When is it time to upgrade your console? For many HoW, that’s the million dollar question. There are some common reasons for upgrading; however, there are questions that need to be asked for each reason before you commit to a new console.
Your Console is Dying This is most likely the easiest of all of the questions – if your console has become unreliable, has inoperative channels, or is otherwise not dependable, then it is likely time to replace it. If your console is more than a few years old, unless it was a higher end/expensive console when new, the cost of repair may not make sense, given the rate at which new consoles are offering more and more features every day for less and less cost per feature. If your budgets are strained, and you know a new console would put an even greater strain on your churches finances, be forthright with your leadership about whether a console could be repaired for less cost. As hard as it is to think this way in the face of shiny new technology, unless you are responsible for your church’s finances, you need to give all facts to those that are responsible so that they can make informed decisions. Keep in mind that “old” in and of itself is probably not a good reason. If the end result of your mixes do not sound good to you and others, the console may not be the magic bullet fix – you may have something else in the signal chain (including possibly your mix engineer) affecting your sonic result. Make sure you evaluate all variables before concluding that the console is the culprit. If you have an older, capable console that is in good working condition, you may not be in the “need” category at all – most well respected brand name consoles made in the last 5 years, when used properly, are incredibly good sounding compared to years past. It would take a well orchestrated A/B comparison to find significant sonic difference between most consoles being operated by most volunteer sound engineers – and most listeners would be hard pressed to hear any difference.
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