FOH-training-1920x1080 - 1
One could probably make a relatively easy case that an audio engineer might be the most important position on a technical team.
One could also easily state that of all volunteer areas of a ministry, the tech team is one of the ones that seemingly always needs people.
So what happens when those two truths collide, when a tech team desperately needs people at arguably its most critical position, the front-of-house engineer?
The Sink or Swim Approach to Training
Many churches understandably just stick warm bodies in the role as soon as they’re available, hoping they can figure it out over time. Others might try a “set it and forget it” approach by having an inexperienced engineer babysit pre-set faders with instructions to touch as little as possible. Still others might take someone with proven “technical chops” from their time in another role on the team and assume their experience can also help them learn the ropes in an audio role.
An audio person should have the same level of expectation placed on them as a musician. They are essentially an extension of the worship team.
Unfortunately, while these approaches might be common, all can be unhealthy and ineffective. Can it wallpaper over the short-term issue of needing someone to fill a role? Absolutely. But it’s not an effective way of addressing the problem and often causes more harm than good.
“Throwing somebody behind the desk simply because they have a pulse is bad for them and the ministry," says Mike Smith, Audio Lead at Prestonwood Baptist Church. Background image courtesy of Prestonwood Baptist Church.
Setting Unrealistic Expectations Leads to Frustration
“If you do this or have to do this, you should also place your expectations in the correct spot: low,” says Lee Fields, who has spent over two decades as a church worship pastor or technical artist, in addition to serving as a FOH engineer for multiple touring artists. “I get it; you gotta do what you gotta do. The mistake happens when you place expectations on someone that are impossible. You don’t go to the dentist for a broken arm. You’ll be upset with the result but so will the dentist. And after too long the volunteer will quit if they feel they’re being setup to fail.”
FOH team at Prestonwood Baptist Church. Photo courtesy of Prestonwood Baptist Church.
Mike Smith, the Audio Lead at Dallas-area megachurch Prestonwood Baptist Church, agrees. “Throwing somebody behind the desk simply because they have a pulse is bad for them and the ministry,” he states. “We’re all made for a purpose, so putting someone in the ‘wrong seat on the bus’ (as John Maxwell says) means that someone who should be in that seat isn’t there. Then the poor soul in the hot seat is set up to fail and will most likely be thrown under the bus.”
While the “sink or swim” approach to training might sometimes end up working out over time, it also tends to be one of the most common mistakes that churches make when training their audio engineers. Can a trainee still manage to learn and develop competence over time through that method? Sure, but it’s certainly not the most effective way to do it.
Engineers or Artists? Defining the Role Clearly
And while it’s said in many arenas that “availability is the best ability” (in essence, when people are available they can be trained to overcome many natural talent deficiencies they have), that might not always be true in the audio world. But that stems from whether a church sees their audio person as an “engineer” (or technician) whose main role is to manage and troubleshoot technology, or as an “artist” who serves as an extension of the worship team and is tasked with helping design and create something.
“We’re judged on how well the mix sounds during worship, not if we knew how to repair a network audio issue.”— Lee Fields
Lee Fields has over 20 years of experience as a church worship pastor and technical artist, and has also mixed front-of-house for multiple touring artists.
Fields was asked regarding the evaluation of a trainee, beyond just gauging whether they have any technology experience, why it is important to understand what sort of listening skills or rhythm/musical aptitude that person might have.
“I think the question should be asked the other way around,” he responds. “And this is a mistake we make when qualifying candidates. The question itself puts weight on the technical skill being more important than musical knowledge and intuition. I think if an audio engineer is mixing music, this is the most important part. Portable church environments definitely require technical aptitude and troubleshooting skills to make timelines and ensure the gear works, but most often we’re judged on how well the mix sounds during worship, not if we knew how to repair a network audio issue. I’d rather depend on [someone else] to develop easy technical environments and use musicians to mix.”
Perhaps, then, the first mistake churches make is by not properly defining what they’re looking for out of an audio team member and then attempting to insert a square peg into a round hole.
Fields continues, “I think we’re kidding ourselves if we think someone with zero musical chops can be a killer music mixer. I think the better way is to recruit from the right group of people. If someone has technical chops but no musical abilities (they don’t have to play an instrument to be a musician), I’d put them on a different seat on the bus. There are always roles that need filled with more ‘engineer’ mindsets. Detail jobs for detailed minds; musical jobs for musicians.”
Virtual Soundcheck: The Game-Changer in Audio Training
Just like musicians would be expected to prepare ahead of their time on stage on a Sunday, an audio person should have the same level of expectation placed on them, since they are essentially an extension of the worship team. This ends up being another mistake that churches make when training: it’s not just a Sunday role, but one that requires time and preparation prior to the weekend.
"My first go-to tip for engineers is to 'live with the music' before Sunday," shares Rickey Smiley, Production Director at Maryland's multisite Union Church. Photo courtesy of Union Church.
“My first go-to tip for engineers is to ‘live with the music’ before Sunday,” says Rickey Smiley, the Production Director at Maryland multi-site Union Church. “Simply listening to the setlist on your way into rehearsal or at some point in your day allows you to map out what is needed and the timing in which it is needed. Equally, after a rehearsal, map out what sounded great and really worked, and what didn’t fit that you want to clean up before Sunday. Don’t be lazy, do your homework.”
