Music from Christmas Concert 2010

Rejoice! All ye pe...

Sweet Little Jesus...

Girls ensemble.mp3

Can I help you with your blog? Last day! | Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff

Can I help you with your blog? Last day! | Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff

2010 PCA Global Missions Conference - Friday Evening Worship on Vimeo

2010 PCA Global Missions Conference - Friday Evening Worship on Vimeo

2010 PCA Global Missions Conference - Friday Evening Worship from Go Global on Vimeo.

TheKrystalCompany

TheKrystalCompany

'Tis The Season To Hate Wireless

'Tis The Season To Hate Wireless: "There are many things that are placed in the too-busy-to-blog bin. The Christmas season is one of those. And while I haven’t blogged in a while it comes around this time every year where I do my posts of Jeremy’s Naught and Nice Christmas Items in the audio world along with the things on my tech Christmas wish-list.

So I’m going to start out a naughty-nice conversation with a very controversial thing by saying that all UHF wireless microphones are naughty. Here’s why. We know the FCC has just made it illegal to occupy the 700MHz real estate, what no one sees is that the 500MHz, 600MHz and 800MHz area are also available to the highest bidder from the FCC. It’s only a matter of time until telecommunications companies need those white space frequencies and they’re all of them sold off. What would be nice are wireless microphones that incorporate some form of Bluetooth or wireless Internet transmission. Think about it, your wireless microphones transmit as if they were a tiny wireless router, and instead of using UHF frequencies, they used IP addressing. A base station that could have a ridiculously large amount of outputs or a few ethercon jacks would then pick up the signals. And if the manufacturer is really smart they would just write some software to allow any computer to recognize that it is an incoming audio source and decode the wireless signal, so that all that is required for tiny churches with zero budget (most of us) is a laptop with an audio output. And with wi-fi repeaters and remote conneting to servers IP addresses, you could get very creative with live streaming audio from anywhere to anywhere. What’s more is that the technology already exists to do such a thing.

"

If you could master one skill what would it be?

It's a 3-way tie between martial arts, playing piano and poker. I guess I can't narrow it down to one.

Ask me anything

formspring.me

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Top Five Signs Your Audio Budget Has Been Drastically Cut.

Top Five Signs Your Audio Budget Has Been Drastically Cut.: "

We don't always get the budget we want. Some of you have seen budgets cut to zero. Here are five signs your budget was slashed.

1. 
   Budget returned with a coupon for $0.50 off your next Starbucks purchase.


2. 
   You get an email from the budget committee that starts with "Thanks for the laugh..."


3. 
   You're asked to resubmit the budget after you eliminate upgrades, maintenance costs, and essentials.


4. 
   Budget committee claims to have never received your budget even after you physically hand them the 3rd copy.


5. 
   You're asked to purchase supplies like blank CD's out of your own pocket as "another way to support the church and everything it does for the community."

Humor aside, if you haven't created a budget before, check out this article on creating an audio budget. 2011 is right around the corner and we should be getting ready for the next twelve months.

Question: Have You Seen Your Budget Cut Before? What Happened? Do You Purchase Anything Out of Pocket?

"

Oct 31, 2010

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Top Ten Rejected Audio Team Slogans

Top Ten Rejected Audio Team Slogans: "

In a world where teamwork is more than just a buzzword...in a world where creativity reigns supreme...in a world where Christian products are many times just rip-offs of what is popular in the secular society...

The Top Ten Rejected Audio Team Slogans;

10. Reach out and mute someone.

9. Have it our way.

8. Just reverb it.

7. Where's the feedback?

6. Can you hear you now?

5. The best mixes in the world have Steve written all over them.

4. Snap, Crackle, Pop, Oops.

3. Simply years behind.

2. Earplugs, don’t leave home without them.

1. Sound men, men, men, manly men, men, men....meeeeeeen.

"

What To Do When You’re Disillusioned With Your Church

What To Do When You’re Disillusioned With Your Church: "

I'm not talking about the sudden realization that 20% of the people really indeed do 100% of the work or that the theology of the church isn't in line with what you believe.  Or even the realization that the congregation has the evangelistic motivation of a dead raccoon.  I’m talking about seeing all your production limitations.

