It is best that only one person, such as one of the ministers or church elders, be authorized to direct or overrule the sound operator's judgment for the auditorium volume. There should be some way to speak to the operator directly by intercom or headsets. The performers obviously should direct the levels of the stage monitors according to their individual preference. An established system of hand signals is generally the best method of communication between the person on stage and the sound operator. Frequently, demands are placed on a sound system which cannot always be delivered.
All sound systems have their particular limitations.
A sound operator should be able to know and define them to performers and congregation, and should be able to give advice how to maximize their performance with a given system. Consequently, it would be helpful for people to also be willing to try to understand the limitations of a system and accept that an operator cannot always perform miracles. The sound operator is often the target of undeserved criticism because of the limitations of what he has to work with. Formula for Good Sound Because of prohibitive costs, it is rare to find a church which has the highest quality microphones and audio equipment, and most churches are notorious for building designs which produce poor acoustics. Complicated by volunteer personnel which usually have little or no training with audio technology, it is easy to realize why churches often complain about their sound.