If your church is putting in a new sound and video system, you may be hoping to save money by having the AV design done by your own people. And while it is important that the people in your church take ownership, there are some areas where is really best to use professionals. Audio video contractors and professionals can put in your system with a minimum of fuss, a maximum of efficiency, and tailored precisely to your church’s needs. As you work with audio video contractors, here are some of the things you need to be thinking about to get a great design for your church’s needs.
What is the Room Like?
This is one of the biggest questions when it comes to installing audio and visual equipment for a church. Some churches exist in brand-new buildings purpose designed for the modern worship experience. But a lot of churches are meeting in historic and older buildings. You don’t want to move out, but these were not exactly built with 21st-century audio video design needs in mind! You’ve got to consider how vaulted hardwood ceilings, stained glass windows, wooden pews, or columns may affect your design. Modern best practices for audiovisual are not always going to apply in buildings like this, so it’s a good idea to look for audio video contractors who specialize in helping churches install the right systems.
What Do Your People Want
Are you going to be using a worship band or will most of your music the more traditional piano and organ? Do you have a choir? Even more importantly, what kind of IT and sound equipment expertise do you have at your church? If there are only 50 or 60 people, you can get away with a smaller sound system: and you may have to because you may not have the people with the expertise to run something larger. If you have a 2,000-person church, you’re going to need an extensive sound and video system. Fortunately, with that many people you probably do have those who can run your system effectively. The main issue is for churches in between these two extremes. The more expertise you have, the more you can design on your own. The less expertise you have access to, the more you need audio visual contractors to install bulletproof systems that don’t require a lot of onboarding to become familiar with.
What Microphones Do You Need?
If you’re not familiar with AV design you might think that a microphone is a microphone is a microphone. In reality, your choice of microphone is going to depend heavily on what it’s being used for. If you have the wrong microphone for the wrong application, you’re going to have feedback issues, sound quality issues, and trouble getting enough sound to the right places within your church. Here are some of the microphone issues you need to consider:
- Dynamic microphones These work for a lot of different applications and are pretty versatile. As such, these are often the first choice for churches that are trying to save money wherever they can. Just be aware that they are not very sensitive, so they have to be put close to the sound source. They also have limited frequency response.
- Clip-on microphones These are great for horns and drums or any instrument where you would prefer not to have a microphone stand. They aren’t the best thing for your pastor, though. A head microphone is much better than a lapel mic or clip-on mic because they have more gain and less feedback.
- Condenser microphones Condenser microphones require phantom power but are great for acoustic instruments and vocals because of their much wider frequency response. These are also the mics you’re going to need if you have to place your microphone at a distance from the sound source, such as when you have a choir, piano, or strings. Just remember that if you’re using a condenser on your vocal microphone, you should stay at least three feet from guitar amps and kick drums.
To ensure you have the best sound system for your church, it’s always a good idea to hire audio video contractors with experience in this type of design.