“Virtual soundcheck is the equivalent of a basketball player shooting on an empty court. The work you put in here shows up on Sunday.”— Rickey Smiley, Union Church
In today’s world of digital consoles, the best way for an audio team to get effective practice before a weekend service is through virtual soundcheck, a process of recording individual channels off a console so it can be replayed (and even re-mixed) later on.
“So I’m a big sports guy,” Smiley continues. “One of my favorite sports is basketball. Virtual soundcheck for an audio engineer is the equivalent of a basketball player shooting on an empty court for practice. It’s a time when no one else is watching, but the work you put in these moments will produce the quality results you want in the game, or in our case a live worship experience. If you're training or still in the beginning of your audio engineer journey, virtual soundchecks are perfect because they provide an environment to experiment, make mistakes, and accelerate your growth in all in a safe environment outside of a live rehearsal or room full of people.”
“If someone has technical chops but no musical abilities, I’d put them on a different seat on the bus… We’re kidding ourselves if we think someone with zero musical chops can be a killer music mixer.”— Lee Fields
Brad Bramer has been the Worship & Creative Arts Executive Pastor at Louisville, Ky.-based megachurch Southeast Christian Church for the last eight years and is a huge proponent of virtual soundcheck “because it creates a safe place to practice, fail, adjust, and hear your own work. It’s one of the best tools for developing ears and building confidence without risking a Sunday. It’s also a great chance to coach musicians, vocals, and worship pastors—to have critical listening sessions where everyone can give and receive feedback toward a common goal,” he adds.
Overreliance on Plug-ins: A Symptom of Shallow Training
Not having a critical team member properly practice and prepare for a service is setting that team, and the service, up to fail, because it then turns the “real moment” into a “fix it on the fly” practice scenario, which then does a massive disservice to the audience.
“We should always be shooting for excellence and be aware that there might be a person attending your Sunday service for the first time,” reminds Union’s Solomon. “This means you only have one chance to give them a distraction-free experience so they can meet Jesus and experience the life-change they desperately need. Imagine this first-time visitor attending your Sunday service that has frequent audio feedback, poor mic placement and levels of reverb and delay effects, all done by a ‘warm body’ audio engineer that is doing the best of their audio engineer capacity as they learn on the job. In the ministry space, your Sunday service is not the time to learn or experiment.”
Unfortunately, there are still ministries that either may not have access to a virtual soundcheck opportunity or that lack a proper midweek (of pre-service) opportunity to prepare a mix for the weekend.
That can then lead to another common mistake: overreliance on plug-ins and effects to cover over issues instead of fixing an issue at the source.
“Plug-ins feel like shortcuts,” muses Southeast’s Bramer. “They promise instant polish, and [inexperienced engineers] see ‘better’ people use them. But if you don’t know why your mix is lacking, you’re just fixing symptoms, not root problems.”
“Plug-ins mostly are designed to fix problems digitally or mitigate them as much as possible,” echoes Fields. “But the permanent fix for those problems is just fixing the source or moving the mic. Or trying a different mic.”
The Forgotten Basics: Teaching Ground-Level Audio Skills
And therein lies another common weak spot: ministries’ inability to teach more ground-level audio concepts like mic selection and placement, gain staging, high-pass and low-pass filters, and basic EQ.
Without developing a fundamental understanding in their mix engineers of such baseline principles, it’s no wonder that many are left scrambling for quick fixes, or even over-resort to just copying mix techniques that other churches talk about on Instagram.
Copycat Culture vs. Crafting Your Own Sound
While there is value to learning from things other ministries do and using them as a model for growth, there should likely be more focus on base concepts that can be replicated, as opposed to simply trying to recreate another church’s inherent sound.
That can inevitably lead to one last mistake: a ministry not having a clear idea of what its own “sound” or aural identity really is. What should a good mix even sound like? What defines a successful worship set or service as a whole? How is it measured if a sound person is doing a good job or not?
From Common Mistakes to Lasting Growth
The good news is that none of these common mistakes need be fatal. Now, more than ever, resources are readily available to provide training ground for inexperienced mix artists who are looking to improve. YouTube provides never-ending options, and the MxU church tech training platform (which Fields cofounded) has become a common go-to in the industry.
And even social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram add value beyond ministries just posting samples of their recorded worship sets; more audio engineers than ever now upload videos explaining why they mix a certain way and how they attempt to extract the most from their worship team using certain techniques or practices.
The ways to improve now are multitudinous; the key is for a ministry to make an intentional investment in developing their audio teams.
There may have been a day when “sink or swim” might have been the only viable way to develop someone, but fortunately there are much better ways now.
And once a ministry’s vision is clarified and its identity is established, the only engineer uncapable of improving is the one who chooses not to.
“Everyone needs to grow,” opines Bramer. “I’m a mixer who still needs to grow a lot in my understanding of engineering and system infrastructure. Some people are engineers who need to grow in their ability to mix. The people around you know your weaknesses—probably more than you do. Ask them. Be humble, be self-aware, ask questions, ask for help, and advocate for your own growth in the areas you’re weak.”
