Category Archives: Observations

Hearing is believing

I’m an amateur sound guy. On the weekends I do the sound for a church with a small band – Drums, Bass, Acoustic guitar, a couple of vocals, and electric guitar on a good day. I know as much as I need to know to keep the band and the congregation happy. I’ve never studied audio. I listen to MP3s and I don’t like records.

So when I was invited to a Digital Console Showcase in a nearby church where they would be comparing the sound quality of the mixers in a blind test – I figured I would barely notice any difference, unless the quality of a mixer was really bad. Well, it turns out that I can hear the difference between the mixers – and that my observations were pretty much on par with the group. I’m on the lookout for a 16 channel digital mixer.

Here’s what we did. We had a set wave file with lots of different types of music and speech in a short clip. We had each listened to it beforehand. Then, the file was played at nominal gain with no tuning through five different desks: the Roland M200i, the Behringer x32, Midas m32, Yamaha QL5, Soundcraft Performer SI2, and Allen & Heath’s GLD 80 – though only the operator knew which mixer was number 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5. Predictably nobody really noticed a difference between the desks (or at least consistently across the group) and neither did I.

Soundcraft SI performer 1

X32-COMPACT_P0AAP_Top_XL

Behringer x32 compact

m200i_top_main_gal

Roland m200i

QU16_Front_Main

Allen & Heath QU16

The next step was to play with the EQ. The sound file was then played through the mixers with different eq settings. +10dB @5k Q1, +10dB @1k Q2 and finally +10dB @150 Q1. We listened to see which mixers gave the most musical or transparent results for the increase in gain. At this point i started to notice differences in the sound between the mixers. I could swear that the EQ change on the first mixer had a much harsher effect. In the 1K test the fourth desk sounded awful – and I knew by the reactions of those around me that I wasn’t wrong. Sadly, we were told later that there was an error with that mixer in that test.

Lastly we listened to the track with heavy compression. 5:1 Attack 15mS Rel 100mS reducing 10db. In this test I could definitely hear that some mixers just didn’t do a great job of compressing the sound without altering it.

The results were surprising to me. For example the Behringer x32 performed quite well – about on average with the other mixers – proving that the inclusion of Midas pre-amps with the mixer have made a big difference given the company’s less-than-satisfactory reputation for audio quality. That said, most people (except me) noted it sounded poor in the compression test. Maybe that’s something I need to listen out for more.

No desk stood out particularly above any other, and (if you exclude the botched 1k test results) no desk stands out as particularly poor either. Here they are:

Screenshot 2014-11-28 10.34.30

As a point of interest we listened to the sound file played through all 5 mixers with the gain pushed to solid red. Needless to say, they all sounded bad, and it wasn’t really a very measurable test anyway.

Invisible roadworks

2013-02-09 16.35.08

In Australia roadworks were traditionally done by the local council, and though for many years it has been subcontracted out to private companies there is still a general image of ‘council workers’ who dress in reflective gear and sit by the roadside smoking cigarettes. I’ve discovered recently that it’s the same in England – except for the name.

All around the world I have seen this same phenomenon. I can’t imagine why the government needs to install traffic cones along a 3 mile stretch of the motorway where there is no appearance of any work being done or any damage to the road. Do they just do it for fun?

I decided that I needed to look this up on the web. The Highways Agency twitter account mentioned the closed lane:

#M6 northbound between J39 and J40 | Lane(s) blocked http://bit.ly/sutXS1

Still, I found it very difficult to find out WHY the lanes were blocked – as the highways agency doesn’t allow you to search in the past (though it’s helpful for the future – http://www.trafficengland.com/disruptions.aspx)

Eventually I found this on a cached version of the advanced driving website:

http://www.advanced-driving.co.uk/traffic-reports/north-west-england/

M6 northbound between J39 and J40 | Northbound | Resurfacing

On the M6 northbound between junctions J39 and J40, minor delays can be expected at peak times due to carriageway resurfacing , between 8 pm and 6 am, from 5 February 2013 to 8 February 2013.

I passed through on the 9th of February, so I guess they finished the job and decided to leave the cones in place one more day (or more!). Oh well.

Yesterday I saw some guys doing works on the road while there was snow coming down and wind blowing it everywhere, so I guess that kind of makes up for it.

Men’s Conference

“It’s such a relief that you could come to help out today Chris, you were a big help” a member of the OMNIvision crew remarked as he dropped me home late Saturday night. I was just thankful to God for the opportunity to be a part of the event.

Last Wednesday I left my lovely fiancee in Berkhamsted and caught a train to Carlisle to work on a software project for OM ships. I had wanted to spend some more time in Carlisle connecting and getting accustomed to the area, and OM had kindly paid my way up here for a week and a half. On Friday morning in devotions, a member of OMNIvision approached me and asked me if I’d like to go to Manchester with them for the weekend Northern Men’s Conference. I agreed without delay and was whisked off to the bus as soon as I could tell people where I was going.

One crew member had fallen ill and I was needed to help with setup, packdown and camera. I had operated a camera many times before on the ship, but this was a step up from that. Bigger cameras, more professional crew, and an audience that expect quality.

