As Technical Director at Tenth Church’s Mount Pleasant location in Vancouver, David Morgan oversees all things production-related at the church’s Mount Pleasant location. The decision to upgrade their audio system with a combination of DiGiCo and Fourier Audio technology reflects their commitment to training volunteer technicians; providing greater stability and enabling volunteers, particularly those used to ‘working in the box,’ to access virtual devices they’re familiar with and apply them to live sound.
Tenth’s history with DiGiCo was definitely a factor in the decision to purchase Q225 and stay within the DiGiCo ecosystem. “We already had an SD9, so, especially for volunteers who were comfortable with what we had and have now built on, the workflow allowed us to carry on from the SD9 pretty seamlessly to the 225. It provides an open palette for creating what we need to do, so (between) customizability and longevity, this will cover us for at least the next 10 years.”
In describing the style of worship at Tenth, Morgan says it varies, but is generally contemporary, with four to eight IEM mixes on stage. “But we have larger setups over Christmas and Easter, and occasionally we’ll have choirs, so we need the capability to expand as necessary.
One reason for the choice of DiGiCo - even prior to this latest upgrade - and the Fourier transform.engine is the level of customizability and flexibility the technologies provide. Allowing them to meet the needs of technicians/mixers from other sites, and volunteers, according to their preferences, with a variety of different presets for multiple setup scenarios. “The transform.engine is fun. It’s like a playground, with access to so many different plug-ins.”
Several pieces were part of the upgrade: moving from a DiGiCo SD9 to a Quantum 225 console, adding the transform.engine, and (in Fall 2025) a Fourier integration card providing 64 additional Dante channels, which allowed the church to leverage two discrete sets of Dante infrastructure.
“We use 64 channels of Dante for monitors and multi-track recording, and we do in-ear monitors with a different console, which is sent as a tie-line/copy audio line for monitor mixes. So, we were running 18 channels of Fourier, but with the interface card, we can throw Fourier on anything, all the channels, which is great.”
Beyond that, and increased stability, the DiGiCo/Fourier combination also offers far greater flexibility than their previous setup, he notes, citing the ability to use his favourite studio plug-ins, like Plugin Alliance’s Brainworx Ampeg B-15N, live. “The Oeksound Soothe Live Dynamic Resonance Suppressor plug-in has also been a game-changer. I’ve used that a lot in the box, but the live version is only available with Fourier’s plug-in package. And it’s fantastic, especially for volunteers, for carving out space in the room and keeping some of the things that can get crazy and harsh (in control) in a semi-automated way.”
Integrating Fourier’s transform.engine also streamlines the process (and processing) for live streaming. “At this point, we don’t have the people to do an additional mix for streaming. So having something come off the board that (sounds) almost as if I was processing it in a DAW makes that a lot easier.”
Matt Moore, worship pastor for both Tenth’s Evening and East Van site, agrees. Moore frequently uses the Q225 to train volunteers and explains that the upgrades also impact his work.
“Our evening and East Van services take place at a location we don't have access to during the week, so we run our rehearsals at the Mount Pleasant campus on Wednesdays. I'm the worship pastor. I'm typically playing on stage, singing, playing electric, or acoustic guitar. But I'm also training volunteers running the console.”
In doing so, the DiGiCo/Fourier combination is extremely helpful. “I've been a tech director in other contexts and live mixing experience. But a lot of my workflow involves plug-ins, so being able to recreate the environment of my own DAW, with Fourier, is pretty cool. It's a luxury to have. It helps volunteers with less experience because we have presets in place that help (get things) sounding good from the beginning. And then, for more advanced volunteers, it's a sandbox for creating and doing sound. So they continue to have an enjoyable experience and not feel limited.”
Ultimately, it provides the opportunity to help inexperienced techs feel comfortable, because they’re using familiar plug-ins and have already grasped the basics of the console workflow, due to the similarity to their previous DiGiCo board. While more advanced volunteers can expand their chops while also leveraging familiar tools. “Absolutely,” Moore says. “All the above – and the hardware has been rock solid, it just works, which is great as well.”
Morgan also praises the Q225’s on-board options: “Having the ability, with DiGiCo’s Mustard and Chilli features, for processing helps build the base, and Fourier pushes it the other 15%; that's been great as well.”
As an added bonus, Morgan cites the manufacturer’s openness to suggestions, specifically the quick response to his query about the company’s willingness to, in the future, provide a feature similar to the Universal Rotary Controller on DiGiCo’s tablet app for greater control over different plug-in parameters in the transform.engine (in addition to the 'touch turn' feature that already exists within the console integration).
That type of user-centric dialogue was a welcome piece of the puzzle for Morgan. “DiGiCo owns Fourier. And between DiGiCo, Fourier, and GerrAudio, when I was going through some issues and figuring them out, it’s been great. After Gerr shipped the interface card, their western rep was like, ‘I'll pop by, take a look at your setup, and help with installation. It wasn't necessary, but it was awesome.
“And, on the Fourier end, the receptivity to feedback, ideas, or questions, the support and the transparency, the recognition that workflow and the needs of engineers are so varied, whether you're running a Broadway show or Ed Sheeran tour, or even just a little church in Vancouver, that’s been great.”
Tenth Church Levels Up Live Sound with DiGiCo and Fourier Upgrade