Last month we talked about knowing your sound system, understanding the signal flow and how the system components interact with each other. Once you have wrapped your head (and ears) around how sound travels through your system, you will find that troubleshooting the various components of that system becomes a relatively easy endeavor. Before we dive into the process of finding and fixing problems with your worship house sound system, we will need to arm ourselves with some basic tools. I don’t consider this list to be in any particular order of importance, because all these tools serve an important purpose.
First, you will want to acquire a simple electrical outlet tester. Since you house sound system runs on electricity, it is wise to check the health of your outlets. This simple device will determine if the outlet is energized (electricity is present), whether it is grounded (a properly grounded outlet is a must to insure optimum performance of your gear) and whether the outlet is wired correctly.
Your next tool should be a cable tester. This indispensable tool can check the condition of all common cable types used in a sound system. In addition to testing cables, some cable testers will check batteries and some will generate audio tones.
Once you have determined that a cable is the weak link in your sound system, replace it or use a soldering iron and some solder to fix it. A soldering iron is preferable over a solder gun. The gun generally produces too much heat, while a 25-40 watt pencil type soldering iron will produce 500 to 800 degrees. This is optimum for your repair work. Also, 60/40 rosin core soldering wire is considered best for audio solder repairs. 60/40 refers to 60 percent tin and 40 percent lead. The rosin center core is a non-acid solvent that deoxidizes (cleans) the metals so they may be joined properly.
Along with these tools, you will want a pair of wire strippers, diagonal wire cutters, a micro screwdriver set and a pair of needle-nose pliers. With these tools, you can troubleshoot and repair a whole bunch of audio issues. However, there are some other tools that will help you prevent problems from happening (or at least delay these problems). These tools involve the removal and control of dust.
As you know, dust is not our friend. In fact, is can be one of our worst enemies. So we must attempt to stop it whenever we can. And these tools will help. A simple can of compressed air can really get ahead of dust build up in the knobs and faders of your house mixing console. It can also help keep your outboard gear running smoothly. Along with the air, a soft paint brush can be used to sweep off surface dust and particles (like donut crumbs). Lastly, a good vacuum can get the dust out of those hard to reach nooks and crannies. You want one that is powerful enough to draw out the dust and dirt but not too powerful. You don’t want it sucking the knobs off your board!
Now that we have all our tools together, don’t forget the tool box. I realize that this arsenal of tools will cost a few dollars. So, if you are a volunteer at your house of worship ask the powers-that-be to finance a house tool kit or if you are paid for your services, start collecting your tools.
Now we have to determine what is actually broken before we can attempt to repair it.
You can troubleshoot just like you follow the signal flow. Our scenario is that you — or someone — is talking into microphone, and sound is not exiting your house speakers.
Okay, I will assume all gear is plugged in and powered up. It will be easier if you have a helper, but first go back to the mixing console and check the input channel for the speaker/vocalist’s mic. Be certain the channel is on, the fader is up, phantom power is engaged (condenser microphones only) and the auxiliary sends are set to the proper level.
Back on the stage, check that the mic is securely plugged into the XLR cable and the cable into the snake. If you still have no sound, change out the microphone and test the XLR cable. Make sure the stage snake box and the input channel on the mixer match. Try plugging the mic cable into another snake channel (after making certain the corresponding mixer channel is up). If you suspect you have a faulty snake, use your cable tester and test each individual channel of the snake.
If your troubleshooting has led you to the mixer, just continue to follow the signal. Now, plug a good mic, cable tester with audio tone producing ability, or CD/iPod into an input channel of your mixer. Turn the channel on (some boards don’t have on/off channel buttons), turn up the gain, bring up the fader and make some noise. Look at your meters and check if there’s a signal present. Solo the channel and check for sound.
If you are getting a signal but not hearing it in your main speakers, it’s time to check the signal leaving the mixer. Test your main mixer output cables, then every cable between the outboard gear and the snake returns. If all is well, test the snake returns. You can see now why that cable tester is so invaluable.
Back on the stage, test the cables from the snake to the power amp(s) or self powered speakers. Do the power amps in your house of worship have a meter or light to show if the signal is present? If they do, you can easily see if the sound is reaching the power amps. And obviously if the self-powered speakers are working, you will hear them. From your power amps, you can test the speaker wires and see if they work.
That pretty much takes you from the microphone to the speakers. More often than not, you will find that your sound problems are simple. Maybe a piece of gear has not been turned on, or you just have a bad cable. But whatever the problem, this problem should help you locate it. Next month we will get into some specifics regarding simple repairs.
