A PA or Public Address system is anything that is used to amplify sounds so that more people can hear. These days, the PA systems are usually used for music. The common example for the PA system is a single microphone and speaker, or a megaphone. One of the establishments that use a PA system is the church.

A PA system is very important in a church. With this, church goers can clearly hear and understand the priest\’s sermon and songs of praises being played. The size of the church matters a lot in setting up the most appropriate and befitting sound system.

The first thing to do in setting up a PA system in a church is to prepare and arrange all the cables, power strips and adapters. The power strips should be placed in between the pulpit area and soundboard, and not in a high traffic site like the altar or aisles. The next thing to be laid out is the soundboard. The best location for the soundboard would be the balcony. If the church does not have a balcony, this can be placed toward the middle of the sanctuary. You can also choose another area for the seating engineers and soundboard depending on the arrangement of the aisles or pews.

Monitors should also be set up. They should be placed near the singers, in the pulpit area and near the musicians. Microphones are also very important especially on the ensemble or the praise and worship team that ministers the music at the beginning of the service. The keyboard and drum kit should also have the microphones. Speakers are also needed. The speakers should be laid out on the front left corner and on the front right corner of the church. You can also place additional speakers on the middle left and middle right. For the wireless audio, this should be placed near the soundboard and 9-volt backup batteries should be reserved throughout the service.

After everything is set up, the audio devices can now be turned on. This should start with the soundboard, followed by the monitors, then the speakers, microphones, instruments, and lastly, the wireless boxes. All the sound equipments should be checked carefully and completely before the start of the service. The sound can be adjusted as the service progresses to account for the dynamic volume of the acoustics and congregation.

Lastly, all the cables used taped down so that no one can trip and get injured. A black duct tape is recommended to use for carpet or concrete floors. For the hardwood floors, the baseboards should be taped to avoid damaging the flooring. Other important things to remember when setting up a PA system in a church include placing the microphone 2 to 3 feet away from the bell if the service is using brass instruments, using of widescreens on vocal microphones and doing a sound check before running the sound. These things are very important to ensure the safety of everyone in the service.

Edward Kendricks writes for CTS (www.cts-networks.co.uk), UK suppliers of PA systems for churches.

Edward Kendricks writes for CTS (http://www.cts-networks.co.uk), UK suppliers of PA systems for chrurches.

Author Bio: Edward Kendricks writes for CTS (www.cts-networks.co.uk), UK suppliers of PA systems for churches.

Category: Advice
Keywords: audio visual, speakers, PA, system, church, places of worship, technology, presentation, music