Photo by Rowen Smith on Unsplash
There are at least two sides to achieving a stress-free sound check; one side scan infect performers the other affects the production team. We've all felt the exciting and sometimes stress-induced pre-show/pre-service jitters. Some call it “the butterflies.” In my early days doing live sound I would get the same feeling right before the band would come on stage for sound check – sometimes hours before the show would start. Did I have everything ready? What would I do if something went wrong? Was I sure that I had all of the inputs the bands need?
Creating a stress-free soundcheck starts with us. At every moment we can decide how to react in the face of stress.
Thankfully those days are far behind me now. Since then I've found a number of ways to foster a stress-free environment for sound check. The first and foremost way to keep stress at bay is to be technically ready for sound check. Some engineers use an extensive checklist to keep themselves on track. I've chosen to simplify and focus on just four key areas that must be covered in order for us to have a stress-free sound check:
1-Personnel.
You have to have your sound check properly staffed with workers/volunteers. If it is one audio engineer verses a 15-piece band, the audio engineer will be doomed to running around putting out fires. That's not fun for anyone. Even in the smallest church, I like having three people involved in sound check. Your A1 is pushing the faders, A2 is on stage to help musicians and troubleshoot any issues, and A3 is side stage as a runner to grab tape or an extra cable as needed and directed by A1 or A2. One more note, knowing how many staff/volunteer will be at sound check directly effects how much time you need to block off before sound check.
2-Time.
Having enough time built in for setup is vital. This is depends on what the band looks like and how many volunteers you have, but I typically want no less than two hours to wire the stage, line check, and troubleshoot. Ideally I have 30 minutes of down time to relax and hang with the team before the band arrives for sound check. Having time built in after sound check is just important. Sound check may signal the end of your day or it could happen right before service. Either way I want to have at least 30-60 minutes between the end of soundcheck and whatever happens next in my day. This allows for a healthy "exhale" before moving on.
3-Communication.
Having a way to communicate between your A1 and A2 is crucial. Yelling from FOH to the stage is not fun for anyone and creates a hectic environment. Using radios is the best option. If those on the most meager budget can find a set of two way radios for under $40 at any big box retailer. Another method is to have your A1 at FOH have a switchable talk back mic feeding into the monitors. The A2 can be on stage with a switchable talkback mic that goes to the main speakers. In this way A1 and A2 can have a dialog back and forth with out trying to yell over a band. I use this method often in festival situations.
4-Setup/Line Check.
Finally you have the other three areas covered and you can move onto setup. Ideally there would be 2-3 people working together for setup. Several copies of the stage plot and input list are on hand that clearly indicate what instruments will be on stage today. Using the stage plot everyone knows where inputs will be, what type of microphone, stand, and/or DI box is to be used. Once the stage is wired you'll go through and check each input to insure there are no faults on the production end. A bit later there will guitars and keyboards plugged in. If there is an issue with no signal coming out of an instrument we want to be able to say, "We checked that line earlier and its good. The issue must be on your end, let me help you figure it out."
The more prepared you are as the sound engineer, the less stressed out you will be. The less stress that you radiate, the less stress your performers will have.
The more prepared you are as the sound engineer, the less stressed out you will be. The less stress that you radiate, the less stress your performers will have. But maintaining a stress-free sound check does not simply mean that everything technically is working and in order. We have to go beyond just that. It's also about keeping a professional, clean and relaxing environment. My first studio job taught me this important lesson. Everything you do should be filter through the "CPOV" - the clients point of view (in this case our band). You might think that you are simply audio engineer, but that stops too short of what we really do. We are service providers - even more so because you are on a church team that serves others. When we consider our sound check through the CPOV, we go beyond just the technical preparations. Is the stage clean? Is there a mess of wires everywhere? Are water and towels close by? Are there music stands, pencil and paper handy? Is their an ample supply of batteries and tape? If I were new to the team and this was my first time walking into the church for sound check would I feel at ease and at home?
Finally, there is one more key to keeping a stress-free sound check: When a problem arises, which it will from time to time, do not freak out. I don't care if the soundboard catches fire. We have to keep a calm and professional manner. We are the gate-keepers of stress flooding into sound check. When we communicate (verbally or non-verbally) to the band that we do not have control of the situation we create mistrust and stress. Our job is to solve problems, so it should never be a surprise to see a new problem rear its ugly head. When a big problem does occur I've found the best thing to do is tell the band "Hey team, I've got a kink to work out here and it will take us a little bit of time. Why don't you guys take 10 minutes, grab a coffee and then come back?" I do this because it gets the band off stage and I can now communicate with the rest of my team about the problem and brainstorm solutions. The band is not worried about what's happening and we can now work faster with less people in the room.
Creating a stress-free soundcheck starts with us. At every moment we can decide how to react in the face of stress. Preparation is the key to starting things out on the right foot. If we can deal with problems in a calm way we create an environment that puts people at ease and moves sound check along with little or no stress.
