Churches often hold a bad reputation for their poor acoustics. It is especially true for smaller churches that do not have a professional technical team. Faulty equipment, incorrectly used equipment can be the big reason behind the terrible sound.
It is unfortunate when someone attends church leave early due to poor audio design inside the church. In most cases, they’re also unlikely to return because the church has disappointed them. They might not describe why they didn’t like it, but if you dig deep enough, you might find that a bad sound system was the reason behind it.
So, if you think that your church sound system needs an upgrade, the following basic tips for improving your church’s sound system might be of great help.
-
Ensure you have a plan
Consider the following questions when planning your sound ministry.
-
What makes you think you have a sound ministry?
-
What do you expect from the sound crew as the pastor?
-
What do you expect from the pastor as the sound crew?
-
Who is permitted to use the sound system?
-
What is the procedure for getting a piece of equipment repaired if it breaks?
-
Do you have a backup plan in place if a speaker, microphone, or soundboard fails?
-
During a service, event, or presentation, how and who communicates with the sound booth/crew concerning mic levels and feedback?
-
Do you have a soundcheck the night before the service or the morning of it?
-
Make a Quick Fix.
The best thing you can do to improve your church’s sound system is make a quick fix. The best part about this tip is that it’s not only cheap, but it’s also free. After months of mixing from the same scene or board configuration, you’ll frequently discover significantly more EQ or compression than is required, EQ on the LR buss that isn’t necessary, and gain structure that is totally off.
Every week, I like to run a baseline show file or scene that resets the desk to a known decent state, but if you pick up where you left off the week before, zero it out now and then. I’ve seen consoles with every gain knob set to full cut and people complaining about how horrible it sounds. Start anew with a blank slate.
-
Have your PA calibrated by an expert.
Some years ago, I went to a church to check their system. Between the mixer and the amps, they had a 31-band equalization, with each band set to 15 dB. Every band.
They also had an 8-band feedback eliminator in the chain, which was set to full cut on every band for even greater sound. It sounded incredible, as you could expect. They thought the speakers were too loud, so they turned down the EQ to make it quieter when I inquired.
If that’s your notion of how to calibrate a PA and improve the sound system in your church, it’s time to hire a pro!
Conclusion
You must ensure that everyone can hear what is being stated to have a strong congregation. You’ll need to invest in a good audio design for this. To reach your goals, use the suggestions made above.
