Test Run

This week, we held a mock service at the Fullerton campus. The purpose was to help us get a feel for what to expect when we actually hold our first service next week. We're going to use all portable sound and video equipment in the auditorium, so that means we will need to set up and tear down everything in a timely manner. For most of us, this was the first time that we have ever seen the inside of the Wilshire Auditorium. This was also the first opportunity to meet the people who were interested in joining the production minister, and a number of them have never worked with portable equipment at all. Needless to say, we needed a little practice before we actually started holding services in that room.

The schedule of the night ran as close as possible to the real-time of an actual service. We showed up at 4:00 p.m. and got to meet everyone who showed up. After introducing ourselves and briefly explaining what the production ministry does, Amanda (the other production leader) and I led our volunteers over to the back of the auditorium where there was a U-Haul truck filled with equipment. We unpacked everything from the U-Haul, brought it into the auditorium, and began setting it up. Fortunately, Amanda and I were a little familiar with the equipment because it was the same used at the Shark Club and South County campuses. However, we were not sure how everything was going to be mapped out here, and we were also directing a number of people who weren't familiar with it.

We ended up finishing the entire setup within an hour and a half, which is actually not that bad. But during a normal week, we would need to have everything finished within an hour so that the band will be able to rehearse by 5:00. Through this trial run, though, we were able to map out more clearly what needed to be set up where and in which order. We were also able to fix potential problems before services actually started, such as finding out that one of our speaker cables was too short. All in all, we are ready to take on the inaugural service next week.

Fullerton, Here We Come

These past few months and especially weeks have been filled with anticipation as Rock Harbor is preparing to launch a satellite campus right in the heart of Fullerton. In an effort to reach out and better serve the communities that are already finding their way to Rock Harbor, the church felt a calling to reach out to the "twentysomethings" by moving closer into the communities they're from. Since Fullerton is a very concentrated college town (and it's also close to other colleges such as Biola), we've decided to start holding services every Sunday night at the Wilshire Auditorium on FJC's campus.

This transition will be a milestone not only for the church as a whole but also for me on a very personal level. My role as an intern is about to drastically switch. I was approached a few months in advanced by my mentor Alex about serving as a production leader there. He wanted to form a core group of people help get the production ministry started at Fullerton and felt that I was skilled and able enough to take on that position. After learning about everything from lyrics to sound for almost seven months now, it was finally time for me to step into a leadership role and being to pass along all this experience.

I was both excited and nervous about taking this amazing opportunity. I'm extremely honored to be trusted enough to play a vital role in the launch of this next campus; however, I do have my doubts and fears about directing people. I feel that I have a passive personality and do not easily become assertive when I need to be. So as long as I have people who are patient and respectful - great. If I have to deal with attitude issues, that's when I start losing a little confidence in my leadership abilities. Another concern that I have is that I'm still learning how master some of the equipment. This is different than leading musicians on a worship team. I've had enough experience with worship that I know the ins-and-out of it pretty well. But with production, I've only been involved in it for a little over half a year and now I'm already teaching people how to run the equipment. I know that I'm just sometimes too critical of myself; but whether they're irrational or not, they're still concerns.

As I said before, I am excited to be a part of this opportunity to help expand Rock Harbor's ministry. I know it will also be a good experience for me to grow as a leader and to help reinforce everything I have been learning in my internship thus far. So I would like to end on that note. Yes I'm nervous, but I know there are going to be some great things in store.

Controlled Noise

Rock Harbor is loud, but it's supposed to be loud. They like it that way. When I first began audio training in my internship, I had to learn how to embrace volume. From my personal experiences and those of other musician friends I have, this philosophy is definitely not normal for most churches. In fact, a lot of churches interpret volume as a threat and something that needs to be closely monitored and limited. One of the unique advantages I've had by learning audio at Rock Harbor is that I have been constantly pushed to test my reservations about church volume levels and even surpass those limitations. Instead of receiving comments like "The drum set is too loud," I would often hear comments more along the lines of "Try bringing up the acoustic and electric guitars to match the rest of the band." It was honestly a strange process for me because I had been so used to hearing volume critiques in relation to instruments being too loud.

Only recently have I become comfortable with having this kind of mentality when mixing. It's ok to have things loud. It's ok to feel the kick of the drum set in your gut, the rumble of the bass guitar under your feet, and the whaling of the electric guitar in your chest...as long as you're respectful and tasteful in how you create your mix. The audio team at Rock Harbor places a strong emphasis on creating a well-crafted "sonic landscape": the idea that every instrument in the band fits into an appropriate "pocket" in relation to the entire mix. This helps in creating a well-rounded overall sound.

Another important aspect of the sonic landscape, however, is the understanding of "good loud" vs. "bad loud." This philosophy states that it's ok to have a loud mix as long as it is still pleasing to the ear. "Good loud" relies heavily on the appropriate volume and EQ of each instrument. Sometimes instruments are EQ'd in a way that they are fighting to fill the same spaces on the sonic spectrum. As a result, clarity is lost and volume levels will sound loud and/or muddy. Other times an instrument may be simply too loud in the mix and "stick out" sorely among the other instruments. As a result, this can give the false impression that the entire mix is too loud.

Currently in my development as an audio mixer, I've been learning how to reach that level of "good loud" and make the right corrections when it isn't. And what I've learned so far is that this skill develops slowly and requires a lot of room for trial and error. I have thoroughly overcome my timidness of mixing quietly, but now I am learning how to mix loudly and artistically. It is an ongoing process that requires a lot of room for trial and error. The last few times I have mixed (including last night), I found myself struggling to create the wall of noise into a well-rounded sonic landscape all throughout sound check, sometimes even through the services. But after each experience I understand a little more than I did before about what I need to pay attention to in a mix and how to achieve certain "good" sound qualities.

And so it will continue, hopefully for many year to come. But for now, I am happy with knowing what it should sound like and learning how to reach that point.