At the end of the rainbow isn't a pot of gold, it's a well-trained volunteer. In a perfect world, you'd have a team of highly-trained volunteers who are up to any challenge. In the real world, the level of volunteer technical knowledge varies greatly. It's for this reason your volunteer's skill sets should be a factor in upgrading your mixing console. This is especially true in your secondary venues.
The Problem with Secondary Venues
A common problem with secondary venues, such as youth venues, is they usually don't have experienced techs lining up to help out. Consider it a blessing if you do have top-notch volunteers working in your secondary venues. For some, that just isn’t the case.
Regarding the skill level of those second-tier volunteers, and I say that respectfully, you have to take their skill sets into consideration when planning your upgrade. What is an appropriate console for one venue might not be appropriate for another and that's ok.
Upgrading and Improving Your Volunteers
So far, your existing volunteers have been the point of focus. Take a moment to consider a mixing console upgrade as a time for refreshing your talent pool. This can be done in a few different ways.
First, consider training your volunteers, again. Maybe you trained them in using the mixer five years ago but they never figured out how to get a good mix from a band. Maybe they never had any formal training, which I’d guess is more common than we’d like to admit in these secondary venues.
As much as you should regard the existing skills of your team when planning any upgrade, you should equally consider your role in improving the quality of your team before making an upgrade.
Second, consider it a time for enlisting new volunteers. You should regularly review your volunteer list so you protect you team. You might have people who are ready to roll off. You might have people eager to serve but who are afraid to ask because you are always high up in your production loft with barbed wire and guard dogs…or maybe that’s just me.
As much as you should regard the existing skills of your team when planning any upgrade, you should equally consider your role in improving the quality of your team before making an upgrade.
Picking between Digital and Analog Consoles
Once you have an understanding of the abilities of your volunteers and you’ve considered training and recruiting, it's time for looking at consoles. In the interest of staying focused on "volunteer ability" in this article, I'm skipping the steps of evaluating your console needs such as number of inputs, EQ type, etc. Let's say you have documented your existing equipment, the reasons for the upgrade, and the requirements needed in a new console. Now, look at how volunteer ability plays into that.
Going Digital
The problem with digital consoles is you can do so dang much with them! I mean, the benefit of digital consoles...I mean it comes down to your point of view. Digital consoles can offer sensory overload for many a volunteer. There is a learning curve in using any new equipment. When the curve is too steep, you could be upgrading to a better console but ultimately be getting a worse result because the console is "too much board" for your volunteers.
The digital console world covers quite a bit for under $10k. In the case of our secondary venue, let's cut the budget to around $5k. You are now looking at mixers like the Soundcraft Si Expression 2, the PreSonus StudioLive, the Behringer X32, and the Line 6 StageScape. Among these mixers is a wide range of functionality but also varying levels of complexity. Which digital mixer would be the perfect tool for your level of volunteers? Is there even a digital mixer perfect for your volunteers?
Going Analog
The analog console world has you covered with most any 24 or 32 channel mixer for well under $5k. These mixers include the Midas Venice F32, the Soundcraft FX and GB series, the Allen & Heath GL series, and many others. The functionality within the analog mixers is much more limited but your volunteers get the advantage of "what you see is what you get." Perhaps, an analog mixer is a perfect console for your volunteers.
Personal Note: At my church, we are opting for the Yamaha MGP24x in one of our secondary venues. The MGP is primarily an analog mixer with a handful of digital functionality perfect for our situation.
In Conclusion
Upgrading a mixing console is more than picking a console, within your budget, that meets your technical needs. Any type of upgrade consideration must include an evaluation of the skills of those who will be using the console. You are to be good stewards of the funds provided to your ministry. Sometimes good stewardship isn't about buying the most advanced mixer. In some instances, it's about buying the right mixer for your volunteers.
