Top 10 Ways I've Messed Up Behind The Mixer
Top 10 Ways I've Messed Up Behind The Mixer
1. Hyper-focusing on a problem with one piece of equipment and forgetting I was ALSO running FOH.
2. Talking with the video person either because they were having programs or we were laughing about something. I'm claiming the former.
3. Forgetting to bring up the subgroup volume first. Oh right, like I'm the only one who’s ever done that.
4. Pushing a lav mic too far and getting feedback. Hey, I couldn't see that the pastor decided that Sunday morning to clip the lav mic by his belly button. "Belly button to ground control...we have lint."
5. Providing poor initial volume levels for singers during the service because I had the insane notion that the level at which they sing during practice and where they hold the microphone would be the same as during the service. That was a rookie mistake. :(
6. Forgetting to turn on a wireless receiver. Then, spending 30 seconds looking at the board settings until looking at the receiver.
7. Forgetting to record the sermon...on the day that someone comes up immediately after the service asking for a copy.
Tech work is more than just being behind the mixer. Therefore, I give you these last three.
8. Assuming I could set up the stage for the band in 10 minutes when it really takes 20 minutes. Some stuff you just can't do faster even though you have more experience.
9. Forgetting to order new blank CD's and having to use blank tapes as plan B. Oh, I can't believe it that reminds me I have to do that this week.
10. Forgetting to turn on the powered monitors and wondering why they weren't working. Nothing like seeing a singer on stage put their head right up to the monitor and saying "I don't hear anything" and realizing it's because I had a brain lapse.
How Have You Messed Up During A Service?
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Two mistakes I have made that jumped out at me right away.
1. Ok. So I used the CD recorder to make a copy of a CD which requires me to switch to digital input. The live sermon is recorded in analog. My backup and I are standing in the booth, while the sermon is being preached, wasting CD after CD recording nothing until I realize I never switched it back to analog mode. Talk about looking bad in front of the hired help! :-/
2. One particular morning when I felt particularly rebellious a singer, of somewhat questionable talent, SCREAMED into the microphone that he could not hear himself. He had apparently had a stressful morning himself. Not caring about this myself I definitely made sure he, and everyone else in the sanctuary at the time, heard himself loud and clear on the next song. Needless to say my helping him "hear better" was not appreciated. I repented, as did he. We laugh about it now...I think.
A couple years ago I make a mistake that I will never make again.
It was during the sermon. I had just started into the sound business. I wanted to see what the pastor's mic sounded like- you know, what other noises it might be picking up. Noob- I wanted to learn! I put the headphones on and pressed what I thought was the PFL button. It was not PFL. It was mute. (We have a Behringer mixer, they're right next to each other.) I thought to myself "huh, that's weird. I can't hear anything." Then I look up from the board to see Pastor looking at me. I figured it out pretty quick!
We used to have a Makie with the large MUTE button for each channel and then upgraded to a Yamaha with an ON button for eah channel. So the old board, lit light equalled OFF and new board, lit light equals ON. I messed that up on more than one occasion.