ProSoundWeb Community

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Pages: 1 2 [All]   Go Down

Author Topic: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly  (Read 4472 times)

Dan Stevens

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2
Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« on: April 21, 2019, 12:33:29 PM »

I am having trouble setting up our Eurodesk soundboard to accommodate the volume of our pastors voice. Our pastor goes from almost whispering to shouting at the top of his lungs in the same sentence. There is no gain setting that I have found that works, I have to set the gain high so I can hear the pastor when he is talking quietly, but when he begins to shout, the system begins to clip badly. There is no way I can manually adjust the board fast enough because I can't predict when he is going to shout. Is there any solution to this problem?
Logged

Mark Cadwallader

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1338
  • Helena, Montana USA
Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2019, 12:39:07 PM »

Yes. This is a job for a compresser. Lots of posts about compression here.
Logged
"Good tools are expensive, but cheap tools are damned expensive."

Dan Stevens

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2
Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2019, 02:05:33 PM »

Yes. This is a job for a compresser. Lots of posts about compression here.

Thank you Mark, I will look into getting a compressor.
Logged

Mike Caldwell

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3091
  • Covington, Ohio
    • Mike Caldwell Audio Productions
Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2019, 08:00:32 AM »

When they go into the shouting portion is the channel input overloading? If your using a wireless does the transmitter overload?

A compressor inserted on the channel will help tame the overall levels in the mix but will do nothing to keep the channel input from overloading.

Nathan Riddle

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2052
  • Niceville, FL
    • Nailed Productions
Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2019, 10:30:27 AM »

Set the mic gain (both wireless and sound board) for the loudest portion of the sermon (yelling).

Ride the fader or insert a compressor.

Profit.
Logged
I'm just a guy trying to do the next right thing.

This business is for people with too much energy for desk jobs and too much brain for labor jobs. - Scott Helmke

William Schnake

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 592
    • Schnake Sound & Light
Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2019, 06:47:15 PM »

Set the mic gain (both wireless and sound board) for the loudest portion of the sermon (yelling).

Ride the fader or insert a compressor.

Profit.

Nathan, you beat me to it.  Gain structure, gain structure, oh and did I say, Gain Structure.

Bill
Logged
Bill Schnake - Owner Schnake Sound & Light

Avid/Crown/EAW/EV/Midas/RCF/Shure/Yamaha

schnakesound.com

Nathan Riddle

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2052
  • Niceville, FL
    • Nailed Productions
Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2019, 06:51:29 PM »

Nathan, you beat me to it.  Gain structure, gain structure, oh and did I say, Gain Structure.

Bill

 ;D

Great minds and all that  ;)
Logged
I'm just a guy trying to do the next right thing.

This business is for people with too much energy for desk jobs and too much brain for labor jobs. - Scott Helmke

Nathan Riddle

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2052
  • Niceville, FL
    • Nailed Productions
Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #7 on: April 28, 2019, 06:53:57 PM »

Dan,

If you need help going through each device let us know. Otherwise, I'm going to assume you are doing some research about gain and how to accomplish what we're suggesting.

50% (Arbitrary) of a good mix is gain structure.

I am having trouble setting up our Eurodesk soundboard to accommodate the volume of our pastor's voice. Our pastor goes from almost whispering to shouting at the top of his lungs in the same sentence. There is no gain setting that I have found that works, I have to set the gain high so I can hear the pastor when he is talking quietly, but when he begins to shout, the system begins to clip badly. There is no way I can manually adjust the board fast enough because I can't predict when he is going to shout. Is there any solution to this problem?
Logged
I'm just a guy trying to do the next right thing.

This business is for people with too much energy for desk jobs and too much brain for labor jobs. - Scott Helmke

Chris Grimshaw

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1822
  • Sheffield, UK
    • Grimshaw Audio
Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #8 on: April 30, 2019, 03:39:46 AM »

Going from a whisper to a shout will always make the engineer's life more difficult. My first bet would be to talk to the pastor and explain what he's doing and why that makes it difficult to deliver his words to the congregation.

If you're going to use low gain and a compressor, make sure you apply make-up gain at the compressor. That should keep your fader position somewhere sensible.

With whispering + low input gain, you might find you can't push the fader up far enough to make him audible. That's where the make-up gain comes in.

