Sound Sanctuary

This month’s discussion is on small-format mixing consoles for houses of worship, both analog and digital.

There are probably a few different definitions for “small format” consoles. To me, any mixer that can fit into a rack would fall into the category.

That said, if your worship house mixer is not in a rack, don’t worry about it. We still have plenty to talk about.

There is no doubt that Christmas and Easter are the two biggest and most celebrated holidays in the Christian/Catholic faith. And my church, like many others, always puts on a big production and celebration that reflects the importance of these special holidays. So, here you are with Easter just around the corner, and you suddenly realize that it will take a lot more gear to put on the event that you have planned for your house of worship. So, what are you going to do?

My uncle is a Jesuit priest. You may ask yourself what that has to do with this month’s topic. Well, my good ol’ uncle Bud (the priest) would never consider using a lav or a headset microphone; mainly because Bud has been in the priest biz for nearly 45 years and is very old-school in his approach to preaching. He delivers his sermons from a podium with one microphone, and that’s that. On the other hand, the pastor at my home church would never consider using a headset mic. He is very comfortable wearing a lav microphone when he preachers.

Happy New Year to all of you. By the time you read this I will either have been to the winter NAMM show or be on my way. The reason I am mentioning NAMM (other than the fact that it takes place in January) is that it is my favorite place to look at new gear for my sound business. I am particularly interested in column speakers this year. (I must mention that InfoComm would also be a great place to look for this type of speaker enclosure.) Anyway, I am specifically looking at architectural speakers that can be installed in a house of worship.

If you are a regular reader of “Sound Sanctuary” then you have probably read my holiday primers before. If this is the first time, I will give you the outline. Whether you mix at one house of worship or a number of them, the holiday season can offer more challenges than any other time of the year. Each season, I put together a list of my advice, my rules and anything else I have learned during the previous year. It is my hope that this information will help you navigate (in a sane manner) though the holiday season.

As you know, "Sound Sanctuary" seeks to find common ground between those audio techs who volunteer their services and those who are paid to provide audio expertise. This month's installment only covers those of you who currently make money (or wish to make money) in worship sound. However, if you are an audio volunteer, please read on.

It has been about two years since I wrote on compressors. I am re-addressing this subject because, in the last two years, I have learned a lot about the use of this piece of outboard gear, and I would like to share that information with you all. I think of myself as a sound expert, but that doesn't mean I am not constantly striving to improve my audio techniques. Very much like faith, audio is not stagnant. We should all be learning more and honing our skills as long as we are in the biz.

I want to share some of my ideas about bidding (and getting the contract) on a worship sound system. I realize that many of you don't do installs or bid on installations. However, at some point, every house of worship will need new gear and, possibly, an entire makeover. So it is very likely that you may be asked for your recommendations on what piece of gear or entire system will serve your house's needs best.

I have promised (or threatened) more than once that I would address how to solder properly. And that is the subject of this installment of Sound Sanctuary. However, I have got to tell you all about an amazing outreach program I have had the pleasure to be involved with over the last few weeks. The organization is called WOW JAM or WOW (Winning Our World) International.

Before we get into this month's writings, I want to make a few shout-outs to some of the readers. It always amazes me how intelligent and thoughtful "Sound Sanctuary" readers are. I know we all want to do a good job at our individual houses of worship, but maybe we all work a little harder because of Who we are really working for.

This month's Sound Sanctuary is not really about the omnipotent nature of God. We all know that God is everywhere (no matter what God you believe in). This month, I would like to talk about expanding your worship house sound system to other parts of your house and into other buildings that may exist on your church's grounds.

{mosimage}There is no doubt that spring is in the air (at least it is here in Southern California). I know that some of you are still getting rain, snow and cold weather, but those long warm, days are just ahead of us. And what does that mean for many of us in the worship sound biz? It means that the "Outreach" season is upon us.