While technical systems are a great way to enhance a worship service, they are also a great way to ruin or distract the congregation.

Many churches are looking for new ways that they can improve their sound system while trying to keep within an extremely tight budget. While this is not always an easy task, there are a couple of ways that this can be done:

1. Talk with your local sound company (find one if you need to) and come up with a list together. This is an important first step. It's always good to put things into a list and figure out the order of importance. Certain things are going to be more crucial to do right now over other things, and this can often be a way to keep the costs down. This is also a good way to figure out the costs of performing all the upgrades and work that are required.

2. Maintenance and system re-tune. Some systems can simply benefit from some basic maintenance being performed. Having a sound company that designs and installs church sound systems can provide you with a re-tuning of your sound system that will cost far less than replacing equipment. While not every system will benefit from this, it's a good thing to look at as an option. If certain items need to be repaired or replaced, they can help you out with pulling old equipment, replacing it or sending it in for repair.

3. Moving your speaker system. Oftentimes, feedback is caused by poorly placed speakers. While this is not the case 100 percent of the time, many churches who are limited in their budgets can have the speakers moved to a place where they will provide higher gain before feedback. Placement is so crucial in a sound system, and this is one easy step that can sometimes be taken.

4. Upgrade speakers. This can sometimes be far less costly than upgrading your entire system. If you deal with poor sound quality, coverage or feedback, then upgrading your speakers and making sure they are in the proper place can make a world of difference. The sound company you work with will be able to provide you with a new speaker system. Most of the time, design software is now used to ensure that 1) the correct speakers are being chosen for the room, and 2) they are placed in the spot that will provide the optimum performance. While this is more expensive than the other options, sometimes this can provide the most benefit.

5. Training. Most churches will benefit from a training program. However small or large your church is, training is key. Making sure that your sound team has the right tools to perform their job will help ensure consistency and a higher level of quality. If you cannot find a local company that provides a training program, please check out neologicsound.com. We provide a variety of programs to help your team perform at its best.

Please keep in mind that some sound systems require more help than others, and certain measures (as listed above) will not work in every instance. The most important thing to do is work directly with a company that designs and installs church sound systems. This will guarantee you are working alongside a company who has your best interest in mind and the necessary experience to get the job done correctly.

Used with permission from churchtechtoday.com.  

Jeffrey Miranda is president of NeoLogic Sound, a commercial audio integration firm based in Los Angeles. He has over a decade of experience involved in audio, lighting and video for worship.

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