A person recently asked, “We’re planning on changing the ceiling in the auditorium. Will that impact the sound system?”
The answer is “probably.” If you’ve made any major changes to the main surfaces in your auditorium and the sound just isn’t as good as it used to be, it might be time to have a audio professional take a look. Painting over an acoustic ceiling (for example) might change how much sound it absorbs or reflects. Replacing the carpet from your auditorium with any hard flooring surface, switching pews for chairs, removing heavy cloth curtains, adding a large window, covering over concrete block or any other major changes can potentially create problems. Each system is tuned to the room as it was when the system was installed. Changes over time can make things sound worse or create feedback problems that seemingly pop up out of nowhere. If you are just repainting a painted wall or replacing carpet with similar carpet then you probably won’t have anything to worry about as things are not changing significantly. But if you have major remodeling planned, be sure to include sound system maintenance in your budget. Happy Updating!
This is one of my favorite verses, yet I’ve often been to churches where the sound system is so bad that people can’t understand what is being preached. Clear, understandable, sound should be the goal of every church sound system. It really doesn’t matter how loud your sound system is, if people cannot hear and understand the preaching of God’s word.
The FCC’s Part 15 and Drive In Church – Is it Legal?
There is a buzz going around right now about Drive-In Church and using FM transmitters to broadcast the service to all the car radios. But before you go and buy a bunch of gear, there are a couple things you should know.
It is legal to transmit in both the FM and AM band.
You may not interfere with licensed broadcast stations.
Violations by individuals or institutions can result in fines by the FCC.
So what is Part 15 and what does it say about unlicensed use of the AM/FM spectrum? Part 15 includes FCC’s regulations for unlicensed use of the AM/FM broadcast channels. According to a Public Notice released by the FCC on July 24, 1991; “There are two basic types of low power broadcast operation permitted – licensed and unlicensed. The following tables describe the basic criteria for both. It is important to note that the forms of broadcast operation listed on these tables are the only ones permitted. Operation of an AM or FM radio station at a power level greater than that permitted for unlicensed operation and less than the minimum required for licensed operation is NOT permitted.”
The FCC’s chart indicates the following:
For AM Unlicensed broadcasting the maximum power is 0.05 watts.
For FM Unlicensed broadcasting the maximum power is 0.01 microwatts.
So what does this mean?
Practically speaking, consumer level FM transmitters are available. But in many areas, the FM spectrum is packed full of stations. Even if you find an empty frequency, you’ll most likely have some sporadic signal or bleed from adjacent stations to overcome, which reduces the effectiveness of your transmitter.
Even if you live in a place where you have a nice clean, open FM channel, 0.01 microwatts doesn’t cover a large area. 200 ft is an ideal situation.
Many transmitters found on Amazon and other sites are not FCC compliant or require licensing to use legally.
FCC compliant AM transmitters are easier to find but the audio quality can be lower.
Let me suggest another idea. You could use a powerful WiFi access point and a low latency audio encoder like the Listen LW-100P-02. This can accommodate many users via a downloadable smart phone app and be rolled into your assistive hearing system when you are done with it. However, I strongly recommend a good IT and audio professional to set the system up properly.
So yes, this can be done legally. Can it be done effectively? That will depend upon the team you pick to set it up and the quality of available AM or FM channels available in your area.
P.S.
In talking to some broadcast engineers, they recommend the AM transmitter over the FM. They also mentioned that the higher frequency you pick, the better signal you will get with the limited antenna the FCC requires.
Below are links for equipment mentioned in this article as well as other resources you may find helpful.
“Because Physics.” That’s a phrase that I find myself using when I explain “the why” about sound systems. Often I hear questions like; “Why can’t we put the speakers here?” or “Why can’t we use this kind of microphone?” As a system designer, I’m keenly aware of how sound waves interact with the structure of your room or how microphones work. Physics is why your sound system can have feedback or your hearing assistance system can’t transmit properly when you push the expandable antenna all the way down. Physics is the reason that you can hear low frequencies but not high frequencies when you stand behind a speaker. Physics affects if I recommend acoustic treatment in some rooms and not in others. Physics is critical in everything from the gauge of speaker wire to the location of wireless mic antennas. I’m not just expressing my opinion, that’s how God made the world. It has rules and we have to live by them. Sound has predictable characteristics if we take the time to understand them. So take a minute, be curious and revisit your high school physics class. You might be surprised at how it can help you understand your sound system.
I’ve more than once seen the “overkill” system. It is often inflicted on small traditional churches who hire a big tech company to fix the sound system. They install something so complex that users barely know how to operate it. And when that “one guy” who knows how to run it takes a new job in another state… you’re in trouble. Why do they install these? I can’t speak as to motive but I think it’s because the designers tend to be sound techs. It’s easy for them to forget how overwhelmed you were the first time you sat in front of a mixing console. Sometimes it’s because the newest whiz-bang tech is what they think you want. It’s important to communicate what you need and if the company isn’t listening, move on. Sometimes it’s because there’s more overhead in selling you a bigger fancier system than a simple solution to your problem. Money makes the world go round. A well engineered system keeps you in mind. Chances are, your volunteers are not full time sound technicians. They are just trying to serve the Lord and help out the church. A well engineered system is simple to use, simple to learn and as feedback proof as it can be, given the laws of Physics.
