Church Sound

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Church Sound: Two Simple Yet Vital Tools Of The Trade

Preventing the preventable, and doubling your fun with loudspeakers.

How to Prevent the Preventable…

Sunday morning, 9:34 am: You’ve just made it through a solo vocalist performance – she was using a wireless microphone system.

No problems yet, and you’ve just finished up the last “tricky part” of your sound work for the service.

It should be all downhill from here…

The congregational prayer is underway, and you’ve joined in.

The pastor is readying to deliver his message, and he’s wearing one of the other wireless systems, this one with a bodypack transmitter and lapel mic.

At the close of prayer, you turn off the lectern microphone and bring up pastor’s wireless system.

You’re relaxed, sitting back in your chair, anticipating his message.

Wait – what was that? Did his wireless system drop out for a moment? Nah, couldn’t be…

But there it is again! You bolt upright in your chair – you’ve got a problem. What’s going on?

You instinctively look over at the wireless receiver rack, and the battery “fuel gauge” for pastor’s wireless is blinking low.

Battery testers provide a significant of piece of mind for a minimal investment.

“I just put a new battery in that transmitter – how can this be?” you ask.

Been there, done that! While it’s a hard lesson to learn, it’s important to remember that even new batteries, right out of the box, can be bad.

So, I find it’s worth saving yourself a lot of trouble by investing in a battery tester to check the status of each and every battery before it’s used.

Radio Shack sells a perfectly acceptable battery tester for a very reasonable price, and others can be ordered on-line as well.

It’s a very small price to pay for an invaluable tool that can help prevent a problem which should never occur in the first place.

Along these same lines, I also strongly recommended the use of new batteries for every public worship event (after you test them first).

Save the used ones for practices, rehearsals and less critical applications.

Not only will attention to detail spare you problems and the stress that comes with them, it’s good stewardship.

Double Your Fun (Or Amplification)

Portable powered loudspeakers can meet a variety of needs.

Let’s face it, time are tough, but sometime we really need (or have a want for) additional speakers.

Given the hard times, are you finding yourself having trouble justifying the expense of a new portable PA system?

It’s a shame, really, because they’re so useful for outdoor services and activities, or for use by the youth ministry in fellowship hall.

Is another item on your sound system “wish list” – and one that’s likely a higher priority – an additional stage monitor wedge or two?

Consider meeting both needs with the same investment!

Numerous portable powered (the power amplifier is built-in) loudspeakers offer the solution, and a great deal of cabinets are now designed with an optimum angle for stage monitoring.

These systems are easy to transport, move around, and position, as well as mount on stands, while providing quality audio for multiple applications.

I’ve used this strategy for several years and haven’t been disappointed with the results.

Gary Zandstra is a professional AV systems integrator with Parkway Electric and has been involved with sound at his church for more than 25 years.

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dBTechnologies is an Italian-based speaker manufacturer, leading in the Touring & Live sound market by providing innovative audio solutions. Their flagship ViO series is made up of an entirely active/self-powered series of loudspeakers. The dBT lineup also includes passive loudspeakers, software, and amplifiers, all delivering uncompromising performance. dBTechnologies speakers headline some of the largest festivals and concerts worldwide, setting standards in both Live and Installation markets.