One day, you're in the church sound booth and everything is pretty flowers and sunshine.  The next day, you attend a service / event / whatever at a larger church with a larger band with a gi-freaking-normous video display and fog machines and two drum kits and a six-million dollar sound system (roadies not included).  It's great!  You're singing and worshipping and you even get a peak at the mixer and talk with the head tech.  Then you go back to your home church...

You've got a single electronic drum kit with a single audio send to the mixer.  No disco balls, no electric light shows, and no tech crew that rivals a SWAT team with comm-gear and black outfits.  You're ready to leave your church and move down the street  where "they really know how to rock (er...worship)."

Having experienced this myself, I found I had two options; leave my church for bigger and better or use it as a growth opportunity.

Here's what I learned and what I did as a result;

1.  I learned it's about the energy of the band, not so much about the lights and the expensive sound system.  There is only so much control I have over this but there are a few things I could do;

    a) Talk with the worship leader about any energy issues with particular band members.  "So-and-so has a flat affect on stage.  I can hear it in the mix as well.  What can we do to pep him up?"

    b) Show my enthusiasm.  I love what I do but I get into a zone where I appear very serious and that seriousness does not convey an energetic vibe.  Therefore, by modifying my behavior behind the mixer as well as how I communicate with the musicians, they can feel my enthusiasm.

    c) Encourage and pump up the musicians.  It's one thing to say after the service "ya'll sounded great" but it's another thing to say BEFORE the service "I can't wait to hear you guys play the first song.  You sounded great during practice.  Isn't it great to worship through music?" 

2.  I learned that if I don't like an aspect of the equipment, chances are a musician feels the same way.  I talked with our drummer about moving to a full drum kit.  As it turned out, our drummer also disliked the electronic drums enough that we started working together on a feasibility study of a full drum kit in the church sanctuary.

3.  I learned there is more than one way to mix the same song.  For example, I recall a worship team doing a rocking version of I'll Fly Away.  It was rocking not because they did it in a rock style but instead of the mix using the guitars to drive the song; it used the snare drum to drive it.  While I'll readily admit part of this is an arrangement issue, the fact is that the same song can be mixed differently to give the same energy to a song, if not more.

4.  I learned it helps working other venues.  There are other people and places that need a good sound guy.  By working those other venues, I could do more.  I could do things differently.  I could even learn new techniques and processes (from other sound guys and musicians) and bring those back to my church.

Question(s): Have You Ever Felt The Same Way?  What Lessons Have You Learned?

"

Top Ten Problems Found During a Line Check

Top Ten Problems Found During a Line Check: "

Do you panic when you don't get a signal from the stage?  "Why can't I hear the singer!?!"  No more worries...this list explains the common line check problems and how you can fix them.  This means less time spent on line checks and more time making the band sound great!  Doesn't that sound better than "oh no, what do I do?"  

1. 
   Bad cable.  Cables goes bad and if you don't test your cables on a regular basis, then the issue will most likely show up during a line check.  A product like the Ebtech Swizz Army cable tester can tell you when a cable has gone bad and the issue with the cable.  Keep spare cables of all types because you will need them.  On a related note, having the right tools like a line tester helps a lot.  Check out this list of tools for your gear bag. 


2. 
   Bad connection.  Plugs aren't always pushed all the way.  Typically I see this with guitar cables into the guitars or cables into guitar pedals and di boxes.  A simple reseating of the plug should resolve the problem.  This goes for all cable connections including XLR, TR, and TRS.


3. 
   Dead batteries.  These might be in an effects box or, where i usually see it, in the onboard EQ/Amp in an acoustic guitar.  Keeping a few 9V batteries in the booth comes in handy in these situations.


