Audio is the most debated topic in worship production for good reason: it is the most important technical asset in support of a church's worship experience. Worshippers (whether live or online) will forgive almost any technical issue except poor sound quality. So if you get a lot of complaints about sound volume, vocal intelligibility, inability to hear certain instruments, etc., make it your #1 priority to get it fixed. Here are some critical tips for making it happen:
Start with an expert. Engage someone with significant experience in live sound mixing to conduct training for the team. The same basic skills apply to broadcast mixing, but focus on the live audio first.
View the sound console as a musical instrument. Sound technicians should learn to "play" the console along with the band. While many technicians have a “set and forget” approach to mixing, the best sound requires constant modification and tweaking at the console to accommodate the typical dynamic changes across and within different songs. Some common examples are changing vocalist volumes to keep the melody forward in the mix and temporarily increasing the volume of a featured instrument during an interlude.
Master a simple configuration before adding complexity. For a contemporary band, start with one or two vocals, keys, acoustic guitar, and a cajon. Once this sounds good, add a bass guitar, electric guitar, and, if desired, replace the cajon with a full drum kit.
Insist on in-ear monitors. In-ear monitors greatly simplify live sound mixing by eliminating unwanted stage sound. Inexperienced vocalists will resist them at first, but their vocal quality will improve once they grow accustomed to them. Almost every non-classical professional musician now uses in-ear monitors in concert.
Isolate the sound of all loud instruments and amplifiers. In most church auditoriums, drum kits are nearly impossible to mix for worship without a full isolation cage. If your church cannot afford the cage, use a cajon instead. Similarly, all amplifiers should be mic'd inside an isolation cabinet. Trying to modify a mix to accommodate stage sound is a losing battle for most churches - in most cases it simply drives the overall volume to unsafe levels and still doesn't sound good.
Separate the live mix from the broadcast mix. In most cases, one or the other will suffer if you don’t separate them. If this is not possible, prioritize the live mix.
Manage the sound volume to safe levels. Decibel levels in the mid-to-high 80s with occasional spikes in the 90s will be sufficient headroom for any style of music. Sustained volume of a little as 90 decibels can cause hearing damage after only 2 hours according to the CDC. See my other post on this topic for additional detail.
Beyond these key tips, there is a world of expertise to be gained in the science of audio mixing, but not every church needs to have the expertise of a Bethel or Elevation to produce a "good enough" mix. They just need to recognize its importance and make it a priority.
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