When you are looking to upgrade your house of worship's sound system, you have a few things to consider. Microphone systems have been continually improving, speaker selection and installation can impact sound dramatically, and additional products can be added to the room to make sure that even those in the back of the room hear crystal clear.

Choosing the Right Microphone

The microphone is an important part of your house of worship sound system, and should be selected based on the style of the presider. Wireless microphones are great if you need the ability to move freely throughout the room. Without wires to tie them down, there's no place your speakers won't be able to go. With the flexibility that wireless microphones provide, it can be easy to think they are the best choice for voice and music amplification.

However, wired microphones have a few benefits that should not be overlooked, especially if your presider tends to remain in a fixed position. First and foremost, wired microphones are more reliable. Any sound technicians for touring bands will tell you that they much prefer to set up a stage with wired sound instead of wireless microphones, and these guys do it almost every night! With wired microphones , you never have to worry about changing batteries, and you aren't subject to the dynamic range compression that wireless microphones can use to transmit sound, which equals better sound.

Selecting and Installing Speakers

Placement of speakers can determine whether the listeners are actively engaged or struggling to pay attention. When designing a house of worship's sound system, the best option for speaker placement is overhead pointed towards the congregation, a few feet forward of the presider's normal location. In this arrangement, the listeners can focus on the message, not trying to decipher difficult to hear words and music.

The size and shape of your space will determine the type of speakers you need. Full range speakers are characterized by dispersion patterns, which determine the area that is served by the speaker. For a rectangular room, the dispersion pattern will be different than what is required for circular room, and so on. The height of your ceiling also has a bearing on speaker selection, as this determines how wide of an area each speaker can serve.

If your ceiling is below 20 feet, it's best to employ a few different sets of speakers to spread amplified sound to the congregation. The speakers serving the rear of the room should be on a slight delay, so that the natural sound is not canceled by the amplified sound.

Acoustic Sound Panels

When your house of worship was built, chances are the acoustics of the space were not heavily considered in the design. If you have mostly flat, hard surfaces in your house of worship, it might be a good idea to look into purchasing acoustic sound panels when you are updating your audio system. 

As sound travels from its source, it bounces off any hard surface it encounters. This bouncing continues as long as the sound waves find new surfaces, and can create a sound that's much less clear than the original. Acoustic sound panels can improve clarity for even low-budget audio systems, and the cost is much less than the difference between a world-class audio system and a more budget-conscious option. This is an affordable way to make the most of your house of worship's sound system.

Take Away

A house of worship relies heavily on sound system to communicate to their congregations, so it's imperative that all components are designed and installed with the space and use in mind. If you aren't sure about how to maximize your system, reach out to a professional. Working with an expert will definitely save you time, and may help you get better sound with less equipment.