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If your church has been thinking about purchasing or upgrading a sound, video, or lighting system, then you likely have a few questions.

• How do you get the best deal for your next tech upgrade at church?
• How do you know if a contractor is giving you a fair price?
• How do you decide if one proposal is the right solution or if you should select another bid (even if it might be a little higher)?
• When is it good to buy equipment online or from a music store, and when should you get a contractor involved?

These are important questions.

The answer to these questions can make your project go super smooth, or it could be a disaster that ends up over budget and still doesn’t fully meet your needs.

Disclaimer: I’ve been a Sound Tech,...

If there is one thing you have to have right to get great sound at church it is this one thing:

Great sound from the pastor's microphone.

Unfortunately a lot of churches struggle every week to get the sound they want from their pastor and teacher.

What a travesty! If there is anything a church sound system is designed to do, it is to provide clear and accurate transmission of the spoken word. All other needs and priorities take a back seat to this one critical requirement.

We’ve probably all experienced this problem at some point.

What does it sound like?

First we need to discuss the simple yet important sound qualities we’re looking for when it comes to clear delivery of the spoken word.

Sound from the pastor or...

Portable sound systems are used by a lot of churches.

Sometimes the entire sound system is portable. Or maybe there is a portable system available for special events like outdoor services or kids camps.

Selecting the right components for a portable sound system depends on several important variables. Choosing the right options can mean owning a system that sounds great and lasts for years. Spending money on the wrong products can be costly in time and money.

Here are some tips that can help you prioritize the right portable sound system components for your needs. (And it's not all about speakers and mixing consoles...)

Form & Function

This is all about the size, shape, weight, and portability of the sound system.

A portable sound...

Digital consoles have truly revolutionized the act of mixing sound in worship.

It used to be that you would have to use a lot of outboard effects equipment, racks of processors, and audio patch panels to get the sound and flexible routing you wanted.

Today, even the most modest digital console can perform some pretty remarkable feats.

Simply having access to reverb or compression on every channel is great. And being able to use a full parametric EQ anytime you need it is a life saver.

The precision available to sound techs with today's mixing console technology is amazing. And surprisingly, the cost of a decent console isn't too bad, considering the utility provided.

That being said, digital may not be for everyone. And that's OK. I'm...

There are several EQ tips that you can use to get better sound at church.

Most of them involve things like using a high pass filter, notching filters to get rid of feedback, and cutting frequencies instead of boosting them. (How many times have you heard that!?)

However, there are a few specific tips that can really sweeten your sound – and they don't seem that important at first. In fact, some of them seem counter-intuitive!

In this post you'll discover:

1. The one EQ filter that makes drums sound better
2. How to make the bass guitar sound great in the mix (hint: it’s not about the lows)
3. EQ tips just for backup vocals

OK, let's get to it!

TIP #1: One EQ Filter That Makes Drums Sound Better

EQ'ing live drums might be one of the...

When it comes to church sound systems, there can be a lot of noise made about "saving money" and using "church talent" to design and install a new sound system.

Sometimes I gently respond to these questions and give a "soft pitch" for why a church may want to consider calling a reputable audio contractor or two.

Not today.

I have one word for you...

Don't!

Listen, I know there can be some amazingly talented and knowledgeable folks at your church. But ask this one question:

"Do they design and install professional-grade sound systems every day?"

Your electronics mega-retailer tech does not.

The live sound salesman at the music store does not.

And neither does the technical director at the mega church across town.

Ok, before you string me...

Reverb is one of those things that can really take your mix to the next level and be just the right thing that glues it all together, or helps punctuate certain instruments or vocals.

But there are so many options!

Knowing where to start with reverb often becomes a big exercise in trial and error that can take a lot of time, especially once you start fiddling with all the different settings that each reverb option might have.

If you feel like you haven’t quite mastered reverb in your mix, don’t worry. There are some simple tips and resources below that will help get you get started in the right direction.

First, let’s address the two big problems with reverb…

Problem #1: A little bit goes a long waaaayyyyyy!

Be...