WOW...that's a lot of questions :-)

In general, we don't put near enough emphasis on the audio. Training is so imperitive; but what I have found is, most people are shown a few knobs and that's about it. The tech people have the power to really distract from what's going on. And rarely, are they given the proper tools to really succeed.

With our Media Minister leaving, I have the opporunity to train our techs. 2 things I found to be true across the board (pun intended :-) in our situation. Rarely is the Praise Team or Worship Leader too loud. There is a fear of that, but in reality, the louder the singers, the louder the congregation will sing. There is, of course, a limit to this...but I have been in few C of C's who actually are anywhere close to this. I teach techs to think of mixing 6 parts (SATB, Worship Leader, AND congregation) As I've taught this way, it has immediatly improved the sound. You may not get a slider for the congregation, but you would be surprised how much the tech can impact the volume of the congregation.

As an aside, besides not being "ready" at the board (your un-muting example...happens all the time), the other big "no-no" I see in churches is in your picture. Do whatever you can to move a sound tech out of a booth. They are not hearing what the congregation is hearing.

To address your other questions...I'm taking this as a cue to encourage our techs and provide solid training. I can't expect them to know things they haven't been taught.

This is a common problem. A sound position that doesn't allow the engineer to adequately "hear" what is going on.

Hi Keith,
I really don't know how much training our sound engineers receive. We have the usual glitches, but they seem farther and fewer between now, so I would say they are getting training.

However, since you brought it up and I don't know how much appreciation they are getting - I intend to let them know that I appreciate what they do. It makes our worship so much more rewarding.
Dee / Nonnie

Thank you for doing this.

Keith:
Hi from Green Valley! I think we are just on the edge of realizing how critical these aspects are. I think that there is an expectation made at a certain point that the sound needs to be "professional". I think with a smaller group and a smaller room, there is more leeway for those "microphone moments", and people will generally overlook them. With a larger group and a larger room, the people in the back actually can't hear, and you really get a discontinuity in the service.

You also have some missed opportunities. One that comes to mind happened a few months ago when our minister Jim was moved to "talk" over the invitation song and offer some additional words of encouragement. I was leading and had a handheld mic, and he was wearing a lavalier mic. However, the person working the board had muted his mic because they didn't want his singing in the board along with the lead. I felt kind of helpless because he (Jim) didn't do things like that much, and I know that must have been discouraging because no one could hear him. Not to say that the people running the sound don't do a great job - they do. It will just take some thought so we can all capture those moments and expressions instead of losing them.

At GV we are discussing some ways to help take everything to the next level - and I hope Rex, Kevin, et. al. will chime in here as well. Things like building a raised production platform so the engineers can both face the stage and be raised above the crowd to always have a clear view of what is going on. I am also going to try and teach (and learn from) the other leaders about things like microphone use, eye contact, getting to the stage timely, etc. I think some training sessions where we can present the "ideal" levels, methods, procedures, and such (without over-analyzing it), the better things will be.

As far as a leader style, I will certainly agree with Steven's comments with regard to the leader volume. I have spent a little more time behind the mic than some, and I consistently find that the more spirit and voume I sing with, the better and more spirited response I get from the congregation. For me it is a constant challenge to improve my voice and leadership, and to thereby challenge the congregation to follow and improve as well. When leaders hold back or seem to be unsure of what they are doing (or technical issues interfere), the congregation will be unsure as well.

Keep up the great work, hope to see you in Bloomington! Thanks, Lloyd

Unfortunately, the nature of this area of service is such that when engineers do a great job, usually nobody pays attention. It's when things go wrong that they get noticed. That's why I believe they need more encouragement, especially from the leadership.

A sign used to be posted by the sound board that said, "Do your job in such a way that no one notices you are here." That statement is coming from a servant's heart.

Keith,

Thanks for the shout-out to sound engineers.

Paul Sale

We are a small congregation north west of Boston and so there aren't any sound engineers at present.

Thanks to God's blessings we will be breaking ground on a new church building this coming weekend. The plan is to have it completed close to the end of the year.

So one of the things we have to tackle is how to wire the new building for computer networks, sound, and video. I'm one of the lucky guys who will be working on this.

Has anyone any pointers for good books or articles than can help?

Bernard,

Thanks for sharing! There are several experienced people on this blog who could help you, so I hope they jump in with advice. It is MOST important to do your planning NOW, instead of trying to fix problems after the fact.

Hey Paul! How are things going?
Which years did you run sound for AVB?

Things are going well.

If my memory serves me correctly (I've slept since then), I ran sound between 1991 and 1994 - about 3 years total. I now run sound for Sweet Deliverance and Psallo on occasion.

If you ever need help with sound anywhere, I'm available. Let me know...

Later,
Paul

Well, since I am kinda partial to sound engineers. I think they are some of the hardest working people in the church and sometimes the last to get notified of things that are happening not necessarily in the service but all the extra things they are needed for --weddings, funerals, meetings. I think sound engineers are something special.

Thanks Paul!
Yes, Cathy, you married a great one. What years did Gary run sound for Acappella?

It went out for the one weekend trip in May of 1988 till December of 1991. That was one long weekend.

I'm just going to touch on a few of the questions.

How much importance do we place on sound reinforcement? Not enough
How many churches place adequate emphasis on training sound engineers who are so vitally important (and often unsung heroes)?

What are the common mistakes that you have witnessed that could be improved with better training and planning? People not "remembering" to turn on the mic they use, when they use the same mic every week. That doesn't happen too often though.

Does your sound system adequately and clearly work for your needs? Most of the time

For those who use video in the assembly, do you ever experience glitches when the video is playing but the audio is not? Not too often, Jonathan checks all of the soundboard levels before each service.

How about the mix levels of the song leader? Is he blairringly loud? Usually he is mixed with the group well.

Do individual voices stand out in the mix? Does the volume level of the support singers unintentionally discourage congregants from participating in the singing? NO

What about sound checks? Jonathan does them before our first service. Usually the sound board doesn't have to be adjusted too much because the same people sing week afer week.

Is the sound person given enough notification of the order of worship and the complete plan? If the sound person wants to know, it is readily available on the website, or through a simple phone call.

How much training does your church offer to the technical support team? As much as they want, or think they need.


Do these servants feel appreciated? I'm not sure. I know they aren't told anywhere near enough how much they are appreciated for running the sound. I know Jonathan (worship minister), Andy (preacher) and I (Jonathan's wife/one of the 2 video people) all try to tell them, but I knowsomettimes we don't always do it. I try to tell them thank you, because I do appreciate it, and I know what it is like to be appreciated, but never hear it... Sometimes hearing it makes all the difference. ( If that makes sense)