TECHNICAL
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Multi-media companies
• www.churchmedia.com
• www.fowlerinc.com
Video cameras
• Canon’s XL1 This is a top of the line, professional
grade video camera, yet it is affordable by churches that are just
getting into a video ministry (around $4,000).
• Canon’s GL1 This is a toned down version of the XL1
with fewer bells and whistles and less of a lens, but it will take
great shots nonetheless.
• Canon’s Elura The Elura is a palm-sized camera that
is great for both video and still shots. The quality doesn’t
compare to the GL or XL, but it is decent for getting shots when
you don’t want to lug a larger camera around. It has an extended
battery available that makes it practical to take out for the better
part of a day of shooting.
Video editing software
•
Video editing computers
•
Computers for pastors
• Dell: For the PC market, these guys are the tops as far
as we are concerned. I (Steve) use an Inspiron and find it delightful
to work with. I have had a couple of service issues and have found
Dell very quick to respond to my needs. My church uses only Dell
products at this time – about 100 in all – and made
that switch a couple of years ago due to their service coverage.
• Gateway: We list them second because their customer service
doesn’t match up to Dell’s, though they have a fine
product in our experience.
• Apple: Some people just aren’t wired for PCs. I’ve
met a number of people in the past year that have switched over
from a PC to a MacIntosh and are delighted to have made the change.
I’ve haven’t worked much with an Apple, but those who
do are fiercely product loyal.
PA systems
•
Digital cameras
•
Top5.tv Ideas for Audio:
My suggestions here are not intended as an endorsement of the products
or manufacturers listed below, but are meant only to give church
planters some ideas on where to look for audio products that hopefully
will not break their budgets. I can say that I have personally used
the products, manufacturers and suppliers listed below at some time
in my audio career. If you really want my opinion on a specific
product, you can reach me at hatke@cincyvineyard.com
.
Mixers:
When looking for a sound console, keep in mind that no board is
a “deal” if it doesn’t have the features you
need to do what you need to do!
Mackie- www.mackie.com –
Good boards at reasonable prices. They have become the industry
standard for low-cost consoles.
Soundcraft- www.soundcraft.com – A nice
alternative to Mackie in both price and functionality.
Behringer- www.behringer.com – Very inexpensive,
but at the price of questionable service.
Yamaha- www.yamaha.com – Still the makers
of some good low-end, no frills boards. Very road-worthy.
Microphones:
Shure- www.shure.com – Great line of low-
to mid-priced microphones. They also make great wireless and in-ear
monitoring systems.
Samson- www.samsontech.com – Makers of
some very nice low-cost microphones.
AKG- www.akg-acoustics.com – A little more
expensive in general, but still affordable mics. Also the makers
of very sturdy and road-worthy mic stands.
Audix- www.audixusa.com – Another solid
choice in low- to mid-priced mics.
Audio Technica- www.audio-technica.com –
Good choice for hanging choir mics.
Electo-Voice- www.electrovoice.com – Some
people love them, others don’t, but they do have a nice
selection of low- to mid-priced mics.
Amplifiers:
All of the manufacturers listed below produce quality products.
What is important here is to get the advice of someone who knows
what they are doing to make sure that you get the right amp for
the right application.
QSC- www.qscaudio.com
Crown- www.crownaudio.com
Mackie- www.mackie.com
Crest- www.crestaudio.com
Processors:
In general, the manufacturers listed below produce a wide range
of processing devices: equalizers, compressors, gates, limiters,
voice processors, reverbs, etc.. Some of the choices in these
products rely as much on opinion and taste as on objective quality
analysis!
Lexicon- www.lexicon.com –
These guys have set the standard in high-end studio reverbs
over the years and have used their experience to produce a few
very nice low-priced units.
DBX- www.dbxpro.com – Good choice in
compressors, gates and other dynamics control. A little more
expensive that some of the others, but worth it.
Yamaha- www.yamaha.com – Good multi-effects
units, but a little pricey.
Behringer- www.behringer.com - Inexpensive,
but sometimes a little noisy. The DSP8024 is still the best
bang for the buck in digital EQ.
Alesis- www.alesis.com – Very nice line
of inexpensive processors.
Rane- www.rane.com – Good products at
reasonable, but not necessarily inexpensive, prices.
Speakers:
No speaker will make bad sound good. All of the manufacturers
listed below produce good sounding portable speakers at reasonable
prices.
JBL- www.jblpro.com
Community- www.community.chester.pa.us
Yamaha- www.yamaha.com
Mackie- www.mackie.com
Racks:
Raxxess- www.raxxess.com
SKB- www.skbcases.com
Audio Vendors:
All of the vendors listed below are “national” vendors.
But don’t forget to check with your local A/V dealers as
well. They are often competitively priced, sometimes offer church
discounts, and usually will be easier to deal with and quicker
when it comes to service. Don’t be fooled by the “musician”
stores listed – they all carry pro quality audio gear as
well at good prices.
Sweetwater- www.sweetwater.com
Full Compass- www.fullcompass.com
Musician’s Friend- www.musiciansfriend.com
Mars Music- www.marsmusic.com
Guitar Center- www.guitarcenter.com
Resources- books:
The first three books listed below all cover the basics very well.
The remainder are for those who want to dig deeper; a few of them
get into rather complex discussions of physics and mathematics.
I admit that I have not read them all!
TITLE: Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook
AUTHOR: Gary Davis & Ralph Jones
PUBL: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
ISBN: 0-88188-900-8
TITLE: Yamaha Guide To Sound Systems For Worship
EDITOR: Jon F. Eiche
PUBL: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
ISBN: 0-7935-0029-X
TITLE: Live Sound Reinforcement
AUTHOR: Scott Hunter Stark
PUBL: MixBooks
ISBN: 0-918371-07-4
TITLE: Handbook for Sound Engineers
AUTHOR: Glen M. Ballou
PUBL: Focal Press
ISBN: 0-240-80454-6
TITLE: The Master Handbook of Acoustics
AUTHOR: F. Alton Everest
PUBL: TAB Books, Inc.
ISBN: 0-8306-9396-3
TITLE: Sound System Engineering
AUTHOR: Don Davis & Carolyn Davis
PUBL: Focal Press
ISBN: 0240803051
TITLE: The Acoustical Foundations of Music - Musical
sound: its properties, production, behavior, and reproduction
AUTHOR: John Backus
PUBL: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
ISBN: 0-393-09096-5
TITLE: The Audio Dictionary
AUTHOR: Glenn D. White
PUBL: University of Washington Press
ISBN: 0-295-97088-X
TITLE: Audio Systems - Design and Installation
AUTHOR: Philip Giddings
PUBL: SAMS - A Division of Macmillan Computer Publishing
ISBN: 0-672-22672-3
Resources- websites, etc.:
Mackie Church Sound Notebook
Mackie’s quarterly guide to “blessed mixing”
www.mackie.com/TechSupport/Tech_Library/MCSN.asp
Mackie Technical Glossary
This Glossary contains brief definitions of many of the audio and
electronic terms used in discussions of sound mixing and recording.
www.mackie.com/TechSupport/Glossary.asp
Shure Technical Publications
Useful advice on specific applications and product areas. Some are
available as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files. All may be ordered free
from Shure Incorporated.
www.shure.com/booklets/techpubs.html
Church Sound Check Discussion Group
Communicating excellence to the Church.
www.churchsoundcheck.com
Pro Audio Discussion Newsgroup
For news groupies. Some highly respected audio types participate
in this group.
Rec.audio.pro
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