Talk about a test of faith. Just two days before a series of 13 Easter services was set to begin, the church installed a new Flying Pig Systems Wholehog® III control system.
Jon Griffin, the full-time lighting designer/director for Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest, CA, had no qualms about installing a new console before such a string of shows, as he was already familiar with the console's predecessor, the Wholehog II console. "I knew it would be a success," Griffin says. "I love the Hog III. I took a conversion course (a training process of going from Wholehog II to Wholehog III) with Mike Hanson at High End Systems Los Angeles. Flying Pig Systems has been extremely helpful resolving issues with new builds all the time. With both the console and the wings, I have the flexibility we needed in the venue."
The 3,500-seat main worship center offers six services every weekend, with other events during the week. "For the most part, the main services are very generic," Griffin explains. "The fixtures are generally not seen moving. But for concerts, it's no holds barred." There are several smaller venues throughout the campus also which will be updated soon with newer fixtures and accessories, he adds.
Griffin says he quickly put the Wholehog III control system to the test. The Hog III along with a Programming Wing and a Playback Wing arrived on a Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, he spent the day hanging lights and programming, and Thursday was the start of 13 Easter services. "The Hog showed its power by keeping everything under control and still giving me the flexibility that we needed," he notes. "Now we are able to expand further."