Chris
Logged
Sheffield-based sound engineering.
www.grimshawaudio.com

Stephen Swaffer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2672
Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #9 on: April 30, 2019, 12:59:25 PM »

Going from a whisper to a shout will always make the engineer's life more difficult. My first bet would be to talk to the pastor and explain what he's doing and why that makes it difficult to deliver his words to the congregation.


This is why one of the best preachers I ever heard (from a technical delivery standpoint-not talking about his message in this forum) taught that it was best to use a handheld mic-not a lavalier or headset.  He also railed on sound guys that used an automatic compressor or manually "compressed" him-but he was an expert at handling the mic and controlled his own volume incredibly well-he could anticipate the changes which neither a sound person or an automatic compressor can do.  IMO, that is still the best way-and if someone is going to being a preacher/speaker they should learn to use the tools of the trade just as any master craftsman should.  But we have developed a culture that values quick and easy over mastering a craft/trade.

Of course, the readers of this forums job is to support the preacher/speaker/artist the best we can whatever their skill level.
Logged
Steve Swaffer

lindsay Dean

  • Classic LAB
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 798
Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #10 on: April 30, 2019, 03:52:49 PM »

The pastor should not be involved.
Prudently used compression is the answer.
Logged
"A mans got to know his limitations"
     and Pray for higher guidance

Tracy Garner

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 355
Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #11 on: May 01, 2019, 04:21:58 PM »

This is why one of the best preachers I ever heard (from a technical delivery standpoint-not talking about his message in this forum) taught that it was best to use a handheld mic-not a lavalier or headset.  He also railed on sound guys that used an automatic compressor or manually "compressed" him-but he was an expert at handling the mic and controlled his own volume incredibly well-he could anticipate the changes which neither a sound person or an automatic compressor can do.  IMO, that is still the best way-and if someone is going to being a preacher/speaker they should learn to use the tools of the trade just as any master craftsman should.  But we have developed a culture that values quick and easy over mastering a craft/trade.

Of course, the readers of this forums job is to support the preacher/speaker/artist the best we can whatever their skill level.

Best answer yet ^^^^

I served in audio ministry several years mostly Baptist or Pentecostal preachers in a sanctuary that seated maybe 350. The preachers usually start out whispering and end up full voice singing/tuning the sermon and inhaling heavily by the time they deliver the landing (hooping for those who know what I'm talking about). The more novice ops would always have that slight feedback from overdoing the gain in the beginning of the message when the preacher was whispering. Many of those preachers wanted loud monitors too which was perfect recipe for feedback. The op could have just let the volume be low - almost too low if you got hammered by a loud praise band/choir prior to the sermon.

As the sermon progressed, I usually end up easing down the mains gain almost to nothing or else the system would definitely go to clipping unless there was brick wall limiting. You have to keep in mind the preacher is preaching. This is not a lecture where the delivery is the same from start to finish. Sometimes by the time the sermon reaches that final point, the only thing left coming from the PA was just monitors although the congregation was hearing every word at decent volume. Again, the more novice ops were never afraid to turn up in the beginning but were always hesitant to turn down during peak. The other thing was the more novice guys always would be hesitant to high-pass the preacher mic.

If the volume varies greatly in the santuary, thats fine. The dynamics are part of the delivery. I'm more apt to put compression/limiting on the recording and broadcast channels than the live mix though.
Logged

frank kayser

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1655
  • Maryland suburbs of Washington DC
Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #12 on: May 01, 2019, 05:22:13 PM »

;D

Great minds and all that  ;)


Great minds run in the same circles...


Not that pastors are opera singers but, a trained opera singer learns to project their voice - one I worked with was amazing on control - w/o compressor, she could make a whisper audible in the PA, and her fullest, loudest portion registered the same level on the input meter.  A well trained voice is an amazing thing.


In your case, I go along with the greater minds - gain structure, compression, and makeup gain.


You can do it!
« Last Edit: May 01, 2019, 05:30:53 PM by frank kayser »
Logged

ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Pastor Voice Volume Varies Greatly
« Reply #12 on: May 01, 2019, 05:22:13 PM »


Pages: 1 2 [All]   Go Up
 



Site Hosted By Ashdown Technologies, Inc.

Page created in 0.048 seconds with 24 queries.