10Things your ministry

mustabout its

know

sound system

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In the grand scope of worship, nothing is more important than getting the message to the audience.

But, in today’s sound environment, the use or misuse of

technology can easily get in the way. The following are a few

of the more common challenges that most church sound-

people fi nd themselves faced with…plus, a few comments

from the peanut gallery. We’ll start with the science of sound

and discover the art of the “sound” situation.

Microphone 101A microphone is simply a device that converts sound (acoustic

energy) into an electrical signal that can then be amplifi ed

and processed. You are likely dealing with two types of mics:

dynamics and condensers. Stay with me here, I promise not to

get too technical.

A dynamic mic (Shure SM58, SM57, for example) works much

like a speaker, only in reverse. The diaphragm moves in response

to the sound, moves a coil in a magnetic fi eld and produces an

electrical current. This “mechanical” system requires no batteries

or power and is extremely rugged. An added feature of dynamic

mics is their ability to function in loud environments without

distortion, making them preferred choices for drums, guitars and

vocals.

Condenser microphones use an external voltage to charge a very

thin diaphragm assembly. As the diaphragm moves in response

to sound, the electrical output of the assembly changes,

resulting in a usable signal. Because the diaphragm assemblies

are so lightweight, they react to sounds much faster. To the ear,

they are more sensitive and can process higher frequencies

easier than a dynamic. Condensers tend to be favorites for

cymbals, acoustic guitars, piano and also vocals.

One more thing about condensers. Remember that they have

to have an “external voltage?” Some condensers get this from

internal batteries, but most are “phantom” powered. Sounds

spooky, huh? Phantom is nothing more than a voltage applied

(Shure SM58)

(dynamic element)*

(condenser element)*

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to the element through the mic cable. It is usually switched

on at the mixer, but can be from an external supply, placed

between the mic cable and the mixer input. Almost always,

phantom is denoted on a mixer as “+48.” Keep in mind that

phantom requires all 3 wires in the cable, so if you can’t get

signal from your condenser and you know that phantom works,

try switching cables.

The last thing to think about with microphones is their “polar

pattern.” This is nothing more than the shape of the “pick-

up” area around the mic. You are likely to be dealing with 3

types of patterns – cardioid, hypercardioid or omni. Cardioid,

sometimes called directional, patterns largely reject any sounds

behind them. Why does this matter? If you prefer to have a fl oor

monitor directly in front of you, a cardioid pattern would reject

the monitor sound and prevent feedback. Hypercardioid mics

are more narrowly focused to the front, but tend to pick up a

little more to the rear – the result is that they can better reject

sound from the sides. If you have a singer with a monitor on

either side of them, the hypercardioid is best. Omnidirectionals,

as you can probably guess, pick up from all directions – we’ll look

at an application for these shortly.

Micing MusiciansEntire books have been written on instrument micing, so let’s

look at a few key points.

Obviously, your goal is a great sound without feedback. Mic

choices and placement can go a long way here. Let’s look at

micing an acoustic guitar, for example. Consider that the player

is sitting down, plays mostly strumming rhythm with a drummer

on one side and a piano on the other. A small fl oor monitor is

directly in front.

Cardioid, hypercardioid or omni? You can guess that an omni

would pick up everything around your player, including the

monitor (insert loud screeching sound, painful wincing and

nasty looks). The cardioid, if pointed up toward the guitar,

would reject the monitor, but might still get too much of the

side instruments. Must be the hypercardioid, right? The narrow

directionality “focuses” in on the guitar, but the rear pick-up may

get some monitor. Use your knowledge of polar patterns to

move the hypercardioid mic to point down at the guitar at about

a 45 deg. angle – the pattern is focused on the guitar, while the

rear pickup lobe is aimed at the ceiling.

(back of mixer w/Phantom)

(Omnidirectional)*(Omnidirectional)*

(Hypercardioid)*

(Cardioid)*

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Dynamic or Cardioid? Consider that the sensitivity and extended

frequency response of a condenser while nice, is not vital in this

instance. The player is primarily strumming, which tends to get

loud, and lends a percussive rhythm. Here, you use your most

valuable tools of all – your ears. Dynamics, because they won’t

overload, have a pleasant way of smoothing out sounds.

Whatever instrument you are stage micing, try to mic as close

as you can while still sounding natural and use the natural

properties of the microphone to prevent feedback and

unwanted noise.

Micing the ChoirFortunately, form and function work together here. Condensers,

because of their sensitivity and ability to be produced with

such small elements are natural choices. They can be hung

from the ceiling and are virtually invisible. The most popular

pattern choice is cardioid, to reject refl ections from the back

wall. Generally, choir mics are hung 2 to 3 feet in front of the

fi rst row, at a height of 2 to 3 feet above the last row, pointed

at the middle row. According to Shure, “a decent cardioid choir

mic, correctly placed, will cover 15-20 singers, arranged in a

rectangular or wedge-shaped section about 10 ft. wide and 3

rows deep. A choir of 30-45 voices should require no more than

two or three mics.”

