I arrived a little late to Church this past Easter morning. Needless to say, being late to church on Easter Sunday relegates you to the back, which is fine. Unless, of course, you're straining to hear what's going on up front - which I was. Being an audio video or AV guy, I knew that it's really not the size of the church or hall you are in but more importantly, it's making sure you've addressed the following factors for an optimal church audio visual experience. Here's a short checklist of a few things you can look at to make sure you are delivering your message the best you can:

• Speakers - do you have good quality speakers and are they positioned properly? You could have the best speakers in the world but if you have them huddled at the front of the church in a corner - they won't do you or your parish any good. Additionally, the concepts of voice and music reinforcement are critical. A minister's voice or musician's guitar should be heard evenly and clearly throughout an entire church or hall. It's ironic how many churches will walk into a store and buy a pair of speakers without having a trained AV installation company first look at the job. Usually this results in spending twice as much because the client ends up with speakers that are not correct for the application. 
• Video - many places of worship are incorporating the use of video projection screens to augment their worship services - it's a nice way to attract a younger audience and can be well integrated with your existing church sound system. Again it's important to spend your money wisely and purchase the proper gear the first time. That's where an experienced installer can be invaluable.
• Personal Listening Devices - for parishioners with hearing disabilities, listening devices allow them to be more engaged with the service and make them feel more connected to the congregation as a whole. No matter how well the system performs there are always going to be people that will require additional amplification because of the limitations of their own hearing.
• Recording Your Service - having a recording function within in your church sound system is a powerful way to expand your message to your church website or Facebook page. A recorded church service (both in audio and video formats) can be a lifeline to hospitalized church members as well as an open invitation to potential new members. We have seen a lot of interest lately in camera systems to do just this. Especially here in Florida, where there may be a lot of people not physically able to attend the service this can be a great tool for your congregation. 

Need some help figuring out how to best structure your church sound system in the Greater Tampa, Florida area? Let us offer you and your parish or congregation a free AV consultation.