Scores of articles have been written about “The Great Tech-Musician Divide”. Or is it The Great Musician-Tech Divide? Instead of rehashing tips about how to bridge this divide, lets look at some practical tips to increase communication and ease tensions, particularly when it comes to personal monitors.
Above all, start with grace and empathy. Folks on the stage need to understand that the tech's goal is to be invisible. The sound and the lighting should be like oxygen. It is all around us, but we don't recognize it, it just lets us do what we are called to do.
The team behind the board need to understand that most of music team (many of whom are volunteers) don't have mixing experience. We don't know about subtractive EQ and know even less about compression. Our idea of mixing might be limited to turning the mini-van speakers from front to back so we don't have to listen to the kids' DVD.
Empathy helps us see things on the other side of the coin. As the Proverb says "The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him." Extend grace to the other side of the divide. By doing so we have already perfumed the room with the gospel.
When it comes to preparation for service, each side should ask "What do you need from me?"
Create a forum to answer this question with a quick "Bridging the Divide" meeting where the tech gets a chance to communicate what he needs from the musicians. Worship leaders yield the floor, and tech team speak up. I propose that the meeting look something like this.
Spend two minutes communicating monitor mix assignments.
For example, the labels BGV1, BGV2, might be enough for the tech, but performers need to know that BGV1 is Tricia and BGV2 is Arthur. Some personal mixers allow you to name the channels. If using a scribble strip, label them before everyone shows up and make sure to explain who is on what.
Spend 5-10 minutes checking levels.
This is to make sure that you have the right levels to the personal mixers. Try to keep this quick as musicians get antsy when they are holding an instrument and asked to wait. I'm looking at you guitarists. If you can keep this to 5-10 minutes, you might be able to keep the musicians hands off their strings.
The next eight minutes is about adjusting the personal monitor mixes.
The goal is to communicate how to make a mix that helps the team hear the essentials. To make best use of this time, use a mic to communicate to the team.
It's helpful here to start with a song that the band already knows. Keep a stack of charts for a familiar song on hand and warm up with a repeated chorus. Musicians tend to hold back on songs they haven't played before (and we often start our rehearsals with those songs). If our mixes are made with timid instruments and vocals, as soon as adrenaline kicks in for a performance, the mix will be all off kilter.
During this chorus:
Spend two minutes helping the team find their own channel or channels.
Ask them to adjust their “me” channel(s) so they can hear themselves well. Be attentive to body language and use the mic to help people find their own channels.
Next, spend two minutes helping the team find the Pitch Reference.
This will be different for each performer and they might need help finding out what is the most critical. Encourage them to use as FEW channels as possible. This might be acoustic guitar and lead vocal for most folks. Vocalists might need lead and a harmony vocal.
Timing Reference is the next two minutes.
Maybe it's drums, but it's definitely not all the drums. It maybe the metronome and tracks. A bass player may want the metronome, kick and snare. Encourage minimalism.
The last two minutes are about adding and panning everything else.
Personal mixes differ from most house mixes in that they allow stereo so encourage panning channels. Keep non-essentials low or off and panned to the left or right. It is not about hearing everything, but what is necessary to do what we are called to do.
During the service, pay attention to body language and other clues that something is not right. Continually ask “What do you need from me?” If both sides of the divide ask this question, it won't be long before the divide disappears and a new sense of team unity is left in it's place.