A choir will “blend” itself – all you need to do is capture what

they are doing. A few mics properly placed and evenly balanced

will do the job quite nicely. Just don’t forget to turn them down

when the choir is not singing. Similarly, turn down any other

unused mics when the choir is singing. In any circumstance, the

fewer mics open at a time, the better.

Micing the SpeakerWithout question, the most popular choices here are clip-on

lavalier mics and small headworn mics. Condenser technology

allows mics to be so small and lightweight that they usually go

unnoticed. Lavalier mics should be placed roughly 6 in. from the

speaker’s chin. Your choice of pattern depends on the acoustics

of your space. Some fi nd that cardioid (directional) mics can tend

to sound small and unnatural, as the ear expects to hear a small

amount of ambience in any human voice. In very reverberant

environments, this is less of an issue. An omnidirectional pattern

tends to sound more natural, but may pick up refl ections and

(choir mic setup)*(choir mic setup)*

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possibly monitors. Generally, in a highly reverberant space, go

cardioid. If less so, try an omni.

Wireless the easy wayIn most instances, speakers and singers like to get out from

behind a stationary mic and decide to go wireless. Don’t let

these systems intimidate you, modern systems are really simple

to use and understand. Each system includes a transmitter and

a receiver – simple. These operate on a specifi ed frequency so

that one receiver looks for signals from one transmitter – simple.

The receiver connects to a line input on your mixer and is treated

just like any other source. Just remember that each system must

operate on a diff erent frequency. To further simplify things,

manufacturers provide multiple pre-programmed frequencies

designed to work with each other.

In choosing to add wireless to your sound system, consider how

many speakers or musicians will be wireless. Diff erent systems

have varying sets of frequencies available. The ability to utilize

more and more frequencies – and more systems -- is one of the

primary factors in varying levels of pricing. That said, just about

any system will allow for 2 to 5 systems at a time.

You will see the term “diversity” used a lot in wireless system

literature. This simply describes how the receiver looks for

signals from the transmitter. In a diversity system, 2 antennas

are looking for the same signal; the one that fi nds the strongest

signal is used, helping to ensure a consistent reception. Look for

this feature in a system.

Wireless systems are also described as either VHF or UHF. This

is just like the channels on your pre-cable television. The VHF

range got pretty crowded, so manufacturers moved to UHF,

looking for more available frequencies. You are much less likely

to encounter interference with a UHF system. Your wireless

systems sales representative will help select a set of frequencies

for use in your area.

Location, Location, LocationIn my years of working with Christian bands, choral groups and

sound reinforcement companies, several assumptions seem

to creep up without explanation. Typically, people install their

sound booths and support systems simply because they’ve

always seen it done a particular way.

(wireless diversity)*

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In one such scenario, I found a tiny 60-75 person cell church

that had taken up residency in an old doctor’s offi ce. They had

knocked out walls in the center of the structure to allow for all

75 seats to be scrunched in front of a hefty pair of EV 15” mains.

I had to hand it to them for the speaker selection, but their

attempt at a sound booth was nothing short of comical. In the

back of this “auditorium” was what looked like an international

shipping crate stacked on two levels of cinder blocks. This was,

in fact, their “sound booth”. There was not even enough room to

put a chair behind the small console. And, as an added bonus,

the soundman couldn’t stand up straight without hitting his

head on the ceiling tiles. So, why all of the wasted eff ort?

The moral of the story is that everyone who wants to build

something for their church begins with good intentions.

However, in order to correct a problem, one should fi rst assess

(1) the purpose of the item to be built, (2) the way to design to

achieve maximum function, and (3) their budget constraints.

All of that is just to say, if you’re in a small installation situation,

don’t go overboard trying to suspend a sound booth over

the main entrance of the church. In most small-church

cases, sound booths do little more than isolate the garbled

collection of cables from the eyes of the audience. Spend a

little more time fi nding where you can accurately simulate the

audiences experience to determine the sound levels and EQ.

It’s a good idea to maintain a similar horizontal plane as your

audience. THERE’S NO REASON TO PUT A SOUND BOOTH IN THE RAFTERS. The money saved from complex building

construction could be reinvested to upgrade or expand your

sound equipment.

The Curse of the Phantom Sound ManBeing a sound engineer at a church is a pain-staking and

thankless job at times. That’s why the turnover rate for sound

volunteers is typically higher than any other position throughout

the church. Finding yourself without a volunteer right before a

service can be one of the fi ner moments in life. But, with a little

planning, it may be easy to transition someone from Roadie to

Rockstar in just a few short minutes.

Start by creating a track-list of your typical Sunday morning

service. If this list includes specifi c channel instructions, you

may need to only show your new volunteer where the fader

and mutes are to pull off a bearable temporary mix. If you

can’t splurge on a $20 label maker, break out the old masking

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tape and start labeling those channels. It may seem like a no-

brainer, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked for

a mid-sermon adjustment only to fi nd that I can’t identify which

channel we’re on. It’s a rookie mistake that’s easily avoided.

And, don’t stop at the channel strips. Label the master and slave

drives on your CD duplicator. Label the cables as they’re plugged

in the power conditioner or the cables patching to your outboard

gear. LABEL THE WHOLE ROOM LIKE YOU WERE DECORATING A CHRISTMAS TREE!! At some point, you’ll thank yourself.

