Introduction
I have always loved being part of music production whether it is on stage or behind the scenes. I have been very thankful and fortunate enough to be part of churches that made music a priority. With all of the advancements, I have seen many problems in church audio. And it didn’t matter where I went, the same problems existed. I made it a mission to figure out how to fix these problems that plague churches.
Music has been an essential part of humanity for thousands of years. It speaks directly to the soul. It effortlessly sets moods, energizes crowds, and creates reverent atmospheres. Each genre evokes a different emotions. One of the most remarkable aspects of music is that it transcends comprehension. We may not fully understand how music affects us, but that’s not necessary; what truly matters is how we experience music.
How To Solve The 7 Problems in Church Audio
Over the past decade, a lot of attention has been put towards improving audio for churches. Even with this push, the same problems in church audio have not gone away. Why do churches still struggle with this? I came across an article from Ultimate Guitars in 2021, which mentioned that, according to sales data from Fender, approximately 30% of their sales—around $600 million—come from gear used in churches for praise and worship music.
That same article says there are approximately 300,000 congregations compared to 60,000 bars and nightclubs. Based on this article, I would feel safe saying that churches spend over $1 billion annually on audio equipment and instruments. While this figure includes mega-churches, I still believe many churches have put more effort and resources into music production.
Some people may react negatively to these numbers, viewing the secularization of church music as a concern. However, I’m not upset about these figures. I see them as a reflection of people’s freedom to pursue their interests and passions, supported by an industry that meets those needs. Despite the significant money spent on equipment, church audio quality, as a whole, does not tend to match that of many music venues. Outside of the top 1% of churches that achieve outstanding mixes each week, church audio quality is often lacking.
The good news is that we can make simple changes to improve our audio mixes. I will outline seven common church audio problems and how to fix them.
1. Inconsistent Results
The Problem:
The first reason for problems in church audio is that the results are different every week. One week, the lead vocal might be too quiet, and the next week, it could be too loud. You may have a blues guitar player one week and a grunge player the next. And that is not hyperbole. The point is, that you are not mixing the same group of people each week, and each individual’s sound is different. Even the same singer can sound different from week to week.
Another reason for inconsistent mixes is the lack of a consistent process. There are many reasons for this, such as not maintaining a uniform gain structure, incorrectly setting up the PA system, or even attending a concert the night before which affects your perceived volume. Not having consistent processes makes it challenging to achieve a mix you will be satisfied with each week. Consistent processes also help you determine if you are on the right track. Keep in mind, that your hearing can vary from week to week, so using your audio console effectively is crucial in ensuring your mix sounds good and consistent week to week.
The Solution:
It is essential to establish a consistent process that you follow every week. Not only will this improve your workflow, but your mixes will also benefit greatly. A couple of important areas to focus on are maintaining a gain structure and revamping your input channel layout.
2. Lack of Volunteers
The Problem:
Not having enough volunteers is often an issue in most churches. When you don’t have enough people, that is less time for you to fix problems that need your attention which ends up leading to major problems in church audio. There are several reasons for this volunteer shortage. One major factor may be that the congregation does not actively promote a culture of volunteering, or, worse, it lacks a healthy environment for volunteers. A poor volunteer culture can negatively affect many aspects of how the church functions each week. Without a supportive atmosphere, volunteers may develop negative attitudes, experience burnout, and face unnecessary pressures and commitments.
I specifically said a “culture” of volunteers. Churches have no problem promoting the need for volunteers, the environment either does not properly value volunteers or too much responsibility is placed on the volunteers. I have encountered numerous situations where potential audio volunteers felt overwhelmed after shadowing me, which led me to rethink and simplify my processes and channel setup to be more manageable for them. Sometimes, volunteers also feel they lack the necessary skills to mix effectively.
The Solution:
To solve this problem, not only do you need to have consistent processes, they need to be as simple as possible. For example, this could involve having a central on/off switch that controls all audio equipment. Additionally, maintain a consistent stage setup, for example designating EG1 for Stage Left and EG2 for Stage Right. The quicker you can simplify your processes, the better.
Next, simplify your channel processing. Create console presets for each instrument with pre-set EQs and compressors, and utilize bus processing. To learn more about this, you can read my post on 5 Reasons Why You Need To Use Bus Processing. By making things more simple for your volunteers, you’ll foster a more consistent flow of volunteers and achieve better mixes.
3. High Volunteer Turnover
The Problem:
On the heels of the lack of volunteers is the challenge of retaining them. This is very common which, again, leads to many problems in church audio. Volunteer turnover is part of the experience; however, some churches struggle more than others with retaining volunteers. Most of the issues contributing to high turnover rates are related to what I said in the previous section. Additionally, I want to emphasize that the leadership style may also play a significant role.
The Solution:
It’s important to reflect on how you lead your team. Great leaders consistently seek ways to improve themselves and provide their team with a clear vision and goals. Strive to make your team the most appealing group to join within the church. Show appreciation for your volunteers and support their growth.
Being an effective leader and simplifying your processes can significantly enhance volunteer retention. When changing a process or trying to simplify, think to yourself, can this process be replicated? If your team can’t follow the process on their own, then you need a new process.
Keeping a good group of volunteers will allow you devote time to fixing other issues, which will make the volunteer experience better as well.
