Now more than ever, churches are taking their services online to stay connected to their congregations and to reach more people from their community and around the world. For many churches, the audio feed in the church’s live stream isn’t as good as it could be. Here are some common problems and solutions.
Common problems
- Audio is too quiet
- Background noise
- Electronic noise (buzz/hum)
- Speech is muddy or unintelligible
- Band mix is bad — instruments or voices too loud or soft
Solutions
- Mic choice/placement (headset vs. lapel)
- Invest in quality gear
- Pay attention to acoustics and noise sources (HVAC noise, creaking floor, hard-sole shoes on a hard stage)
- Mix your broadcast audio separately — don’t use the main house output of the live sound console
- Compress
- Monitor the streaming feed
Problem #1
Muddy or unintelligible speech
Why
Typically this is because of the microphone type and placement. The best place for a microphone is directly in front of the mouth of the person speaking — not below, above, or to the side.
Solutions
Marginal — A lavalier mic is typically the worst choice because it’s further away from the mouth and picks up a lot more room noise as well as unwanted sound from clothes rustling. It also misses a lot of those all-important consonant sounds coming from the presenter, leaving the listener’s brain with only less clear vowel sounds to try to piece together meaning.
Better — A gooseneck podium mic can work great as long as the speaker stays still and maintains a constant distance between their mouth and the microphone. Let’s be honest, most speakers don’t do this — they like to move around. A podium mic isn’t always the right choice. It’s also visually problematic on camera because, when positioned properly, it may block the camera’s view of the presenter’s face.
Best — A headworn mic is usually best. It keeps the distance between the speaker’s mouth and the mic consistent, and the mic is positioned appropriately to pick up diction — especially the consonant sounds that clue our brains into what words are being said.
Problem #2
Too much reverb – it’s too “echoey”
Why
Sound naturally bounces off all of the surfaces in a room — walls, furniture, ceiling, etc. Every room has a natural reverb “tail.” The way we hear and process sound is very interesting! When we’re seated in a large space, such as an auditorium, we expect to hear reflections. They don’t sound odd at all. They inform our brains about the surrounding environment. In fact, it would sound odd not to hear those reflections. But when we are listening to a recording or a live stream, suddenly those same reflections sound out of place. They signal to our brain that we’re hearing a different acoustic space than the one we’re actually occupying, and something sounds off. It can become an unfortunate distraction.
Solutions
Start by moving the microphones close to their intended sound sources. For a person speaking, a headworn mic is the winner here. You can also choose microphones that have tighter polar patterns — try supercardioid instead of cardioid, or cardioid instead of omnidirectional — to pick up more of what they are aimed at and less of everything else. It’s also good practice to make sure every microphone is muted when not in use.
Pay attention to the PA speakers. Typically, when streaming a live event, there is an audience or congregation in the room, so a PA system is needed. However, on occasions when no audience or congregation is present, there’s no need for a PA system. Turn it off! If nobody is there to listen, then the PA system is only serving to excite the acoustics of the space, causing undesired reflections to be all the more present in the microphone.
Finally, consider using a smaller space. If you don’t need a large room designed to hold lots of people, then it may make more sense to move portions of your streaming broadcast — particularly parts that are primarily speech — to a smaller, more intimate space without so much reverb. In smaller spaces, it’s much easier to cover acoustically reflective surfaces like walls with acoustic treatment to reduce the sound bouncing back off the walls. Moving to a smaller space isn’t always practical, but if that’s an option for you, it can dramatically improve the quality of your live stream’s audio.
Problem #3
The mix sounds thin
Why
How are you creating the mix your streaming audience is hearing? If you’re sending the same mix to the stream that you send to your PA system, that’s a problem. The listeners of your stream need to hear something different than what they would if they were in the room with you. This is because some sounds (drums, for example) are very loud acoustically, so they don’t require as much amplification to be heard in the room. However, the streaming audience doesn’t have the benefit of that acoustic sound. A mix that sounds great live in the house usually sounds thin over a live stream to a remote audience.
There’s another problem. The listeners at home can’t hear the congregation in the room, such as when they are singing along with a song or clapping in response to something that was said. The sound of the people in the congregation helps the listener at home feel connected, and that definitely enhances the experience. But if these sounds aren’t included in the stream, then the streaming audience will miss out on this connection with the rest of the congregation.
Solutions
If possible, don’t use your PA system to fill any empty room with sound. Instead, use nearfield monitors or headphones to listen and mix the sound as listeners will hear it over the live stream. Use shotgun microphones pointed at the congregation to pick up their sound and feed it into the live stream audio to provide even more connection and engagement for live stream listeners.