broadcast ? d ) Is there a connected ( or might there eventually be a connected ) monitor console ? e ) Might there ever be a need to physically relocate the console ?
( Outdoor or special services , etc .)
2 ) How many mixable inputs will the console need to provide ? Sub-questions : a ) What types of inputs are they ? Line / Mic ? Phantom power ? Live tracks / multitracks ? b ) Where will they originate and where would they terminate ?
( Map out the actual input plot )
3 ) How many outputs will the console need to provide ? Sub-questions : a ) What types of outputs are they ?
Line / AES / Dante ? b ) Where will they originate and where would they terminate ?
( Map out the actual output plot )
While there are certainly other factors to keep in mind along the way that aren ’ t explicitly noted in the short requirements gathering list above , this should get you focused in fairly well on the sort of console ( s ) you may want to focus on during your search .
A FEW THOUGHTS ON QUESTION 1 — DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS
This can be a deceptively difficult question to answer , especially when tasked with considering what the needs of the church might look like in a year , five years , and beyond . Do your best to look ahead and account for growth , but don ’ t necessarily get too hung up on mapping out exact needs for five years out if you can add a ‘ needs to be able to expand to support broadcast needs in the future ’ or a ‘ may need to be used for annual outdoor Easter service ’ catch-all for a requirement down the road . The goal is capture the general need in this first question , not to get ahead of ourselves and get locked into any specific preconceived console choice or system design at this stage .
One common gotcha on this step is to look at the church down the street and assume that since they have the latest and greatest ( and most expensive ) world-class touring console at front of house , you should also have that same console . Every church differs in their messaging and theology and particular mission and relationship to the community , and every church out there differs slightly in their technology needs . Sure , I ’ d love to see a tricked out dLive rig powering the FOH position at every church out there , but for a big chunk of the HoW landscape that would be total overkill