4. Inconsistent Volume Levels
The Problem:
When you think of problems in church audio, inconsistent volume levels is problem one of the two things you think about. As an observer, I’ve noticed that when I visit churches or attend festivals, one of the most frequent issues I encounter is that vocalists are often too loud. There’s nothing more jarring than listening to the intro of a song and the band is at the perfect volume and the singer is about 10 dB’s louder. It’s amazing to me how often this still happens.
The Solution:
Vocal prominence is crucial, especially in church settings where congregational participation is key. However, balancing vocals with instrumentation is challenging. While vocals should be audible, overemphasizing them at the expense of other elements can detract from the overall musical experience and make singing along difficult. Finding the right balance between vocal clarity and instrumental richness is essential for an effective worship mix.
Achieving a good blend of instruments and vocals is crucial. By highlighting different EQ ranges for each instrument, you create space for everyone. Compression can also help glue the band and prevent volume levels from becoming extreme. I will discuss where your starting point should be in my upcoming Baseline Series of posts.
You should also read my post on Gain Structure as this explains how you should set your gain levels and you can download my free Gain Structure Guide
5. Neglecting Equipment Maintenance
The Problem:
We all look forward to weekends when everything goes smoothly. Line checks run without a hitch, the musicians come prepared, and rehearsals are a breeze. However, just when you’re in the middle of the third song, and everyone is engaged in worshiping God, the acoustic guitar starts crackling—loudly. It’s a bad cable, again. When will we have a week where something doesn’t break down?
Not taking care of equipment is an obvious reason why there are problems in church audio. Unfortunately, you will find tasks to fill up your schedule and maintaining your equipment can be the last thing on your mind.
The Solution:
While it’s impossible to prevent equipment failure entirely, you can reduce how often it happens and how quickly you can fix it. One part of the solution is organization. Ensure there’s some consistency in where people stand on stage so you don’t have to constantly plug and unplug cables before and after every set. Avoid running your speakers and amps at full volume. Always keep backups on hand, and have testing tools like a cable tester readily available. And label everything. I mean everything.
By being more organized and proactive, you can minimize equipment breakdowns, especially during live sets.
6. Constant Stage Changes
The Problem:
Among problems in church audio, you may not think that stage setup is an issue, but it actually is. If it is your responsibility to decide stage placements, then strive for consistency. Avoid moving people around simply because you can or want to mix things up; this only complicates matters for you and your volunteers. Sometimes, stage placement is determined by the worship leader or pastor, which can be out of your control and you most need to accommodate to their wishes.
The Solution:
It’s also important to recognize that the stage setup will likely change from week to week. However, if you can identify a couple of consistent spots for certain instruments, you can establish a system that allows for quick adjustments while maintaining a consistent channel layout. For example, when I was the lead audio engineer at a church, we had three designated spots for the electric guitarist each week. I implemented a system where the cables were routed to these spots, making it easy to switch if needed. This approach offered both flexibility and consistency. I did this for every instrument and vocalists.
7. Lack of Training and Development
The Problem:
The primary reason for problems in church audio is a lack of development and skill within the church audio community. I understand this situation; not many young people express a desire to become audio engineers. Most individuals don’t think about getting involved in audio until they reach young adulthood. It’s not the most lucrative profession, and breaking into the professional side of audio can be quite challenging. Many people volunteer at churches because they have a basic competence with technology, a decent understanding of mixing, or are musicians themselves looking to expand their skill set.
Churches also do not view development in audio as a necessity and pray someone walks through the door to solve all of their audio problems. Again, there are many reasons for this, but not making production a priority means you will not see major improvements and you will be stuck in the same place.
The Solution:
There are two ways to address this problem. First, if you want to grow and improve your skills, YOU must seek out resources and training opportunities to help yourself develop. Without a willingness to grow, you won’t make any progress.
Second, if you are the lead audio engineer or someone who works for a church, you should proactively seek out training and ways to develop your team. Advocate to receive training resources for your team. If the church wants to improve its audio quality, it must be willing to invest in development.
If you don’t invest in improvement, things will remain the same. Remember, if you don’t plant the seed, nothing will grow.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I want to highlight a couple of important points about problems in church audio: Poor acoustics and feedback. These are frequently discussed topics in forums and blogs when it comes to problems in church audio, but I chose not to include them here because they relate to environmental factors that are beyond your control. Interestingly, you can still achieve great mixes even in poorly treated rooms.
There was a church I helped where other engineers struggled to eliminate feedback above 15 kHz. They resorted to low-passing many channels to manage the feedback. As a result, the vocals and pastor’s voice sounded extremely dull. Now, when I mixed in that same room with the same equipment and people, I had no issues with feedback and didn’t need to roll off any frequencies.
The reason I got different results is because I had developed a system that allowed me to get great mixes anywhere. Understanding how to mix and effectively blend your elements will enable you to achieve outstanding results in any setting.
The content I am providing will give you resources and knowledge to be able to have consistently great mixes. No matter the venue or console you use. Having the correct knowledge about mixing will make you invaluable. I encourage you to sign up for my email list to stay updated on new content releases that will help you grow as an audio engineer and achieve great mixes in any situation.
References
- https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/is_praise_and_worship_music_driving_guitar_sales-118340
- 5 Reasons Why You Need To Use Bus Processing
- Gain Structure: 6 Steps To Get The Best Results