When you think of high tech sound, a church is probably not the venue that immediately pops into your head. You may think of multi-city rock concert tours, cavernous symphony halls, lavish music awards ceremonies, or popular outdoor festivals, but churches? Actually, church sound is a growing business. There is even a magazine with over 30,000 subscribers dedicated solely to the production of advanced audio, video, and stage lighting designs in houses of worship, both large and modest.
New construction of churches often provides for improved acoustics and the budget generally calls for a state of the art sound system. Older churches are looking to boost the sound production in their existing buildings. People are coming to understand that sophisticated audio and video are needed to enhance the worship process.
Consider the nature of worship itself. It should to be free of distractions, right? The sound system should never be a factor of which people are aware. All too often, sadly, it calls attention to itself. Either the mix of sound is unbalanced, the volume is way too high or too low, there is shrill feedback coming through the speakers, or the singers' performances are imperfect because they cannot hear themselves on the monitor.
Churches today realize that sound is critical. They want people to have the most excellent worship experience possible, and part of that is producing clean sound. The choice to move to more sophisticated church sound systems should not be attempted without professional advice, however.
If possible, try to find an experienced sound equipment dealer which represents a number of manufacturers and has a reputation for an impressive knowledge of the systems they provide. You want a dealer who will help you comprehend what you need your sound mixer to do and what will work best for your particular building. Also, with church sound so often manned by volunteers, it is a real plus to find a dealer who offers thorough training on the equipment as well. In short, you want the perfect sound system for your venue, and your sound equipment provider should want the same thing!
New construction of churches often provides for improved acoustics and the budget generally calls for a state of the art sound system. Older churches are looking to boost the sound production in their existing buildings. People are coming to understand that sophisticated audio and video are needed to enhance the worship process.
Consider the nature of worship itself. It should to be free of distractions, right? The sound system should never be a factor of which people are aware. All too often, sadly, it calls attention to itself. Either the mix of sound is unbalanced, the volume is way too high or too low, there is shrill feedback coming through the speakers, or the singers' performances are imperfect because they cannot hear themselves on the monitor.
Churches today realize that sound is critical. They want people to have the most excellent worship experience possible, and part of that is producing clean sound. The choice to move to more sophisticated church sound systems should not be attempted without professional advice, however.
If possible, try to find an experienced sound equipment dealer which represents a number of manufacturers and has a reputation for an impressive knowledge of the systems they provide. You want a dealer who will help you comprehend what you need your sound mixer to do and what will work best for your particular building. Also, with church sound so often manned by volunteers, it is a real plus to find a dealer who offers thorough training on the equipment as well. In short, you want the perfect sound system for your venue, and your sound equipment provider should want the same thing!
About the Author:
Steve Collins is an author and Journalist based in Encino, CA. A regular church-goer, he understands the importance of good Church Sound. Read his articles on why good Church Sound matters.
