My Church Gig

 Math teachers and English teachers are completely different.  Ever notice?  Math geeks are driven to discover preeminent facts about the universe.  English geeks love subjectivity, human convention, art, culture, and fashion.  ”2 + 2″ is what it is (and is what it was) but the spelling and pronunciation of the word Colonel is just really odd.  It’s “pocket protectors save me money spent on shirts” vs. “dude, shirt pockets aren’t for putting stuff in – there are way more stylin ways to carry tools.”

In the audio world the difference between Technician and Engineer is pretty much the same.

Technicians are left-brained geniuses who picture signal flow in their sleep, understand electronics and physics, and can troubleshoot a 60 cycle hum in no time flat.  Right-brained engineers are artists who might not be able to troubleshoot their way out of a paper bag but can turn knobs to make bands sound larger than life.  On the perfect tour the technicians set up the gear while the engineer hangs out with the band on the bus.  The engineer mixes the show then drives away with the band while the techs tear down.  Most pro bands bring their own engineers with them for fly-dates and festivals.  It’s that important.

I’m much more an engineer than a technician.  When I say “One Two, Hey Who” into a microphone to tune a monitor wedge I’ll say something like “hey Chris, bring 160 hertz down 5 dB in here.”  It sounds really technical and everyone acts really impressed.  I wish there was a less nerdy way to say “160 hertz down 5dB” because it’s a subjective, artistic call; not a technical correction.  What I’m saying is I think it sounds muddy around a low E and that needs to come down a touch for things to sound balanced.  Everything that can be described as boxy, thuddy, muddy, nasally, hollow, piercing, essy or shimmering has a number; a frequency that sounds to an engineer like art, not science.

Most churches don’t have a mega-pool of talent to go fish in or the budget to hire a good engineer.  Ironically, the wires, knobs, blinking lights, and the really-really-important-but-not-in-front-of-people position attract all sorts of technical types – and a few who lack important people skills.  This can be frustrating for band members and worship leaders because they, on the other hand, are artists.  This disappointment, tension, and conflict are far too common in churches.

I want to throw two things out there today:

If you’re a good musician with a gift for hearing the whole band at once, consider becoming an audio engineer.

I’m not talking about musicians who aren’t cutting it on stage and need something to do.  I mean good musicians who love music as a whole, not just their instrument.  You might just be the best candidate for sound engineer at your church or in your ministry.  It’s a less glamorous job but more important than any other when the band starts playing.  At the end of the day the quality of bass or guitar playing means squat if the mix is off.  Pray about it and be humble enough to give it a shot.  I fell in love with it.  You might too.

If you’re a worship leader and you don’t trust your engineer, step up your game.

I’ve seen a few jazz and blues acts at small clubs where the sound was phenomenal without a sound system or with a small portable system and no engineer.  Seasoned players balance with each other and play with great style.  I know from experience that when a band sounds great the mix mixes itself.  Don’t blame your engineer or technician for your band’s poor performance or lack of ability to blend clearly on stage.  In rooms that seat less than a few hundred it’s entirely possible to achieve great sound with little more than vocals in the mains.  Strive to be that good.

And please, be nice to the pocket protector behind the console.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 6:04 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.