Practice due diligence when you consider these top tips for choosing your portable church sound system.
A church’s sound system is one of the most critical tech components that must always be up to scratch in order for the church to serve its people effectively. It’s one of those systems that, when in place and working, no one really thinks about but when it’s not working well, everyone notices.
It can be difficult to know where to start and what factors are most important to consider. It’s always wise to consult what other churches are doing and the pieces of equipment that they find most important. For example,
TOP TECH CHOICES FOR PORTABLE CHURCH SOUND SYSTEM EQUIPMENT
Some of the top choices of tech staff include high-quality microphones because
“[They’re] 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.” Levi, Lead Pastor at www.evangelup.org.
Or audio amplification/PA systems because
“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, Production Director at chaseoaks.org.
In your case, you’re probably looking for a portable church sound system, which requires a few extra considerations. This may seem obvious, but portability is one of the key factors to consider when choosing a portable church’s sound system.
This doesn’t just mean that the sound system must have wheels attached to it. No. You’ll want to consider whether the whole system can be easily organized and fit into your overall portable procedure each Sunday.
PCI cases have been cited as a top choice because they’re made specifically to be organized and fit with portable church practices. They’ve been pinpointed as critical to the portable church experience:
“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.” Jody, Campus Expansion Coach/Campus Pastor at cypresschurch.tv.
Over time, your portable church teams will have their favorite pieces but what’s most crucial is to receive advice on what to look for when you’re choosing your sound system equipment. There is just no use in winging this and having to needlessly use church resources. In this article, you’ll find some valuable tips for choosing your portable church sound system; tips that have been curated by professionals in the portable church field.
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5 Pro Tips For Choosing Your Portable Church’s Sound System
1. It’s okay to keep it simple
Most churches will achieve success with a simple system. It will be more cost-effective but also more user-friendly since not everyone on the AVL team will have the same expertise.
Indeed, as your church grows or your church’s needs expand, you can look at more complex systems, but cut the stress of managing an elaborate setup by keeping it simple with your portable church sound system.
2. Look for good value for your dollar
When it comes to 99% of the attendees, they will not hear the difference between the high-end model and the less-expensive model. Most people’s ears aren’t tuned that carefully.
That’s not to say that a better system isn’t powerful and effective, it’s just that price matters and, depending on your budget, a less elaborate model is usually good, too.
When choosing your portable church sound system, you’ll want to weigh up what you’re getting for what you’re paying and consider whether your church truly needs a more expensive setup.
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3. Find a durable model
Whether you settle for a simple setup or something more complex, your portable church sound system must be durable. In both cases, your sound system must be able to serve your church for a good amount of time before it needs repairing or replacing.
Also remember that your sound system will be part of a portable church setup, which means that it needs to weather weekly handling when it is set up, packed up, and then transported. This is a key factor to consider when looking at its overall durability.
Whether simple or complex, you’ll be dishing out money needlessly if you don’t consider how durable the setup is before purchasing it.
When choosing your portable church sound system, remember that 99% of your attendees will not hear the difference between a high-end and a less expensive model. Weigh up what you’re getting for what you’re paying and consider your… Click To Tweet4. Choose an easily transportable model
Picture this: You’ve purchased your new portable church sound system. Your team is impressed with its quality and you managed to find a great deal on it. But the one problem is that it is way too cumbersome to set up, tear down, and transport every Sunday. The sound system becomes your team’s least favorite component to transport and suddenly, no one is quite as impressed with the system as they were when you first invested in it.
Make sure that your sound system is easily transportable because this is an integral part of your church’s character. Your church is a portable church and unless something drastic changes, you won’t be able to change this characteristic.
5. Use well-known brands with good track records
Amidst the excitement of purchasing a sound system for your church, you’ll probably feel like doing extensive research is way too tedious. It’s normal for you and your team to want to get to the part where you hand over money and receive the sound system.
But it will stand you in good stead if you use well-known brands with good track records. This means that you need to do some extensive internet research about other people’s experiences with the systems you’re looking at.
As mentioned, the internet is the best place to start with just keying in the system’s details and seeing what people have to say about it. But another good option is to call up leaders from other churches and ask them what system they use and their experience with it. Try to call up people who have churches with similar requirements to your church.
Do you research a company’s customer service rating before purchasing? We advise you use well-know brands with good track records and good customer service when you’re looking to invest in equipment for your portable church. Click To Tweet6. Pay attention to good customer service
This is another point that can easily go ignored but when your team is having trouble understanding how to set up your brand new sound system, you’ll want someone to talk to. Even more important, is that you’ll need good customer support in place if your system happens to have a fault or you’re due some repairs.
No one wants to get to these points, needing to reach out, but find that the company you purchased from truly does not care about their customers after they’ve received their money.
When you’re researching your brand and track records, you can include researching customer service, thus saving you time and energy.
CHOOSING YOUR PORTABLE CHURCH SOUND SYSTEM REQUIRES DUE DILIGENCE
The list above boils down to you and your team honoring your church’s resources and trying to cover as many bases as possible. Due diligence goes a long way when it comes to choosing your portable church sound system and if you stay the course, you’ll not only be more likely to reap the rewards of a good sound system, but you’ll know that you made every attempt to make a wise and informed decision on behalf of your whole church body.
