Discover what leaders in our network chose as the best AVL equipment for churches.
In the market for AVL equipment for your church and want to get the skinny on what’s really needed and what can get a pass? We asked our network and they delivered.
With numerous options and countless applications, AVL decisions can seem daunting. And with the high price tag of tech equipment, making an informed decision on a smart investment is critical.
Keep reading to discover what other tech staff, church leaders, and pastors said was the non-negotiable piece of AVL equipment for their church. To quickly jump to the selections, use the links below.
Techies’ Favorite Church Audio Equipment
Good sound system
Audio amplification
High-Quality Microphones
ClearComm Two-way Headsets
Soundboards
X32 Soundboard
Digital Snake
PCI Portable Cases
Projector Systems
Peak Design Leash Strap
Mini-converters
ATEM Mini Extreme ISO
MAC
AUDIO EQUIPMENT TOPS THE LIST OF CHURCH AVL GEAR
There’s no doubt: the area that’s worth the research and investment is audio. Most of our network agreed that sound equipment that fits their unique facility and output has the best ROI. Here’s our most helpful responses, including WHY their favorite piece rose to the top.
Best Audio Gear for Churches
Good sound system
Joe, Lead Pastor at Cos.manna.church boils it down to this:
“Great sound creates a great worship experience. I believe it is subconsciously more important to people than they realize.”
By the looks of a lot of our entries, I think these techies agree.
Audio amplification/PA
Paul, Production Director at chaseoaks.org says that audio amplification is non-negotiable for worship services.
“A microphone can be plugged into it directly for smaller setups and you can feed larger setups to it. A good PA can be ‘make or break’ for a system. Lyrics can be put on people’s cell phones via a webpage. So audio is the most important piece of tech for portable applications to me.”
Paul also advises users to spend time getting placement right and make it consistent.
High-Quality Microphones
Levi, Lead Pastor at www.evangelup.org believes good mics provide better control for the church’s online streaming component.
The NextGen Pastor from Evangel points to his wireless headset mic as his favorite piece of must-have equipment.
“It’s especially useful in illustrations using props and just communicating with hands/body language in general. I love the freedom of movement a wireless headset mic provides.”
PRO TIP: Take the time to fit your headset mic to your head to ensure limited movement while speaking.
ClearComm Two-way Headsets
Chris, Production Director at yourchurch.com calls this gear “more important than any other” since it makes it possible to communicate quickly and easily.
Portable AVL: A guide to buying the right AVL gear
Soundboards
X32 Soundboard
Two leaders in our network cited this soundboard as their choice. Brian, Lead Pastor of e3church.co likes how it’s much easier and faster to set up and teardown for portable or multisite venues. His pro tip is to make sure it’s usable for any environment instead of designing it for one type of venue.
Michael, pastor of wayfinders.info reports the X32 soundboard is easy to understand and use. But not just the soundboard — also at the top of Michael’s list is all-in-one cart with ports for everything. His board is pictured here:
In fact, he shared that recently, when he and the typical tech guy were absent on a Sunday morning, the set-up crew — with little to no experience — were able to set up with ease! What an endorsement.
Here are a handful of votes for soundboards:
- Bethegrove.com’s Lead Pastor, Keith, says his must-have piece of gear is a soundboard with a digital snake. He notes that users should get the cable roller/reel to make it the most helpful.
- Mike, the Technology Director at rushcreek.org has been preaching audio consoles for more than 20 years. He likes how an audio console allows the AVL crew to easily mix the sound. He’s in good company with this network of church techies!
- A mixing console was the choice for Eric, the pastor at livinghopechatt.com because it allows one person to easily control audio for musicians, recorded music played from the computer, and any other speaking microphones. This was also the choice of Olu from newinspirationchurch.org.
PCI Portable Cases
Shout out to PCI’s designers from Jody, Campus Expansion Coach/Campus Pastor at cypresschurch.tv. Here’s what Jody said about our unique cases:
“I have been doing portable church for 15 years in multiple states, in different churches, and in wildly different roles. While brands of AVL gear matter and some gear is better than others, nothing has been more critical to making AVL excellent in my ministry experience than PCI’s design of their cases in every environment but especially in the AVL world … I’ve done portable AVL without PCI and I will NEVER do it again.”
Ever seen our cases gallery? Check it out!
Best Video Gear for Churches
Projector Systems
John, Discipleship Pastor at evangelup.org says a projector screen, whether it’s a projector or monitor display, helps attendees “engage in music/worship times, and it is helpful as a teaching aid for preaching. projector or monitor display.”
Likewise, Kevin, the Campus Minister at ucmcatholic.com appreciates the benefits a projector system with placement flexibility provides during Mass and other events.
Peak Design Leash Strap
Scott, the Director of Video Production at yourchurch.com chooses this secure strap as his “invaluable” piece of gear. He says:
“It’s a secure strap that I rely on to hold cameras and other gear when I’m on the move. The quick-release ends mean that gear can go from my shoulder to a tripod or camera rig in seconds.”
Mini-converters
HDMI to DV mini-converters that allow users to daisy chain screens back to the A/V cart to a singular, computer-controlled HDMI port is the favorite choice of Michael from wayfinders.info.
ATEM Mini Extreme ISO
Eric, the Worship Director at evangelup.org, appreciates this tech tool because it’s easier for staff to use and has more features (SuperSource, etc.), and more video sources.
MAC
A fast Mac is the choice of Josh, Production Director at citychurchOTR.com because it handles production after the service and can handle streaming and pro-presenter during the service.
There you have it! The tech tools that real church leaders like you — who juggle the AVL needs of their church every week — can’t live without. Use this list to help you decide on your next purchase or to make recommendations to improve your church’s AVL.
Need some specialized help? Do you have questions about AVL that are unique to your facility? Book a call with our team and let us share our expertise!
Tell us below — what is YOUR non-negotiable piece of AVL gear?
