Church Sound Podcast

To cap off 2021, I wanted to look at the most popular episodes that had the most to offer. So, in part, you all voted for these with your downloads! But I wanted to create an episode that showcases some bits and pieces of the best of the show so far. With so many amazing guests and such incredible content, this will actually come in two parts -- so keep your eye out! On this episode, in order of a...

The new world of pro audio is steeped in networked audio. In this episode, I go over some basics of AoE and AoIP. What are the differences? Why would we pick this over copper? Should I pick Layer 2 protocols or Layer 3? Tune in to wet your whistle on audio over ethernet. Host Samantha Potter is also co-lead instructor with Church Sound University — a training program tailored specifically for wors...

On this week's episode, Jeff Hawley, Marketing Director at Allen & Heath USA, joins me again to discuss what the future of mixing technology might look like given all the recent technological pushes.  From Jeff: "Are we ‘duped by grammar’ in how we speak about Artificial Intelligence? What do we mean by ‘intelligence’ when we apply the term to digital consoles and the ‘internet of th...

Doug Gould is a seasoned vet, practitioner, and market developer for audio technology manufacturers with a special penchant for houses of worship. He joins me this week as we discuss building teamwork and communication both within our media and tech teams, but also with the musicians on stage. What does good communication look like and what are the most important pieces to a team? Doug's Face...

On this week's episode, I take three of the most common questions I've been receiving on the road. I've been teaching around the US the last few weeks and some similar questions keep popping up. I take the opportunity to dive in a bit! I go over what aux-fed subs are, different sub feeds, time aligning inputs, and give some actual target numbers for streaming loudness! YouLean MLoud...

The ProSoundWeb team met up together (some of us for the first time) in Dallas, TX at the end of September, 2021. With the opportunity presented, the crew all got on the mic together to discuss how the conference was going and what we've all been up to! Host Samantha Potter is also co-lead instructor with Church Sound University — a training program tailored specifically for worship audio tec...

Mike Sessler, an author and Maker of Magic joins me to dive into mix buses. What are they, why we use them, and when we use them -- including examples! If you've seen or heard about audio buses but aren't exactly sure what they are or how to get started, this episode is for you! Mike Sessler on ProSoundWeb Mike's Website Host Samantha Potter is co-lead instructor with Church Sound U...

Anca Trifan is an event producer, audio engineer, and all-around AV Unicorn. She joins me this week to discuss, as you might have guessed from the title, hybrid events. Our world is becoming more virtual and our virtual world is becoming more real, so how does this reflect itself in our worship services? Are truly hybrid or interactive services a thing? We discuss some good practices and open up c...

On Aug 21st, 2021, SoundGirls hosted a panel discussion on House of Worship mixing and careers. I (Samantha) moderated and was joined by some dear friends -- all of whom should look familiar to the listeners of this podcast! If you're unfamiliar with SoundGirls , I highly recommend checking out their organization as well as joining the very popular Facebook Group . Host Samantha Potter is co-...

So much of what we do for the church world is sacrificial, volunteer, or a gift. I don't think there are too many audio techs in the world that join a house of worship for the trough of money they give us all. We do it for other reasons. So, what is our calling? Why do we do what we do? What leads us down these paths? I explore what my calling has been over the years and how it can take shape...

Golden Preciado is an amazingly accomplished woman in audio with a huge heart, an infectious laugh, and a ton of wisdom and experience. She joins me this week and we talk about what audio leadership looks like, the biggest potholes for tech teams, and how we can prepare ourselves to walk up to any console -- ready to rock. Golden's ProSoundWeb Profile QSC's Facebook for Tech Talk Church...

This week, we bring you a flashback from one of the first episodes from Signal To Noise, all about church sound! You can check it out along with all of ProSoundWeb's podcast network here . Host Samantha Potter is co-lead instructor with Church Sound University — a training program tailored specifically for worship audio techs that’s now also available online . Reach her via email here . The C...

Brian Maddox is back on the show this week to discuss intercom systems. What are comms? Why should we have them? Join me in learning all about comms and how to start implementing them in your productions. Trust me, you'll wish you'd been using them for years! The Audio Opinion Show Email Brian! Host Samantha Potter is co-lead instructor with Church Sound University — a training program t...

