Hopefully, you have a good routine for normal weekend services—that's a good start. Christmas will take you out of that routine and into a whole different world. It can be a lot of fun and, since it's likely the highest attended service of the year, its productions often have the most impact on your community. It can also make even the most dedicated tech staffer or volunteer want to quit their job. But CPM wants to help avoid that, so here are some tips on making Christmas a great service and a great experience for the tech team.
It All Begins With Planning
Start planning as early as possible. You can start planning for next year's Christmas production by doing a de-briefing on this year's event. At the very least, try to get a general idea about what to expect from the band, drama, orchestra and whatever other special things may pop up. Musicians and pastors don't always know what is important for the tech team to know, so you have to ask a lot of questions. Here is a starting list for you:
What is the band configuration? How many vocalists? Do we have an orchestra, and what does that look like? If doing a drama, how many wireless mics will we need? How many pastors will be speaking? What other special sound effects might we have to do? Will we need click tracks fed back to the band? Do we need additional monitor mixes in unusual locations? Will the set pose any acoustical or set up challenges? Is there anything else we haven't discussed?
It's amazing what you find out when you start asking questions. Armed with the answers, you can begin building your next line of defense: The input sheet.
Your Roadmap to Success
I insist on an input sheet for every event we do, including regular weekends. The input sheet simply lists every input and output on your console along with what is connected to it. Different snakes should be indicated, as well. List the type of microphone, DI or input along with who will be using it. You will learn a lot about your production during this exercise.
You might discover that you are six wireless mics short for the drama. That is a challenge, but you can rent wireless mics. Unless, of course, you waited until the first day of rehearsal to figure this out. You may also learn you need more vocal mics, or perhaps you are short on aux sends for monitor mixes. Special instruments may require special mics that you don't have. Now is the time to figure that out, or begin negotiations with the music director on how to solve any issues.
Plan Rentals Early
"I love new gear and I love new techniques. But be careful about how many you try at once."
Christmas is often the most wonderful time of year for rental companies. They tend to rent out much or all of their stock, and if you wait too long, you'll be paying more or maybe not get what you need. Once you get your quotes together, you can work out the final details with the programming people and make sure everyone is OK with the costs. If they are not, it's time to figure out how to pull it off using existing or borrowed equipment—or revise the programming.
Schedule Wisely
Typically, a big event like Christmas will also require more volunteers than a normal weekend. Whenever I do a big event, I always schedule a dedicated wireless mic wrangler. A few years back, we did a show that had 14 wireless body packs and 18 headsets—obviously some were shared. There is no way to keep track of that from FOH while mixing the show, so I had someone backstage making sure the right pack was on the right actor at the right time.
If you find yourself short on inputs, you may need to add a second console to handle additional wireless mics or other channels. Years ago, we did a show so complicated that it took three engineers and two consoles to mix it; one to manage the band and vocals, another on a dedicated wireless mic console to handle the wireless mics for the drama portion, and a third to manage sound effects, tracks, monitors and recalling mute scenes. We all stood shoulder to shoulder in the tech booth and had a great time. Just don't wait until the day before to try to find another engineer to help you.
We always do a band rehearsal the week before Christmas. I don't worry too much about getting my mixes dialed in perfectly that night; I focus on making sure the band and vocalists are happy with their mixes, then I record the whole thing to our virtual soundcheck computer. I always schedule several hours later in the week (sometimes more, depending on the year) to dial in the mixes based on the recordings.
If you don't have virtual soundcheck, you may want to either have someone else in to help with monitors and other audio-related tasks while you focus on the house mix, or rent a monitor console to take the load off FOH. Either way, you need to arrange rentals (or borrows) and staffing ahead of time.
Back when I was doing musicals, we always did a tech rehearsal before opening night. This was a time to let the tech team run things so we can get our cues worked out. Depending on the Christmas service or production, a tech rehearsal will save you. A tech rehearsal is not a time for actors to learn lines, work out blocking, or for the band to tweak arrangements. It's a time for the tech staff to make sure the cues and transitions work the way everyone expects them to. A tech rehearsal typically runs somewhat slowly, but it's critical for a seamless experience. If the production is complicated, be sure to schedule a tech rehearsal.
Build as Much in Advance as Possible
Many churches have upgraded to digital audio consoles in the last few years. These are a boon for big productions like this. With a digital console, you can typically build your entire show file in advance—sometimes without even turning on the desk. Using the offline software (or the console itself), you can patch; lay out; set up basic EQ parameters, VCAs and groups; and maybe even build some basic scenes. This can be done weeks in advance. Take advantage of this capability.
For the past few years, my basic show file (including starting snapshots for all program elements) has been done by Thanksgiving. Using virtual soundcheck from the previous year, I typically have my starting vocal IEM mixes (in-ear monitor mixes mixed from FOH) done by the first week in December. We pre-build and patch all of our personal monitor mixers for the band weeks in advance, saving the show file for easy recall the week of.
Getting as much dialed in as possible ahead of time lowers your workload for the week of the production, and means you're in better shape to handle things you didn't know about. I have found that not only is my stress level lower when all this is done in advance, but the band is more relaxed, as well. A relaxed and confident band plays better, and the whole experience is improved for everyone.
Try New Things—But Not Too Many
I have seen some productions go completely off the rails because the tech team tried too many new things at once. I love new gear and I love new techniques. But be careful about how many you try at once. If you want to start using scenes or snapshots on your new digital console (or old one …), don't wait until rehearsal to figure out how they work. Not all scene systems are immediately intuitive, and it may take some experimentation to get the results you want. Try it out in advance with virtual soundcheck on a Sunday afternoon and make sure you know what to expect. Scenes or snapshots can save you for big productions, but they can also kill you.
If you are renting unfamiliar equipment, be it wireless mics or a console, make sure it arrives in time for you and your team to get comfortable with it. If you've never used a digital console before, don't buy a new one and have it installed two days before the rehearsal. Same goes if you are renting. Get some training on it first to make sure you know how to operate it quickly and effectively.
Enjoy the Season
Christmas can be stressful, but with proper planning, scheduling and some extra help, it can also be a lot of fun. As I have implemented these techniques over the past few years, Christmas is back to being a most wonderful time of year, indeed.