Resource

 

Going beyond the cutsheets. If you’ve been mixing for any period of time, you’ve been inundated with project literature and advertisements. But getting exceptional sound doesn’t come down to a massive knowledge-base of mics and product numbers. Jim Burdette provides a solid basis for getting on the right track!

Amendments? It’s pretty clear that God’s laws of physics must operate differently inside a church than outside. Curt Taipale shares some true, and very humorous stories, to prove the point.

Church planning 101. Now, more than ever before, complex issues come to light when it comes to planning and building a new worship space. Have a look at the crucial factors, as well as recommendations to help put you in the right direction.

Your dealings with contractors. Sometimes the most difficult part of a religious system project is not the details of the sound system itself, but rather the specialized language unique to the application. An in-depth look at the situation, with helpful hints to clarify things.

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.

Choosing the right console - for you! Curt Taipale offers sage advice in the pursuit of the right mixing console for your church and situation. Hundreds of options… how do you boil them down to the best choice?

Let’s go shopping! What if your church administrator granted permission for you to buy a brand-new mixing console? Where do you start (after you pick yourself off the floor?) What to look for in terms of features and what they do, and terminology clarified!

Who done it? With a new system problems, it's wise to hold off blaming the designer until a thorough assessment is done. Curt Taipale explains.

Lobes and nulls? Your church sound system goes into feedback whenever mics pass under the loudspeaker array. Worse yet, there are "soft spots" in some sections of the audience area. Here’s what you can do about the problem!

Top Ten. Why do church systems cost more, at least in the view of building committees and the like? Pat Brown explains why, and how to present this information - effectively - to said committees and other parties in the decision chain.

Church system education. The average church technician - generally a volunteer with another full-time job - can have a difficult time finding affordable opportunities for training and education. Here’s some good resources!

Healthy source devices. Your CD and DVD players are capable of giving your church years of useful, quality service. But to really help them in this quest, it takes a bit of TLC. Here's some tips.

Console cost analysis. So many mixing consoles, so little time. How do you decide on a direction? This primer provides valuable info on the cost and features issue. What you get a the price goes up, and the benefits (or not).

Is in-ear monitoring right for your church? Putting stage monitoring directly in the ears of performers can provide a number of advantages for both them and the audience. How exactly does it work, and what are the upsides and problems? Karl Cartwright explains.

EQ201: Third-octave & parametric. In part 2 of his series on equalization, Joe Wisler explains the basic concepts of equalization and talks about how avoiding “smiley” and “frowney” curves helps sound quality.

EQ 101. Joe Wisler explains console EQ section and offers some helpful techniques for learning and improving your skills. What are those knobs to be used for, anyway?

New Duplication Technology. A review of Telex computer cards that transfer audio between tape duplicators and your computer. How do they work?

Ultimate system troubleshooting. Bruce Bartlett's extensive checklist for troubleshooting church sound systems. Many problems can be surprisingly simple to find and fix.

Loudspeaker primer. Multi-part series on what you need to know about loudspeakers before embarking on the evaluation and selection process.
Part 1: The basics
Part 2: Factors and methods
Part 3: Matching loudspeakers and amplifiers

Seven steps to great worship sound. Many factors influence the quality of sound: room acoustics, system design, operator experience, source... Tips for tying it all together.

Sound level meters. The basics of SLM's, providing understanding of what they can (and can't do), different classes, what features mean, and how these can be useful to your work.

Time is on your side. In sound systems, there can be multiple sources of misalignment, all of which can compromise sound quality. Causes of the problems, and tools to fix them.