This past week, I've gotten time to mix behind the board much more than I am usually able to. The church held their monthly mid-week worship gathering this Wednesday night. I was once again allowed to "take the driver's seat" and mix while a designated sound man watch over me near by. The ride turned out to bit a little bumpier than usual throughout the entire night. The bass player's signal was cutting in and out throughout rehearsal. I thought I had successfully troubleshooted the problem, but when the band began to play for the service the bass had completely dropped out again. Corey, the designated sound man, eventually took control of the board while I tried to troubleshoot the problem mid-service. It was very awkward trying to change out the cable, DI box, and eventually the bass itself while the pastor was speaking. We eventually recovered a signal, but because we switched instruments the EQ had changed. Now Corey and I had to EQ the bass mix while the band was performing. This turned out to be one of the more unpleasant sound experiences to say the least.
Apart from the bass fiasco, I also realized that a few distinct areas in my mixing abilities needed to be improved on. I have consistently been getting feedback by the sound men that my vocal mix always seems to be a bit too "buried" in the mix. Either I'm not pushing the vocals loud enough or another instrument in the mix is overpowering them. I also have struggled recently with understanding how to use the delay effect correctly on vocals. I tend to overemphasize the delay and use it too often. Unfortunately, both of these skills must be developed over time by careful listening and cannot be acquired overnight.
Finally, I have also been somewhat confused and frustrated by the differing mixing styles I have been taught by each sound man. There are three sound men who are certified teachers, and I have had the great opportunity to work alongside them each individually. However, I feel that sometimes the feedback they give me contradict each other's methods. One sound man says that it's better to mute the channels this way while the other says that way is how everyone should be doing it. I understand that they mix the same way with a few stylistic preferences of their own; but it's more difficult for me to learn with one format because of the particular styles of each.
Overall, I learned A LOT about mixing this week although the week proved to be more difficult to handle than others.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Other Side of the Stage
A while back, I had the opportunity to audition for Rockharbor's worship team. Every year around September, the church begins a new cycle of using a new rotation of people for their volunteer positions. Mostly every commitment lasts for a full year before the cycle begins again. I was privileged enough to make onto Rockharbor's worship ministry as the bass player for one of their three Sunday night teams, and yesterday was my first week up.
The band doesn't begin sound check till around 5:30, so I still had a few hours beforehand to do my normal internship responsibilities (i.e. podcast, DVD and CD archives, etc.). I moved away from my work when the band and sound man started arriving. 5:30 came, and we began the process of our sound check. It was a very different experience going through this process while being the musician on stage. I had been so familiar with this process from standing behind the sound booth, but now I was the one being mixed into the house speakers.
The strangest part of the night was definitely how my perception of the mix sounded from stage. All of the house speakers (including the eight giant sub-woofers) are positioned so that they are in front of the stage. So from where I was standing, I could hear barely any of the house mix. I had to completely rely on what I was hearing in my monitor - and in this case monitor mixes are not EQ'd like the house. I could only hope that the sound man was putting together a good mix. Now, knowing how the sound men at Rockharbor mix, I knew that they were doing a good job; but this experience made me realize how much faith the musicians on stage put into the sound man. I just had to trust that he knew what he was doing and agree that any suggestions he might make were to the benefit of the overall mix. On the other side, when I'm mixing, I really need to know what I am doing and be able to ensure the musicians that I can be trusted as a mixer.
Aside from my sound-related observations and experiences, this night held a lot of meaning for me. I remember visiting Rockharbor for the first time three years ago and being blown away by their music. This church has been blessed with many gifted people in many different ways, but there is no doubt that one of the most prominent gifts is in worship through music. Rockharbor has recognized and joyfully utilized this gift, having music play a major role in every service. As a Christian and musician, I am always grateful to be able to offer the fruits of this God-given talent for the sake of His glory; and I specifically try to make an effort to implement that at wherever I consider to be my home church at the time. Rockharbor holds a slew of gifted musicians, and the worship ministry is one of the most sought-after volunteer positions in the church. Still, whether by God's favor or simply by His blessing, I became one of the two new bass players this year (out of around 70 auditions, 6 of them bass); and I am extremely thankful for that.
The band doesn't begin sound check till around 5:30, so I still had a few hours beforehand to do my normal internship responsibilities (i.e. podcast, DVD and CD archives, etc.). I moved away from my work when the band and sound man started arriving. 5:30 came, and we began the process of our sound check. It was a very different experience going through this process while being the musician on stage. I had been so familiar with this process from standing behind the sound booth, but now I was the one being mixed into the house speakers.
The strangest part of the night was definitely how my perception of the mix sounded from stage. All of the house speakers (including the eight giant sub-woofers) are positioned so that they are in front of the stage. So from where I was standing, I could hear barely any of the house mix. I had to completely rely on what I was hearing in my monitor - and in this case monitor mixes are not EQ'd like the house. I could only hope that the sound man was putting together a good mix. Now, knowing how the sound men at Rockharbor mix, I knew that they were doing a good job; but this experience made me realize how much faith the musicians on stage put into the sound man. I just had to trust that he knew what he was doing and agree that any suggestions he might make were to the benefit of the overall mix. On the other side, when I'm mixing, I really need to know what I am doing and be able to ensure the musicians that I can be trusted as a mixer.
