Current Issue

May 2012

Print Article     Email Article

  Page 1 of 5   >>

by Jack Kontney

When Hilltop Community Church of Richmond, California, considered a recording project, they wanted to create something that would showcase their unique sound and high level of talent. “We have been blessed with some wonderful singers,” says Carl Fortier, the church’s music minister. “We have people of every tongue and nation, and we genuinely love each other. We wanted to have some tangible evidence that we existed, both for posterity and as an evangelistic tool.”

Many churches consider recording their musical offerings for a number of reasons. The good news is that today’s technology makes quality on-site recording possible. Many houses of worship already possess the needed tools: microphones, mixer, and a digital recording medium. And while this is perfectly adequate for creating an archive of performances, recording a full-length CD brings several other key issues into play.

Performance Quality
With so many individual voices performing 30-60 minutes of music, there is virtually no chance of capturing a perfect performance. Even professional musicians require multiple takes and overdubs to achieve perfect timing and pitch. Another consideration is instrumentation. The backing tracks provide the foundation of the recording, requiring not only note-perfect playing, but also an arrangement designed to highlight and enhance the vocals. The practical reality is that those occasional clinkers will stick out like a sore thumb, making a CD-worthy performance a tenuous proposition.

Then there’s isolation. Live ensemble recordings include a large number of open microphones, each of which picks up leakage from other instruments. In the case of orchestras and choirs, this can be used to advantage with careful microphone placement. However, featured soloists, whether vocal or instrumental, shine brightest when recorded separately.

Mechanical Licenses
Legally, recording any song not in the public domain requires the purchase of a mechanical license from the publisher. The cost of mechanical licenses is based on the number of copies to be reproduced; it doesn’t matter if the recordings are to be sold or given away for ministerial or promotional purposes. This is the single biggest legal hurdle for any recording project.

Professional Result
It’s important that an air of professionalism extend from the recording process all the way to the final product. That means cover art, a label on the CD itself, and the content of the insert—listings of songs, credits for the participants, etc.

Taken together, it’s easy to see how challenging it is to produce a truly top-tier CD, even when the worship team has the musicians and recording equipment to make it feasible. Even with the needed equipment on hand, the time and expense of selecting songs, obtaining licenses, doing arrangements, then rehearsing and recording makes for a daunting project. Hilltop Community Church found an alternative: bringing in a professional recording company that would handle all the details, leaving only the choir with the responsibility for what they do best—rehearsal and performance.

  Page 1 of 5   next page >>

Jack Kontney heads Kontney Communications Inc., a marketing and content creation consultancy specializing in pro audio and electronics. He can be contacted at www.kontneycomm.com.