Church Sound System and Church Audio
Dec
22
This Should Be Your New Year's Resolution
Sunday was the "solo flight" for my new volunteer. I smiled at him as I walked to my seat with my family. I knew he was the most nervous person in the entire sanctuary. After the service, he asked me the best question possible;
"How did I do?"
My immediate thought was to pat him on the back and send him on his way. He had done a good job and even remembered to record the sermon - a common rookie error. Instead of going with my first thought, I paused for a moment and said;
"You did a really good job. It's hard to pick a good lead vocal volume when we are singing congregational hymns and I think you did a good job on that. I do have one suggestion as it relates to using a microphone with the piano..."
After talking with him for a few minutes, I realized he asked me a question that all sound tech's should ask from time to time; "how did I do?" It's so easy to think that because we've been doing this for 6 months, 1 year, 4 years, or even 15 years that we can't improve. How many times can you mix the same band until you just nail the perfect mix? What if it's not as perfect as you think? What if someone else walked into the booth, tweaked a few settings, and suddenly your "perfect mix" sounds flat in comparison to what they have produced?
Every church doesn't have an audio guru but every church does have ears. (ok, that came out differently than I had planned.) That being said, try out the following for the first four weeks of 2010 and see what happens:
1. Ask the question "How did I do?" or "How did it sound?"
2. Ask that question to the following people;
a. Another sound tech
b. One friend
c. The worship leader
d. A musician on stage
3. Evaluate their answers. If you have two that conflict (sound great/sounded bad) then ask those with negative comments to expand - "what exactly sounded bad?"
4. Act on the answers for the next service. Then ask the same people the same question the next week.
No one is going to give us constructive criticism unless we ask for it. And asking for it...that's how we grow.
What have you used to evaluate the quality of your work? Do you have a skill that could be used to mentor/help other sound techs?
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Comments
I am having issues with the sound techs at my church. I am the WL and, as a female, find that I have to be extra-assertive (to the point of aggressive) to get the sound that *I* want. Last week, for instance, I asked to have my vox turned up so I could hear myself (we do not have a stage monitor set up, which is a big mistake) and the sound operator argued with me over and over instead of finding a solution where I could hear myself without increasing the overall volume in the sanctuary which, from what I'm hearing, has been a problem lately.
My question is: is there *any* way to approach these sound guys that is more effective (guys - coming from a chick, how is it best to approach it?) and, is there any way for me to be corrective without being a witch?
The never ask how they're doing. Ever.
I'm struggling.
It seems there are a few issues and the primary one is stage monitoring. Think of it this way, you are standing on the stage and the speakers are most likely in front of you. Therefore, for you to hear anything, you most likely catch it on the echo. This means you aren't hearing the quality of sound you need and you aren't hearing it at the same time as the congregation. When you ask for more of you in the house mix so you can hear it, you are asking the sound tech's to boost your volume so it's louder when you hear it on the echo. This means that the blended mix the congregation hears is no longer blended as your volume (guitar/vocal/whatever) is boosted.
Without any type of stage monitors, you are going to have problems somewhere - either with stage volume issues or house mix issues.
You should ask the sound tech's (or the lead tech) to get estimates for adding two stage monitors. This should include the cabling and the speakers. Then present that to your church (board or pastor or whatever is the proper format in your church). Explain that stage monitors are standard in any live setting and that the lack of these monitors is presenting you with problems that harm your ability to lead worship.
It's not fair to anyone - you or the sound crew, to work without stage monitors. With that in mind, they might not be asking how they are doing because they feel they are doing the best with what they are stuck using.
Will try to make myself heard with the head pastors. I used to be the sound person for 4 years before becoming the WL. I didn't necessarily know what I was doing, but I knew which knobs to turn and when to make it sound good (having grown up with professional musicians, I have grown accustomed to "good" sound and will 'fiddle around' until I get it.) I didn't have this much of a battle before. I think you're definitely right in regard to the monitors.
I guess I am trying to find the easiest solution. Monitors solves problem 1. problem 2 is bigger. Thanks for the tips though. I'm a new reader and appreciating what I'm learning here.
Thanks. If you treat the sound tech's well, they should return the favor. You're both trying to produce a joyous sound!
*should* being the operative word.
It's not easy being significantly younger and female in leadership. Seriously. Behind the scenes was much easier.
What if the sound tech at a church you attend doesn't ask how he did, and he does a really bad job every week?
I was the sound tech at my church before I moved, and my new church's sound tech is consistent in not doing a good job. They have a full band (minus a bass guitar), but all that you can hear is the worship leader and piano (grand piano (don't know the size) miked with a single wired handheld, lid open). There is a touch of the leader's acoustic, but I think that's mostly from his amp. It's not the room, since I've been in several seats, even right behind the sound booth, and it's all the same.
Ideas?
Offer to fill in for the sound tech to give them a break (as they are the only one's doing that job). Then lead by example. Maybe if they heard you mix, they might say "wow, how did you do that?"
Or strike up a conversation with them after a service. Explain you used to be a sound tech and then offer to help tear down the stage. This estabilishes some credibility. Then ask about how they like it - see if they will open up to any struggles - "it's funny but I always struggle with mixing the drums."
Building up a relationship with them is a great way to open the door.
It's always a possibility that the worship leader has told him to "set it up this way" and it's out of his control.
Take him out to lunch or something and learn about him.
Interesting, that's what I was thinking. I don't know how long the one guy has been running sound, but the slide operator said that he personally has run the slides for several years, and his only breaks were when he missed service. I personally believe he is burned out, and having a week or so off where he can just enjoy the service can do nothing but help.
They leave the stage set up during the week.
I want to talk to the worship leader and get his take on adding lights (all they have now are white incandescent track style lights), so I can always ask him about the sound at the same time.
Needless to say, I also want to look into getting a rotation going for the sound and slide techs (and hopefully lighting techs).
It sounds like you are in a position similar to one I was in eight years ago. Before you talk with the WL, talk with the tech. It would be better to align yourself with the tech first. Otherwise, it might appear you want to come in and take over what the current sound tech is doing - or what I like to call a turf war. I don't think that's your intent but I know (after being married for many years) that what I do and what it appears I am doing can be perceived as two totally different things. :)
UPDATE: Didn't get a chance to talk to the sound tech (disappeared as soon as service ended), but I did get to talk to the WL and the second service sound tech. Found out that no one comes in to run sound during rehearsal, which would explain all the problems. (Today, a handheld simply didn't work, and the pastor's mic was dropping out. The sound tech ended up checking various cables, which he seems to do every week.)
The second service sound tech is going to let me know when rehearsal is this week (if they have it, due to the holiday), and I'll see where things go. One thing I don't want to do is be part of a hostile takeover. It wasn't said, but it seems like there are some issues between the first service sound tech and, basically, everyone else. I'm going to have to stay aware of that and make sure I don't burn any bridges during the process.
I have been talking with the tech almost every week for the last few weeks. From what he's said, and what I've seen, the sound system is simply falling apart, and no one has had the time to fix it.
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