Awhile back the Associate Pastor at New Church was looking for people
to run the sound system during the worship services. Being a friend of
the AP, as well as his Admin Assistant for a few hours a week, I knew
that if people didn't step up this job he would wind up stuck in the
sound booth every Sunday. I was familiar with the Sound System at Old
Church so I volunteered.
I am beginning to wonder what I
have gotten myself into. At Old Church there were a few people who
knew something about sound and they actually ran the system from time to
time...or should I say they attempted to corral the system and coax it
into working on Sunday mornings (can I get an AMEN from any other church
people?). At New Church they have people who know something about
sound who REFUSE TO RUN THE SOUND SYSTEM. Of course, I did not find out
this information until after I was in the sound booth that first
morning and one such person came up to adjust something. Um...okay. We
had a little bit of a chat and he went back to his seat and all was
well. But that was not the only person. The next time I ran sound it
was someone else who had a suggestion...in the middle of the service
and so it goes.
If I thought the sound system at Old
Church was bad, nothing compares to New Church. Just before we started
attending the speakers went out. The speakers are on the ceiling a good
20-25 feet or higher in the air. In order to change out the speakers,
they need to bring in a lift. In order to change out the speakers, they
need money (which seems to be in short supply unless it is a pet project or something that certain people think is important and then, voila! a whole new system will appear...without getting input from anyone who actually runs the system, but that's a whole 'nother blog post!). A new set of speakers was temporarily installed. They are
on the ground floor, stationed underneath the overhead ledge. The
sound booth is in the balcony. There are people, such as myself, who
choose to sit in the balcony. The main speakers are on the lower level
of the sanctuary. Does anyone else see a problem here?
They
have wires and gizmo's and gadgets running everywhere in the sound
booth. And a chair that squeaks each time you move. When the person at
the pulpit mic speaks, the whole system needs to be turned up to the
point where feedback is possible at any second. It gets especially
tricky when the person at the pulpit mic is praying. Because they gradually get softer to the point where the sound person has to turn the mic way up
and still they may not be heard. Of course the microphone for the
worship leader works really well and he starts right after the prayer
whisperer which means if his mic volume is up at the level it needs to
be for while he is singing, well...I'll just say there are some sound
operator gymnastics that take place in order for that not to happen.
Let us not forget there are many in the church who need hearing assistance devices and the fun continues. Argh.
The
irony of having sound problems in a church where the main thing that is
done is TALKING does not go unnoticed. Of course the person who
notices this is the person who sits in the sound booth coaxing sound out
of the board, turning up the volume on prayer whisperers and usually
cursing under their breath. No wonder it is so difficult to find people
to run the sound system on Sunday mornings...we put them through hell.
