Teaching Church Audio Artistry | Church Sound
Many a new bass player starts with thumping out the notes in the chords of a song. They are mixed then as low-end filler. As they progress in their skill as a bassist, are you still mixing them as an afterthought? Check out these eight key frequency ranges you can use to bring out the great sonic character of a bass. Sitting in the sanctuary, I watched the worship band practice. Most everyone sounded great. And then there was the bassist. He was playing the triad notes of the [...keep reading]
A long time ago, in a sound booth far far away, I once asked myself the simple question; where is a chart that tells me the perfect eq settings for each instrument and vocal? I assumed that setting eq, being based on known frequencies, was as simple as doing basic math. Then I learned it wasn't like that at all. But I get this question on the blog or via email so I this morning, I'll explain the answer. The immediate easy answer is "there is no chart; it's a [...keep reading]
All live vocal microphones are not the same. All singers do not sound the same. Pairing the right singer with the right microphone gives you a better sound from the start. This article focuses on the vocal microphone frequency response aspect and how it affects the sound. I've included the frequency response charts from a few live vocal microphones. A live microphone can have natural warmth. It can have a bright sound. Much of this has to do with the natural frequency response of [...keep reading]
Haven't we all had stories of misheard words? It could have been a song lyric or you misheard your spouse? Maybe they mumbled a word or it just wasn't clear what was said. This has been the cause for a few hilarious moments at our dinner table. The problem is unclear words are a distraction from the message. In the church environment, the pastor's words must be clear. We can ensure this maximum intelligibility through proper speech EQ. There are four topics to consider when it [...keep reading]
Talk of microphones usually revolves around the type (condenser or dynamic) and the polar pattern (cardioid, omni-directional, etc.), but there is more to a microphone. The "more" is the microphone's Frequency Response. Microphones differ in the way in which they respond to different frequencies. They might boost a frequency or reduce it depending on the purpose for which the microphone was designed. (Also depending on the ideas the designers had in mind!) They might not alter the [...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, read my bio. You can also follow me on twitter or email me. Find BTM on Google+
Everything you need to know from creating a consistently great mix week after week to meeting everyone's expectations. Over 300 pages of the essential information that every church sound tech should know. Audio examples included.
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