Image courtesy of Church of the Highlands.
One of the most common conflicts between the platform and the booth is within the drum cage. Both the drummer and the sound engineer have an idea of what they want the drums to sound like, feel like and how they should be experienced within the mix. The challenge is that often their ideas of how to accomplish excellent drum mixes are different. This article is here to help sound guys have a little more perspective on the drummer and how to better understand what he/she is doing.
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If you want an article on how to fix a drummer, you are reading the wrong magazine. Here we go:
Things aren’t going to be the same from sound check to service and they shouldn't be
Sound guys often get frustrated because the drummer plays differently in service than they do in rehearsal. Tech people even refer to rehearsal differently than the band normally does. Techs say, sound check, while the band says, rehearsal. The focus is different from the platform to the booth. The challenge is that in rehearsal the drummer is focusing on technical aspects of what is being played and the timing of the songs to make sure everyone is getting what they need from him/her. In contrast, drummers in the service can focus on the dynamics of the music and the “feel” of the song because they are confident the band has what they need. Rehearsals really aren’t for the mix. It’s important to know that the drummer's primary job will never be to play so consistently in rehearsal and service that it makes the sound guy happy.
…the compressor settings needed to level out playing in sound check versus playing in service may be found in the attack and release functions more than the threshold and ratio.
There are a couple of things sound techs can do to help this shift in volume. First: mix the drums a touch lower in rehearsal than where they are needed in service. This may sound weird in the sound check but will help get the drummer “in the pocket” of the mix. It may take some experimenting, but over time it will help.
Secondly, use heavier compression. There are numerous articles about using compression on drums and every digital console comes with compression. While this article’s purview isn’t to discuss compression tips, it may help to know the adjustment that is needed to level out playing in sound check versus playing in service may be found in the attack and release functions more than the threshold and ratio.
Rehearsals really aren’t for the mix. It’s important to know that the drummer's primary job will never be to play so consistently in rehearsal and service that it makes the sound guy happy.
Tone Is a Moving Target
Church sound techs and worship pastors often have the idea that once the drums are “set” they can be EQ’ed and left alone until the heads are changed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Drums shift, even when no one is touching them. Temperature, humidity and stick pressure all change the tone and overall sound of the drums. “Set it and leave it” doesn’t work with acoustic drums. This frustration can be solved by having the drummer play by themselves for a couple of minutes to let the sound tech adjust EQ, compression and levels weekly.
Church sound techs and worship pastors often have the idea that once the drums are “set” they can be EQ’ed and left alone until the heads are changed. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Drummers Care About How Their Kit Sounds Too
Image courtesy of Church of the Highlands.
One of the best decisions a sound tech can make is to invite the drummer to the “tone party.” Borrowing another drummer and allowing him/her to weigh in on what the drums sound like in the room helps a lot. It helps them hear what the sound tech hears and allows them to feel part of the process. Not only that, if there is something wrong with the tone of the toms, snare or kick drum, instead of “fixing it” with EQ, letting the drummer re-tune is always the better option. Drummers want to be included because they spend a lot of time tuning to make the drums sound the best.
Everyone wants the same things
Drummers want what sound techs want and vice versa. They both want a good experience and space for people to experience God through worship. Sometimes conflict causes everyone involved to only see their own perspective, but everyone has the same goal. They may just try to approach it from a different angle. When we all work together to understand one another’s point of view, we find peace, harmony and an excellence that both honors God and inspires people.
