Mixing is a chaotic process, at least it looks like it. Watch an audio engineer and they’re jumping all around the mixer. Yet, when you do this, your mix doesn’t come out nearly as good. What gives? The truth is it’s because of one simple fact; they know why they are reaching for a specific ... Read More
There are four ways in which live audio production can sound unprofessional or otherwise detract from the event. Chris details each of these while he battles through the seasonal crud that gives him a voice no one would want to mix. Two of these areas focus on mixing vocals. Resources: The ... Read More
Setting EQ vocals is easy if you know what you're doing. Before I get to the "how" part, let's look at the "why." It's important to know why you are EQ'ing a singer. Vocals are EQ'ed for three primary reasons: to correct problem frequencies to add an effect, like a chipmunk voice, so ... Read More
The first time I did it, I was new to live audio. The pastor's wireless mic went out mid-service and I walked up to swap in a new battery. Talk about killing the mood of the service not to mention distracting the pastor. Since then, I’ve heard stories of pastors and even worship teams interrupted ... Read More
Larry Vanerwegen, the TD at Fairway Park Baptist Church, recently completed a sanctuary renovation project. Being the tech-geek that he is (aren't we all?), he equated it to building a Holodeck from the old Star Trek television show. I hope he was referring to the original show with William ... Read More
"It sounded bad." "I didn't like it." "It normally sounds a lot better." Have you ever heard someone describe live music using those words? There is a 75% change it's not your fault! Working in live sound, I've managed to unintentionally teach my wife how to listen to music. She'll comment on ... Read More
Imagine walking into a new church and starting over. Exciting, scary, but most of all, fun. Thinking back on all I've been through, I've put together four things I would do differently if I walked into a new church to lead audio production. Normally, at this point I'd tell some story that ... Read More
Do you ask the right questions when evaluating your music mix? Find out the questions you need to ask and when you must ask them during your mixing process. You need to evaluate your mix throughout the mix-building process. This isn't to say you aren't doing that as a natural part of the ... Read More