SPL is a hairy beast, one that can be misconstrued too easily. This week, Michael Lawrence is back to chat with me about what Sound Pressure Level means for us sound engineers and how we can start measuring and understanding its consequences. Michael's System Tech Blog Rational Acoustics' YouTube Host Samantha Potter is co-lead instructor with Church Sound University — a training program...

Mix consistency is one of the most difficult achievements to aim for at a house of worship. Willa Snow joins me this week to discuss the process of getting consistency between services, between musicians, even between weeks or audio techs.  Willa's Website Her IG handle: @w.snow.audio Willa's Artists: Ley Line , Dossey , Zach Person Host Samantha Potter is co-lead instructor with Church...

Bennett Prescott from B&C Speakers joins me this week to discuss loudspeakers: what are they? How do they work? What should we listen for? Where do we begin!?! Bennett is the N. American Sales Director for B&C and has a long history with loudspeakers. If you've got an idea about how loudspeakers work but would like more info, this episode is for you! Email Bennet! Bennett's Websi...

Touring system tech and professor of live sound in Austin, TX, Victoria Butash joins me this episode. As always we talk about how we end up in the places that we do, but more importantly, we also discuss the biggest booboos we see from students, volunteers, and new techs -- and how to solve them! We're all always learning, but newcomers tend to trip up on just a few things pretty habitually....

Third-party plugins have been popping up in discussions more and more lately. Well, I ask my friend Ben to join me in a discussion about what these things are, when we do and do not use them, and more! Plus, we get an update on Ben and what he's been doing since way back on Episode 12. Third-party plugins can open the door for massive extra (arguably gratuitous?) processing Living Oaks Record...

Isaac Moreno, one of the audio gurus behind Star Wars, Marvel, Disney, Warner Brothers, and DreamWorks and formerly on tour with the likes of Seventhday Slumber, KJ52, and Manafast, joins me to talk about approaching mixes. What do we focus on when we step up to the plate? What are our go-tos? Isaac is an amazing engineer with a huge heart for ministry and church audio -- plus we're basically...

I try something different this week and instead answer questions I get from the field. There are so many that I come in contact with, so I figure why not make this a segment! On this episode, I cover a myriad of topics including balanced and unbalanced lines, stream translation, latency, burnout, and more! If you enjoy having me answer questions like this, or have your own question you'd like...

Grace Royse, a top-tier, A1-grade pro audio engineer, joined me this week to discuss virtual congregations along with a myriad of other topics. Grace has been working on events such as the Super Bowl, World Pride, the US Open, and thousands of festivals for over 18 years. This week, we wanted to talk about the idea of virtual congregations and the care and keeping of them, as well as improving our...

How can we measure how loud our mix is so that is sounds as good as possible online? Boy, do I get that question a lot. Luckily, Michael Curtis joins me this week to tell us all about mastering, LUFS, and getting the biggest bang for our proverbial buck when it comes to broadcast mixing. Be sure to check out all the goodies linked below! Michael's Audio Math Survival Sheet Learn AVL Youlean M...

Speech intelligence is arguably the most important part of any PA -- doubly for houses of worship. How can we improve our speech intelligibility? How do we even figure out how "good" it actually is? Luckily, Ted Leamy is here to talk to us about the Speech Transmission Index. Ted is the general manager for Clair Global Integrations. You may know Clair from their thousands of tours of the...

Joshua Maichele (my-kellee) a veteran currently with L'Acoustics as the go-to fella for houses of worship and other faith-based organizations. On this episode, we dive into audio infrastructure as it was, where it is, and where it's going. Begone, COPPER! We hath banished you from whence you came. Fibre is here. How does this change how we design new spaces? What's the benchmark for...

I kick off 2021 with a brand new episode about streaming. Broadcasting is everywhere and isn't going anyplace anytime soon. This week, Jon Wygant from VOUS church joins me. He's the production coordinator for VOUS in Miami, FL, who's seen exponential growth over the last year (to the tune of 40,000 downloads a week!) We talk equipment, style, technique, and so much more. This is suc...