4. 
   Wrong wiring.  Plug A into B, not C.  Following the signal from the source to the mixer, you should be able to find where the wires are plugged into the wrong place.  Typically, an input is plugged into an output.  We, in the sound booth, see everything coming INTO the sound booth.  Musicians, on the other hand, see wires coming TO the stage.  Fix the wiring and then educate the musicians if they do any of their own setup.


5. 
   Poor microphone location.  While you might see a signal, if it's not in the right location, you might not get enough signal for proper gain structure.  You might not even get a signal because the microphone is too far away.  I can see this point as more of a sound-check issue but I say the sooner you can resolve it, the better.


6. 
   Broken equipment.  Be it an active di box, or a broken microphone, equipment will break and you have to be ready for it.  Keeping extra equipment around does pay off.  Replace any equipment that is "just hanging in” before it breaks.  If it works "most of the time" then it's unreliable and needs replacing.  You don't want to spend your time mending equipment each week when it could be better spent on the sound check.  


7. 
   Channel labeled wrong.  Of course there's no signal, nothing is in that channel!  Sometimes mistakes are own fault.  Just fix it and then ask the person on stage to try again.  If they ask what was wrong, just say it was a board problem.  :)


8. 
   No signal from guitarist/bassist.  This happens when they turn down their volume pedal, have their setup set for tuning, or have done something else to disable their rig from sending a signal.  Ask them to check their volume pedal and any effects board options like being set to tune or mute.  The increase in use of digital effects pedals in the church environment means an increase in the likelihood of this issue occurring.


9. 
   Pastor wants to add a video.  Hey, this stuff can fly in at any time.  I'm just sayin'.


10. 
    Bad mixer channel.  This is the most frustrating because it will result in money and probably require a substitute mixing board for a while.  When it does happen, try another channel and mark the channel as bad.  Definitely escalate this issue up the chain o' command ASAP.

I remember freaking out when I couldn't get a signal from the stage.  I thought there were so many possible problems and I had no idea where to start.  It's great being on the other side of that and knowing it's usually a simple solution.  And I think that's how most audio problems should be seen.

The solutions to most line check problems aren't complex.  However, knowing what can go wrong, you can now provide solutions much faster.  Line check problems aren't the end of the world so don't treat them that way.  Knowing what to expect, you can view these problems as speed bumps.

Question: What Problems Have You Found During a Line Check?

"

Church Audio Scorecard

Church Audio Scorecard: "

Twenty five simple yes/no questions so you can score your last time behind the mixer.  I could easily come up with another 75 but these cover the basics.  A scorecard is a great way to establish a baseline for where you are and where you can improve.  Up for the challenge?

Twenty-five questions.  Add up the "Y's" and see where you fall.

Pre-Service

1. 
   (Y/N) Did I perform a line check before the musicians started practicing?


2. 
   (Y/N) Did I perform a proper sound check (gain structure set, volume level's set, and eq'ing)?


3. 
   (Y/N) Did I get a schedule of events/songs for the service? (Optionally, did I create one if not?)


4. 
   (Y/N) Did I set proper monitor levels so the band can hear themselves but it doesn't blast the congregation?


5. 
   (Y/N) Did I walk the room during practice to listen for the effects of room dynamics on the mix?


6. 
   (Y/N) Did I review the schedule with the worship leader and pastor?


7. 
   (Y/N) Did I test all recorded media (CD's, DVD's, etc)?


8. 
   (Y/N) Did I test/replace all wireless microphone batteries?


9. 
   (Y/N) Did I mix the songs to match the emotion/mood that is intended?


10. 
    (Y/N) Did I tape down cables that could be a safety concern?

During the Service

1. 
   (Y/N) Did I make EQ/volume changes during the first song that might have been required due to the presence of the crowd people in the room?


2. 
   (Y/N) Was the service absent of audio feedback?


3. 
   (Y/N) Did I make monitor changes or watch for indicators of monitor changes by the band?


4. 
   (Y/N) Did I use the correct volume levels?  


5. 
   (Y/N) Did I turn off channels when not in use?


