Keep Things Running Smoothly

Transcript

Worship Sound Pro 101 Guides 6. 6. Keep Things Running Smoothly Galaxy CM-130 By Mitch Gallagher When set up and operated properly, a sound system is easy to use and perfectly safe. But, as with any system made up of a variety of interconnected components, there’s always the possibility of something going wrong. When there are problems, it’s useful to have a plan and the tools for fixing things up. Troubleshooting When a problem with the sound system occurs, it will probably be at the worst possible time, such as in the middle of a service. It’s best to have an idea of how to proceed when something does go wrong. The number one thingg to keepp in mind with troubleshooting is that one person should be in charge. There are few things more frustrating than trying to find a bad cable when someone else is simultaneously unplugging someon and checking cables at the other end. an Ebtech Swizz Army When troubleshooting, try to keep the W ppanic under control. Think through the symptoms. Has the entire system th gone dead? Perhaps the mixer or a go cable has a problem. Is one microphone main cab Replace it with a spare that’s in good a problem? Rep working order. If that ddoesn’t work, replace its cable. Failing different channel on the snake or mixer, that, try plugging it into a dif and so on. Take a logical approach, start at one end of the chain, and work your way through to find problem. Spares One of the best ways to keep things moving when there is a problem with the sound system is to have plenty of spare and backup equipment available. This is especially important with cables. It’s a rule l that h cables bl w will always go bad at the worst possible moment. Having a reliab reliable replacement at the ready will let you make a quick switch w without interruption. Likewise, it’s a good idea to have a ba backup guitar or bass amp, a small portable keyboard, and/or a spare microphone or two — just about aanything can go bad, and it’s worth having a replacement if a problem develops. Your backup gear replac doesn’t does need to be super-quality equipment, just enough to get you through in a pinch. en While it may not be practical to have a backup mixing console, at least consider having a backup up power supply (if the console’s supply is external) al) or a small portable mixing board that you can an run a mic or two through in order to finish the service. And don’t forget to have plenty of fresh batteries on hand. Tools A well-stocked tool box filled with test and troubleshooting equipment can make it much easier to track down problems. Here are some useful items to have available: • Flashlight — there’s nothing worse than trying to troubleshoot a problem behind a rack of gear in the dark. • Screwdrivers — both Philips and blade types. • Pliers — a small needlenose set will handle most sound system problems. • Wirecutters — a small set for clipping wires and cable ties. • Cable tester — a cable tester such as the Ebtech Swizz Army, the ART CableCop, or the Whirlwind Tester makes it easy to find a bad cable and to get the sound up and running again, quickly. • Sound level meter — a sound level meter such as the Galaxy CM-130, the CM-140, or the CM-150 allows you to measure exactly how loud the sound is and to maintain consistent, defined levels for services. • Contact cleaner — even gear that ART Cable Cop 128-129 101_Troubleshooting.indd 128 12/30/08 1:08:04 PM Monster Power AVS 2000 Pro is well maintained and frequently cleaned can develop scratchy scratchy, hy,, no nois noisy isyy knobs, sliders, and switches. A quick squirt from a can of CAIG De-O De-Oxit Oxi xitt and/or FaderLube will restore the control to clean, smooth operation. ooth operati tion. • Gaffer tape — 2" or 4" gaffer tape, such as the kind ma made de bby Hosa, is very sturdy, with a fine cloth weave, but does not leave ve ad adhesive dhe hesi sive v residue behind when removed. It’s great for bundling cables andd making quick fixes. at’s perfect for • Board tape — Whirlwind makes 1" marking tape that’s nction of any labeling the channels on a mixer or the routing or function other piece of equipment. It’s much easier to run the mixer when you know what is feeding each channel! azing boxes. • Hum eliminator — Ebtech hum eliminators are amazing al, just insert When a line or instrument develops a hum in the signal, the Ebtech eliminator in the chain, and the hum will disappear — almost like magic. AC Power The quality of the sound coming from your system begins ns with the AC power that comes out of the wall. Ideally, your house of worship would have an isolated power line dedicated to running the audio dio equipment. But that isn’t always possible. The best alternative is to mak make ke sure that your church’s AC power is as clean as possible. If there’s any qquestion uestion about the quality of the power or wiring, don’t hesitate: get a lice licensed ens n ed electrician to verify it immediately. This is more than justt a soundquality issue, proper wiring and grounding for the AC power wer means th that the system will be safe, too. A good power conditioner, such as those from Furman orr