Solutions for Common Wireless Issues
We all deal with wireless issues. I’ve had my share over the years, and I have written about some of them in this column. We… Read More »Solutions for Common Wireless Issues
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Using Front Fills
This may seem counterintuitive, but the front few rows at church are often the worst places to sit, at least for good sound. Seasoned sound engineers instinctively know that if they go to a concert, they want to sit as close to FOH as possible. The front row is cool to be close to your favorite artist (or pastor in this case), but the sound is often lacking.
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Monitoring for Choirs
One of the most challenging aspects of our traditional worship and special events is monitoring for the choir. Below are some suggestions for getting the most out of your choir monitors. My church has been coasting along on an old and inadequate set of loudspeakers for the past decade and we make it work, so it’s not impossible by any means.
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Sound for Traditional Worship
Here’s something that you may find hard to believe: Many churches, my own included, still hold regular Traditional Worship services, and many congregants still prefer Traditional Worship over Contemporary Worship. Shocking, I know. Oddly enough, there’s a contingent of young worshippers at my church that attend Traditional Worship rather than Contemporary. They go against the grain of the average 30-something Contemporary devotees.
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Acoustic Fixes for Better Sound
Its effects are commonly misunderstood. Its importance is criminally underrated. It is the first thing on the chopping block in any church install or retrofit. You guessed it — acoustics. How something that is so important and has such a tremendous impact on the performance of a sound system gets put on the chopping block is a mystery as old as time. People like us — audio geeks, audio nerds — we get it. Lay people rarely understand until it is too late.
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Got Subs?
Adding LF To Your House of Worship
Subwoofers placement and technique is tricky business for the church sound engineer. On one hand, we want our mixes to be impactful and we want them to move people. On the other hand, subs are a common source of complaints in houses of worship, at least the ones that I’ve worked in.
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An Efficient Sound Solution for Multipurpose Buildings
Churches are in the unique and difficult position of providing sound reinforcement for multi-use facilities. Our campus hosts a diverse array of events each week, ranging from contemporary worship, conferences, outside fundraisers and even large dinners. One of the challenges that we face is the constant need for “just two wireless mics and computer audio.” Sound familiar? How do you take a large line array driven by an advanced digital audio console and make it usable for these small events? Answer: Pay an audio engineer for every little event. These types of events cost the church money and run the tech team into the ground with a million little one-off gigs.
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Four Ways to Improve Your Drum Soiund
There are many ways to make improvements to your drum sound, some obvious and some not so obvious. Drums are one of the most complex instruments to mic and mix because of the large number of individual microphones in proximity to one another. While your drum kit and your situation will be unique, here are a few tips and tricks to squeeze the best possible sound out of your kit each weekend.
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New Sound Systems: Powered or Unpowered?
Powered speaker systems have evolved considerably over the past 20 years. The popularity of powered speakers has exploded, the price has come down substantially and the performance has improved. I’ve met a lot of audio engineers and techs that prefer powered speakers by default just because of the convenience, and don’t really stop to think about the long-term implications of powered vs. unpowered systems. The realities of the powered vs. unpowered debate are complex, and one type of system is not necessarily better than the other. As with most things related to audio, your individual situation will dictate which type of system you choose.
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Headsets vs. Lavaliers
It is an age-old question for a house of worship audio engineer or technical director: Headsets or Lavaliers? As with most things in audio, the answer is, “It depends.” It depends of what you’re using the mic for, how discreet it needs to be, the personal preference of the pastor or performer, the gain before feedback and monitoring requirements, your current inventory and other factors.
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Dealing with Balconies
Room geometry is one of the biggest challenges faced by sound engineers and system designers. A single level space with a main floor can be challenging enough, especially if the room is not symmetrical about the centerline. Add in a balcony, or even two balconies, and a number of additional challenges will need to be addressed. Providing adequate reinforcement for listeners seated in and underneath a balcony can be a costly endeavor that should be carefully considered.
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Tips for a Great IEM Transition
Over the past decade, many churches have transitioned from monitor wedges to in-ear monitors. The cost of in-ear monitoring has come down dramatically for wired IEM systems, wireless systems and the ear buds themselves. Nevertheless, there are certainly still churches out there that haven’t taken the plunge and are still trying to navigate the benefits and challenges of moving away from wedges. While in-ear monitors aren’t for everyone, they often solve many of the traditional problems that we have with monitor wedges.
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