Hands On...

 

Your sound skills? Practice makes permanent! "A couple of months ago, I mentioned to my MoM (Minister of Music) that our backing vocals were sounding pretty rough. He then scheduled regular rehearsals just with them, and he stopped me in the hall recently to tell me how well things were going." Curt Taipale offers a discussion...

System renovation? Dont' try this at home!! You're getting ready to renovate the existing sound system in your church, and you're starting to get depressed about how expensive equipment is these days. So you've been looking for a way to trim the budget. What are your options for getting around this problem? Curt Taipale fills us in.

Tame that squeal! Eliminating feedback. Feedback in a sound system is that annoying howling or squealing tone you hear when the microphones pick up amplified sound from the loudspeakers. Fortunately, there are many ways to stop feedback and/or prevent it from the outset. Bruce Bartlett presents a wide range of fixes.

Tasteful use of effects. What really happens when you use effects such as delay or reverb with your system? More importantly, how do you achieve the right results when employing effects? Here’s how!

Ready to mix digital? Oh, come on… it’s not so bad. Actually, there are several advantages to mixing on smaller digital consoles. A rundown of the good, as well techniques.

Can you hear the choir? It’s a common problem, and one that doesn’t have to exist. It helps to get to the root of the situation and then take the right steps to get it fixed. A logical approach, with specifics, can help!

Monitor engineer roles. Sometimes it’s looked at as “oh, by the way,” but the role of the monitor engineer can have perhaps the biggest impact on a performance. The ins and outs.

Correct mic positioning. Sometimes it’s just a matter of personal taste, but sometimes there are tried and true ways of most effectively positioning your microphones. Here’s the scoop.

Where’s the sound guy? It’s a question Joe Wisler has heard many times. He talks about the search for qualified technical staff at churches, and asks some tough yet salient questions.

Inside power amps. From the files of Tech for Worship magazine, an excellent primer on power amplifiers. What’s a class? How about distortion. Defining sound quality? Amplifier design trends discussed as well.

Getting it right. Consultants, contractors discuss how they choose the right loudspeakers for your church. A lot of factors go into the project, particularly the room itself.

Mic basics.The microphone is the first place in your system where sound becomes a signal. So it’s important to know and understand the crucial basics. Loren Alldrin lays it out…

Expanding wireless systems. At some point, you'll likely need to expand your number of wireless systems. There are steps you can take to make this process as painless as possible. Here's the how-to!

Anatomy of a bad church gig. Jackson B. Jackson loves playing church gigs, but offers some constructive thoughts on reaching the audience. Can a multi-media juggling mime act really speak to an auditorium full of teenagers on New Year’s Eve?

Stage monitoring overview. Consultant David Kennedy recently talked to a wide range of audio pros about stage monitor approaches and solutions for your church. Wedges, IEM or headphones? Get the informed take on each method before making a final decision!

Worship audio basics. A system won’t run itself - the sound crew needs to understand the basics, function as a cohesive team, aim for consistency and prepare, prepare, prepare. Gary Z explains.

Both sides of the stage. Can musicians and church tech personnel co-exist in peace and harmony? Yes, it can be done - for starters, by avoiding the "deadly sins".
Part 1: Respect, critics, twiddlers & the word "no"
Part 2: Holding one's tongue, negativity & different mindsets

Choir Miking Strategies. Bruce Bartlett explains choir mic concepts and techniques, and in part 2, he lays out strategies for smaller choirs, as well as recording and mic selection.

Plugging in - or plugging up - your stage. Strategies and discussion for making sure your platform is cabled and connected properly - now and for the foreseeable future.

Maximizing your mix. Good sound often crescendos or crashes at the mixing board. Employing some simple principles can go a long way to helping raise the performance level of your church soundboard.

Gates 101. A thorough look at the basics of noise gates, which are dynamics processors to automatically turn off a channel if signal is not present. When - and how- to properly use them.

Avoiding phase cancellations. Two signals from the same source, say, from a vocal mic and guitar mic also picking up the vocal, can cause certain frequencies to cancel out. Avoid the problem!