The Northern Men’s Conference was a one day Christian conference with keynote speaker Dr David Cook from Australia encouraging men from all around Northern England how to be the man God designed them to be. As I operated the camera, it struck me that he was saying some key stuff that mattered to me at this point in my life. I am moving from being a single man under my parents to being a husband and head of the household. Whilst I won’t repeat his talks, I especially like that he said God designed us in his image – to work as He does, to rest as He does and to Love as he does. This and many other truths washed over me as I operated the camera – I felt doubly blessed hearing this instruction and doing what I love doing.

The Audio/Visual side of things ran very smoothly and everyone was thankful that I could come along and fill in for the other camera operator. I am looking forward to the big events like Teen Street that I’ll be involved with this summer. I thank God for the surprise adventure, the blessing of growing relationships with the crew and the instruction I received on being a man of God.

Connecting

Following our week in Carlisle nailing down the details of our future, this week has been spent connecting (or re-connecting in Ruth’s case) with the community of Ruth’s Home Church, Northchurch Baptist. I’ve been staying with two lovely families that live near Ruth. It’s been great to get to know them better by living in their homes and sharing a little in their lives. Ruth and I have been doing our best to share with others what God has called us to do in Carlisle. (you can read it here: Chris|Ruth) A big part of this has been participating in home groups. We’ve also had penty of time to spend on wedding planning – which as you could imagine, turns out to be quite a bit of work when you want to stick to a budget!

We are both really excited about continnuing work with OM, and sometimes I feel like I’d like to be there right now serving God with my skills and giftings – but He is encouraging me each day that building my relationship with Ruth and connecting with people in her life – laying down a good foundation for the future is the best use of my time right now.

This Wednesday I’m headed to Carlisle for 1.5 weeks to work on an urgent project, then I’m back here in Berkhamsted until the wedding on June 9th. We’ll disappear until our Australian blessing and reception on June 26th, and after that we’ll return to Carlisle to set up home and start work on July 2nd.

We’ve been really encouraged so far by generous gifts and pledges of financial support. it’s still early days as far as Ruth’s levels are concerned. I’m still resting at 70%. We can’t help but testify that God has suppplied all of our needs up to this point and we Trust he will continue to surprise us in the future.

Independence: What does the bible say?

Independence seems like the ultimate confirmation of being a ‘real man’ or for that matter a ‘real woman’. Something inside us wants to prove that we can make it on our own, to pay our own way, to not need anybody. Perhaps that’s why some people move out of home when they turn 18 (or sometimes younger!) Perhaps we were taught from early on that being independent from our parents and those around us should be our goal. Birds will push their young chicks out of the nest so that they will learn to fly – if they didn’t push them, the little birds would never try something that strange. Maybe you’ve also been pushed out of the nest.

But more and more I’m starting to see how this mindset develops into a lonely and isolated existence. Going it alone – either as a single person or as a family unit – has some romantic notions and promises to never be a burden on anyone, but it can’t be healthy. God designed us to live in relationship with each other, to be a community. Listen to this verse from 1 Corinthians 12:

14For the body is not one member, but many. 15If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. […]  20But now there are many members, but one body. 21And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” […]  26And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

I love that part ‘If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it’. It’s not that I want to bring everyone down all the time – but have you ever suffered something in silence? Have you ever pretended that everything was OK, because you were afraid you would be rejected or be a burden – or you weren’t even sure what you were afraid of? As Christians we are supposed to be the body of Christ, and there are no independent parts in that body. Each part needs every other part in order to function, and God has designed us to work together in unity and harmony.

I have been wrestling with God today over finances. He has repeatedly reminded me to trust him to provide for me, but there’s that part of me that keeps rising up and saying “I want to do this in my strength. I want to provide for my own needs and in the future for my wife.” But that’s not how God is leading Ruth and I to live. He is asking us to be fully dependent on Him, and on our fellow Christians for all our needs. Even though things don’t look promising now, He knows our needs and He will provide for us. We have to let go of that part of us that wants to be independent.

I also think about Romans 12:10 – “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Was that only talking about honoring the pastor above yourselves? No. It applies to everyone in the church. To often, the person sitting next to me in Church is suffering emotionally or financially or in their health, but I’m not at all interested in listening, praying for and helping them. My prayer is that I am more sensitive to the needs of my brothers and sisters in Christ – and have the guts to ask them how things are really going for them.