6. 
   (Y/N) Did I take any mix notes?  (Can be notes of eq settings or instrument problems like 'Bob's acoustic guitar pickup lacks good low-end sound')


7. 
   (Y/N) Did I record the sermon?


8. 
   (Y/N) Did I hit all the cues?  

Post Service

1. 
   (Y/N) Was media returned to individuals?  (Backing CD to soloist, DVD to visiting missionary, etc.)


2. 
   (Y/N) Did I talk with the band to find out if issues existed for them during service?


3. 
   (Y/N) Did I note any broken/faulty equipment and take it out of service if possible?


4. 
   (Y/N) Did I ask 1-2 people how the service sounded AND did they give a positive response?

Personal

1. 
   (Y/N) Did I show up on time?


2. 
   (Y/N) Did I behave professionally?


3. 
   (Y/N) Did my actions model Christian behavior?

Scoring:  

Questions aren't weighed - I'm going for simplicity for you and me :)

25-23: Great job, you've just got a few things to correct.

20-22: Good job, now tackle the areas you answered "no."

17-19: Try mentoring with another team member to improve.  

16-under:  Attend training, read some audio books, team-up with another person on the audio team to learn more about the aspects of audio production.

No matter how low you scored, don't feel bad.  Everyone started at the bottom.  I've linked some articles to the above questions so they are a good way to learn more about those particular topics.  As long as you are improving each time you run sound, you're moving in the right direction.

Question: What Was Your Score?  (I scored 22.)  

 

"

Free July/Aug Issue of Worship Musician Magazine

Free July/Aug Issue of Worship Musician Magazine: "

Worship Musician! Magazine / JulyAugust 2010

"

Burnout and Lessons Learned

Burnout and Lessons Learned: "

It is easy to get burned out because as a tech volunteer, you are juggling your volunteer work at church with work, family and so many other things in life. Recently, I asked a question on Twitter and on Facebook.  The question and many of the responses are below.

Have you ever experienced burnout as a church IT/AV volunteer? What have you learned from this?

Jim Walton

As I changed jobs, it quickly became apparent that I was working more and had less energy after my workday was through. This situation forced me to re-prioritize things and, of course, work was the top priority. I had to be even more intentional about my time with my family. Even with my schedule change, the expectations from the church leadership did not let up, but in fact were continuing to increase. Early on, requests were considered “get to it when you can” but more and more had become “this has to be done now” and I just couldn’t do that. Something had to give and I stepped away.

I’ve learned to be careful not to over commit but that can be hard to do. It’s easy to creep up on you by adding one more small thing on top of another.

Scott Goodger

I learned to say “no” and also understand that the church WILL live without me being there for EVERY service.

Darrell Jordan

I did experience burn out in the AV area at my church in Richmond. I

was the only one running our graphics computer on Sunday mornings and

never got to spend time with my wife in church. I was there before she

got there and I left sometimes well after she did. I learned how to

say no. Well a little bit anyway.

Kirk Longhofer

Suffice to say that there was a significant self-inflicted element to it, but ultimately, an extraordinarily unhealthy work environment pushed me to a place where I was making poor and unhealthy decisions in a LOT of areas of life.  For me… getting out was the ONLY option.  I think a key is that if you can’t support where leadership is going… you should go, and sooner rather than later.

The other thing that figures into this dynamic is a lack of understanding on the part of leadership and others that with tech stuff you CAN’T just show up and wing it.  Prep and rehearsal is a part of the deal.  They don’t understand the real cost of doing what we do.

Greg Simmons

I’ve noticed that burnout is common among IT/AV volunteers.  Like I have said before, it’s one of those few volunteer positions where you can’t just show up and wing it at the last minute…at least not if you want to deliver quality.  I got burned out in a situation where AV/IT responsibilities were growing and the volunteer base was not. I was taking on more and more responsibility with no new help – even though I was attempting to enlist new volunteers.

What did I learn?  It is acceptable to say no to adding something new until you have the volunteers in place.  Most leadership will understand that you cannot do something new at a quality level without the right level of staffing and prep.

I now have enough volunteers with a broad skill set and we are already training some Youth for certain roles as we need their help.

