Church Sound: How To EQ Speech For Maximum Intelligibility

Now that you understand the audio dynamics (fundamentals, etc) in a voice and the environmental concerns (background music), let’s turn to…

What You Can Do To Provide The Maximum Speech Intelligibility For Your Pastor

There are three things you can do for tackling the EQ’ing process for the spoken word:

1. Make room for the voice. As I mentioned above, the environment makes a difference in how you EQ the spoken word. We can only control what is coming into the mixing board, so wind and rain aside, let’s talk about music.

Mixing a large band means making space in the sonic spectrum where each instrument/vocal can sit and sound unique; and of course then blending these sounds together into a tight mix.

The spoken word needs the same treatment when music is played underneath it. This can happen in two ways—

A. Adjust volume. This can be done using compression or simple volume adjustments. The general rule-of-thumb is the music is there to support the spoken word – to sit underneath it. Therefore, look to cut volume levels of instruments before you boost the volume of the speaker. You can also use compression to bring volume levels up and down as you wish.
B. Adjust the mix. Cut the frequencies of the instruments where they are the same as that of the speaker. Boost the spoken word EQ in those areas a little if needed to present the music and the voice as two distinct sounds.

2. Know sibilance and how to avoid it. Sssssssibilance in vocals is when the sound of the letter “S” sounds more like a hissing snake. You can accentuate vowel sounds/add presence by increasing the EQ in the 4.5 kHz to 6 kHz.

However, the “S” sound lives between 5 kHz and 7 kHz. Therefore, be careful when adding presence because you can easily go from a great sound to a hissy sound.

3. Focus on vocal quality. There is no simple 1-2-3 process to EQ’ing the spoken word. Therefore, take these points into consideration:

—Roll off the low frequencies if the proximity effect is causing unusual bassiness.
—Don’t roll off so much low end as the voice loses some of its umph. Yes, I’m using “umph” as a technical word.
—Boost in the 1 kHz to 5 kHz range for improving intelligibility and clarity.
—Boost in the 3 kHz to 6 kHz range to add brightness. This can help with speakers with poor intonation.
—Boost in the 4.5 kHz to 6 kHz range to add presence. Note that too much boosting in this area can produce a thin lifeless sound.
—Boost in the 100 Hz to 250 Hz for a boomy effect.

In Case Your Head Is About To Explode From Information Overload, Remember:

—The above points can contradict each other. There is no hard and fast rule. Mixing is as much an art as a science. Trust your ears over everything else.
—It’s possible that once you EQ the vocal channel that it’s a little lacking in the low end. Boost it a bit give it that full sound. Again, trust your ears. Close your eyes and ask yourself if it a) sounds natural and b) sounds clear.

Finally

EQ’ing the spoken word is about improving the quality of the sound so it sounds clear, is easy to understand, and sounds natural.

So much of our mix time goes towards the band. Make sure you spend those few crucial minutes working on the pastor’s vocal as well.

Church was about the sermon long before music, skits, and cool videos rolled onto the scene.

Ready to learn and laugh? Chris Huff writes about the world of church audio at Behind The Mixer. He covers everything from audio fundamentals to dealing with musicians. He can even tell you the signs the sound guy is having a mental breakdown.