Audio Systems: What's changed?

There are undoubtedly some of you out there who are doing your best to keep current with the changes in the media ministry world, and one of the largest areas to undergo change are audio systems.

The norm is no longer made up of racks and racks of amplifiers, outboard processing units (i.e. compressors, equalizers, reverb generators, etc.), but smaller and more efficient digital devices.

Take a mixer: the overall look and functionality of the mixer has not changed all that much, but the feature-set you get with something like a Roland V-Mixer of Yamaha M7CL is a far cry from what you would expect from an analog Mackie.

You now have compressors, equalizers (EQ), limiters, gates, reverb and other effects available on each channel...standard! You can have libraries of effects you can call up on any channel at any time; you can save configuration presets so if you have traditional and contemporary services using the same system, you can simply call up a preset at a touch of a button. You can plug your laptop into the USB port on many mixers and adjust settings from the computer. Most units even have built-in recording options that let you plug in a thumb drive and record a stereo mix.

Technology is amazing, and that's just the advances in the sound mixers-what about the amplifiers and speaker systems that have control over Ethernet?!?!? I would love to meet some of the engineers who think this stuff up.

So what if you're a small to medium-size church that is looking to upgrade to a digital system? It's important, as mentioned before, to know what you don't know. For a small sanctuary with straigh walls and a fairly straightforward shape (rectangular with straight surfaces), you can probably spec out a good system without the need to go all digital (the benefits will not be fully realized in such a small space). However, if you do not have something as straightforward as mentioned above, I cannot stress the importance of bringing in at the very least a professional who can apply a professional's eye, ear, and mind to your needs. If you have the budget, also consider an acoustician who will model the space so as to understand the optimal speaker locations, how much coverage you will need, where dead spots are likely to occur, and all the little details that go into something people thought so simple at one point in time. Keep in mind this will cost a bit of money, but is it better to continue purchasing audio systems to try and solve a problem that spending the money one time would have fixed?

Microphones are another area of improvement that many people do not give much credit to. The basic argument I use is the question: Doesn't it stand to reason that with all the technological advances in so many areas in the past two decades (of my life, at least), that there would have been significant changes and improvements in the field of _____? Fill in the blank-there has been very few industries and areas that improvements have not been made, and in the field of microphones, this is also true. An EV mic from the late 80's will likely not sound as good in tone, and won't have the same pickup characteristics, as a Shure SM58 Beta, for example. Be willing to invest in newer technology in all areas of your sound system so as to eliminate weak links. Does it makes sense to purchase a new digital audio mixer, speaker system, and amplifiers, even a digital snake, if you're going to be using microphones from the 80's? Perhaps it does because you like the sound of those mics, but if the mics are falling apart, then your argument isn't a solid one...at least to me.

Finally, digital snakes. Audio snakes, for the unititiated, allow for several audio sources, such as microphones and instruments, to be connected to an audio mixer through a length of bundled wire that usually terminates in a stage box on one end (with XLRs and 1/4" receptacles) and XLRs and 1/4" plugs on the other (to connect to the back of your sound board).

Historically, these snakes have been heavy, ungainly, and were prone to breaks in the bundled cables by people walking over it, trying to bend it around a corner, etc. But, it was the only way to get numerous audio signals back to the audio mixer. Wireless did help in this regard for speaking and vocalists, but any sound person worth their salt will tell you they rely on a wire any time they can vs. wireless. It's cheaper and more reliable.

With the advent of digital snakes, this has all changed. Instead of having to roll up a 100 or 200 feet of heavy bundled cable, you simply need to roll up two lines of Ethernet cabling. The digital snake carries the same amount of audio channels that a big analog snake did, but over smaller, more inexpensive, and much lighter cable. Now yes, Cat5 cable is a bit less rugged, and thus they have tougher versions of it for touring and heavy use, but for installation, nothing could be simpler. Terminating Cat5 doesn't require solder and a solder gun, which makes repair much easier.

One of the biggest advantages that I like about Cat5 cable is that it naturally rejects interference from radio frequency (RF), as well as AC power. For this reason, it is also used to run video signals, but that's a separate blog post. :) This means that hums and radio stations you have in your sound system can be greatly reduced...IF the interference is coming through your snake. Remember, that any break in cable insulation on standard copper wiring turns that wire into an antenna, so switching to Cat5 may not be the panacea, the cure-all, you're hoping for, but it WILL help you eliminate where the interference is NOT coming from, which is a huge help in tracking that kind of thing down.

So, digital is here to stay, and more and more houses of worship are upgrading to digital equipment for the plethora of benefits the technology offers. Should you upgrade, too? That's a question for your tech team, the church, and God. Walk with Him in all decisions and he will never lead you astray.

Have a good week!