Only I changed the sample rate, for no sane reason, and then discovered that I couldn’t turn it back again. That wouldn’t have been a problem apart from the fact it did something unpleasant to the sound output.

Every time I opened the control panel the latency and sample rate options were greyed out. Thankfully I found a solution from the M-Audio forums here, though if you keep reading I’ll explain for Windows 7 (should work on Vista as well).

The first step to solving this problem is to make another audio device the default, or simply disable the MobilePre. I had to do the latter as for some reason the motherboard audio wasn’t showing properly.

Right-click on the Volume Control in the Notification Area and left-click on Playback devices. Right click on the MobilePre entry and then left-click on Disable. The icon will change to grey. As there were no working audio devices left, the volume control also showed a red cross.

There’s no need to close this window; it’ll make life easier if you leave it open.

Right-click on the MobilePre icon in the Notification Area and left-click on Open MobilePre USB Control Panel.

Click on the Sample Rate  tab and the two options will no longer be greyed out. Select 44.1 and close this window.

Return to the Playback devices window (or open it again – I told you to leave it open) and reverse the disabling of the MobilePre. Right-click on it and left-click on  Disable to remove the tick and bring the MobilePre back to life.

Simple when you know how, but very frustrating if you don’t.

The obvious contenders are PowerPoint, the Mac equivalent Keynote, and the open source OpenOffice.org Impress (available for both Windows and Mac from www.openoffice.org). They are familiar, have some great transitions (but go easy on them please) and most computers can be persuaded to open the files. Microsoft has a standalone Powerpoint viewer that can be downloaded from www.computeractive.co.uk/2140854.

Unfortunately these presentation programs were designed for business briefings that move smoothly from one slide to the next. The problem with using them in church is that you never know where the Spirit might lead. Repeating the last chorus isn’t so bad, but what about a song from the beginning of the service?

The problem is not that there are no programs that can do this, but the wide choice available, and the reasonable investment that many require. There are too many to cover here so first I’ll look at a couple that I’ve had experience with. A comprehensive list of programs can be found www.ebibleteacher.com/reviewworship.html.

I’ve used OpenSong (www.opensong.org) for several years. As an open source program there’s no price tag so it’s ideal when starting out or if you are still borrowing equipment. It’s easy to add songs and they can be copied easily between computers.

There are some drawbacks. The project is maintained by volunteers so there isn’t the same level of support as commercial software. The biggest problem is that there are no modern Bible translations. Still the dual screen control panel is very good and I’ve always felt in control, even if verses and choruses are repeated out of order.

At the other end of the scale is Media Shout, one of two products from DM Music (hopefully you remember them from last time). It is more complex and expensive but a lot more capable. It can import PowerPoint documents as well as play video and music files. There are 54 Bible translations included as well as 2300 songs already in the library. There’s more information at www.mediashout.com or www.dmmusic.com.

As with any software purchase it is vitally important to know what you want before parting with any money. Do you just want to show song words or can your pastor or vicar add Powerpoint to their sermons? There is a demo version available for Media Shout so you can (or rather should) give both of these programs a go before making a decision. And make sure you involve the whole team of people likely to be using it, not just the enthusiastic techie (that’s me if you hadn’t guessed!)

First published on The Sheep Dip,  a Christian-run website offering quality material for church newsletter and magazine editors to use for a small fee.

Firstly a word of thanks to Steve Rushton from DM Music for a very informative chat, which was very helfpul, especially with regards to the proper placement of a projector. There are several locations to consider, the projector itself and where it is operated from.The ideal projector position is directly infront of the screen, often high up out of the way. There is some flexibility possible as modern projectors can compensate for not being directly in front of the screen.

Don’t get carried away with hiding a projector. Bulbs need replacing and the dust filters cleaning. Bulbs wear out gradually loosing their brightness in the process. After somewhere between 1000 and 2000 hours a bulb will only be about half as bright as when it was new.

Keeping dust out of the filter helps keep the bulb cool and improve its lifespan. If you’re feeling really extravagent, there are some projectors that can do this by themselves.

Speaking of which, the screen is just as important as you won’t be able to see much without it. As a rule of thumb you need to add 1 foot to the width of the screen for every 7 feet you expect people to be sitting aways from it. I’ve seen motorised screens that are completely invisiible when not in use, so they can be discreet.

Don’t forget to the point from which the projector will be operated. This is normally by the sound desk as the two jobs often go hand in hand. Speaking from (very busy) experience, there’s a lot to be said for dividing the work up.