Peter Schott

Feeling it a little bit right now, but part of that is probably frustration with some of the decisions being made in the church. Of course, the decisions were made prior to even seeing if such a decision would be reasonable in the tech area. Add to that the fact that I’ve been pretty much the only one who sees value in this new “internet” thing and it’s kind of frustrating.  I’ve placed a large hold on my internal support because I can’t do it with the right attitude at this time.  I’m helping with the website, but even that is a struggle because nobody really want to step up and help out by giving me content / news.

Chase Livingston

I’m in the process of recovering from a bit of burnout. It’s tough, because in many churches, including mine, tech volunteers are few and far between, so the burden rests on very few people, regardless of the complexity of what needs to be done. One big thing I’ve learned is that it really helps to take some time off if possible to recharge. It’s so nice to be able to just sit as a regular attendee and listen to the message and music without having any responsibility as to what happens.

Joshua Withers

Before changing which side of the nation I lived on, my church wanted to do so much, which was initially my idea, but I couldn’t get volunteers or money, yet the expectations never died.

As a result our relationship is a little awkward now, but it’s not too bad.

My church in this town is the biggest at 100 people in a town of 15k, so the fact I mix sound without feedback and I setup Opensong for lyrics instead of PowerPoint almost makes me an idol lol. Now I’m on the roster every third week and it’s pretty good, thank God!

Angela Mullins

i certainly feel symptoms from time to time. most of my to do list is self imposed, so i have learned to back off of it when i begin to feel overwhelmed. i set boundaries on my time from the onset so i wouldn’t neglect my family and over do it.

Chris Duckett

Although my love for live production and the support of my pastors makes it easier to deal with problems of burn out I still definitely have feat burn out at times.  It’s hard to deal with but God has for me always seemed to provide some type of support or relief when I’m feeling a little warm.  I’ve been very lucky that i don’t deal much with members of the church confronting me about tech items that they don’t like or problems they perceive and my pastors are very good at only passing on legitimate concerns and then nicely listen to all of the rest.  I’ve also been fortunate that my volunteers don’t gripe or complain although my leadership likely leaves much to be desired.

Have you ever experienced burnout as a church IT/AV volunteer? What have you learned from this? Please share your thoughts.

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"

June 27, 2010

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Tunes from June 20, 2010

Lights Out.mp3

Te Alabare Mi Buen...

Lift High the Cros...

Before I knew.mp3

Beauty for Ashes.m...

May 30 2010 Youth Sunday- My Redeemer Lives

Youth Sunday- My R...

#304. The Sound Guy/Girl – In Haiku Form

#304. The Sound Guy/Girl – In Haiku Form

Bad Behavior

Bad Behavior: "I saw something at a gig recently that didn't dawn on me but that I've seen over and over in the church and can now put into words what the disconnect is. I see this happen a lot where pastors will ask one of the tech guys to do something, they will put roadblocks in the tech guys way to prevent them from doing a great job and then ride them for not doing what they asked them to do. My first thought is to slap the pastor up side the head.

Wadda-ya-doing? But then I have to remember that ignorance of how we do things and what resources we use and need for the job we do, the best thing to do is sit down and talk with them and explain how their actions are affecting our ability to do ministry and how changing what they do can help us to do a better job so that people can hear about Jesus in a distraction free environment. There are waaay too many examples of this, all of these and more have happened to me but I've listed only a few below.

• Guest pastor speaking and he shows up 2 minutes before service without any time to set levels or EQ on his mic.
• Sermon slides that arrive 30 minutes before service and have to be re-formatted.
• Last minute set change that includes a special song being performed with a guitar and mic that haven't even been tested or levels set.
• A video is going to be shown but it showed up during the first song of worship so we couldn't test play it.

Got any colorful examples? Add them to the comment section.

"

Worship tracks from May 16 2010

So, what did I learn today? Need more practice with the reverse gate on the snare.

May the Mind of Ch...

The Power of the C...

Redeemed How i lov...

