Editor’s note: This one obviously goes back a few years, but the information is worthy of repeating.
Audio folks can be snobs when it comes to gear. But the reality is, we can’t always have our favorites.
Sometimes, it’s a simple budget issue. At Coast Hills (my church), we didn’t have the budget for Meyer Sound, d&b audiotechnik or L-Acoustics loudspeakers. If I had held out for those brands because they have more cachet, we would not have a new PA at all. The money is just not there.
But the church can afford Bose RoomMatch—and having heard it, and after some considerable evaluation, I’m convinced we haven’t sacrificed that much.
Is RoomMatch as good as some of the others? Maybe not. Will the average person notice a big difference between those two? Probably not. Will the average person notice the upgrade from what we had to RoomMatch? Absolutely. I’ll take that outcome over no change at all.
Be Open
Lighting folks can be snobs, too. Some will say, “If it’s not Varilite, it’s not in my rig.” Or Martin. Or High End. Or whatever.
In the past, we’ve rented about six VL2500s for Easter. They’re great fixtures, to be sure. But this year, we rented 18 Elation Platinum Spot 5R Pros. Are they as good of a fixture as the VL2500? Not really. The panning isn’t as smooth, the color mixing isn’t as nice and we had one go flaky on us. However, we made a bigger visual impact with 18 of them than we ever did with the six VLs for the same money.
And you know what? If I were buying moving head fixtures for Coast Hills, I would probably go with Elation. No, they’re not as rugged as a Varilite. But, we can afford more of them, and they would be fine for what we’d need them for.
Use What Fits
When I say “fits” I mean both budget and application. If you’re at a big church with big budgets and can afford the best gear, go for it. But if you’re at a smaller church with small budgets, don’t feel bad about going with brands with lower cool factor.
Sometimes, the smaller companies innovate really well and come up with great solutions at great price points. Don’t discount them because they’re not what the big church or big tour is using.
I’ve talked with guys who are at smaller churches with all volunteer tech teams who are convinced they need a DiGiCo at FOH and a Grand MA at lighting. Those are great pieces of kit, but they do have a steep learning curve as well as big price tags.
In a smaller setting with lower production demands, there are better options. Never feel bad about choosing the best option for your church; even if it’s not what all the cool kids are using.
Get Good Advice
In my new role, I find myself helping churches decide what to buy. While I have my preferences on what I like, I have to set those aside and make sure I’m recommending what is best for them. I recently steered a church toward a Yamaha QL and away from a DiGiCo SD9.
Personally, I would prefer the SD9 any day. But in this setting the QL makes much more sense. Not only is it considerably less money—and they were already at the top of their budget—it’s much more friendly to non-professional operators with zero digital console experience (and 20 years of analog experience).
When purchasing equipment, make sure whoever is recommending what they are recommending knows your situation and how it will be used. Make sure they aren’t just giving you their stock solution. It would be a lot easier for me to have a “small church package” of gear that I can price and sell. But it would not likely be the best fit for everyone. So we stay custom for each church.
I’ve always been a contrarian, so this concept is not foreign to me. But I write this to encourage those of you who are nervous about not doing what everyone else is doing. They used to say, “Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.” That may have been true, but a lot of companies missed out on better options because someone took the safe route.
Don’t be a gear snob. Get what works for your church. Everyone will be better off for it.
