Welcome to Behind The Mixer!
Before you dig in, I have a small gift for you and a helpful place for you to start.
Check it out here.
Stopping Buzzes, Howls, and Other Audio Problems
It buzzes. It distorts. It howls. Welcome to the down-side of audio production. For all the wonderful ways you can manipulate sound, there are quite a few ways sound can be a royal pain. The good news is it doesn't have to ruin your day. Audio problems can be prevented through proactive means, resolved through immediate changes, or resolved through a bit of detective work. Today, you'll find out about all three. Audio problems occur for any number of reasons. Just a few of these include: Poor microphone usage Poor monitor usage Poor microphone / monitor placement Equipment goes bad Equipment not properly configured Cables go bad Poor cabling setup Little imps that fill your channels with line noise (I haven't seen one but I'm sure they [keep reading]
Your Guide to Churches, Music, and COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT!
I'll admit that a long time ago...errrrr, I'd better not admit anything! And thus begins our foray into the realm of copyright law, copyright infringement, and everything you need to know so your church stays out of trouble. As a church, can you play any music you want? Is it ok to show a video clip with "Eye of the Tiger" as the music bed? Much of the copyright infringement that occurs is [keep reading]
Lavaliers, Lecterns, and Pulpit Microphones: Mic’ing Pastors without Headsets
[Guest Post by Jeremy Epstein] [Note: Mic'ing pastors was a subject in the last newsletter and it spawned several responses. Jeremy responded with a lot of great information on what he's experienced so I asked him to write it up as an article.] I've learned a lot about mic'ing people, working as sound tech at First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, NY. Over the years, I've worked with several [keep reading]
One Time You MUST Upgrade Your Equipment (and the reason for the new site design)
"We have been running on this mixer for 20 years." "It still works." "Most of the channels still work." "We've learned to work around that issue." "The musicians are used to it." These are just a few reasons you might give for not upgrading your equipment, financial issues aside. But refusing to upgrade equipment also comes at a cost. And it might be the musicians or the congregation who are [keep reading]
I'm Chris Huff and I've been working behind a mixer for over twenty years. Since 2008, I've been helping other sound techs learn all about the art of church audio through behindthemixer.com.
For more about me, 