Not a Bigger System, a Smarter One

Let me tell you a quick story.

A few years back, I got a call from a client—not happy. Their audio system wasn’t performing. “It just doesn’t sound right,” they said. “It used to be good, but now it’s just… off.”

Now, I had personally been there when we commissioned the system. I heard it with my own ears. It sounded fantastic. Everything was dialed in. So to hear that it was suddenly underperforming? That didn’t sit right.

I jumped in the truck and personally made my way to the site.

When I arrived, we ran through the usual checklist: amplifiers, processing, tuning profiles, signal flow. And that’s when I spotted it: someone had inserted a “bass enhancer” DJ-type product in the signal chain. 

Best I could tell, someone (with good intentions, I’m sure) had added it in hopes of “helping” the sound. The problem is, the system didn’t need help, it needed less. The person simply did not realize or understand the potential of the sound system that was put in place.

We took that product out, brought in one of our system tuners, and restored the original tuning and gain structure. And just like that—boom. It was back. Big, beautiful, clear, and clean.

The original system hadn’t failed. It had been sabotaged.

Complexity Is the Enemy of Consistency

Here’s the thing I’ve learned over years of designing and tuning A/V systems: A/V systems never naturally grow simpler; they grow more complex.

Even the most well-designed system will, over time, collect “extras.”

A new piece of gear added as a temporary fix. A patch here. An app there. A device that someone swears will “make it sound better.” And before you know it, you’ve got a tangle of Frankensteined technology that no one fully understands.

Each addition might feel small, even helpful. But bit by bit, you drift away from the clean, efficient design that made the system great in the first place. Before long, what used to be simple and consistent becomes confusing and fragile.

And when that happens, people often assume they need more gear to fix it or to replace the entire system. When in reality, they need to step back and simplify.

You don’t need to replace the system. You need to understand it again.

Falling in Love with the New—And Forgetting What Works

I get it. I love new gear. I really do.

Most of us in the A/V world are drawn to technology because we’re fascinated by how it works. We enjoy the details, the design, the potential of what’s next. There’s nothing wrong with that—until it blinds us to what we already have, or what we actually need.

Too often, we fall in love with the latest product instead of focusing on the quality system already staring back at us.

A new mixer drops on YouTube and suddenly it feels like we need it.
A lighting fixture trends on Instagram and it’s all anyone can talk about.
A well-edited social media post makes us think, “That’s what our system is missing.”

But those shiny new products can distort our perception. We start chasing the new instead of chasing the right.

The truth is, most underperforming systems aren’t broken, they’re just buried under layers of good intentions and bad additions. If you peel back the clutter, you’ll often find a perfectly capable setup waiting to shine again.

A System’s Value Is in the Workflow

Most people think performance is about the gear. And yes—good gear matters. But at CSD, we’ve seen great gear get wasted by poor workflow, and modest gear come alive with the right design.

Signal flow. Gain structure. Room tuning. Lighting angles. Color calibration. Mic placement. These aren’t sexy terms you see on an influencer’s reel, but they’re what actually make or break your system.

I’ve always said this, and I stand by it today: You don’t have to spend unnecessarily to get great results.

Too often, the temptation when something isn’t working is to throw more gear at it. “Let’s upgrade the board.” “Maybe a new mic package.” “What if we added more subs?”

And look—I love gear. I’m an audio guy, after all. I get the thrill of a new console or fresh light fixture. But sometimes the best thing you can do is hit pause and ask:

“What’s really going on here?”

Not a Bigger System—A Smarter One

Every organization, whether it’s a church, business, or school, should make it a habit to evaluate its A/V system at least once a year.

What’s still working well?
What’s no longer necessary?
What’s been layered in without intention?
What’s confusing your volunteers or staff?

What it comes down to is a more difficult question: Are we working around the system instead of with it?

A complicated system is often a sign that nobody had time to think through the workflow. Or that too many people added things without understanding the whole picture. It might be a product that got some buzz online. Or a piece of gear a well-meaning tech director brought from another gig. But the result is the same: complexity.

And complexity kills consistency.

Whether you’re running tech for a church, a school, a business, or a multi-campus organization—this applies to you. If you want better performance, start with better understanding.

Three Practical Ways to Simplify and Save

Whether you’re running tech in a church, a company, or a community venue, these principles hold true. If you want a better-performing system, start by understanding what you already have.

1. Get a system audit.

Have a professional take a look under the hood. A qualified integrator can trace signal flow, test gain structure, and evaluate room tuning. Sometimes the “problem” is a simple fix—and sometimes it’s just an extra device that needs to go.

2. Think workflow first, wishlist second.

Before you buy new gear, ask what problem you’re actually trying to solve. Many times, the solution isn’t a product—it’s a process. Maybe your volunteers need clearer training, or your signal flow needs better routing. Figure that out first.

3. Simplify before you spend.

Fewer pieces, fewer points of failure. Streamline your system before you invest in something new. Great results come from clarity, not clutter.

We’re not here for a bigger budget.
We’re here to be the right partner.
To help you communicate better.

When I started CSD, I didn’t want to be just another integrator pushing boxes and chasing margins. I wanted to build systems that worked. Systems people understood. Systems that made their mission possible—not more complicated. Systems that helped organizations communicate better.

Because at the end of the day, performance isn’t about price tags. It’s about stewardship, strategy, and a system that’s truly smart.

This principle still drives us at CSD today. Let’s make the most of what you already have and only add what’s truly necessary.

If your system isn’t performing like it used to, or if things are feeling overly complicated, we’d love to help. No pressure. No pushy sales pitch. Just a conversation.

Feel free to connect with me - just click here to send us a message on the contact page and I’ll see it.

Let’s take a look together.

You might not need a bigger system, you just might need a smarter one.

- Doug