Aside from my sound-related observations and experiences, this night held a lot of meaning for me. I remember visiting Rockharbor for the first time three years ago and being blown away by their music. This church has been blessed with many gifted people in many different ways, but there is no doubt that one of the most prominent gifts is in worship through music. Rockharbor has recognized and joyfully utilized this gift, having music play a major role in every service. As a Christian and musician, I am always grateful to be able to offer the fruits of this God-given talent for the sake of His glory; and I specifically try to make an effort to implement that at wherever I consider to be my home church at the time. Rockharbor holds a slew of gifted musicians, and the worship ministry is one of the most sought-after volunteer positions in the church. Still, whether by God's favor or simply by His blessing, I became one of the two new bass players this year (out of around 70 auditions, 6 of them bass); and I am extremely thankful for that.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Flying Solo
This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to mix in the main sanctuary (or "Centre") for the first time on my own. Since the beginning of my internship, I have been learning how sound works and developing an ear for artistically creating a good mix. I spent many weeks in the broadcast room with my personal soundboard getting to know how EQ's work, how to set the correct gain level, how to use the compressors, and how to get even volumes between the instruments. There were also a few times when I was able to try mixing at the main board alongside one of the main sound men.
Finally, this week I was given my first opportunity to take everything that I had learned and really apply it. I was in charge of running the sound from the beginning of sound check all the way to the end of the last service. One of the regular sound men was there the entire night to lend a hand in case I needed help and to critique my mixing.
Overall, the night went very smoothly. no major problems aroused, and I felt pretty confident in what I was doing. The worship team that night was comprised of musicians from Rockharbor's high school and Jr. high ministries, so the nervousness of mixing for adult players was eased. I did experience a few problems during sound check, however. Up to this point, I had learned set my EQ and compression levels based on what I was hearing from the broadcast room speakers. The Centre is a much larger room and contains a different acoustic dynamic, so the levels I was accustomed to setting needed to be slightly adjusted. I was having a difficult time getting a good vocal mix without having the microphone feed back. After a few attempts at adjusting the EQ, my sound supervisor Jared suggested that I had my compression level too high. After bringing down the compression level, I had no more problems with the vocals.
I faced only two more difficulties throughout the night. One was that I sometimes did not make the vocals loud enough to hear over the band. Now, this task is trickier than it seems because of style Rockharbor likes to have their music. Every instrument should be at equal volume with the vocals resting above the mix slightly enough to be heard clearly. They should never be too loud nor quiet. Because the dynamics and volume levels of the songs constantly fluctuate, the sound man must always pay close attention the vocal levels and adjust them to match the band. My main problem was that many times my vocal levels laid slightly below the mix when I should have pushed it above the mix. This sensitivity comes with practice and a continual development of the ear.
The second problem I encountered was my not having enough control over vocal delays. All vocal channels are linked to an auxiliary channel that runs through an effects rack with a delay setting. Therefore, depending on how high one pushes this auxiliary fader, he can increase or decrease the volume/presence of the delay effect. At Rockharbor, the delay is primarily used to "fill in" the vocals - especially when long vowels are sung. The trick here is that the delay must never be too noticeable. The sound man must be quick to pull up and down the delay fader within phrases. Once again, this is another sensitive skill that can be developed with experience.
Overall, I was extremely excited and blessed to be such a crucial part of the service. I love music, and I feel that mixing has become another extension of that love God has given me. Rockharbor has an amazing quality sound system, and the church takes the power of music very seriously. Although learning how to mix artistically has been a challenging and long process, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to develop my skill at such a high standard (especially compared to most other churches). I strongly believe that if I am going to offer in worship the gifts God has given me, I want to be able to offer the best I can give.
Finally, this week I was given my first opportunity to take everything that I had learned and really apply it. I was in charge of running the sound from the beginning of sound check all the way to the end of the last service. One of the regular sound men was there the entire night to lend a hand in case I needed help and to critique my mixing.
Overall, the night went very smoothly. no major problems aroused, and I felt pretty confident in what I was doing. The worship team that night was comprised of musicians from Rockharbor's high school and Jr. high ministries, so the nervousness of mixing for adult players was eased. I did experience a few problems during sound check, however. Up to this point, I had learned set my EQ and compression levels based on what I was hearing from the broadcast room speakers. The Centre is a much larger room and contains a different acoustic dynamic, so the levels I was accustomed to setting needed to be slightly adjusted. I was having a difficult time getting a good vocal mix without having the microphone feed back. After a few attempts at adjusting the EQ, my sound supervisor Jared suggested that I had my compression level too high. After bringing down the compression level, I had no more problems with the vocals.