OmniVision


“Wait, you seriously like doing this kind of thing – that’s amazing!” This and other statements have been a part of the discussions that I have had lately with people at OmniVision. Situated in the city of Carlisle in far North England, OmniVision makes videos about what God is doing around the world drawing people to himself. Through the videos created here, we are given an insight into ministries that we can be a part of – – by supporting, by praying, by sending, by going. They also do live video coverage (Image Manification – or iMag for short) of big Christian conferences in Europe. This is the most exciting feature for me. I love to be behind the quality technology that helps to bring people into the presence of God – rather than push them away as it sometimes does. I like to see young people giving their lives to Jesus and committing themselves to missions both local and abroad. For that reason I’ve extended my world travelling for just one more month to visit the ministry and to experience a little of what they do. Now it just so happens that I used to be a computer programmer (I write PHP for those interested) and I really enjoyed that job, but didn’t get to do any of that in the ship. When I mentioned that I like to do PHP work and maintenance, more than one person was excited. I’ve already got two small projects that I’m working on to improve existing websites. I really like where I am working and I’ve already learned a whole lot more about my job. Carlisle is also a very nice city – very small but very cool. There is also a very nice place called the Lake District not far to the south which is breathtakingly beautiful. I think I am really going to enjoy the month here.

Malaysia


Sailing into Penang, Malaysia I though to myself “This will be my last port of call with Logos Hope”. It is a sobering thought. What will I make of this port? Who’s life will I impact? How will I make the days count. Friendships are a priority for me – spending as much quality time with good friends as I can. I have passed on my leadership role to another talented young man named Greg so now I can spend my work time making sure I do the best job possible, and making sure he has everything that he needs to carry on when I am gone. I am excited to meet Chinese, Indian and Malay people in Malaysia and listen to their stories and share mine. I am already enjoying the abundance of cheap Malaysian food. I plan to finish this race well, say goodbye on good terms, enjoy my time and look forward to being home.
This week I was able to visit a Malaysian church that felt just like home – moreso than the Sunday Service on board Logos Hope. Whilst we went there to share about the ship, for me it was a great time of refreshment, rest and good teaching. We were in a big group, and whilst I remained in the main service, Ruth and a number of others taught the different Sunday School classes.
I am excited about the next few weeks in Malaysia finishing my time well. I thank God for an amazing time on board and a bright future.

Leaving The Caribbean

Last night at midnight the Logos Hope – My home – left the last island in the Caribbean on our schedule – Roseau, Dominica. The Caribbean has been my home for 8 months now, though the Logos Hope is where I spend most of my time so every time I walk out the door I experience some culture shock. If I were to use only one word to describe my experience of Caribbean people – I would say alive. Alive in a way that European and even Australian people can be dead. People want to talk to you, to say good morning to you as you pass in the street. People are not afraid to ask you spiritual questions. In this way they are friendly, but in another way they can be rude. Sometimes the staff in the book fair struggled to deal with the demands of insistant customers who asked for discounts, demanded service and rarely smiled or said ‘hello’. Christians here are not afraid to spread the Gospel – and I have learned a little boldness from them. The nations I visited gain their income from tourism, hosting wealthy white tourists on sandy beaches – while their populace often live in abject poverty. The contrast is frightening to me, and it scares me that the tourists don’t see the poverty as they are wisked away from their cruise ships in a taxi to a nice beach.
In the Caribbean I spoke in front of another church body for the first time, handed out gospels on the street for the first time, performed an evangelistic drama for non christians for the first time, told a story to a group of kids for the first time, and started really trying to talk about Jesus one on one with stranges in the cafe. I have become accustomed to introducing myself as Chris from Australia – the land of Crocodiles and Koalas and Kangaroos. I have learned the hard way how to lead a team with love and patience – and discovered in me and weeded out a competitive spirit that doesn’t support the body of Christ.
The Caribbean has been a special time for me, and I will never forget it.

Sabbath Week


“72 Kilograms of tinned tomatoes are the main ingredient in tonight’s dinner”. For one afternoon I volunteered to work in the galley – the ship’s kitchen. Food is cooked in large amounts and served buffet style to the ship’s crew, so amazing amounts of food such as 30 tins of tomatoes, giant boiling pots and power tools for mixing come in to play. The end result was pasta with tomato and meat sauce which the crew enjoyed – and nobody got sick!

Volunteering in the galley was my way of pitching in to give others some time off during Sabbath week on board Logos Hope. Every year, the ship’s crew takes a week out from our busy schedule to reflect, recharge and reconnect with God and with each other. Since the ship is closed to the public, those who work in events, book fair and office jobs will work in other departments to spread the load and give everyone some needed rest.

During this week I have really learned the value of forgiving and loving other people. We are a community of Christians from over 45 different nations working together to bring in the harvest. If we work as individuals we will ultimately fail in both our purpose and our example. I have identified people whom I have forgiven – the next step for me is to approach them and tell them.

Mission: Bahamas


“Please Lord send me to the Bahamas” might be the catch-cry of the lazy missionary and a joke to others, but when fellow crew member Randy Grebe felt called to take his young family and go to be a missionary in the Bahamas, he took it very seriously.
Randy’s ministry was not in the nice places, not to the tourists, and never at all easy. Through many years of hard work and lots of sacrifice, Randy and Kim impacted the heart of the island chain. Their most famous acheivement was the construction of the Adventure Learning Centre where kids come to learn about creation and many make Jesus their Lord an Savior. I was on camera tonight for a reunion dinner with so many people who testified to the way that Uncle Randy touched them and brought Jesus into their lives, and on Tuesday I will visit the Adventure Learning Centre – the result of a man who listened not to men, but to God.