I have been mixing church sound system for quite a while now and I have encountered so many problems and solved most of them. On this article I will share tips to make your sound system sound best.
Most church sound system most challenge is the very tight budget. Very tight budget leads to very cheap sound system and leads to poor quality. Taking into account that most church sound techs are not knowledgeable enough for the job which leads to less optimal sound quality the system can deliver.
On this tips, I will assume that you already know how to operate a mixer and the whole sound system and you already have a sound system in place. I will create a separate post on Mixer 101 and choosing a right sound equipment.
Starting a Mix
So what to do after you have set up and turned on your system? Set the volume of the amplifier to 50% or less. This is to have maximum signal to noise ratio on the line. Setting the volume of the amplifier close to 100% will led to lower signal level and that level may close to the noise level. Take note also that when you set the volume of the amplifier to very low, the tendency is for you to crank up the volume of the mixer and may lead to signal distortions. Set the main volume of the mixer to unity gain(0dB) or just below the maximum. Adjust this when necessary on sound check.
Avoiding Feeback
One way to avoid feedback is to properly hold the mic(above picture). Holding it on the diaphragm(head) will introduce feedback at some conditions. It is like increasing the sensitivity of the mic so it introduces feedback. More information on this Article link here.
–More to come…