It's a Sunday evening. It's cold. It's dark. I pull into a parking spot in the church parking lot in my Saturn and I just sit there. I'm wondering if even 20 people will show up for the hour-long worship service. But tonight, I'm the sound guy and ... Read More
Are You Ready for a Thriving (Production) Ministry Life?
[Gurus 2013 in Review: Lincoln Brewster] I'll admit I had mixed feelings when Lincoln Brewster took to the stage. If mass media + musicians has taught me anything, it's that I'd rather hear them sing than air their opinions. Lincoln is definitely an exception. It might be that he's wiser than ... Read More
Are You Blinding the Congregation with Your Mix? (Escaping Personal Mix Bias)
My eyes felt like they were as big as dinner plates and any sunlight was blinding. Welcome to having an eye exam. During the exam, your optometrist will insert eyes drops that widen each pupil to the size of a grapefruit. This enables them to check the back of your eyes for signs of diseases and ... Read More
10 Things No One Tells You About Church Audio. One of Them Still Drives Me Crazy.
Once the initial excitement of working in audio production wears off, it leaves one with a few unfortunate realizations. I'm not saying audio work stops being fun. I've been doing this for a long time and I still have fun. I only wish someone would have cracked open the secret envelop and let me ... Read More
Don’t Blame Your Singers. It’s Your Fault.
Have we been looking at it all wrong? We see vocal microphones as the determining factor in sound quality. Truthfully, the factor is largely YOUR work but before we get to that, let’s turn to Bing Crosby. During World War II, he was the #1 American movie actor, the #1 global recording artist, ... Read More
What an Enormous Pile of Potatoes Taught Me about Teamwork
My friend Paul passed away the day before Thanksgiving this year. He taught me the best lessons about teamwork. Paul and his family would invite friends and family to their home each year for Thanksgiving dinner. But there was one requirement... You must first know Paul and his wife have ... Read More
Tech Gossip: What Others Hear You Say
The topic of gossip isn't one you'd expect to see on a church audio blog. Then again, it's not one I expected to write. Back in December, I was sitting in a coffee shop and reflecting on the different churches where I'd been involved in audio production. I remembered the struggles I'd had with ... Read More
Avoiding Audio Ministry Burnout: Keeping Up Your Energy and Excitement in 2013
This year, I'm starting off with two heart-issue blog posts. Last week, I covered participating in worship outside of the sound booth. You can't give your heart, mind, and spirit over 100% when you are in the sound booth. Today, I'm talking about audio ministry burnout. Burnout either has ... Read More