Having done this church audio thing for a while and having experienced some of the more difficult aspects of it, I want to quickly bring up something that I believe affects all of us to some extent. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit this to such a wide audience, but in all honestly, sometimes I don't do a good job of respecting another engineer's mix. It seems so easy to attend a service or an event and rather than engaging in the presentation as I should do, I sit there and evaluate the effort of the person behind the desk such that it starts becoming more criticism than anything else. I get these small dialogs in my head that I have to fight. It goes something like this; “Hmm, levels are pretty decent overall, but is the acoustic muted or something? …. Wow, I could use some water because this is feeling kind of dry. … The bassist sure looks like he is doing something cool.”
Yup that's ugly, though admittedly it's also human. However, with a little change in perspective, a lot of God, and a lot of grace, we can deal with it. I started really trying to get a hold of this issue one day after a service when my wife said something that surprised me and made me really take note of my attitude. I had thought that the worship set that morning wasn't all that great and it wasn't because of the team, it was because of the mix. I don't remember the details, but things just didn't sit right for me and it felt wrong. My wife on the other hand, indicated how much she liked it, how the band had been great, and how she really enjoyed herself. I just kind of looked at her. Were we in the same room? Did we go to the same service?
Then, as is normal for me when I have a God-lead epiphany, the train comes rolling around the corner and hits me square on the chest. I had allowed myself to get so distracted by the few things that I would have done differently that I completely threw away the effort that the engineer was putting forth. I threw away the effort that the worship team was putting forth. I threw away the experience that I could have had. And worst of all, I threw away the sovereignty of the God that put those people together, at that time, and at that place, to minister to me. Ugh.
Don't get me wrong, I believe that as artists we are pre-wired to evaluate the experiences that we have, the art that we see, the art that we hear, and the art that we create. That is good, that is how we learn, and that is how we grow. However, if we are doing evaluation for the purposes of distinguishing ourselves rather than bettering ourselves, if we are evaluating to see what we would have done better, if we are evaluating to see what we would have done differently, then we are not evaluating, we are criticizing, and worst of all we are not respecting the time and effort that others put forth in their service to God.
The big take away that my wife gave me in that conversation without knowing it was that even if you don't get it, you can still learn from it, and you can do so without devaluing it. I missed something that day that my wife didn't. What was it? What could I have learned from it? Maybe it was technical, maybe it was environmental, and maybe it was a moment. Truthfully, I'll never know, and that's the point. I missed the opportunity to learn about something that a different engineer was doing that engaged my wife (and likely others) because I was too busy thinking about what I didn't like or would have done differently.
Today, when I find myself starting to criticize a mix, I try very hard to turn it around and immediately ask myself if there is something about the mix that I do like. Is there something that the engineer is doing that I don't do very well? My experience has been that every single time I do this there has always been an answer. Not sometimes, but always. How awesome is that? I have learned an incredible amount of things by asking an engineer how they did something on a mix that I first wanted to criticize.
Let me leave you with this final thought. 1 Corinthians 12 discusses the diversity of the body of Christ and how it is made up of many different people, all with different roles, capabilities, and spiritual gifts, who come together as one in service to God. We so often apply this scripture to the unity that the church possesses as a result of different people and ministries coming together. I believe, however, that this model is just as applicable microscopically as it is macroscopically. Within a specific ministry, we each bring talents, skills, and capabilities that differ and complement each other. Verses six and seven say:
“ And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.” - 1 Cor 12:6-7 (NKJV)
It is the same God who works in all of us. It is the same Spirit that manifests Himself in all of us. He doesn't just work in those who put a mix together like I would have. If someone does something differently than you, don't devalue it. Rather, allow them to serve you with it. Cause yourself to learn from it. And urge yourself to respect it.
