Let's face it folks, live sound reinforcement in traditional churches can often be handled by a machine. Yes, auto-mixers have come a long way in dealing with mechanistic services with choir and organ, and single presenter/preacher.
But as weekly contemporary worship services become more sophisticated, the need for not just a live sound engineer, but a crew of volunteers, becomes necessary.
We can learn a lot from the weekly repetition of doing tech, and hone our craft into something truly God-honoring.
As our regular weekly services become more complicated, our special events—including holiday productions, concerts, and even community and corporate gatherings—can push our churches' technical brain trust to its limits.
With this realization, Church Production Magazine decided to interview some of the country's most experienced live sound engineers. Participants for this roundtable discussion include: 1 Matt Chin, sound ministry volunteer, Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles, Rosemead, Calif.; 2 Brad Duryea, audio engineer, Lakewood Church, Houston, Texas; 3 Chris Gille, CTO and chief systems engineer, Eastside Christian Church, Fullerton, Calif. Editor's Note: This mug has been with Gille through every project, leaving his ‘coffee ring of approval' on many drawings. It has since become his favorite ‘mug shot'.
Read on to get their takes on the best practices for church techs.
CPM: What makes for a good sound check? Do you have a mental checklist of things before you start?
Chin: Having a good sound check is like taking a road trip without any hitches. If everything is prepared in advance, it’s just as simple as driving and enjoying the scenery. Having everything plugged in and working is half the battle. Since we run both front of house and monitors on one console, having a good input signal (gain structure) to set monitor levels is the other half of the battle. Good communication with band members and vocalists is critical in getting this done.
Duryea: … some form of communication technology other than your phone. Also, having test tools (tone generator, cable tester) ready to go and people who know how to use them to trace a bad line. A good rapport with the ‘talent’ will make things go more smoothly, especially if there are technical issues. It’s nice to dial in as much as possible before the talent arrives—it helps you discover issues early; it makes the sound check itself smoother. Stay relaxed when there are problems.
Gille: A perfect ‘line check’ (without the talent) will leave the ‘sound check’ to be a real sound check. Knowing everything that is going to come allows the sound check to focus on the talent’s needs and how it actually sounds. ‘Ring out’ open mics a good 6 dB higher than they will be needed for the program. Have all open and distance mics up in the mix early so they contribute to the assembling of the mix, as well as reveal problems early.
CPM: How close to the ‘real' mix do you expect to come for sound check? What improvements or adjustments can be made between the sound check and the actual event?
Chin: If I am blessed enough to have a usable mix from sound check, I would be able to relax and take a nap. Since I rarely get to nap, I review each channel making fine tunings in level, EQ, and signal processing. I also go over the show’s schedule and make any last minute notes for level adjustments or scene changes. If there were any problems encountered during the sound check, now would be the time to resolve those issues.
Gille: A sound check mix can be very close to how it will sound for the event.
a.) Know a specific seat in the house where the system sounds the sharpest, the harshest. Visit this spot during the cookin' song and include this in your ‘awareness.'
b.) The low end will ‘tighten up' when the room fills up. This usually helps with the sound quality of the low end, but can sometimes absorb more than expected, and the mix becomes thinner.
CPM: How can you learn from one event and apply it to subsequent events?
Duryea: I pay the most attention to the interpersonal stuff. We can always learn from technical issues. Most people I know are their own worst critics when it comes to making mistakes. However, if you make an effort to constantly learn from the interpersonal interactions you have, you will grow in very meaningful ways.
Chin: I try to remember both the highlights and the downfalls of the events, making notes to myself, and discussing it with other members of the technical team. Ideas are shared among fellow volunteers and implemented if improvements can be made.
Gille: Events are typically louder. Use those opportunities to snoop into your processors, watch blinking lights on amps for clipping, walk the room and listen to delays, front fills, and other zones that otherwise don’t get lots of attention to make sure they are keeping up ok.
CPM: What things can be done in advance? Do you have a checklist, or what documentation do you prepare?
Chin: For concerts or performances, we usually ask for a performance rider from the band or group. For weddings, funerals, and seminars, we have an equipment checklist that our church staff prepares. This allows us to compare the equipment requirements of the group with what we own at our church and, if necessary, additional gear can be rented.
CPM: What personnel or volunteer help can you use and how?
Duryea: Volunteers can handle anything from coiling cables to possibly even running the mix. Helpful roles can include A2/assistant engineer (following script, staying on COM, helping keep an eye on the platform, possibly managing certain faders, executing playback cues, etc.); stage tech (troubleshooting lines, interacting with the talent, and staying on COM or radio); setup assistant (wiring the stage, coiling cables, documentation). It is helpful to have additional help resetting the platform before and after. It is really important to have accurate stage plots, input lists, and cable labels to make this go smoothly, especially with volunteers who may not know the system.
CPM: Can you speak about the value of incorporating ‘Best Practices' in processes and procedures, regardless of the size of the church?
Duryea: Documenting best practices helps you think through what you do and [reveals] opportunities to improve. It also provides a great reference for training new people, and it helps ensure consistency in how people handle everything. That minimizes mistakes, and generally makes everyone more comfortable (including you).
CPM: What precautions do you take so you don't alter your system or settings for your regular services? And what do you do after the event is over to get prepared for the weekend services?
Gille: This question represents a primary reason churches go to digital boards. The two precautions I regularly watch for and defend: a.) Often the board is handling some of the ‘drive rack’ responsibilities. These details need to be noted on the ‘house’ input list and handed to the event engineer to protect or rebuild these settings. b.) The actual sound system drive rack/ equipment/device, needs to be separate from the console. The occasional event is not a reason to change core settings and the risk of handing the ‘keys’ to someone else that doesn’t live in that room every week.
Chin: After any event, including Sunday worship services, all loose equipment like microphones, stands, and cables, are put away. If anything is changed from the normal Sunday service settings, it is returned to those settings after the event. Back when the church used a 24-channel analog board, the rule of thumb was to ‘zero’ everything out. This was done so that the next mix engineer had a clean slate to start with. Since purchasing a 48-channel digital board, we return the settings to default with the push of a button. Regarding the amplifiers and DSP, the settings aren’t accessible to alter.
Duryea: Documentation. For a digital console, this means a backup of the memory. For anything analog, it means writing down or photographing every setting. And for patching, it means having everything clearly labeled for an easy repatch. To get ready for the weekend, the most important part is the line check. If you simply reconnect everything and assume it will work because it should, you will probably be in for at least one surprise.
CPM: How do you prepare for an event?
Chin: I create a mental picture of what the setup will be like. I visualize what the various inputs and outputs on the stage will be, from microphones to monitors. If the event is a complex one, a simple drawing of the inputs and outputs can help to keep things clear.
Duryea: It is critical that you define expectations in advance. On a more technical level, it includes thinking through the requested technical services/equipment to see if your existing gear can handle it. If not, there’s a rental to arrange. It also includes recruiting/scheduling people (and training as necessary).
It's also important to think through, in advance, how you'll get the room and systems back to normal afterwards.
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In all things, it's important to remember that ministry can occur in all things, weekly services, outreach events or even community or corporate events. Chin reminds us, saying, “Houses of worship are becoming more like neighborhood theater/concert venues in that the equipment and production in some churches today are more sophisticated than some civic auditoriums. It is a great opportunity to invite those neighbors in to church for a live production with a message of hope that they might not be willing to hear during a typical worship service.”
