[ale] [OT] Church sound equipment

[Leam Hall]

Neal, yeah. My guess is that if we upgrade much then I'll be doing the sound for a while. I'm good with that, and have mentored others in a variety of topics over the years. Besides, doing sound forces me to stay awake.  :)

The other issue is perceived value; some folks just can't spend money even where it's needed. The preacher's voice carries most of the way back, but if anyone else is talking or singing then we're just out of luck. My master plan is to get the preacher a lavalier so he can move around, fix the directional mike at the podium, and re-run some of the loose wires that were draped hither and yon. If no one screams sacrilege then I'll work on a plan and a budget while folks get used to me at the board.

Right now, sound quality is not an issue. Volume is, and that's based on how things are turned and what is expected. I can solve some of the problems easily but would like to have a long term plan. In this case, recording the sermon and piping the signal to the next building over (not sure if it's hardwired or wireless) and figuring out what they mean by "the radio broadcast" are big wins. When folks can hear the sermon and singers well I think they'll start to understand.

Leam


On 8/25/21 12:06 PM, neal at mnopltd.com wrote:
> Ok, you tech people cover your ears.  You aren't prepared for how ugly church sound can get.
> 
> We HAVE an X32 Rack at our church, with 2 S16 stage boxes.
> 
> I'm not sure how well that would be understood in a small country 4 channel church.
> 
> Best to understand people issues first.
> 
> We also use a Peavey Aureous 16 channel digital mixer for outside services.  These are MUCH easier for people to transition to from an Analog world.   QSC Touchmix 16 is also nice.
> 
> The X32 Rack using a tablet for UI MIGHT be a reasonable fit.  But first I'd have to understand the problems you are hearing.
> 
> Digital mixers in general have a lot of features that CAN be useful in church, like Gate/Compression Effects to compensate for loud people followed by soft people.  And built-in EQ to compensate for less than ideal acoustics.   But remember you have to feed, clothe, and educated them.
> 
> regards,
> 
> Neal
> 
> On 2021-08-25 09:51, Leam Hall via Ale wrote:
>> I should be able to gather more intel tonight; is there anything
>> specific I should ask about?
>>
>> Leam
>>
>> On 8/23/21 5:59 AM, Jerald Sheets wrote:
>>> Behringer X32 all the way for mixer. Save “scene” to USB stick and when people mess with the board all week, you come in on Sunday, put in the USB stick, load the “scene”, and you’re EXACTLY where you were the previous week.  It’s THE go-to in church sound for up to 32 channels right now.
>>>
>>> Shure wireless for small to medium auditoriums.  Audio Technica bigger with multiple antennae and multi channel for headsets/handhelds
>>>
>>> Generally speaking I personally would never use wireless for singers. I would use wired SM-58 mics for singers and SM-57 mics for miking drums with a submix from the stage down to two channels on your main board.
>>>
>>>
>>> Just my 2¢
>>>
>>>
>>> —jms
>>>
>>>> On Aug 22, 2021, at 10:34 PM, Leam Hall via Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hey all thanks! I knew this was the place to ask.  ;)
>>>>
>>>> We have a Samson TXM16 mixer that I need to plug into. It's a small country church and those of us without hearing issues can hear without the sound. When the speaker is near the mic the sound is much better, but someone turned the mic sideways and it can't pick up much.
>>>>
>>>> I need to find out if the preacher prefers a headset or collar mic. My ideal would be a four way system; two hand held mics and two clip/headsets. That gives us mics for two singers, the preacher, and a backup for the preacher. We have a couple wired mics as backups for the singers. As in many churches, I'm going to have to justify the costs.
>>>>
>>>> I really appreciate your insights and expertise.
>>>>
>>>> Leam
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 8/22/21 6:14 PM, Neal Rhodes via Ale wrote:
>>>>> I have extensive experience with both analog, and transitioning to digital systems, both small outdoors systems and large indoors systems.
>>>>> I also lead a bluegrass gospel group, and have helped a contemporary (rock and roll) group.
>>>>> And have lead contradance bands, and done sound for same.
>>>>> So, a fairly wide exposure and experience.
>>>>> I'll say, church sound can be really weird, compared to non-church.
>>>>> Happy to help other churches.
>>>>> On 2021-08-22 13:08, Leam Hall via Ale wrote:
>>>>>> Anyone have hardware skills on church sound board equipment? I need to
>>>>>> make some recommendations but what little I knew is over a decade old.
>>>>>> Contact me off-list, unless the listers want to be involved.  :)

-- 
Systems Programmer         (reuel.net/resume)
Scribe: The Domici War     (domiciwar.net)
General Ne'er-do-well      (github.com/LeamHall)