You need to consider what will be connected to the projector. A computer is normally sufficient for showing words and playing video but the less technically inclined may appreciate a simple DVD player (though check material is legal to play first). Problems can also occur when cables are too long. This can be solved, but it adds to the overall cost.

DM Music can be contacted on 0844 980 9822 or info@dmmusic.com. The website at www.dmmusic.com includes plenty of information in addition to products to buy.

First published on The Sheep Dip,  a Christian-run website offering quality material for church newsletter and magazine editors to use for a small fee.

One solution is to do away with paper altogether and use a projector connected to a computer (well maybe not completely, there’s still a need to have some large print paper copies on hand for anyone who might have difficulty seeing the screen).

The beauty of this way of producing liturgy for worship is that it shifts the burden of what is said and when away from the people in the pews and into the lap of the person putting it all together. They will probably be doing it anyway for their own service plan, and there is something faintly ridiculous in telling people to turn to section d4 on page 4 of the red books for a simple ‘Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer’ response (I’m not joking).

It doesn’t stop there as it a projector makes it possible to show videos or photo slide shows, which can be a real aid to worship. This can also enliven talks from visiting missionaries and helps to give a better sense of what they have experienced.

Videos from other churches can be a powerful aid to sermons, as can excerpts from films. The potential benefits don’t stop at the end of Sunday either. It is possible to show films by setting up a film club. It’s cheap enough to either make a profit or become a form of outreach.

The price of this is, predictably, both that of the equipment in the first place, and in finding and training people to operate it. There is also the danger of form over function, as it can be easy to get carried away.

Over the course of a few articles I’ll take a look at what hardware is needed, as well as some of the software that can be used. There’s a wide range to suit almost all needs. Some free software can satisfy most needs when starting out, possibly by borrowing or hiring equipment to see if it suits your church’s needs.

On balance, the advantages make the costs worthwhile. In the following articles we’ll take a look at how to choose a good projector, screen and other bits and pieces along the way.

First published on The Sheep Dip,  a Christian-run website offering quality material for church newsletter and magazine editors to use for a small fee.

Well perhaps I’m being unfair on myself. I did use them when recording the carol service last year, but it’s taken my until now to think about using them properly.

Two of the four channels have always been in use, one for the all important induction loop and the other so that people in the vestry have some idea what is going on in the service. The other two have now been drafted in for recording purposes.

Simply put they allow the willing soundperson to create an entirely separate mix for recording, independently of the levels for front of house. The spur for me was our keyboard. Normally it is set so loud the challenge on the desk is not to make it heard, but stop it from spilling into other mics.

That wasn’t too hard with some careful mic placement. The problem was then when I wanted to start recording services. With virtually no keyboard through the main output, the tape output was nigh on useless.

The solution: Aux channels. I can run as much or as little through each without affecting the main mix.

Additional

In fact, even that needed some tweaking, due to the very different levels between speech and the worship group. In the end I recorded the radio mics on one channel and the music on another. At some point I will have a go at mixing them together.

My MP3 player – an MSI Megastick 528 – fantastic little device with a line in socket – takes up a fraction of the space, records for longer than a briefcase of tapes (ok just a guess) and runs for hours off a single AAA battery. So it’s better surely?

Well no, not really. There’s no way to check levels without playing a track back, and there’s rarely time for that before a service. It’s also a little slow to respond to button presses; once it’s going it’s fine but sometimes getting there can be a pain.

Now, this is one thing for me, I’m reasonably comfortable at messing around with technology and can normally get it to work without raising my blood pressure too much, but there’s no way I can recommend it in a situation with people who are less happy with playing around this way. What we need is something with that familiar red button, preferably large and easy to see when active.

The trouble is, most electronic devices are just a variation on my MP3 player. We used to use an M-Audio portable recorder for podcasts and even I managed to fluff up recordings by not pressing the right combination of buttons. It’s not that the device didn’t work, just it wasn’t as simple as a tape deck.

I asked this question at the Worship conference held at Crawley Baptist last month as we had a seminar dedicated to sound and pa. They recommended the iKey Plus as offering the right balance of functionality and ease of use, and it certainly looks that way from a quick read of the manual.

Interestingly as I was mulling this post, an entry appeared from Musicians Tools for this rack mounted recording device for iPods. We’ve already got an iPod Nano for day to day background music in the church, I’m sure one more iPod won’t hurt.