church sound

Placing loudspeakers and having them sound good involves a lot more than just pointing some speakers in the general direction of the listening congregation. While your church might hope that it would be this simple, it isn't. There are many “rules” for loudspeaker placement that are blatantly violated every week — especially with portable church sound systems.

Over the past year, we've tried to ramp up our worship software reviews here at ChurchTechToday. While other kinds of software like church management software seem to get lots of press in the church tech space, we thought it important to put some time and energy into helping worship leaders with their software selection.

There is one audio effect that is absolutely CRUCIAL for getting your sound to actually sound great. The funny thing is that most people don't even really think of it as an effect at all. That's why I like to call it "salt and pepper for your sound." Salt and pepper aren't necessarily considered spices, but you sure do notice it when they aren't in the mix.

Worship distractions come in a variety of packages. Some distractions just can’t be avoided, like the baby in the back row making a less-than-joyful noise. But there are a number of distractions that can and should be completely avoided. In terms of technical system distractions, there can be many causes.

Yes, I know December seems far away, and you might not be ready to start earnestly thinking about Christmas – but a little thought and planning now could make any upcoming Christmas tech plans go much smoother. You can start benefiting from this preparation right now! Here are seven tips to help you get started readying your worship technology for the upcoming Christmas season:

There is perhaps no better parameter for adjusting the quality of your sound than the equalizer. And it doesn’t have to be a complicated affair. Mastering your use of the EQ for live sound will take some practice though. And it is imperative that you train your ears what to listen for. (See the helpful chart and tips at the end of this post.) Why EQ? What’s the big deal about EQ, anyway?

Feedback! Yeah, it can be a problem. Even for a seasoned sound tech. So, how do we stop it? And how can we prevent it from happening in the first place? First, let’s define exactly what it is we’re talking about. What is Feedback? Feedback is the result of sound looping between an audio input and an audio output.

Mixing sound is as much an art as it is a craft. And like any art or craft, it requires a commitment to learning and practice in order to stay proficient and mix with excellence on a regular basis. That’s all well and good to say, but what does it really mean to “practice sound?” How can church sound techs practice and get better? Are there tools that can help measure that advancement in knowledge and skill? I hate to break it to you like this, but if you want to get better at mixing sound then you’ll need to do more than just show up at mid-week worship rehearsal, shadow the lead mix engineer on Sunday, and “think about running sound.” Fortunately, there are some great resources to help you get started (if you're an audio rookie), and tools to help you continue your education (even if you’re a live sound veteran).