This maybe off the subject of the youth blog but I wanted to post this for anyone who might be searching like I was on digitally recording church services. There are some great tools out there people can use that are relatively inexpensive to digitally record. Your first step in trying to record services is to download some free software wow free that’s a great price right. Yes, audacity is a free download which allows you to record in wav and mp3 format. For those of you who do not know the difference, wav files are larger than mp3 files. The great part about audacity is you can also edit your recording using simple cut and paste as well as other effects to increase the quality of your recording. So, you say wow this is cool but what do I hook to what to make this thing work. Well, m-audio sells a usb interface which retails for around $150. The usb plugs into your laptop and you typically have a two channel plugin on the interface which features an two xlr hookups or you can connect using a simple monster audio cable as well. Run this cable from your sound board out to your m-audio in. Open up your audacity software press record and stop then you want to save the file and export it either as a wav or mp3. Once it is exported then you can burn your cd using audacity or your favorite cd burning software. I’m a big fan of nero. This is a simple way to burn cds for your congregation as well as you can use the file you just recorded and add it to your website.

Now, if you want to take this a step further and venture into the world of podcasts which there seems to be a huge market to reach that uses this technology. I recommend the podcast buddy. $20 gives you the full version and what it does is it uses your digital recording file so that you can create your podcast feed and rss feed as well. This feed you can submit to iTunes which they will in turn post your podcast for consumption. These are great tools to spread the gospel across the country.