Founded in 1933 by Kenneth E. Hagin, Kenneth Hagin Ministries is comprised of a traveling ministry that spans the globe in addition to operating Rhema Bible Training College and Rhema Bible Church. The organization offers revival meetings, church services, and college classes on over 200 campuses throughout 52 nations. Daily radio podcasts, weekly television broadcasts, and church services are an ongoing part of their efforts.
For this, Kenneth Hagin Ministries relies on the sonic performance of E6 Earset and H6 Headset microphones from Menlo Park, CA-based Countryman Associates.
J. T. Moore is the technical director for Kenneth Hagin Ministries. In this capacity, he oversees audio, lighting, and video projection for their main campus and he also teaches classes on media at Rhema Bible Training College. Further, he designs and manages installation of audio, video, and lighting systems at churches started by their graduates.
He discussed the organization’s use of Countryman microphones and the challenges they help him address.
“We developed our relationship with Countryman microphones when our founder Kenneth E. Hagin was in his late seventies and needed a mic with more gain before feedback, as his voice was growing weaker,” Moore explains. “We tried every head worn microphone in existence and the best performance was achieved with the Countryman ISOMAX Headset. When the E6 Earset microphone debuted, we began switching over to the lighter, smaller microphone and have used them extensively ever since. We have E6 microphones that have been in use for over 15 years without fail. We use the microphone in its standard position over the right ear and use it primarily for speech reproduction for our pastors as they preach and make announcements.”
When queried about his choice of Countryman mics and the characteristics that make them the best choice for their applications, Moore offered the following thoughts. “We regularly use fifteen E6 Earsets and two H6 Headset mics,” Moore reports. “We also use a few of the company’s ISOMAX microphones along with an additional twelve that we keep on hand for dramatic productions.”
“We’ve always loved the quality of sound reproduction we get from our Countryman microphones,” Moore continues. “They are super lightweight, so our pastors are not bothered by the weight of wearing a microphone. The black mic blends very well with the background and the mic’s small element offers great gain before feedback. You can clearly hear the pastor and the crowd without experiencing any unnecessary room noise. Even though these mics are small in size, they are very robust and last a long time without any failure.”
Moore described one unique challenge where the Countryman microphones proved invaluable, “Every Christmas, we have a children’s musical. These productions feature 10-15 child actors that work hard but are not experienced. In the past, we used a lot of floor microphones along with mics on stands to try to pick up their lines and vocals. We then switched and began using the E6 Earset mics on the lead actors and, since that time, have achieved a great level of improvement in the overall sound and the ability to hear them.”
For an organization with as much activity as this, quality customer and technical support services are crucial. In this regard, Moore rates Countryman Associates best in class.
“In the 18 years that we’ve been working with Countryman, the company has been very responsive. We use the E6 Earset microphones in a few of our college classrooms and use them hardwired into a 70V speaker system. When we needed a different gain on the microphones to match the older mics, Countryman supplied the correct microphone promptly. The company is consistently quick and professional in responding to any inquiries and fulfilling orders that we place.”
Before turning his attention to the business of the day, Moore offers these final thoughts on his Countryman experience.
“In every situation we encounter, the Countryman E6 Earset performs admirably without fail. It is a superb microphone delivered by some of the finest people in the industry. We highly recommend the E6 Earset as the best microphone for the widest variety of production requirements. There are certainly many copies out there, but the original still outperforms them all.”
