I could sense it coming. One of the musicians onstage was picking on one of our techs in that half-joking-half-serious kind of way. I knew the tech pretty well, and I could see that his smirk was really a clever disguise for, "I'm trying to be patient with you, but I don't think this is funny at all." And then it happened-he swung the speaker cable in his right hand, and made contact with the left side of the musician's head.
That was several years ago, everyone was ?ne and those guys have actually grown up and are friends. But since then, I've come to see the value of good relationships between those of us on the technical side of things and the musicians we work alongside.
When I ?rst started working at North Point in Atlanta, I lived behind the console. It really is an introvert's paradise-knobs, faders and buttons that do exactly what I tell them. It's a comfortable world back there, and it takes some work to step out and take initiative in building relationships. But when I did, I realized that the reward was more than worth the effort.
A focus on relationships with the heart of a servant became my foundation for a great mix. I began to see that by focusing on relationships, my mixes actually sounded better. How could I possibly think that this makes my mix sound better? Here's the secret. If I have a great relationship with a musician, I can work with them to solve problems that might otherwise prevent a great mix. I can make requests that would otherwise be disregarded or scoffed at and know that I will actually be heard because I am serving a friend, not arguing with a musician.
There are two factors that are essential in building tech/musician relationships: time and conversation. So, I've learned to shape my schedule to allow time for me to get to know the musicians that come play each week.
First-Give yourself some margin time. If you're a volunteer that comes from work each week to ful?ll your responsibilities, that might be dif?cult. But see if you can rearrange your schedule to make it happen. Having the stage set and the lines run and checked before the musicians arrive will give you time to help them load in and have some conversation in the process. Inevitably, there will be weeks when things don't go as planned. Leaving space for those hiccups will help eliminate the pressure and stress that would arise in a time crunch and ultimately affect the whole team.
Second-Look for opportunities to talk. I have worked with technical teams and musicians that don't even know each other's names. If you have a rotation of musicians at your church, chances are, that's you. If you're fully prepared and have margin time left over, you can take initiative to build relationships. As you're loading in, introduce yourself to the musicians. Maybe you'll be handing them cables or wireless packs. Use that time to ?nd some common ground and have a short conversation.
In the end, having a strong relationship with the people you work with will make your job more enjoyable and easier to do. Having a conversation about stage volume will always go better with a friend than with a stubborn musician. And mixing a band of musicians you like will actually sound better than mixing a band you don't like. Promise. So, this week, start earlier, smile more and make some new friends.