“The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.” (Proverbs 30:25)
I’ve seen it many times. Something fails and the church is in panic mode trying to find a replacement before the next week. Sometimes this is unexpected, but often the audio or video system has been on the fritz for several months or even years. You’ve had signs and problems, but no plan, either financially or practically. This creates more long term issues. Instead of a well researched solution that works properly for your ministry, you buy whatever the local music store happens to have in stock or call your local audio visual company with a plea for help. You’ll often spend more money than you need to, since you’re in a pinch. The previous verse says that the ants are “exceeding wise” for planning ahead. As you start a new year, take stock of your sound system. Maybe you just need to replace small things like mic cables. Perhaps you need big things like a new mixer board. Possibly you’ve been putting off replacing your wireless mics because “we’ve got plenty of time.” and now the July 2020 deadline is only months away. Have a chat with your tech crew. Ask about things that are failing and come up with a replacement plan and budget, because today is always the best time to create a plan for tomorrow.
Can You Hear Me Now? I’ve occasionally been in churches where things would have sounded better if they had just turned off the sound system. I have a passion to help pastors and churches build a sound system that works. Clear, clean, simple to use. Maybe it’s just me, but bad sound is everywhere. My friend, it’s worth it to put in a good sound system. You labor in the Word and bring a message from the Lord to your people. But can they hear it? Does your sound system actually muddy the preaching of the Word instead of bringing your voice clearly to the hearers? Does your personal aversion to the look of a headset microphone stop people from hearing more clearly? Does your objection to recommended speaker placement mean that some people can’t hear clearly? I’m not beating up on you, but a good sound system can be a vital tool for your ministry. I’m not an equipment salesman. I have no sales goals to reach. My heart is to help your ministry. It’s to help your people hear clearly. It’s to help you as a Pastor communicate God’s Word to your people. Bad sound is everywhere, loud, muffled, distorted. Let your church be that place where God’s Word is clearly heard. I’m not advocating that you hire the most expensive company. Because, while throwing money at it works sometimes, it is not a guarantee that you will get a good result. Some companies just want to install what I call “The Really Big Stereo.” It sounds amazing when they play music tracks but it doesn’t work for the important things. Every service is different, every auditorium is different, every pastor is different, every church is different. Find someone who will take the time to understand what you want, what you need and how to get there. It’s worth it. I’ve had people come up and hug me after a job and say, “Thank you! We can hear Pastor now.” and that sums up exactly what I’m trying to say.
One of the issues I often encounter with churches is helping older people hear the service clearly. Age related hearing loss is called Presbycusis, and is marked by the following problems: • sounds or speech becoming dull, muffled or attenuated • need for increased volume on television, radio, music and other audio sources • difficulty using the telephone • loss of directionality of sound • difficulty understanding speech, especially women and children • difficulty in speech discrimination against background noise (Source – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbycusis)
Often I’m asked if we can “fix the sound system” so that older people can hear. However, this is generally troublesome for a the following reasons. 1. If I re-tune your system to compensate for hearing loss frequencies, it will become harsh and unpleasant for all other listeners in your congregation. 2. The volumes needed for some older listeners can be uncomfortably loud for other members. 3. Sanctuaries often contribute to hearing difficulty because of reflections and echo. 4. The sound system cannot compensate for speech discrimination in older members. Speech discrimination often has to do with how the brain processes auditory information. It’s a complex topic beyond the scope of this post. So what do I recommend? A hearing assistance systems. These have several advantages. 1. They let you create an individualized audio feed that has more emphasis on higher frequencies to compensate for hearing loss. 2. They let the user control their own volume. 3. They isolate the user from the room, so that they only hear what the microphone hears. This may help in some cases of speech discrimination but not all cases unfortunately.
You can lead a horse to water… I’ve found on several occasions that older people are embarrassed or maybe too stubborn to try out a hearing assistance system. One older lady told me that she was worried the headphones would mess up her hair. These are issues that are typically best handled from a Pastoral perspective.
Finally, if you already have a hearing assistance system, test it regularly. I’ve often seen some systems in very poor repair with broken antennas, noisy packs and other issues. Give a younger person a pack and have them listen through a service to make sure that everything is working properly and that you not missing something (good volume, no interference, equipment works properly, all the mics are heard correctly, ect.)
If you don’t already have one, consider adding hearing assistance system. There are several types and we can help you find the one that works best for your application.
Pop! Thump! Boom! It happens every time you turn your sound system on or off, a loud pop or thump. Not only does it sound bad, it can damage your speakers. So why does this happen and how can you prevent it? Often, this happens when you turn equipment on or off all at once instead of in the proper sequence. To keep things simple, your speaker amplifiers (or powered speakers) should be the last thing turned on and the first thing turned off. Here’s why. Gear that sends signals to your speakers (a mixer for example) generally sends a very small power spike down the audio line when powered on or off. While it’s not very powerful, the job of amplifiers or powered speakers is to weak signals into powerful signals. The result is that when you turn off your mixer the amplifiers turn that tiny power spike into a big “THUMP” at your speaker. Some gear has a “soft” power down, which means that you don’t have to worry about this issue. For the rest of us there are a few things we can do.
Establish a Power Up/Down Sequence. This can just be a small note, indicating in what order you should turn things on and off. Train your volunteers to follow this procedure.
Use a power sequencer. Several companies make units that will power the whole system up and down in a proper order with just one switch. This is a great way to simplify and protect your sound system.
“Every time we use the gain knobs they make a terrible crackle so we just don’t touch them!” Yes, this was a statement from a church that I was helping. So many things have to be attended to in your ministry. Furnace filters, an oil change for the van or resealing the parking lot. But what about your sound system? Is it time to replace those old speakers, buy a new pulpit mic that doesn’t sag or a better wireless mic that doesn’t drop out every Sunday? Often, I encounter systems that have never been maintained. Problems build up, performance degrades and your tech crew gets frustrated because they don’t have tools to do the job. Consequently, church audio gear is bought in panic mode (because something has failed) even if it’s not the best tool for the job. Consider investing in some system maintenance this year. Try a phased upgrade plan where you replace gear as you save up. Your sound system gets used two or three times a week and it’s an important ministry tool. Don’t forget to take keep it in good condition.
