Is there such a thing?

[soundmancharlie]

Hi I am new at this stuff. I am the soundman at my church and I was wondering if there was something that I could use to remotely adjust the sound when people start clapping so we can hear the preacher over the clapping. Since my pastor likes it better for me to sit with the congregation. It would keep me from getting up to adjust the sound. Please Help

[richiebee]

IMO if you are the sound man, you should be on the sound board!

What you need is an expander (a compressor that works in reverse) with the audience as the sidechain input (through a mic that doesn't go through the PA).

Or the guy could just wait til everyone has stopped clapping before he starts

[soundmancharlie]

Thanks so much. Is there anywhere that you know of that sells cheap sound equipment as to we are on a tight budget.

[brandondrury]

What you need is an expander (a compressor that works in reverse) with the audience as the sidechain input (through a mic that doesn't go through the PA).

I'd be nervous about setting this one up and I have been a serious recording dude for a long time. This, in theory, would work. However, the second a kid gets back there and changes the ratio or threshold on your expander, you can expect feedback city. Unless you REALLY know what you are doing, you also expect feedback over load. In fact, this sounds so "risky" that it almost sounds fun to me.

In this case, the feedback potential is greatly effected by your situation, but if your situation is anything like ALL the churches I've ever been in, your a biting off a bigger piece than you may feel comfortable chewing.

I'd expect an expander to end up in the "don't use" section of the rack over time. I could be wrong.

The simple solution is to simply have a person actually run the sound. This is a great job for the ADD kid who is always getting into trouble. Give him some real responsibility and maybe he won't end up in jail. That's my opinion.

I would MUCH RATHER trust a "troubled" kid with adjusting the volume of one fader than I would using an expander in this situation. Put that money into feeding poor people or whatever.

Brandon