Benefits of Hear Back in Houses of Worship

With the proliferation of praise bands using electric instruments, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to control the mix in the congregation largely due to excessive stage volumes. An effective solution is in-ear monitors, personal monitor mixers, line direct instrument amplifiers (such as a Line 6 POD, Johnson J-Station, and Direct Box’s), and enclosed acoustic drums or electronic drum kits. Now virtually all stage volume is eliminated, permitting the FOH engineer freedom to mix great sounding audio for the FOH as well as recording.

For example, if the guitar player (I love to pick on these guys) plays at 120 dB SPL and the desired FOH is 90 dB SPL – Houston we’ve got a problem!

What typically happens is the guitar’s level gets reduced or removed from the mix causing a very unbalanced recording, while contaminating the FOH mix.

The Hear Back changes the way monitor mixing is accomplished on stage or auditorium; as well as, in the studio. Imagine getting your mix exactly the way you want it!

With the Hear Back, you save time and get your sound just right, the first time.

Personal Monitor Mixer/In-Ear Monitor Benefits:

• No Stage Monitor back wash in the seating area
• Reduces front of house (FOH) volume
• Eliminates signal time alignment problem that produces comb filter affects
• Lower overall stage volume
• Relieves the FOH engineer from monitor mix responsibilities
• Floor space is freed up
• Decreases feedback potential
• Replaces a separate Monitor Mixer and volunteer
• Improved recordings
• Reduced equipment cost (no monitors, amps, or equalizers)

In installations with plenty of conduit connect system as in the hookup diagram Church Analog. If you have limited conduit, refer to the Church Analog with FOH Hub.

NOTE: When using in-ear monitors incorporate ambient Mic’s to pick up the congregation. Talent/congregation isolation causes the talent to hold back their performance.

We recommend using a stereo pair of Mic’s and mixing them into channels one/two of the Hear Back stereo mix, but don’t route the Mic’s into the FOH sound system. The idea is to capture as much audience ambiance as possible.