How to Set Up a Church Sound System

Music plays a very important role in a church service. To get the most out of the music that is being played, you need to have a quality sound system. This way, everyone in the auditorium is able to hear each instrument and feel the heart of each song. Setting up a decent sound system will be different based on the size of the church, but there are several basic instructions that apply to all sound systems.

Set up the microphones. Set up microphones (and cables) for each musician, and make sure that the cables, stands and microphones themselves are not in the way of the musicians. You do not want your worship team to get hurt. In addition to the musicians' microphones, you should install one microphone for every 60 square feet of stage area. This ensures that any sound onstage will be heard.

Set up the amplifiers and monitors. The amplifiers are what project the sound to the audience, so these are very important. Typically, you will want to have an amplifier that provides at least 1/2 watt of power per person. Depending on the size of your church, you may want to increase the power. Set the monitors facing the audience on the left, right and center of the stage.

Set up a mixer. Get, at the least, an automatic microphone mixing system. This will help control the volume of each individual microphone. A mixer will also help with background static and leveling. A good mixer should be able to do a lot of this work automatically.

Set up a booth. You need a place to operate, and the booth is it. It needs to be big enough so you can move around easily; 6 feet of depth is recommended. You will also need a countertop for your mixer and any other computer equipment. Position the booth so that you can see the entire stage.

Find a crew. It is important to have people who know what they are doing running the sound of your church. Running sound can be complicated and can include using many different pieces of equipment at once. You will need at least two people, if not more.