Setting up a full sound system for a church or house of worship can be complicated and time-consuming, especially if you’re working with a budget made up of donations and contributions from your congregation. You know that these funds must be allocated as efficiently and reasonably as possible.
With such an overwhelming amount of options these days for sound equipment, shopping online or walking into a music store can be a daunting task. It can be hard to know where to start.
Always start with good sound quality and proper sound system setup. By doing so, you eliminate the issues of fuzzy mics, feedback loops, and low volume that can mar the congregational experience.
To choose the right sound system, consider the size of your space, the number of congregation members you typically have, and what type of microphones you’ll need for your services. This will help you make the best possible decision for your house of worship.
Size and acoustics
Every room is different and it’s not enough to prop up a speaker and call it a day. It’s all about coverage and making sure your audience hears you clearly with the right amount of volume and articulation.
Sound clarity often comes down to the acoustic qualities of a room or space. Many places of worship are built with good acoustics in mind, with the right conditions for natural reverberation and amplification. Some sound systems include built-in effects such as digital reverb. Adding digital reverb to your choir or singers using sound processing equipment can give the audience the illusion that the room is in fact larger than it is.
How many people need to hear you?
Think about how many members of the congregation usually come. Public address systems are rated by wattage (wattage) and a general rule of thumb is to have one watt per person for an indoor space and three watts per person for an outdoor space.
Better to have more power than not enough. This allows for hosting of additional share or if you need to move your system outside.
No matter how good a sound system is, this can’t fix a room with poor acoustics. It may be necessary to hire an outside consultant to assess the acoustic space of your room if you are having trouble getting good sound.
All-in-one systems
Plenty of all-in-one PA system solutions are reasonably priced and great for quick and easy setup. These systems usually include two speakers, a mixer, a microphone and all the necessary cables. They can range from 150 to 1000 watts with everything you need to get your house of worship sound up and running quickly and easily.
All-in-one systems are also great for portability. They are designed to be quick to set up and break down, as well as to move between different locations.
Sometimes all you need is something to amplify a couple of people’s voices or plug in a phone or iPod to play music. Fortunately, these systems offer a variety of connection types to accommodate various microphones, wired instruments such as keyboards and guitars, and an input for MP3 players. Newer systems also include Bluetooth connectivity.
microphones
The microphone determines how accurate and rich your prayer leader’s voice or musical instrument will sound.
Different types of microphones work for different applications. Think about who will be on stage: will people be playing instruments? Will singers or prayer leaders have to share microphones?
Make sure you have the right amount of mixer inputs in your sound system so you can properly plan for different scenarios. You may want multiple handheld microphones for congregation members, or a lapel microphone for the pastor, or even a more sensitive one. condenser microphone for the choir.
Things like pickup pattern, frequency response, sensitivity, and physical design change how a microphone will reproduce an acoustic sound.
A good wired microphone costs between $40 and $100, sometimes including a cable, microphone clip, stand, and carrying bag.
Wireless
What about wireless? Wireless microphones allow more freedom of movement and allow for a cleaner aesthetic for your speaker or performer.
A good wireless system starts around $200. There are also several options for microphone types, including lavalier, handheld, headband, and earpiece.
Remember that wireless microphones operate on radio frequencies, which means they can be vulnerable to interference from cell phones, tablets, and other electronic devices. UHF (ultra-high frequency) wireless systems operate in a higher frequency band than VHF (very high frequency) systems: both have their uses. UHF may be better for a room with lots of other electronics, while VHF is better for those on a tighter budget.
accessories
Accessories such as microphone cables, clips and stands should be chosen carefully, as should microphones and speakers. With cables, it’s not just about the length, it’s about the quality of the connectors at each end.
You’ll want to have multiple mic stand sizes as well as multiple cable lengths so you can properly adapt to a variety of needs and situations.
Hear what people are saying
It all comes down to knowing what you need and making an informed decision. When buying a sound system, trust your ears and what others say. Reading other people’s experiences is a great way to learn about a piece of equipment and whether or not it will be reliable and do what you need it to do.
Contact us at 1 (800) 263-0112 to learn more about public address systems for houses of worship.