Why should you record your worship?
Whether you want to record your worship to live-stream it via the web, create discs for distribution or for your archives or for any other reason, there are several things to consider. For those new to recording, you may be intimidated by the technology and equipment involved. But you don’t have to get too fancy, or spend a lot of money, to create a setup to successfully record your service.
Instruments for your house of worship
Before you can record a single track, you’ll need to be sure you have the necessary instruments, music, equipment and gear. If you’re an established program, chances are good you already have the instruments you need – like a piano or keyboard, guitars, drums, perhaps some orchestral strings and a horn or two. But, if you’re just getting started, check out this helpful article on how to stretch your house of worship budget, which will help you stock up on necessary items for your music program.
You can also browse a hand-picked selection of instruments for your worship program.
Preparation and planning
Before you dig into buying equipment to record your service, you need to decide how fancy you want to get. Are you just doing sound recording, or video as well? Are you livestreaming your service over YouTube or Facebook Live? Do you want to record your worship leader or just the musical portions of the service? These are all questions you need to answer before you purchase any equipment, as those answers will drive your equipment selection.
Recording equipment and microphones
If you’re looking for a super-simple way to record your service, you could look at something like the Zoom H6 Handy Recorder. This versatile hand-held recorder has 2 built-in microphones, headphones and audio output, USB connectivity and a 128GB capacity.
But if you’re looking at creating a full recording setup, you’ll want to consider which microphones, cables and other recording accessories you need. Other than your vocalists and musicians, microphones are absolutely the most important purchase to create a successful recording.
Luckily there are great options for all sizes of groups and budget considerations. Consider these products from great microphone manufacturers: Audio-Technica AT2035 Cardioid Condenser Microphone, Beyerdynamic M 201 TG Dynamic Directional Microphone, Peavey VCM 3 Choir Mic, Audix F9 Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphone, and the Korg CM-300 Contact Microphone. If you’re looking for an all-in-one package, take a look at the Shure Beta 58A, Stand & Cable Package. 
Make sure you have plenty of cables, extension cords, microphone stands and anything else you’ll need to position your equipment to capture the most natural sound in your space.
Preparation and trial recording
Especially if you’re new to recording, preparation and some good old trial and error will help you learn. You’ll likely need to do some additional research and homework to get into the details of microphone positions, learn about mixers and inputs, and video recording if you’re wanting that element. We won’t get into those details here, but there are lots of great resources out there, many specifically created to help houses of worship record their services in a high-quality manner, but remaining mindful of budgets. Preparation and performing plenty of trial recordings will help you work out the kinks before you start creating recordings that will be distributed or archived.
Woodwind & Brasswind and Houses of Worship
We understand that it can be challenging to get everything you need to record your service within your budget. Be sure to take advantage of discounts that we offer, every day, to all houses of worship. We’d love to hear from you – call us at 800.346.4448 to discuss your recording needs and learn how to stretch your budget.
