Shepherd Church

The Good Shepherd Church in Seongnam, Korea is a busy, active, and dynamic environment running a raft of regular daily, weekly, and monthly performance-based worship services, praise gatherings plus other related shows and events. It is right at the heart of its local community and is a constant fundraiser for assorted humanitarian causes, both local and international.

In 2022, the Church made its first MA Lighting console purchase, when a new grandMA3 onPC command wing joined the production technology in the 500-capacity multipurpose Glory Hall. This was supplied by MA Lighting’s Korean distributor, Hansam System, together with a package of new luminaires.

The new grandMA3 onPC command wing is now installed in the Glory Hall, located on the sixth floor of the expansive Seongnam campus. This particular venue has a lively focus on youth programs.

Good Shepherd has always believed in investing in quality production technology, and technical manager Jin-woo Yoo explained that when they sought a full lighting solution for The Glory Hall, a powerful, stable, future proof and easy to use control platform was essential. They wanted a console that offered the flexibility of being able to create, modify and update lighting cues extremely fast … to keep pace with the events staged in the Glory Hall.

The grandMA3 onPC command wing was proposed by the Hansam Systems team led by sales manager Chang-gon Kim, together with eight Martin ERA 600 moving lights, 24 x ELP WW ellipsoidal and nine Rush PAR2s, also from Martin, as well as 14 x Elation fresnel spots and 37 DMX controlled house lights, all running through the new console.

A typical Glory Hall praise gathering might feature a service in the morning finishing around 11.30, with a performance starting at 2 p.m. followed by another one at 6 p.m., so the lighting team must work super quick and be imaginative and original in how they are using the lights.

“With such a short prep time, we needed a platform and a philosophy that allowed the lighting team to work fast and create great results under pressure,” Jin Woo-Yoo commented.

He and the lighting team considered several different options, before deciding on grandMA3 but it was the whole grandMA3 system, its scope and adaptability that really impressed them the most.

“The real-time 3D Visualizer feature is a fantastic tool for showing the important functions and effects of the luminaires intuitively,” he stated, adding that using the console is so quick and easy that as soon as he thinks about which lights to move and where to … it’s done!

Using Selection Grid enhances the ability to produce a design quickly and dramatically improves the efficiency of the design process by reducing unnecessary time.

While effects lighting is not used so much during more standard church services, with Glory Hall being multipurpose and more performance driven, this grandMA3 system was a perfect choice.

Hansam System arranged training sessions for Good Shepherd’s lighting department and Jin Woo-Yoo noted that while the console is hugely feature rich, and they are still drilling down into its fuller capabilities, it has still been substantially easier to learn than their previous console! (from another brand!)

Talking more generally about MA Lighting, Jin Woo-Yoo stated that they all think it is an excellent brand that listens to end-user feedback and needs and produces software and hardware to encourage creativity. They think it was a smart move to include straightforward visualization as this is a great tool for assisting team discussions related to which elements of the lighting rig are appropriate and will work for specific performance requirements.

Furthermore, he underlines the importance of a good relationship with the local distributor, not just for product support and service, but also to be kept in the loop of a constantly changing and innovating technical environment.

Chang-gon Kim commented that grandMA3 onPC command wing is an ultimately mobile solution for grandMA3 users and fans and furthermore “THE most versatile onPC setup you can find on the market right now! For venues of this size, experiencing the incredible potential and flexibility of MA via the grandMA3 onPC command wing is every bit as wonderful as it sounds!” he enthused.

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