Sundays

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).

Planting a church is hard work. In the early stages, a small group of people handles the brunt of the workload. Sunday set-up, child care, budgets, communications, you name it. Resources may be low, but solutions are still necessary. Thankfully, technology can help ease some of the burdens.

The best church sound systems in the world can suffer from one simple problem: Bad audio from the pastor’s microphone. What a travesty! If there is anything a church sound system is designed to do, it is to provide clear and accurate transmission of the spoken word.

As filmmakers and visual storytellers, we can get caught up in the imagery and forget a key component of great picture...great sound. So, how do we make sure we don't sabotage our projects with inferior sound? Here are few ways in production and post-production that we can ensure our sound techniques are pristine while supporting the story and the visuals.

Having a great idea story idea is just the beginning of an effective church video. Before you start shooting, here are some video basics to keep in mind. Feel free to download and print these quick tips for how to compose, light and record audio on your next video.

“Church tech on a budget.” Is that an oxymoron? It doesn’t have to be! Having great sound at your church doesn’t have to be a luxury reserved for large building budgets and a tech department with deep pockets. Even if your church has an older sound system, there are likely some budget-friendly ways you can enhance the quality of your sound.

Since before anyone can remember, human beings have been telling stories to each other. Stories have the ability to capture the imagination while passing on important information. Storytelling can entertain and educate, inform and inspire. Even Jesus used storytelling (or parables) extensively when teaching the multitudes. How else could one expect hungry crowds to sit on the hard ground for hours on end listening to a sermon? Most of us can barely last thirty minutes on a cushy chair. We owe much to Aristotle who formalized storytelling with the three act structure commonly used in theater. Storytelling has evolved from oral to written and now visual through the medium of film and video. "Story is the equipment of life." - Robert McKee, Story

Over the past couple years, ChurchTechToday has covered the topic of live streaming church services a number of times and from different angle. It seems that churches all over the world are interested in find out more about the relatively new practice of streaming one's services live via video over the internet. There are many reasons churches intend to reach people via live streaming: for the elderly who cannot physically attend services to missionaries out of the country, for people with Sunday work schedules, and for people interested in pursuing God but are afraid to step foot in a church.