Monster, will ensure that the AC power is as clean and stable as possible le and will allow your gear to operate at its best. Likewise, good power strips ps — those made by Furman, Monster Power, Middle Atlantic, and ETA TA Systems are designed for audio use — will provide more protection on than a garden variety budget strip from a WalMart. Use high-quality, ality, grounded extension cords where necessary (as few as possible, please), se), and don’t daisy chain power strips to one another. Safety Above all else, it is essential to ensure that your house of worship is a completely safe environment for both the congregation and the worship leaders. As mentioned above, if there is any question of the he quality of the AC outlets or the wiring in your church, have it immediately ately checked by an eelectrician. some other lectriici cian. He Here r are som me othe herr titips ps for kkeepeepee ping things safe throughout thhin ings gs saf afee onn tthe he platform m and th thro roug ughout ut the the building: b ildingg: bu • Never little 3-prong 2-prong Neve verr us usee those lilitt ttle le 33-p -pro rong n to 2-pron ong ground gr d lif llift iftt AC adapters if tthere here he re is a hum m problem. They’re “widow prob pr oblem. The hey’ y’re re kknown as “w wid idow ow makers” s” fforr good reason instead Ebtech ground good rrea eason — in inst stea eadd use Eb bte techh H Hum u X gro oun u und loop These preventing loop eliminators. eelilimi mina nato t rs. Th hes esee ar are safe ffor or ppre reve venting occca casi sion onal al AACC hu hhum. m. occasional Ebtech Hum X Alll the th cabl b ess nnec e essary for a wor orsh ship ip group up ttoo pe perform an nd for • All cables necessary worship and undd sy ystem em ttoo op ooperate erate can presen entt a safe ety hhaz azar ard if theyy ar aaree a soun sound system present safety hazard not carefully routed cables careefu fullllyy ro out uted ed aand nd controlled. Run un aallll cab able less so tha tthat h t they ddoo not cross tr traffi paths musicians traf affific pa ath thss and will not be trippedd overr bbyy mu m sici si c ans or speakers enter entering exiting tape rin ingg or eexi x ting the platform. Gaffers r tap pe ca can be uused to temporarily sec secure solution. ecur uree ca cables, but it’s not a permanent sol olut ution. BBee careful of running ccables able ab less under carpets or mats, as these ma mayy be ass much of a tripping hazar hazard ardd as the cables can be. • Make sure there is sufficient lighting on any steps or paths leadi leading ding ng onto or off the platform. • Make sure that any speakers or amplifier ers secured cannot rs ar aree se secu cure redd an andd ca cann not ffall. If speakers are “flown” or suspe suspended from walls pend nded ed ffro rom m th thee wa wall llss or o the th ceiling, then only use manufacturer-approve manufacturer-approved ymounts that vedd flym ymou ount n s and hardwaree tha hat have been professionally installed installed. ed. • Many houses of worship feature baptismal fonts. You mayy ha have re bba aptismal fon nts. Yo ou ma m avee hheard eard ea rd the horrifying story of a minist minister entered with ter tthat h t ente ha ere redd a ba bbaptismal pttissma mall po pool ol w wit itithh a church member who was bein being grasped microphone ingg ba bbaptized. p iz pt ized edd. He ggra raasp sped ed a m mic icro ic rooph phon o e on that was wired into the soundd sy was electrocuted, system andd w as iinstantly nsta ns tant ta ntly nt ly eele leect ctro rocu ro cute teed, d along with the baptismal can candidate. awful tragedy. ndi dida date. Wh What at aann aw awfu full tr fu trag a eddy. ag Itt ggoe goes water never neceso s without saying that wate er andd el eelectricity ectr ec tric tr icititi y ne ic neve verr mi ve mix. x. IIff itit’s t’s nnec eces ec es-es sary water, always wireless microphone, ry ttoo use a microphone nearr wa wate ter,r, aalw lway ayys us usee a wi w rele re less sss m icro ic roph ro p on ph one, e, never lights other electrical devices neveer on one that is wired. Keep ligh ghtts oorr an anyy ot othe herr el he elec ecctr tric ical al ddev evviccess aaway wayy wa from where accidentally knocked into water. whe here they might fall or be aacc ccid iden enta taallllyy kn knoc ocke oc k d in ke nto tthe hee w ater at er.. er Plan n AAhe Ahead h ad By plannin planning i g ahead and preparin preparing ingg fo ffor orr pr prob problems obble lems ms iinn adva ms ad advance, dvaanc nce, e tthings e, hiinggs wi willllll more culty occur, you’ll ready run much m ore smoothly, and if a ddiffi ifffificu cu ultltyy do ddoes es oocc cccur ur,, yo ou’ u ll bbee re read addy right tools and spares place, services will for it. With a pplan lan and the righ la ht to ool o s an nd sp spar a es iinn pl ar plac ace, ac e, sser ervi er v cees wi vi ill technical culty mayy continue in th thee face of any tech hni nica caal di diffi fficcul ulty ul ty — tthe he ccongregation ongr on g eg gr e at atio ioon ma m went wrong! never even kknow now that anythingg we no ent nt w wro rong ng! ng g! Furman M-8x Furman PF-Pro Rack 128-129 101_Troubleshooting.indd 129 12/30/08 1:08:30 PM