Computers are constantly evolving, gaining power with each new release. New software designed to leverage the capabilities of high-speed processors is revolutionizing what is possible. Graphics and presentation software (like ProPresenter, MediaShout, etc.) are now capable of feats previously unimaginable and at a fraction of the cost. The latest musical software (like Ableton, Reason, MainStage, etc.) empowers musicians of all levels to create inspiring music and sounds at a price point that’s never been lower. This accessibility means that tools once exclusive to large churches are now within reach for smaller congregations, sparking hope and optimism for the future of worship and music production.
One would think that many would wholeheartedly embrace these powerful, feature-rich software tools. But I continue to see in online forums how users are frustrated with software for graphics and music because it’s “buggy” or causes their computer to “hang up” or even “crash.” Digging deeper into these posts, I discovered a common theme: the computer is not correctly set up to use the software in a worship or production setting. To rephrase my discovery…the problem is user error.
The user errors I often encounter when computers are used for graphics/lyric presentation, tracks/stem playback, and keyboard sounds triggered by a MIDI controller are usually related to the “multi-use factor.” This factor arises when a computer serves multiple purposes, such as being used for office work or personal use, in addition to its role in worship production. While not every church can afford dedicated computers for each task, there are best practices that the church technical artist can adopt to optimize the use of a multi-use computer for worship production.
Getting a computer that only meets minimum software requirements is a sure-fire way to find yourself experiencing reliability issues.
The first tip is to make sure you’re purchasing a computer that more than meets the minimum requirement of all the software you’re planning to use. This tip’s importance cannot be minimized. The reason software has a minimum hardware and operation system requirement is not so that you can buy a computer with those specs. It’s there to let you know that to run this software and future patches safely; you must get a laptop that comfortably exceeds those specifications. Getting a computer that only meets minimum software requirements is a sure-fire way to find yourself experiencing reliability issues. Remember, you don’t have to buy a new computer. You can find certified refurbished computers that exceed minimum standards and save money.
I always like to have at least 1/3 of my total hard drive capacity free for the CPU to use.
The second tip involves freeing up your computer's resources to run your worship software. Freeing up hard drive space is crucial in having software run reliably. Computers use the hard drive as a cache (temporary storage space) to get ready to put things into the computer’s memory to run. Having a hard drive that is full or mostly full can cause the computer to be slow and even crash. Ensure you regularly maintain the hard drive, delete unneeded files, and empty your trash bin. Leaving files in the trash does not delete them from your computer, so don’t forget to empty the bin. If your hard drive is full of needed files, buy an external drive and move those files there. I always like to have at least 1/3 of my total hard drive capacity free for the CPU to use.
Freeing up your memory to run your worship and music production software reliably is another crucial step in freeing up system resources. Make sure that all unnecessary programs are closed. For macOS, this means ensuring not only that your windows are closed but also that the program is closed and not actively running. Ensure all virus software is off and out of your computer’s active memory. Also, ensure programs like Adobe Cloud, webcam settings software, and language tools like Grammerly are entirely closed. Depending on your operation system, you might have to check your Task Manager or Activity Monitor to ensure your memory runs with as much available memory as possible. Not having enough available memory on your computer can definitely cause worship production software to hang up and crash.
No more automatic updates. Make sure to manually run updates during the week and test everything before going into the next rehearsal.
The third and final tip involves disabling all automatic updates and wifi. In my experience, automatic updates being turned on for worship production computers caused frustration due to software failure. The nature of specialized software like the ones we use for our worship services is that it can be very “sensitive” to updates, even updates to the software itself. So, I recommend turning off all automatic updates for software and instead choosing to be notified when an update is available. Be sure to turn off all automatic operating system updates as well. A seemingly minor OS update can also cause worship production software to fail. So, make sure to manually run updates during the week and test everything before going into the next rehearsal and the next time a worship service happens.
Finally, disable wifi. Wifi can be very demanding when using technical software and can cause software failures. If you need internet access during a rehearsal or service, try having your computer use an ethernet cable connected to a network. However, remember that virus software can cause havoc for system resource-intensive production software. That’s why I recommend that production computers not have internet access during rehearsals and services. Download and set up anything you need before rehearsal and before services and test every update and edit you make.
Computers are an essential tool for technical ministry. Don’t let poor maintenance and management practices derail your rehearsal or service and cause you to have an uncomfortable meeting with a church leader to explain what happened. Be smart. Be diligent. Be wise. You’ll reap the benefits of today’s software if you practice good stewardship.