God, Be Merciful t...

I Love you Jesus.m...

Reminder To All Wireless Microphone Users

Reminder To All Wireless Microphone Users: "

The Federal Communications Commission handed down a ruling in 2009 that has become very costly to users of wireless microphones. The ruling states that the 700 MHz frequency band [698-806 MHz] will be partitioned so that commercial wireless services and personal wireless devices (iphone, blackberrys, etc) can have their place in the airwaves. This affects all wireless microphones that currently operate in that 700 MHz band. In short, after June 12, 2010, those wireless microphones can no longer be used. Doing so will constitute illegal usage of the 700 MHz band.

"

Vaya Con Dios, Gretchen

New City Fellowship says, "so long, for now" today to one of its strongest and most consistent vocalists. Gretchen Striebeck will married later this week to Kent White and leaving Chattanooga for Nashville, TN.


Gretchen can always be counted on for those "goosebump" moments, not just because of her voice but because she's one of the one of those rare vocalists who knows exactly what room they are in at the moment they're singing. If a singer has a high confidence level, and can hit the notes, then they are able to improvise without appearing to. They can hear the sound of the PA in the room, they can hear the size of the room, and they can make those subtle adjustments that are little noticed by the audience. It also means I get to play around with digital delay. I often am accused, (and accuse myself actually) of overusing this effect, but what a soundguy is able to do (with the right singer, and the right song)is actually extend the length of the notes the singer might be holding, or can sometimes accentuate certain key words of the lyrics by causing them to repeat, or slap back. A really good singer can play off this effect as well. It's all in the timing.

Anyway, Gretchen, it's been fun. As we say in the music business- "see you down the road." Thanks for the music. The Lord bless you and Kent.

Here's the song New City will remember you for, and of course, you saved the best take for last. Typical Singer.

Because of Who You...

Other NCF recordings

You Do Know How To Use THIS Mixer, Right?

You Do Know How To Use THIS Mixer, Right?: "

Imagine walking into the sound booth and seeing a different mixer.  Imagine you have a stage full of musicians ready to practice and there is no manual, no "the abc mixer for dummies" booklet, oh, and this board has channel buttons that light up when you mute them - the opposite of the regular mixer you use.  What do you do?

"

New City Fellowship Easter Sunday 2010

Tracks from worship Sunday morning. You can listen to sermon podcasts HERE

You can listen to about two years worth of Sunday Music here: Skip's NCF Recordings but keep in mind these files are subject to change without notice.

He has Risen 11a....

Christ the Lord ha...

Low in the grave H...

In Christ alone 1...

In Bright Mansions...

Amen Chorus 11a....

My Saviors Love 1...

Death is Ended 11...

Music from Palm Sunday- New City Fellowship

Aint no rock.mp3

Hosanna.mp3

Its in You.mp3

Jesus rode into th...

Offetory.mp3

You are My King.mp...

There is a Redeeme...

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The Short Guide to Mixing Monitors

The Short Guide to Mixing Monitors: "Doing monitors the past few weeks I thought I'd share how I mix monitors.


1. Don't Sit at the Monitor Board and wait for the musicians to shout what they need to you. In fact, I spend very little time at the monitor position unless I'm fixing levels, EQ, or listening to the drummers in-ear mix to adjust levels. I spend almost all night of rehearsal on stage standing next to or behind the musicians so I can hear what they are hearing from their monitors.

2. Be Proactive Rather than Reactive. This is the most important thing to me. What I'll do is spend about 60-90 seconds standing right next to or behind a musician or vocalist just listening to their wedge mix, and also the ambient noise around them they would use as reference. After those 90 seconds I'll say 'how you doing? you need anything?' at which point they'll say, 'I'm good, thanks' and I'll move to the next musician, or they'll say 'I could use a little… ', and I'll go work on it for them, then come back listen and repeat the process until they are content. More and more, I'm getting into a habit of hearing that a musician has a ton of snare or electric guitar and not much else and I will recommend that I adjust their mix.

