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Houses of worship clients have placed tremendous emphasis on their sound systems in recent years, and with good reason. As churches move between worship styles and a broader array of events designed to engage more of their communities, audio systems are being asked to handle a wider range of events and musical genres -- all while still keeping speech intelligibility paramount. So when it comes time to upgrade sound systems, there are a few key points to keep in mind, starting with exactly what might need to be upgraded.
“Ninety percent of what goes through a PA system are the microphones and the speakers, the capture of sound and its reproduction,” says Nick Dressler, general manager of sales and development for AV systems integrator and SR provider Clearwing of Phoenix. “We get many churches coming to us and saying they need a new sound system, [but] what they really needed was a new set of microphones, or else they had systems that had never been properly tuned. In 20%-30% of the cases we see, there was a blown driver in a speaker or the DSP had been configured improperly.” In other words, he says, the first things to look at when considering new loudspeakers is if you really do need new speakers, or if there are other aspects of the existing system than can be addressed to solve sound problems.
“We get many churches coming to us and saying they need a new sound system, [but] what they really needed was a new set of microphones, or else they had systems that had never been properly tuned." Nick Dressler, General Manager of Sales and Development, Clearwing Systems Integration, Phoenix, AZ
Assuming loudspeakers do need to be updated, Dressler says that should be part of a larger, strategic process. Loudspeakers would be an important element of, for instance, a change in worship style that wound incorporate higher-energy music and more low-frequency energy, or if the church was going to rearrange its seating areas, which would affect sound coverage.
“Look at the sound system as part of the process for changes like those,” he says. “A new seating arrangement could produce dead spots, so the speakers need to be able to cover all of the new areas where seating is going to be.”
Dressler says further that not all sound system upgrades need to be radical. Many systems can be significantly improved by identifying and updating certain key components, such as amplifiers or processors. “Every component in a system has a shelf life, and they’re not all the same length,” he explains. “Some will exceed others, especially if only certain parts of a systems are used more than others.”
A review of components by a qualified systems technician can determine if certain parts are worth keeping.
A review of components by a qualified systems technician can determine if certain parts are worth keeping. The software on digital platforms, such as processors, can often be upgraded, adding to the lifespan to those. Others may have their hardware rendered useless by progress. “We sometimes encounter processors or mixers with serial ports,” says Dressler. “When’s the last time you saw one of those on a computer?”
Lots to choose from
Those who pay attention to sound systems will have noticed that the number of choices in this category have mushroomed in recent years. That’s thanks in large part to the new level of economic importance of live music in the music industry and in churches, which has been drawing new brands from places like Spain, France, Germany and Italy. Vance Breshears, director at consultancy Idibri based outside Dallas, agrees that the number of choices now can be dizzying, and that the market phenomenon of brands-as-buzzwords has become more common in the house of worship market.
“The reality is that most of these brands’ products will work as well as another’s now, in terms of performance and reliability,” he says. “You should be choosing based on price and which systems have the features a particular church [client] really needs, not just which brands are popular at the moment.” Beyond that, choose based on worship styles and architectural necessities, he encourages. Attend trade events such as the Infocomm Show, where a variety of systems will be demonstrated.
"It’s always important to get the acoustics right first before working on the sound system. Both the acoustical characteristics of the room and the speaker system need to work together...." Vance Breshears, LEED AP, Director, Idibri, San Diego office
The acoustic environment a system is placed in can often determine its effectiveness. “A [mediocre] system in a good acoustic space might get you by, but a great system in a problematic acoustic space will never work as intended,” Breshears declares. “It’s always important to get the acoustics right first before working on the sound system. Both the acoustical characteristics of the room and the speaker system need to work together so an integrated design will help ensure success to a project.”
Timing an upgrade’s implementation is important, too. Some houses of worship operate all week long, between additional worship services and other events. Dressler says it might be worth canceling a few of them to allow the integration work to take place as a single block of time over a few days rather than trying to schedule it in sections. “The biggest cost in this is labor, and if you have to stage the crew over different days at different times, it will add to the expense,” he cautions.
And finally, Dressler adds, advise church clients to try to do major renovations over the summer into the early fall. That’s when integrators who specialize in the market will have the most slack, and could be more willing to work on a lower margin in order to keep a salaried staff working. “The rush time for those in the [house of worship] market is from November through Easter,” he says. “But guess when we usually get most of the calls?”
