Want to build a recording set up for church system

[Direct current]

Trying to fig out what all I need for recording in a church enviroment.

I want to be able to recorder all the singer chior, guitars, panio include music ffro dvd's, vcrs, cds and chessettes player to be feed into a computer system. I know it requites mixer for mix, guitar amp, etc.

I also want to set it up for vidio monitor and projection screens.

I am at a lost where to began.

Can anyone guide me maybe sent me some layout or guide me to a real good book. Maybe some good places to go for the equipment I need.

Help Direct Current

 

[dgatwood]

I'd suggest trying this post on a more technically-oriented board... say one of the equipment board.

If I were designing something like that, it would probably include:

* some number of microphones...
* Wiring mic jacks in lots of convenient places.
* A large mixing console
* A small rack containing two stereo power amps---one for the mains and one for monitor speakers.
* Wiring extra 1/4" jacks for monitor speakers at convenient places (and possibly some permanent monitors if necessary, depending on the environment)
* Adding wireless receiver antennas inside fake columns in appropriate places
* A pair of speakers at the front corners, another pair on the sides mid-way back, and a third pair near the rear (assuming a typically-sized, largely rectangular church).
* Hidden projection screens recessed into the ceiling.
* A lowered rear section of ceiling to conceal the projectors, lighting, etc. (pointing forward so that you only see them if you're facing the rear of the church)
* A fairly light duty video source switch (I'm assuming you aren't trying to videotape concerts with the same setup...)
* Rolls of audio cabling and speaker cabling and connectors, along with somebody skilled at soldering things.

The above is just a wild guess, though, and also assumes that the same system is going to serve as both a recording setup and house audio. Without seeing your environment, that's about all I can give you

As for books, you should definitely pick up a good book on acoustics. I don't have any specific suggestions, though....

 

[apl]

If you don't have a clue where to start you should probably have a professionals come in and set it up and train the people who will need to use it. You'll need about four people, one FOH mixer, one video recording and mixer, one to run the projection system, and one to run the audio recording setup and maybe another to run a monitor mix.

It ain't easy.

 

[Rokket]

It's hard enough just to set up a decent sound system in a lot of churches. I've seen some done on small scales that were just a PA system, a cable run, and a live mixer. To record it, it was all mixed down to a tape deck. It took forever to get the levels set right.

I agree that you should look at the church's budget and hire a pro. They can come in and recommend what equipment you will need to fit what you can afford, and like apl said, they can train your people on how to use it.

Without knowing the exact specifics of what you are working with (dB levels, acoustics, room size, budget, et al) it would be hard to give you recommendations.

 

[true-eurt]

It's hard enough just to set up a decent sound system in a lot of churches. I've seen some done on small scales that were just a PA system, a cable run, and a live mixer. To record it, it was all mixed down to a tape deck. It took forever to get the levels set right.

I agree that you should look at the church's budget and hire a pro. They can come in and recommend what equipment you will need to fit what you can afford, and like apl said, they can train your people on how to use it.

Without knowing the exact specifics of what you are working with (dB levels, acoustics, room size, budget, et al) it would be hard to give you recommendations.

I agree..our church had a pro come in to set up and do the levels...which he set a couple of times, because someone w/o sound knowledge changed them at a practice...Finally one of the guys learned enough to keep it going okay...I would suggest that you make it known to the rest of congregation to PLEASE NOT TOUCH...It can be a real pain...And a lot of time is spent trying to get it right again...There is nothing more aggravating than to come in to practice, only to find everything is out of wack..

 

[dgatwood]

I agree..our church had a pro come in to set up and do the levels...which he set a couple of times, because someone w/o sound knowledge changed them at a practice...Finally one of the guys learned enough to keep it going okay...I would suggest that you make it known to the rest of congregation to PLEASE NOT TOUCH...It can be a real pain...And a lot of time is spent trying to get it right again...There is nothing more aggravating than to come in to practice, only to find everything is out of wack..

The funny thing is my experience was pretty much the opposite. So-called professionals set up the sound system in... three different churches I've been in. They consistently had fundamental problems... no additional speakers down the sides (no diction at the back of the church), near-constant feedback because they put podium mics pointing at a speaker five feet away, expensive (yet cheap) wireless mics that barely work ten feet from the receiver, poorly placed receiver antennas that don't cover critical places in the hall....

I'm not saying that hiring a professional isn't a good idea, at least in principle, but if you do, you need to ask for references... see some locations where they have set up sound, and ask those churches what they think of the setup five years later....

 

[Direct current]

Thank you for your responce to my thread, I welcome the comment and sound advice. Your are right in what your saying. Being an electronic tech. eng from not so many day gon by it posses a good deal of though. What I had in mind what a small set-up that could be transported in the back of a 25" Motorhome. In short the Good Lord has his hands on me and is leading me to minister,play what I know on the guitar in small churches going from church to church, if people only knew what four yrs of no income can change a person way of thinking, but that is anoth forum. I wish I a way to transmit scmatic Ideas with folk on these forums, make it easyer to communicate. Again thank for the info. God Bless

 

[dgatwood]

So you're mostly trying to set up a portable sound setup for a band, and it doesn't have to be perfect for the acoustings of a particular room? Wow. That's a lot easier.

Get a decent powered mixer, a couple of mains speakers... add a couple more if the church holds more than about 150 people. Add monitor speakers as needed. Then set up whatever recording add-ons you want, video stuff, whatever.