Many times musicians can't quite put into words what they need or have too much of and we can help out. Some musicians don't want to be seen as being needy and constantly asking for changes in their mix, in spite of being unhappy with what their hearing. If you ask them rather than waiting for them telling you, it disarms that needy, self-consciousness that many musicians try and avoid. I'll do this process about 2-3 times during the night because different songs with different instruments starting and vocalists leading it means you have to build them a mix that works for 5 different songs.

3. Listen to What the Musicians Are listening To. Believe it or not, soloing the monitor mix on headphones sounds way different than what the wedge sounds like in front of the musician. Last week we had a different bass player and the electric guitarist needed some bass so I went and stood next to the guitar player and realized that he had bass – sort of. I went back and added a bit of 200Hz to the bass EQ and the guitar player thought I had brought the volume way up. Which brings me to…

4. Small Changes Make a Big Difference. We have Ashly Protea monitor controllers, with the Remote Control (pictured here). It's a digital HPF, LPF, compressor/limiter, 31 band EQ all in one. And it's smoking awesome. I've set it to EQ the monitors to a flat frequency response and compress only about 2-4dB to glue their mix together, but when we had a big vocal group I had a hard time getting a good tonal balance from the eight singers, EQ'ing their channels didn't really help get a good tonal balance. After listening to their monitor I tried boosting every frequency 1dB between 100Hz and 1000Hz on their monitor EQ through the Ashly and it made a huge difference. Lifting those midrange frequencies by only 1dB had a multiplying effect, and they could hear themselves and their pitch much better.

"

Wireless Licensing May Exclude Churches

Wireless Licensing May Exclude Churches: "

In the wake of the recent FCC ruling that set a final date for the retirement of wireless microphones in the 700 MHz band, there’s word that churches may be excluded from the new geo-location database that will provide important protection from interference with your wireless mics.

Chris Lyons with Shure, and Doug Gould of Worship MD (formerly with Shure, too!) along with many others are working hard to get the word out on what could be a huge issue for churches. It’s another part of the complex 700 MHz, digital TV transition, white spaces issue that have been causing confusion for wireless users for the past few years.

The FCC is considering a change in licensing rules, for wireless microphone, in-ear monitors, wireless com and similar equipment operating in the television broadcast band.

Until now, only a select few, like broadcasters, and movie and TV producers could actually license this equipment. All other users, including churches, schools, theaters and other users were operating without a license. The FCC has been aware of this for years, and operation of these devices is permitted with or without a license.

However, development and testing of a new generation of portable devices and fixed location services has begun. Look forward to a lot of cool new connected toys. But, they will be operating in the same TV bands that wireless mics use.

To protect wireless mic, monitor and com users, the FCC is working to develop a geo-location database that will allow licensed wireless users to register their systems. These new TV band devices will check that database to avoid licensed wireless users. It’s an important protection to avoid having someone with a cool new connected handheld device stepping all over your wireless mic transmissions in the middle of a show.

The question is whether churches will be among those who can obtain licenses, and register in the database.

“The FCC believes that not everyone needs protection from interference, and that protecting everyone would make too much spectrum off-limits to new internet-enabled ‘white space’ devices.,” said Lyons.  “They are seeking some way of classifying wireless mic users so that they can easily determine whether they should or should not be eligible for license, whether that is based on the type of facility (church, school, theater), type of activity (broadcasting, recording, live performance), number of seats, or whatever.”

And, if churches are not on that list, that could potentially leave churches wide open to intermittent and continuous interference in their systems.

So, what can you do about it?

The FCC is accepting comments on who should be allowed to get licenses until February 22nd. It is critical that they hear, loud and clear from churches about how important it is that they be allowed to register.

For guidelines on how you can submit comments on this issue, send an email message to wirelessmicrophones@shure.com. You will receive a reply message with details on what information must be included in your comments and how to file them with the FCC.

In your comments, be sure to include how many systems you use, what kind of services and productions you do, and describe the impact that losing reliable wireless would have on your services.

I’ll be sending my comments later today. I hope you will, too.

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