MOORESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA ― RYGID, an audio, video and lighting integration firm led by company President Ryan Gilbert and the Director of Client Relations, Will Carter, is redefining what it means to serve houses of worship and other AV applications. Founded by Gilbert a decade ago, RYGID was born from a desire to bridge technical expertise with real-world applications. The company recently completed an installation at Pearl Baptist Church in Iron Station, North Carolina, where the team deployed Visual Productions’ CueCore3, a compact, yet robust control platform distributed exclusively in North America by ACT Entertainment.
Though modest in size, the project was ambitious in vision — integrating architectural lighting, house lighting and emergency systems into a single, intuitive interface. “The entire building runs off Q-SYS,” says Carter, referencing the popular AV control platform. “CueCore allowed us to tie everything together in one spot; it became the linchpin.”
For Gilbert, this is a solution that the AV integration industry has long needed. “We’d been searching for a product like this for years,” he explains. “We hadn’t really found a reliable solution until now. We were either writing custom scripts or hacking together alternate ways. This product changed everything we were doing.”
RYGID’s work at Pearl wasn’t just about technology, it was about making that technology invisible. Additionally, for volunteers and staff unfamiliar with AV systems, the setup needed to be simple. “We created an ‘easy mode’ on an iPad that allows them to control the entire system — audio, lighting, everything — with just a few taps,” says Gilbert. “No matter if they’re holding a wedding or hosting a funeral, or any other community event, they don’t have to have a professional technician available to help.” Carter adds: “They figured it out immediately.”
The company’s next project is at a YMCA facility in Hickory, North Carolina, which they say showcases just how versatile the CueCore system can be. With spin classes and multipurpose rooms demanding dynamic lighting schemes, including sound-activated modes and custom color selections, RYGID will deploy the same solution that worked in the sanctuary for a fitness and recreation application.
“This is the architectural lighting control we didn’t know we needed,” adds Gilbert. “It controls standard fluorescent lights as well as LED fixtures and integrates cleanly with Q-SYS. We don’t even need a separate console. The flexibility to handle multi-universe DMX, Art-Net and sACN protocols, all within that Q-SYS-native framework, makes the product kind of a Swiss Army Knife for modern AV integration. Honestly, this product — and Visual Productions — finally gave us a real solution. It’s clean, it’s powerful and it makes sense for how people actually use these systems.”
Gilbert and Carter credit ACT not just for distributing the right products, but for supporting RYGID in helping bring those products to life. “When we ran into early firmware problems, the team at ACT was incredibly responsive,” continues Gilbert. “They helped us sort things out quickly and, once we updated, it was smooth sailing. The confidence we have now in the product, the brand and ACT is through the roof.”
While RYGID is still new to the ACT family, the firm is also exploring partnerships with the manufacturer’s/distributor’s other great brands, such as PK Sound, Ultimate Support Systems and RapcoHorizon. “We work a lot in the smaller church market,” says Carter. “They don’t have massive budgets, so they need systems that are intuitive, reliable and don’t require full-time AV techs to run them. That’s what we bring, and that’s what ACT’s brands deliver. We see an opportunity moving forward to use the company’s premium brands in places that haven’t always been considered.”
For a company rooted in design and driven by service, this marks the blueprint for a new era of integration — one that listens first and then lights the way. In a world flooded with over-complicated tech and underwhelming support, RYGID’s practicality can be seen as being refreshing. Whether designing AV systems for historic spaces, spinning up immersive lighting for cycling class or preparing venues for everything from weddings to worship, the company builds with intention.
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