I faced only two more difficulties throughout the night. One was that I sometimes did not make the vocals loud enough to hear over the band. Now, this task is trickier than it seems because of style Rockharbor likes to have their music. Every instrument should be at equal volume with the vocals resting above the mix slightly enough to be heard clearly. They should never be too loud nor quiet. Because the dynamics and volume levels of the songs constantly fluctuate, the sound man must always pay close attention the vocal levels and adjust them to match the band. My main problem was that many times my vocal levels laid slightly below the mix when I should have pushed it above the mix. This sensitivity comes with practice and a continual development of the ear.
The second problem I encountered was my not having enough control over vocal delays. All vocal channels are linked to an auxiliary channel that runs through an effects rack with a delay setting. Therefore, depending on how high one pushes this auxiliary fader, he can increase or decrease the volume/presence of the delay effect. At Rockharbor, the delay is primarily used to "fill in" the vocals - especially when long vowels are sung. The trick here is that the delay must never be too noticeable. The sound man must be quick to pull up and down the delay fader within phrases. Once again, this is another sensitive skill that can be developed with experience.
Overall, I was extremely excited and blessed to be such a crucial part of the service. I love music, and I feel that mixing has become another extension of that love God has given me. Rockharbor has an amazing quality sound system, and the church takes the power of music very seriously. Although learning how to mix artistically has been a challenging and long process, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to develop my skill at such a high standard (especially compared to most other churches). I strongly believe that if I am going to offer in worship the gifts God has given me, I want to be able to offer the best I can give.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Lights, Camera, Action!
This past Sunday, I was put in charge of running the lights for the 7 and 9 p.m. services. At the beginning of my internship, I was briefly introduced to this position but have had no experience with it since then (since my emphasis is more focused on audio). However, I wanted to know how the lighting system worked and gain some experience form this opportunity.
The job of the "lighting" guy is actually a three-fold responsibility. This person is not only in charge of light cues but is also responsible for running the video switchers and a timer. The video switcher controls what is shown on every TV screen outside the main sanctuary. Depending on which preset button is pressed, the TV's receive either a live camera or computer slides. The timer is used to help keep track of how long sermons and worship sets should run (or how long they run over the ideal time limit). It is up to the lighting person to set it at the beginning of each sermon and the worship set following it.
The lighting system itself was extremely user-friendly and easy to understand. All lights in the room are stationary, and the color schemes only change when a new overall theme takes place in the church. Also, for each week, lighting cues are preset to follow the flow of that week's service. In the end, the only responsibility I had as far as the lights were concerned was to press the "GO" button for cue changes at the right times.
Although this position may seem simple, it actually requires a bit of multitasking. Most of the time punching in the light cues, setting the timer, and changing the video switcher all happened simultaneously. For this reason, I had to anticipate the flow of the service and remember everything that I needed to do at each point. I also forgot to mention that throughout the entire service, I had to keep a log of what times each section of the service started. This simply served to record the flow of each service and check to see if they're finishing on time (or reasonably on time).
I believe that this aspect of the production ministry serves a valid and justifiable purpose in church ministry. There have been many debates recently about whether churches are too production-oriented and whether certain elements of production are even necessary for ministry. In the case of Rockharbor's ministry, I feel that they do a really good job at using these elements to facilitate the core of their ministry. Now, their ministry wouldn't be any less effective if the production ministry did not exist; however, the role that it plays is always in support to the ministry - never becoming a distraction or taking precedence over worship and teaching. For this reason, I appreciate all the care that is taken into running a ministry that supports the body of Christ as a whole through the use of technology.
The job of the "lighting" guy is actually a three-fold responsibility. This person is not only in charge of light cues but is also responsible for running the video switchers and a timer. The video switcher controls what is shown on every TV screen outside the main sanctuary. Depending on which preset button is pressed, the TV's receive either a live camera or computer slides. The timer is used to help keep track of how long sermons and worship sets should run (or how long they run over the ideal time limit). It is up to the lighting person to set it at the beginning of each sermon and the worship set following it.
The lighting system itself was extremely user-friendly and easy to understand. All lights in the room are stationary, and the color schemes only change when a new overall theme takes place in the church. Also, for each week, lighting cues are preset to follow the flow of that week's service. In the end, the only responsibility I had as far as the lights were concerned was to press the "GO" button for cue changes at the right times.
Although this position may seem simple, it actually requires a bit of multitasking. Most of the time punching in the light cues, setting the timer, and changing the video switcher all happened simultaneously. For this reason, I had to anticipate the flow of the service and remember everything that I needed to do at each point. I also forgot to mention that throughout the entire service, I had to keep a log of what times each section of the service started. This simply served to record the flow of each service and check to see if they're finishing on time (or reasonably on time).
I believe that this aspect of the production ministry serves a valid and justifiable purpose in church ministry. There have been many debates recently about whether churches are too production-oriented and whether certain elements of production are even necessary for ministry. In the case of Rockharbor's ministry, I feel that they do a really good job at using these elements to facilitate the core of their ministry. Now, their ministry wouldn't be any less effective if the production ministry did not exist; however, the role that it plays is always in support to the ministry - never becoming a distraction or taking precedence over worship and teaching. For this reason, I appreciate all the care that is taken into running a ministry that supports the body of Christ as a whole through the use of technology.
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