Photo provided by cienpies
You need to get out of your normal audio routines. The more you keep doing what you’ve always been doing… well…you aren’t going to improve your sound. Therefore, I’m starting out 2012 by giving you seven assignments. These assignments will make you really think about your mixing, your equipment, and your expectations. Best of all, these assignments are relatively easy!
1. [Mixing] Consider two vocalists singing the same lines. Try creating contrast between their voices. Now try removing much of that contrast and creating one voice. Which sounds better? Experiment with different songs and find out where they should be blended as one versus contrasted. What would you do if they were singing different lines?
2. [Mixing] Walk around the sanctuary and carefully listen to the music at different points in the room. Note any places in the room where the music sounds different. Perform this during a band practice. How can you alter the mix so you get a more uniform sound throughout the whole room?
3. [Mixing] Ask a fellow audio tech, a friend, and a musician about the mix. Compare their responses. How are they different? How are they the same? What did you learn about your mix? What did you learn about that person’s preferences?
4. [Mixing and Equipment] Take an inventory of all the microphones; note the make and model, the type (condenser or dynamic) and the polar pattern. Focusing on the type and the polar pattern, where do you think each would work best? Try different setups during practice until you find the one that gets the best sound. Take note of that and use that instrument/mic & vocal/mic setup from then on.
5. [Equipment] Use a sound meter during your church services. Note the average volume levels of the pastor and of the band. Track this in a spreadsheet. Whenever you get a volume complaint, look at that day’s average volume compared to other days. It might be it was louder or softer than normal. It might be that person just wasn’t in the mood for the music.
6. [Equipment] Follow the signal path of all cables coming out of the mixer. Create an easy-to-understand schematic of how the sound booth is wired. Track all wires going into other components and where they go. The next time you have a problem with equipment in the booth, use the schematic to determine where the problem likely originated and what other components might be involved.
7. [Expectations] If you attended a concert, what would you expect from the audio tech? If you were in a band, what would you expect from the audio tech? How do your answers to these questions reflect what you are currently doing as a sound tech?
BONUS: [Mental Anguish] Avoid the “constant tweak” mentality by asking yourself this question…will the congregation notice what I want to do? They are not going to notice a slight mid-range bump in the guitar EQ. They will notice if you add clarity to an instrument so it sits better in the mix.
Question: What other assignment would you give yourself? What assignment would you give to a fellow tech on your team?
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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.
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i find #7 is a real important one to grasp. it also goes with number 3. the fact of taking a step back and looking at your mix, and what others are doing in their mix is very helpful. i was recently at a concert, and we were talking about this same fact, where the sound tech was good and bad, what did we expect from sound techs when we played shows. being open to the criticism open to changing how you view your position at the sound board. you can relate it to “treat others as you want to be treated”. from the sound board, you almost want to put yourself in everyone’s shoes, as a singer, what would i want to hear/ have it sound like? as a guitar player what would i want my guitar to sound like/hear in my monitor, as a congregation member what would i want to hear more of and less of…. taking that step back, and re-focusing your job/service to the church, can really get you out of that rut/ make your time at the sound board a new experience.
good article!
steve
Those are all great assignments! 2, 3, 4, 6 and the bonus are all HUGE in my book!
2. Walking around the room is great to see what the most important people in the room will be hearing, I also use that time to pray about all the empty seats and the people who will fill them!
3. If you have too much pride to ask another person their opinion, maybe you should let someone else mix! I “know” how it sounded, but if I ask three people and they all say the bass was too loud, who is right? Are we mixing for ourselves or are we servants to the pastor and congregation?
4 and 6. You must know your tools! The best way to learn what the tools do is to use them and try different things regularly. If you don’t know signal flow and how different mics work, keep reading Chris’ posts and ask others to explain it too. It is really important to what we do!
Bonus. I’ve seen guys who don’t touch the console after sound check and I’ve seen guys who never look up from the console to see what’s going on in the room because they are too busy tweaking that they have no connection to the band or room. There is a middle ground. All of us are part Technician and part Artist, we need to strike that balance and know when to lean on both sides. I am Technician in pre-production and sound check and Artist during services. That flow keeps me under a good plan and gives me freedom to connect with the room, band and congregation. Plus, you and three other people may hear you get that little 3k buzz out of the acoustic guitar, but many more will notice if you are too busy tweaking to remember to un-mute the vocals.
The one I’ve been working on is taking another look at how I use the subs. Sub energy can change a room dramatically and though we make it work every week, I feel like I can still learn how to get better sound and relationship between mains and subs. I’ve been starting sound check without subs on and mixing until its good, then add subs. I’ll also listen to just subs and hear what’s going on down there and if its working and in phase.
Great topic again Chris! Happy New Year!
Beau, thanks for the rockin’ response! You said some things better than I did! Also, I really liked your idea of “I am Technician in pre-production and sound check and Artist during services.“
Your Audio Assignments for 2012: Photo provided by cienpies
You need to get out of your normal a… http://t.co/KOydbwGp #behindthemixer