» Excellence in the Arts

Lecture Hall or Concert Space? Design of the Worship Facility

Excellence in the Arts - by - April 27, 2011 - 12:42 Etc/GMT+5 - Be first to Comment!

A worship facility is not just another performing arts space. As the spoken Word- the sermon- is at once equal to and yet higher than the “singing of hymns, psalms and spiritual songs” it is therefore neither lecture hall nor concert space, but Worship Facility. Designing the Worship Facility means to design a space that supports speech as well as music.  Full Story

Ten steps to Holy Week preparation for the Media Director from a Media Director

Excellence in the Arts, Media - by - March 15, 2011 - 15:36 Etc/GMT+5 - Be first to Comment!

Church bulletins are calling people to the Lenten season of reflection and preparation for Holy Week and the most important Christian holy day, Resurrection Sunday. This season is a time when the technical staff can get stressed out, because we know if anything goes wrong, everyone will look at us. Full Story

What should we spend on Church Technology? Or, Why Does it Cost So Much?

Articles, Excellence in the Arts, Stewardship, Technology - by - January 25, 2011 - 13:55 Etc/GMT+5 - Be first to Comment!

If  technology used in the church is of poor quality (in the eyes of those attending), it will tend to reflect poorly on the message, evening cheapening the message. If the technology is too glitzy and fancy (again, in the eyes of those attending), it will make the message feel more like a story, entertainment, even fantasy. We want to get the right system into the right church to give the right message while recognizing that the real question being asked is,  “But, how can we make the most of available resources?”

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Basic Acoustics for Worship Environments

Excellence in the Arts, Technology - by - March 3, 2010 - 17:58 Etc/GMT+5 - 1 Comment

The acoustics of a space affect the ability to understand speech clearly (intelligibility), the blends of the sounds as they are mixed, sound captured and recorded, and the perceptions of the music quality. All these elements of the sound are important in a worship environment.  A definition of room acoustics includes the size and shape, the construction and finish, and what is in and out of the room.  Because requirements vary for each room and its own purpose, acoustics needs to start with a facility still in the planning stages. Acoustic Engineering will typically focus on three variables: controlling background noise, creating noise isolation, and designing the acoustical environment. Full Story

Church Sound Basic Training – Audio Workshop – Austin Texas

Excellence in the Arts - by - January 5, 2010 - 13:31 Etc/GMT+5 - Be first to Comment!

Stark Raving Solutions and
Essentric Audio Productions

Presents….

Church Sound Basic Training

a soundbooth.org Audio Workshop

Details:

Date: February 19-20th, 2010

Location: Tree of Life Church
16108 Yellow Sage Street
Pflugerville, TX 78660-2503
(www.treeoflifeaustin.org)

Cost: $245 / Person
*Early Bird and Group Discounts (3+) available

Information and Registration: http://austinchurchsound2010.eventbrite.com/

Full Story

Nov 14 2009 Church Audio Workshop

Excellence in the Arts - by - November 2, 2009 - 17:29 Etc/GMT+5 - 1 Comment

austinTech.org church audio basics workshop that I will be leading – if you are in the Austin area and interested in attending, here are the details, and if you don’t know about austinTech.org, head over to the site and check it out.

Workshop Details:

When: 9:30AM to 12:30PM, Saturday, November 14th, 2009

Where: At High Pointe Baptist Church, 12030 Dessau Rd, Austin, Texas.  We will be meeting in the choir room. CLICK HERE FOR A MAP

What: This class is the perfect overview of audio systems for new team members, as well as a way for existing team members to get a better understanding of the overall operation of sound systems.  Topics covered include: Components of a sound system, Signal and Connector types, Hooking it all up, Basic Operation.  Our conversation will be somewhat driven by your questions, so come ready to participate.

Cost: It is free of charge

Please RSVP if possible to jeff@soundbooth.org. Space is somewhat limited, we want to make sure we have a spot for everyone who wants to participate.

Giving Back

Excellence in the Arts, missional lifestyle - by - October 15, 2009 - 12:01 Etc/GMT+5 - 1 Comment

“Free” software is heavily relied upon in church ministry, but by using this software the church is often seen as being “cheap-skates” and “free-loaders” – not a very Christ honoring image.  This image is portrayed because the ministry is often only thinking of themselves, selfishly using the software but not giving back to the computing community, not abiding by the software use terms and even stealing the software by not paying for appropriate use.  Not all “free” software is free and we as Christians need to be careful that we are honoring Christ in all we do, including our use of technology in ministry.

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Making Room in the Mix

Excellence in the Arts - by - September 30, 2009 - 07:56 Etc/GMT+5 - Be first to Comment!

When mixing a large number of instruments and voices the overall sound can get heavy or dense, especially if there are not many parts in the orchestration and everyone is playing / singing the same thing.  This is a typical problem we face in churches with large worship teams on the platform and can contribute to the volume level feeling too loud, even when the SPL meter is right where we want it.  How can this be prevented?  What can be done to fix the mix and bring life back to the music? Full Story

Be Controlling (Managing Stage Volume, part 5)

Excellence in the Arts - by - September 18, 2009 - 10:55 Etc/GMT+5 - 1 Comment

“Turn it down!” is an easy concept to grasp, but the reality of lowering the volume is not always that easy.  To take steps to control the “sound makers” on the platform requires thinking through the larger picture. Ask  some questions: what is making sound? Where does that sound need to be? From what does that sound need to be kept away?  The answers to these questions can then help the team make adjustments that will help lower the stage volume level and help everyone hear what they need to hear. Full Story

Church: Stop Wasting God’s Money

Excellence in the Arts, Technology - by - August 17, 2009 - 17:15 Etc/GMT+5 - Be first to Comment!

I read this blog post (Church Planters: Stop Wasting God’s Money) by Bob Thune this morning and I can say I completely agree with him. Yet- I also feel there is more to it that applies to more than just church planters.  The people who make up the church often buy into marketing hype. They purchase goods and services they don’t really need.  This side of the story is just as wasteful and probably more prevalent in the church. Full Story