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Quick Tips for Church Sound Techs

Sometimes the biggest impact on the quality of your mix at church comes from the simplest things.

I’ve recorded several quick tip videos over the years and I just compiled a few of them into one video to share with you today.

These simple audio tips have helped me be a better sound tech and be more focused on a quality mix.

You’ll learn about proper mic handling, audio cable differences, the tools I keep in my live sound kit, and more.

And you’ll want to pay attention to the last video because it shows you the most important skill every sound tech needs to know – how to wrap audio cables the right way!

 

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Church Sound Sanity Kit

A big part of running live sound at church is being prepared. Live production requires a special set of skills and tools. And sometimes it’s the simplest tools that can save the day.

  • What do you do when a mic stand clamp breaks at the last minute?
  • How are you going to fix that low quality signal from the electric-acoustic guitar?
  • Where is that hum coming from and how are you going to get rid of it, fast!?

Don’t let a last-minute audio emergency ruin your service. Here is a list of things to keep handy for those “just in case” moments.

Church Sound Survival Sanity Kit

Gaffer’s Tape

Always keep a roll or two handy. It’s great for taping down cables on stage, holding gear together, and many other...

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Mixing Consoles for Small & Medium Churches

If there’s one technology component that your church needs to take its time and focus to decide on, it is the question of what audio mixing console should be used.

This decision can make the difference between ok sound and great sound, and it will definitely make a difference in the confidence (and even the size) of your sound team.

The main sound system controller at your church goes by many names: soundboard, audio desk, mixing console, mixer, etc. They all refer to the same thing.

Selecting the right soundboard for your church might be the biggest audio decision you make. After all, it’s hard to mix good sound without a good soundboard.

Here are some questions to ask to help lead you to the right choice for your church.

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Sound in the Gospel - Book Review

This blog post is a little different - it's a book review. And it's about a book you should probably get (if you don't have it already).

The book is called "Sound In the Gospel …for the knucklehead tech in all of us" by Magic Dave (Dave Wright), foreword by Matt Papa.

To be honest, it totally caught me off guard.

I found out about Dave through one of those random "friend of a friend" type of interactions a few months ago.

Dave was just finishing up the layout and editing for this book when we first connected. It's a book about church sound, so that piqued my interest!

I was really curious to check out Dave's new book, so he sent me a copy when it finally came out.

I read through the entire book in less than a day.

Even though the...

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How To Fix Audio Cables

When you work with live sound, you're going to deal with a lot of different audio cables.

And sometimes those cables break.

The most common cable problem can actually happen inside of the connectors at either end of the cable where individual wires can become physically detached from the connection points.

This can happen for several reasons, but here are the 3 most common causes:

  1. The cable was pulled or bent in a way that the strain relief inside the connector gave way and one or more conductors were pulled loose from the connector.
  2. An instrument cable (guitar cable) was used as a speaker cable (stage monitor) and the high power from the amplifier circuit caused the center conductor of the instrument cable to disintegrate, losing...
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In-Ear Monitors and Headphones for Church Sound

There are many options and even more opinions in the world of in-ear monitors.

And when it comes to in-ear monitors for musicians and live sound techs, it is extremely important to consider the key variables that define the ideal in-ear monitor.

Monitor Requirements for Musicians & Sound Techs

Needs for musicians and vocalists will vary slightly from those using in-ear monitors for live sound mixing (like the monitor mix engineer).

Musicians and sound techs alike will benefit from a good fit and accurate sound reproduction, but an audio engineer will likely want extra noise isolation for more defined monitoring. And musicians may prefer more or less stage noise bleed through their monitors.

What musicians need from an in-ear monitor

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How to Get the Best Deal for Church Technology

If your church has been thinking about purchasing or upgrading a sound, video, or lighting system, then you likely have a few questions.

  • How do you get the best deal for your next tech upgrade at church?
  • How do you know if a contractor is giving you a fair price?
  • How do you decide if one proposal is the right solution or if you should select another bid (even if it might be a little higher)?
  • When is it good to buy equipment online or from a music store, and when should you get a contractor involved?

These are important questions.

The answer to these questions can make your project go super smooth, or it could be a disaster that ends up over budget and still doesn’t fully meet your needs.

Disclaimer: I’ve been a Sound Tech,...

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How to Select a Digital Mixing Console

Digital consoles have truly revolutionized the act of mixing sound in worship.

It used to be that you would have to use a lot of outboard effects equipment, racks of processors, and audio patch panels to get the sound and flexible routing you wanted.

Today, even the most modest digital console can perform some pretty remarkable feats.

Simply having access to reverb or compression on every channel is great. And being able to use a full parametric EQ anytime you need it is a life saver.

The precision available to sound techs with today's mixing console technology is amazing. And surprisingly, the cost of a decent console isn't too bad, considering the utility provided.

That being said, digital may not be for everyone. And that's OK. I'm...

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