Equalization / Mixing

Aug
26

How to Help a Struggling Band Member In One Step

Comments: 1 + Tags: Equalization / Mixing, help, worship team

 Setting monitor levels during practice is crucial to the success of the band.  A problem that can present itself, once the congregation starts singing along, is that the monitor levels needs adjusting.  I've seen this at professional concerts where the musician jumps up a few times or gives a thumbs up or down signal to the sound tech.  In the church arena, the less experienced musicians are focused more on playing correctly than having the right monitor levels.  And it's easy to tell when their monitor levels are off; they sound bad. more »

Aug
13

What Guitarists Hear Us Say

Comments: 0 + Tags: Equalization / Mixing, guitar, relationships

Karl runs a great electric guitar blog.  The blog is filled with effects pedal reviews and ramblings of the "this amp is better" variety.  He's also a huge U2 fan and he's funny.  The best part about reading his blog is a sound tech can understand how insulting we sound when we say "I'll set your EQ up here." more »

Aug
02

How Would You Respond?

Comments: 0 + Tags: Equalization / Mixing, band, communication, feedback

The worship leader asked me a very good question after the practice;
"How did we sound?"

Simple question, right?  At first thought, perhaps, but in truth, there are a lot of layers. more »

Apr
21

Lend Me Your Ears - When More Is Better

Comments: 1 + Tags: Equalization / Mixing, acappella, learning, mix

 Friday night, I used three pair of ears.  I'm not talking about earbuds or anything electronic in nature.  I'm talking about real human-tissue ears.  And therein was the key to my success. more »

Mar
16

What We Can All Learn From One Reader's Unique Method of Setting Gain Structure

Comments: 0 + Tags: Equalization / Mixing, experiment, gain

There is more than one way to skin a cat, to mic a snare drum, and to set levels.  Thomas sent me an email which outlines his method for setting gain structure.  He started by doing something very simple - he questioned his own methods. more »

Dec
09

Why More Channels Equal More Volume

Comments: 0 + Tags: Equalization / Mixing, decibel, mixing, technical, volume

Often, you will see the line "when turning on three channels, the total output volume increases."  There is science in them thar words!

The first thing you must understand is how sound volumes are added.  more »

Nov
16

Walk The Room, Don't Walk The Line

Comments: 1 + Tags: Equalization / Mixing, inverse square law, technical, walk the room

Failure comes when we forget the fundamentals, be it basketball, chess, or live sound production. 

Here's the typical situation a sound tech encounters on a Sunday morning... more »

Aug
28

Using Reverb On Vocals

Comments: 5 + Tags: Equalization / Mixing, eq, reverb, technical, vocals

I was discussing reverb on vocals with a local musician whose mastered a few of his bands CD's.  He said that another musician told him the amount of reverb changes with the times.  "Sometimes, popular music uses a lot of reverb.  But today, very little is used."  If you apply it to a genre like pop or CCM, I might see a little of that.  It does seem the farther apart the years, the easier to see the difference.  The topic I see that needs to be raised is "how much reverb should I use in church worship songs here in 2009?" more »

May
05

Sonic Space : Not The Final Frontier.

Comments: 0 + Tags: Equalization / Mixing, frequency, mixing, sonic space, technical

Sonic space is the frequency range that an instrument or a vocal sound takes up when it is played.  That's the short definition but it's like saying paint is red or green in color without talking at all about what happens when you paint one color over another when the paints are still wet. more »

Mar
11

What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

Comments: 1 + Tags: Equalization / Mixing, eq, frequency

A long time ago, there was a painter on television named Bob Ross.  "Let's paint some happy little trees," I would hear him say.  He could paint mountains, trees, and streams in just minutes.  He was able to paint landscapes very well because he knew what trees looked like up close and from afar.  When I mix a live song, I'm painting a landscape picture like Bob...but with sound.  The more familiar I am with musical instruments and sound frequencies (the individual trees and bushes), the more beautiful a painting I can create. more »

Wedding Contract

Download the free wedding contract template for audio and video production.  Easy to understand and easy to modify.

Newsletter Template

Create your own church audio newsletter for your team with this simple newsletter template. (View it in Print layout format within Word)

Team Organization

Download these team documents for tracking your existing team as well as recruiting new team members.

Inventory List

Track all your audio equipment with this excel sheet.  Great way to see what you have and keep for insurance purposes.