Microphones are some of our most common tools for modern worship. Their role is so ubiquitous that they are often overlooked as a potential source of inferior voice quality when a pastor’s message doesn’t hit its mark or a musician’s performance doesn’t move the audience as we know it could. In essence, when our microphones fail, we fail. So, it seems like a no-brainer that we should equip our pastors and artists with the best microphones out there, right?
That’s easy to say, but we also have budgets and are responsible to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us. What does spending more really buy us, and when it is warranted, how can we reconcile the added expense for better quality to our church leaders—who may not understand the technology or immediately see the benefits of investing in a good microphone? The balancing act of microphone quality and budget isn’t easy at any level, but measuring the challenges with the rule of good stewardship can lead churches, large and small, to answers that make sense.
Know what you’re trying to accomplish
Often seen as the first rule of good stewardship, taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture can help keep all spending in better focus. When looking to make a decision on a microphone purchase, it helps to know what end result you are aiming for.
Nowhere is intelligibility more important than in a church setting, especially when many worship spaces have far from ideal acoustics. Gabriel Antonini, CTS, is the national sales support/business development manager for DPA Microphones. In his work with houses of worship, Antonini stresses the importance of a premium microphone for the pastor. “The right microphone is key as the most important element in the sound chain, but too often, the least attention is paid to it,” he observes.
One of the biggest reasons that intelligibility is a challenge is because, as humans, our ears know how speech is supposed to sound. Music can often be tailored and interpreted by the listener—not so with speech. As a result, Antonini claims that church engineers need to pay special attention when amplifying the human voice. “Providing a premium spoken word experience does come with a price tag,” he says. “For worship, we want the microphone to be transparent. In other words, the pastor’s voice is accurately reproduced as if there was no microphone at all—that’s the goal.
“For worship, we want the microphone to be transparent. In other words, the pastor’s voice is accurately reproduced as if there was no microphone at all—that’s the goal.”
— Gabriel Antonini, CTS, National Sales Support/Business Development Manager, DPA Microphones
Not all microphones can do that.”DPA provides a variety of high-quality microphones to ensure that a pastor sounds his or her best. Antonini points out that the best fit for a pastor’s microphone must also mesh with their individual style. Does he or she stand at a podium or do they ‘travel’ around the stage? This is where choosing a microphone with the right attributes, like an appropriate and accurate polar pattern, can make all the difference.If your goal is to improve sound quality, especially intelligibility, know that all the audio elements that come after the microphone can only attempt to repair, enhance, or pass that signal along. “You can find many reasons for spending something extra on a premium microphone,” says Antonini, “but chief among them is that by placing a premium microphone at the source, many unpleasant technical issues can be avoided.”
Buy with a vision
When you think about spending money on a microphone or any piece of gear, you might be trying to solve an immediate problem. But it’s often in the best interest of your church for you to think about the future, as well.
Microphones manufactured by Shure Inc. are often looked at as the standard for reinforcing live sound. Shure’s John Born, senior product manager, offers that investing a bit more in a microphone can get you more for your money. “Popular, large brands look to offer you more than just a microphone,” he says. “That can include important post-sales support, a warranty, and top-notch customer support that will last the entire lifespan of your purchase.” This can mean that you only have to make this expenditure once. Going with brands that stress quality not only ensures good sound quality and reliability throughout a microphone’s lifecycle, but also offers the church an asset that will last for many years. “Smaller brands may appear to be more cost-effective,” Born asserts, “but in the short run.”
“Popular, large brands … can offer important post-sales support, a warranty, and top-notch customer support that will last the entire lifespan of your purchase.”
— John Born, Senior Product Manager, Shure Inc.
Born says that, in most cases, deciding on microphone quality is about managing risk. “Sure, you can choose a lower-priced microphone that will provide satisfactory sound quality during a service,” he says, “but it may malfunction when it’s needed most. Choosing top brands, known for their quality products and consistency across environments, offers fewer risks.”
Along with sound quality, Born notes that the technical details in a microphone’s design and manufacturing are another reason to opt for well-known brands. “How a microphone’s polar pattern is implemented and how it may pick up unintended sound sources is something that is often overlooked by low-end manufacturers,” he says. In addition, he offers that the consistent quality assurance employed by name brands can add to the life expectancy of a microphone. For example, Shure’s condenser microphones have to hold tolerances to 1/1000 inches. To know if parts are in specification, the company’s laser scanning equipment and processes have to be able to measure to 1/1,000,000 inches. “The same attention to quality and reliability is apparent in all of our product tiers,” says Born. “The quality specifications are similar, whether that’s a $400 wireless system or a $4,000 wireless system.”
Spend wisely
After considering the big picture and the future benefits of a purchase, many church leaders feel that it helps to prioritize each buying decision by asking: “Is this purchase something we want, something that would be good to have, or something that we absolutely have to have?” If church techs think of audio gear, and microphones in particular, as their “tools,” the analogy can help them determine how important a microphone is in a given position. Is a second acoustic guitar or percussion part in the mix something that a song needs or would it be nice to have there? Maybe not. Do we have to be able to understand the pastor in the last row? Of course we do.
Donald Gspann, owner of Concept Professional Systems Inc. (CPS) in Wall, N.J., and its predecessor, Sound-Arts Co. Inc., and his engineers have been helping church customers find the right audio tools for worship for over 30 years. “You want to give your customers the best quality you can,” says Gspann, “but not everyone can afford top-of-the-line microphones and, in some cases, expensive microphones might not be the best call. In those cases, you must look for alternatives.”
Youth ministries, harsh outdoor environments, or other situations that can put equipment at risk might present good reasons to spend less on microphones for those situations. In the selection of headset and lavalier microphones, Gspann and his engineers have to consider the fragility of the diminutive components and wiring when they are deployed in harsh conditions, as well as the wear and tear from the units’ constant movement.
“Popular, large brands … can offer important post-sales support, a warranty, and top-notch customer support that will last the entire lifespan of your purchase.”
— John Born, Senior Product Manager, Shure Inc.
“On the upside, constantly improving manufacturing techniques continues to [boost] quality, and that makes less expensive microphones more viable,” notes Gspann. He offers that, In many cases, the differences between budget microphones and the name brands, like an increased noise floor and handling noise, both of which would be distracting in a studio situation, are not so noticeable in a live environment, making non-premium microphones a viable choice in some situations.
Spending on wireless technology is another good example of want vs. need. “Despite the increased cost, many customers ask, ‘Can’t we go completely wireless?’” says Gspann. In these situations, he explains the benefits of keeping things simple by deploying interference- and maintenance-free wired microphones where appropriate.
“The premium wireless systems needed to ensure good quality are not inexpensive,” he says. “It’s often something the customer thinks they want, but doesn’t really need.” In situations where customers find the right combination of wireless and wired for services, they reap the benefits of a more reliable and higher quality system at a lower cost. “The best choice for a microphone is not always the most expensive,” he offers. “You have to look at the situation.”
Taking the time to learn about the benefits of the best microphones available for your application is a good exercise, even if your budget won’t support it today. Review the polar patterns and other microphone characteristics to see what is likely to sound better in front of a drum set, acoustic instrument, choir, pastor, etc. When you can, try to bring microphones into your venue, test them out, or listen to them at another venue. Most of all, trust your ears. The results might surprise you. And finally, consider the precepts of good stewardship when purchasing a microphone—and your decision will be right.
