How do we approach the audio side of production when a single performance is being simultaneously used for live services as well as broadcast, in either pre-recorded or live-stream form? While the fundamentals for the two are the same, one aspect that comes into focus is the need to be more fastidious in our engineering approach, with particular emphasis on signal cleanliness, input quality, and team performance. In a typical live environment where audio is working in a reinforcement-only capacity, there are benefits afforded the live engineer that are not generally afforded to the broadcast/studio engineer.
In a live situation, the natural energy of a worshiping congregation, combined with the intentionality of their presence, tends to minimize the impact of technical glitches, poor mic placement, and even performance issues.
In a live situation, the natural energy of a worshipping congregation, combined with the intentionality of their presence, tends to minimize the impact of technical glitches, poor mic placement, and even performance issues. Alternatively, in a broadcast environment, the absence of that first-person experience tends to draw attention to production issues because the relationship between an online-congregation and what’s happening on the stage (aka “in the studio”) is facilitated only through the broadcast, warts and all. Many of us have experienced this phenomenon when later listening to a recorded worship set and realizing that the vocalists were struggling with pitch and we never noticed during the actual service.
Live and Recorded Audio
Let’s look at a few general areas of concern that can help to satisfy the needs of both live reinforcement and recorded/broadcast audio.
GEAR
Every engineer loves gear. Well, a more accurate statement may be that every engineering loves quiet gear. In a live environment it can be easier to get away with line noise than it can be in broadcast. We are all familiar with wireless microphones that have RF hiss, a bass that has a perpetual buzz, or a DI that hurts noise floor. It is exceptionally important to focus on having clean signals because dirty signals tend to stick out like a sore thumb in a broadcast presentation. Noise causes quite a bit of work to try and clean up or minimize.
A clean signal is the bedrock of all audio production, both live and broadcast. It’s worth taking the time to sort out any issues here, even if it means having a less-than-fun conversation with the band leader or an instrumentalist. Also, make sure that you are paying attention to the use of balanced signals vs. unbalanced signals. The former is a great weapon against line level interference. Lastly, be cognizant of where you get AC power for audio gear and instruments, since some electrical loads (i.e., heating, lighting, etc.) can introduce noise into audio signals.
ACOUSTICAL NOISE
Along with the desire of having clean input signals we want inputs that are free from acoustical noise as much as is reasonable. If you consider the construction of modern studios, a huge portion of design and buildout is aimed at making a space as quiet as possible to protect from noise intrusion that would pollute the production. While this is much more difficult to achieve in the stage environment it shouldn’t be ignored simply because it’s difficult.
There are any number of noises present on our stages, many of them a byproduct of the production itself. Noises from certain types of equipment (such as fans, hazers, and moving light fixtures) are always present and can be easy to forget about in the moment, only to have them rear their heads in post-production. While it’s not feasible to remove all noises in a staged environment, many times it is possible to move microphones and performers to locations that minimize the intrusion. This is a great place in which to scrutinize microphone type and pickup patterns. Judicial use of dynamic microphones and null zones can help tame ambient stage noise, especially if it is coming from a specific locale.
BLEED
One issue familiar to any live engineer is that of microphone bleed. Bleed is the presence of an unwanted source being picked up by a microphone that is not intended for that source. One of the biggest culprits of this is the modern drum kit where closing mic’ing is generally expected to have some amount of bleed across the drum microphones (i.e., the kick drum is picked up by the snare mic). T
his makes it more challenging to control and balance the instruments in the mix. Broadcast environments compound this issue in that they are more sensitive to spatial cues where bleed not only makes level and tonal control difficult, but where it smears the spatial placement of the instrument within the stereo image.
In a broadcast environment, the absence of that first-person experience tends to draw attention to production issues … warts and all.
Bleed also applies to other acoustic sources such as violins and flutes where other dominating acoustic instruments are on stage, such as that drum kit. As with acoustical noise, intentional consideration of microphone choice and placement is important. Consider the use of acoustical isolation devices where able. Most churches are familiar with drum shields, but then they stop there. Don’t limit yourself to just the drum kit. Consider the use of other tools such as mic shields and acoustic gobos, making sure that you involve other areas of your production team to ensure that you are protecting camera shots and sight lines appropriately.
PERFORMANCE
The last major area we will discuss is performance, both in the capturing of the performance and the performance itself. One thing that is always true in both live audio and studio audio is that the best result comes from the best source. And while we should always consider things such as mic placement and selection, it is of higher importance in the broadcast world due to the intimate nature of that medium.
Sound sources are perceived more accurately when broadcast than they are in the live environment. For example, consider that drums tend to sound better the bigger than they sound. In a live environment assisting a mediocre drum sound with verbs and big subwoofers tends to elevate the impression of the kit. However, in the broadcast world there is only so much you can do to increase that impact. As a result, a poorly tuned or poorly mic’d kit will be harder to elevate since it’s in a more subdued and intimate medium. Along those same lines it’s also harder to mitigate a challenged performance in broadcast. Plosives, handling noises, and issues with instrument intonation and pitch tend to be more obvious.
During a really exciting worship set it’s easy to get so engaged in the excitement and the congregational interaction that focus on performance details can wane. This is perfectly forgivable in live worship settings but can quickly distract from the broadcast where that congregation is not in the live environment. In this respect we need to be in healthy collaboration with the worship teams to provide perspective and encouragement regarding these aspects of their contribution.
Make sure that you are paying attention to the use of balanced signals vs. unbalanced signals. The former is a great weapon against line level interference.
As we are continually challenged to update our production capabilities to meet the emerging needs of ministry, it’s increasingly paramount to engage a church body that is both local to and distributed from the church campus. Because of this we should always be looking at the broader approach to audio production, while simultaneously being increasingly detail-oriented. The good news is that whether your stage is a stage or your stage is also a studio, there are ample techniques to help ensure success.