Don’t be afraid to keep records. When you jot down the starting

time for a cassette accompaniment, write it in a legal pad along

with who sang it. Make a note about the EQ. Date it and fi le it

in or near the sound room Especially in charismatic churches,

the speaker could easily want to throw you a curve ball at any

minute. Leaving yourself enough clues will help you solve the

mystery in a hurry!

“…just the facts ma’am…”It’s amazing how many churches I’ve been to and seen tape

covering up certain faders that say, “do not touch”. Well, phooey

on that! When you’re wearing Bermuda shorts and realize it’s 25o

outside, what do you do? You go back inside and change your

clothes! The same thing happens in the world of audio. Your

environment is constantly changing. Your guitar player buys a

new preamp. Someone switches the microphones on a cable.

Or, even worse, the pastor gets a cold! Each scenario represents

a change in the audio environment and requires an immediate

response. Plus, a full auditorium NEVER sounds like an empty

one. Don’t ever listen to the nay-sayers that recommend you set

it and forget it. Allow your audio to evolve.

Before you or your volunteers get touchy-feely with the board or

EQ panel, you need to have a solid foundation in understanding

how your sound system works. Spend a few moments taking

inventory of the wiring that goes to and from each position on

the control panel. Knowing exactly where each wire is coming

from makes it easier to make changes on the fl y. Knowing

exactly what those changes will do helps develop the confi dence

you need to be creative. If you’re training fi rst-time volunteers,

show them the snake (or mixed-up bundle of cables) and let

them mentally follow the signal path from the microphone,

to the mixer, to the amplifi er, and to the speakers. This visual

mapping method will decrease their learning curve and help you

avoid long and uncomfortable stares of silence.

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Rockstar SyndromeIf you’ve sat through enough worship services in your lifetime,

you have inevitably seen the passing of the guard from one

worship leader to another. And, if you’re a real veteran you’ve

seen them by the dozens. My guess is that we’ve all run across

the rockstar burnouts that have given themselves to Jesus, only

to fi nd they need to off er their talents to His service. In doing

so, we fi nd our fl oor monitors growing to match their playing

style and the stage volume increasing to just below that of a 747

initiating take-off . This problem continues to escalate when the

other people on the stage start playing louder to compensate.

After a while, you can turn off your mains and get a face-lift on

the front row, because your stage volume has gotten completely

out of control.

The solution can take many diff erent shapes. Everyone likes to

hear a “free” scenario, but sometimes capital investments are a

necessity. For a short-term fi x, try making monitor adjustments

well before anyone arrives for practice. Try running any heavy

hitters directly through a line-in on the mixer, instead of micing

their 4x12 Marshall stacks. Most rookie musicians will balk at

the thought of running direct, but it’s your job to sway them

into at least trying it (sorry, your Jedi mind tricks won’t work

here). If you’re like most churches, you’ve probably got only

one or two monitor mixes. Be sure that your “superstar” is on

the fi rst outlet that gets any signal. He’s going to crank it right

back to what he thought was the original level, but at least now

the horn section can probably turn their monitor down. Before,

no one had any control over the level that was originating from

the stage. Don’t forget that micing a guitar cabinet or any other

musician is not so that they can play louder. It’s done so that the

sound engineer has control over the signal. Wow, there’s a novel

thought… Control!

The second solution comes with a slim price tag, but is worth

every red cent. In fact, I’ve never seen one of these solutions

utilized and had it returned. What I’m referring to is personal

monitoring devices. Manufacturers like Aviom and Hear

Technologies have developed an incredible way to take back

the stage volume control. They do this by utilizing a breakout

box and a network cable. These systems are inserted on EVERY

channel on the console and give each musician independent

control over what they hear in their monitors, without aff ecting

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the person next to them. Revolutionary is not the word! Now

your little Rockstar can blast his Les Paul through his own

headphone mix without destroying the delicate ears of your fl ute

player.

Discover the MatrixAlthough there are hundreds of publications on sound theory

and applications, most novice audiophiles will avoid charts

and graphs like the plague. Maximize the learning method

that fi ts you best. Since most of us learn via the school of hard

knocks, don’t be afraid to raise your hand and ask the tough

questions. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is to network with

like-minded professionals via online forums and user groups.

Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the forums on

WirelessMicrophones.com or ProSoundWeb.com. Both sites off er

immediate feedback from experienced sound engineers through

their forum section. Remember, there are no dumb questions,

just dumb people who never ask.

Get the point?With thirty or so people on stage, a house full of worshippers

and teams of possible technical problems, keep in mind the

reason that you are behind the board. Sound and A/V has been

introduced and largely accepted into our worship sessions

because they enhance the message that we’re conveying to our

audience. Whether it’s a 140db soloist or an inaudible evangelist,

your job is to repackage and deliver their message to your

audience.

After all, if they can’t hear the message, they can’t GET the

message.

* Images courtesy of ShureBooklet written by Micah Boaz and Tim Waters

Designed by Michael Mattheiss