Upgrade Please!

When working with media in a church setting you are always faced with an ever-changing technological market that you can’t necessarily keep up with because of budgets and fear of change. But when the church has growing needs especially in the area of sound you find that you need to upgrade your sound gear without breaking the bank. The question is what are needs now and in the future? We are finding that with the direction our worship is going that maybe we should look into going towards the digital route with the soundboard. Upgrading to a digital board can be expensive especially when you consider the additional accessories and plugins that would be needed to work with any existing or new equipment.

X32, courtesy of Behringer.com

The key to determining what kind of upgrade you are willing to do is research. Research is vital when dealing with media and technology because it gives you the knowledge you need to determine what is going to fit with the needs and budget. Our Youth Pastor recently was at Guitar Center and had chatted up the Pro Sound salesman about soundboards. The salesman was telling our Youth Pastor about the new Behringer Digital Mixer X32 that has all the features that we are looking for without the bank-breaking price tag. Of course as a team we have to look at all the specs of the board and compare it to other digital boards to see if this is the board that will work.

Whether your church is considering an upgrade or a major over haul in your audio/video department, having the needs of the church figured out especially the future needs will help determine what equipment should be purchased. Don’t hesitate to research products, ask other churches, and seek out professionals who work with the equipment. As they say, “knowledge is power,” and it is true because knowledge can save you money and keep you from settling with less than par equipment.