Sound, Lighting, and Video: A Resource for Worship

I recently received a copy of the book Sound, Lighting and Video: A Resource for Worship to review here on the blog.  This is really a great book that fills a very important need in the church.  I am always looking for good resources that help volunteers get up to speed in using tech equipment at church.  This is a book that will help beginners and experienced users alike with an overview of equipment and methods.  I am already passing it around to our tech volunteers and we will plan on using the book in our training.

First, let me give you my background.  Although I am a pastor, I am always playing with audio and video equipment.  I’m the guy that reads through the entire manual of every single piece of equipment at the church and then plays with it to try it out.  As pastor, I want to know how things work and how they function.  I’m also the guy at church who helps running wire and installing new equipment.  At times, I also train our tech workers and get them up and going as well.  I have had experience with designing and installing both audio and video systems, although I’ve not gotten into the lighting world yet.

The book is organized into three main sections: sound, lighting, and video.   All of the sections contain diagrams and pictures to help explain the principles and theories. Each section also contains examples of current equipment and how they work.  The section on lighting was the most helpful to me since I haven’t had the opportunity to really learn about all the different types of lights and connectors. The audio section was good, but it was mostly review for me, although I picked up some great info about EQ that I haven’t heard before. The video section had some really good advice on designing and planning video systems in churches and making the switch to wide screen.

Some additional thoughts:

• Since this book is focused on being a resource for worship, I really appreciated the author’s focus on why we are using technology.  We can’t lose sight of the mission of the church.
• A book like this can quickly be outdated because of the rapidly changing technology in the audio, lighting, and video world.  I think the author does a good job of staying focused on the underlying theories of how and why things work.  Just remember that pictures and specific examples may not be that helpful in just a year or two, especially as we see the convergence of computer, audio, and video equipment.
• If you are looking for an advanced, in-depth resource on how every knob works on every piece of equipment you have, then this book probably isn’t for you. It is what it says, a good reference and resource for technology use in worship.  You will still need to read manuals and apply the information in this book to your setting and your environment.

I think this would be a great book for all churches to have in their training library.  I’m glad I had the chance to read and review it.  I will definitely be using it in my ministry.

From the Back Cover

Hallelujah! Finally the book you’ve been waiting for! Sound, Lighting & Video: A Resource for Worship is the only book that tackles the integration and use of light, sound and video for houses or worship. Connect with more people in ways you never thought possible. Written by the managing editor of “Worship Arts & Technology Magazine” you’ll learn how to:

• Integrate sound, lighting and video together from the ground up for easy application
• Connect with more people in ways you’ve never imagined
• Re-examine and re-incorporate your current media systems
• Be up and running like the pros with this beginner-friendly guide
• Solve your greatest technical problems efficiently, without the information overload
• Better communicate your message using media solutions

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2