Seamless Praise & Worship

Transcription

1 Seamless Praise & Worship Many Home Groups and small churches long to strengthen their worship but feel they have few resources in which to do so. They may not have any musicians, or have some but not enough for a full ensemble that can carry the full responsibility of worship. That is the situation one congregation found themselves in and this is what they did about it. A few years ago, a small church in Central New York had no musicians for worship. The pastor came across a solution whereby he could copy CD s to his laptop and set up playlists which actually crossfade from one song to the next (fading one song out and the other in). The congregation doesn t use this method today, blending recorded music with live musicians for a full ensemble allows worship to move from song to song. Using this method, you can avoid having to switch CD s and having those awkward moments of silence and poor transitions between songs. This method allowed the music to branch out in all its fullness. They used a simple soundboard with built-in amplification. They had a laptop with which they copied their purchased music to hard drive, and used RealPlayer Plus to setup playlists and to crossfade songs from one to another to play through the PA system. Here s how they did it Obtain the following items: Computer with a soundcard with audio output jacks and CD rom and lots of hard drive to copy music (if using mp3 format at 192kbps you can save songs with only about 8G hard drive) so you don t need a huge hard drive. Access to the Internet (to purchase RealPlayer Plus & CCLI licensing) CCLI license (needed for use of copyrighted materials; NOTE: It is illegal to copy and use for public consumption copyrighted material without permission.) Windows Media Player, Apple ITunes, RealPlayer Plus or equivalent music software that supports crossfading (fading one song out and the other in). The RealPlayer Plus has a nicer Crossfade then the Windows Media Player, it is available at an additional cost online. Go to and follow links to Real Player Free download the free copy then upgrade to RealPlayer Plus. There is no need to add in all the extra programs, just get the RealPlayer Plus. Apple ITunes is a freebie and does a very nice job go to to download a free copy. Amplified Speaker System (PA or musical instrument amplifier for larger facility, home stereo or computer external speaker system for small facility) Compact Discs\DVDs\Tapes\Video Tapes of recorded music You ll need various adapters depending upon your system setup. In our setup we go from 1/8 stereo jack on laptop to an XLR input on a PA soundboard. To do so you can use the following parts obtainable at most electronics stores. For your convenience, I ve included Radio Shack part numbers. For pictures and descriptions see (ONE) - 6-Ft Specialty Y-Adapter (1/8 stereo phono plug to two RCA plugs), RadioShack Catalog #: , 1

2 (TWO) - Phono-to-Mono Adapters (1/4 Phono plug to RCA jack), RadioShack Catalog #: , (TWO)- ¼ inch Jack-to-A3M XLR Plug Adapter/Transformer, RadioShack Catalog #: , (These are not necessary If you have ¼ phono inputs on your soundboard or instrument amplifier). 1) Plug the 6-Ft Specialty Y-Adapter into the computer soundcard output. Some computers will supply a line output while many laptops will supply only a headphone output. If you are using computer speakers just plug the speakers into the computer. 2

3 2) If using with a sound board connect the two Phono-to-Mono Adapters to the other end of the 6-Ft Specialty Y-Adapter. 3) Next plug the cables into either a home stereo or use the adaptors to plug into two channels of your soundboard if using a soundboard pan the left full to the left and the right fully to the right for stereo effect. 3

4 4) You are now ready to set up Windows Media Player, Apple ITunes, RealPlayer Plus or another player of your choice and setup playlists. 4

5 Software Setup & Licensing 1) If you plan to use copyrighted material in any form including printing lyric sheets, overheads, etc. you ll need a means to secure legal permission for usage. A CCLI license may suit your needs. For more information go to CCLI has over 150,000 registered songs you can use once you receive licensing. 2) You ll need a media player to play back your songs with crossfading. There are lots of terrific software packages that will accomplish these tasks. I have found Windows Media Player, or RealPlayer Plus to be easy to use, inexpensive, and versatile enough to accomplish all tasks needed. Windows Media Player is available free on most new computers. To obtain RealPlayer Plus, go to and look for a link to DOWNLOAD RealPlayer Plus. (NOTE: the free version does not have cross fade capabilities) 3) Once Windows Media Player, RealPlayer Plus, or another player, has been purchased and installed, launch it and follow the directions to copy CD s to your hard drive, setup playlists, and use cross fading for smooth transitions from song to song. It is beyond the scope of this document to adequately address what is needed to use your software. Please refer to the Help Screens or literature provided by the manufacturer. Caution: Make sure you abide by all copyright laws and requirements. In many cases, with the addition of a CCLI license, you are allowed to present many worship songs in a public forum and reproduce the words for public consumption. Where questions occur, check with the publisher. The following information is to assist you in setting up Windows Media Player. RealPlayer Plus is very similar. 1) Set up Crossfade a) In Windows Media Player click on View drop down to Enhancements then drop down to Crossfading and Auto Volume Leveling 5

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7 b) A window will open that allows you to set the time you want for Crossfade to take place. I find it best set around 7-8 seconds, this helps eliminate the gap associated with changing from song to song from different CD s 7

8 2) Setting Up A Play List Name a) In Media Library Mode select Playlist and click on New Playlist. Type in name and click OK. 8

9 3) Adding Songs To A Playlist a. There are several ways to add songs to the playlist. In Media Library click on All Music. Then click on the title bar at the top of the music list to place the songs in alphabetical order. Go down through the songs and Drag and Drop them into your playlist. Simply click on a song and holding down your mouse and drag it over to the playlist you want to place it in. When you are over the top of the list let go of the mouse and the song will be deposited into the playlist. 9

10 b. Another way is to click on the playlist you want to add songs to. First click on the playlist you want to add songs to. Then click on Playlists at the top of the screen and then drop down and click Edit Playlist. 10

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12 can then go down through the list of songs on the left and click on them and they will be added to the playlist you have open. When you are done click OK and they will be saved in your list. 12

13 4) There are many ways to use this software, these are just a few. Please refer to Help Topics for more assistance. 5) If you have some musicians but not enough for a live ensemble or they are not at the point where they are yet equipped to carry the worship service, have them play with the tracks and as the Holy Spirit enables, you have the flexibility of breaking away from the tracks and having the musicians sing and\or play. 6) Enjoy! If you have specific questions or concerns regarding this setup or your own setup challenges, you may contact Jim McLaughlin at jrmclaughlin@juno.com or Stephen Spalluto: honoringhim@hotmail.com at New Beginnings Church, 15 Silver St., Norwich, NY phone