Q & A

“No matter how loud I turn the system up, you still can’t understand the words.”

This could be caused my many different things. The room acoustics or the sound system may be poor. To much stage volume might also be the culprit.

Solutions

You can try adding more high frequencies and reducing lower frequencies. The monitors may be reflecting off the front wall creating poor intelligibility. Try turning the monitors down or remove open-air monitors completely with an In-Ear monitoring system. You may also need the sound system tuned by a professional.

"Whenever something goes wrong with the sound, even if it is not my fault, there is always this person that looks back at me. Like I am evil or something."

Solutions

If you can talk to them about this, listen to their observations and determine if there is actually something that you can do to help. A simple acknowledgement of their concern may diffuse the situation.

"The organ and/or drums are overpowering everything."

Solutions

You can try to turn the leslie down internally. For greater control, you could build some type of isolation box and mic the leslie. For the drums, you could consider switching to a set of electronic drums or build an isolation booth.

"Our wireless mic is distorting when the preacher gets loud."

Solutions

Check to see if you are over-driving the receiver. If so, there is an adjustment on the mic itself that you need to turn down.

"Our wireless microphone goes dead during the service."

This problem has a few friends like "I must go through $500.00 worth of batteries a year" and "I pick up truck drivers all the time."

Solutions

Many modern wireless microphone systems will allow the use of rechargeable batteries. Buy a battery charger and 2 Nickel Cadmium (Ni- cad) or Nickel metal hydride (Ni-mi) batteries. Make sure you change them before each service. Only buy 2! Leave one in the charger and one in the mic. This helps remembering which battery is the charged one.

"Our choir/praise singers sing off key and out of time. I am freaking out!"

Solutions

Try some effects. Chorus and reverb may help. Try turning up the monitors. They may be off key because they can't hear themselves. If these do not help you can simply turn them down.

"Our sound system seems like its really boomy and unclear"

Solutions

Have the sound system balanced by a professional. If the system has been balanced, and you still have this problem, try reducing the frequencies around 200Hz. You may need an acoustic analysis of your space to determine if acoustic treatment will remedy this.

"When a singer sings along with a trac, the soloist sticks out like a sore thumb no matter what the volume"

Solutions

Try using some reverb or special effects. Match the effects that are on the original song. Use compression to smooth the soloist’s dynamic fluctuations.

"Music CDs sound good on the system but the service sounds terrible."

Solutions

Use the channel EQ to sweeten the sound of the mic. If your microphones are older you might need to take a look at upgrading. Invest in improving your ear and mixing abilities by attending training seminars and studying EQ and mixing techniques.

"I can never seem to get the choir loud enough”

Solutions

Use the channel EQ to increase gain before feedback. Set up a gate to shut the microphones off when they are not singing. You can try different mic positioning. Group the choir deeper than wide. Make sure you never put the choir mics through foldback monitors. Use automatic feedback suppression on the mixer insert. Also, you can give a hand held mic to your best singer in each section and blend them with the choir mics.

"When recording, CD’s are always too loud or too quiet. They sometimes get real distorted sounding."

Solutions

Use compression to limit the dynamic range. You can get away with a lot more compression when going to tape or CD.

"I am trying to use a Lavaliere microphone but it sounds funny and is always trying to feedback."

Solutions

You need to have a very balanced system and be good with channel EQ. A Lavaliere mic works best if the congregation remains quite during the speaking. Consider using a headset microphone if crowd noise is present.

"I am always fighting feedback; I can't get the singers or preacher loud enough in the monitor."

Solutions

Numerous things cause feedback. Possibilities could include: poor mic placement, poor acoustics, improper mic technique, altering the mics or monitor position during the service...etc. Try to ring your monitor system out and then leave the mics and monitors in the same spot. Try to remove the feedback by using the EQ on the mixing board (most mixers EQ is pre Aux). Carefully set up a gate to shut the mic down between phrases or even words if necessary.

"The monitors are too loud and are bouncing off the back wall."

The sound bouncing off the back wall is delayed from the sound coming from the main speakers since it must travel a greater distance. This is going to cause both time alignment and phase problems. This is called "The Tunnel Effect".

Solutions

For the musicians, switching to an In-Ear monitoring system can eliminate this problem. If this is not an option, see if the musicians or preacher can do with a little less monitor. You may have to look at some acoustic treatment to fix this one. For conference-style ministers, another trick that may work in a pinch is bring up the monitors, and then turn the house down. Add just a bit of high frequency response to the mic and turn it up to give the impression that the volume is coming from the mains.

"We get blasted out when the preacher gets loud."

If the speaker has an extremely dynamic voice, it can be difficult for the sound person to manage. In fact, it came become a “Soundperson’s Nightmare”.

Solutions

Use compression to limit the dynamic range of the microphone. If done correctly, you can limit the volume without detracting from the intensity or delivery of the message.