1. Send a letter. Before bands or musicians come to your church, confirm the date by letter. For big-name performers, send the letter six to eight months in advance; for smaller acts, send the letter about a month ahead of time. Follow up with a fax or call a couple of weeks before the performance to confirm details. 

Start the letter by introducing yourself as a member of the sound crew at church, and tell them that you're looking forward to their performance. Then explain what you expect from them in terms of sound checks and lighting cues plus anything else that will contribute to a quality program with seamless transitions. Suggest a time for a mini-rehearsal shortly after their arrival and well before the performance. 

Next, offer a list of all the equipment your church uses. Tell the performers exactly what kinds of consoles, speakers, monitors, amplifiers, and other equipment you use. Professionals often work with a console such as the Yamaha PM 4000 with 44 inputs and a monitor mixer with 15 to 18 mixes. If your church doesn't have that much equipment, don't worry about it, just be up front with musicians about your limitations.

2. Make sure you're ready. In your letter, include an inventory of what types of lighting, video, and staging facilities you have. A typical church has stage lighting that is independent from sanctuary lights, for instance. Provide information on the seating capacity and shape of your auditorium as well as the size of your platform or stage. Is the stage area a 40-by-70-foot rectangle or is it fan-shaped with a sloping floor? 

A band or large group of performers needs to know how many monitor mixes you have, since they are probably used to working with more than one. Many drummers like to feel the kick and hear the bass while hearing little else. They may need a bass-heavy mix requiring large monitors. 
By contrast, lead vocalists and guitar players may need only a single 12-inch monitor, because they want to hear themselves and other musicians. Sometimes the lead vocalist needs two monitor mixes, one for his or her voice and one band mix. 

3. Ask what you can do. Just as visiting musicians need to be prepared to work with you, you should prepare to work with them. In your initial letter to visiting performers, encourage them to call or fax you with their sound, lighting, and staging requirements. Ask them to tell you what kinds of equipment they normally use. Preparation will add professionalism to the relationship and ease the performers' fears. 
Your letter should not be all business. Tell the performers about good restaurants in your area. Give them logistical information-maps, directions, and details about where you'll meet them-that will make them feel at ease. People cannot perform well if their minds are on something else. 

Performers often tell me how much they appreciate receiving advance letters. Letters can be a warm-up to a good performance, which, in turn, leads to repeat performances. And good performances can add to your credibility when you ask your deacons, treasurer, or pastor for new sound equipment. 

4. Make sure everything works. When the performers finally arrive, anywhere from an hour to several hours before a performance, make sure they have someone to oversee their product table

Prior to setup time, you should have positioned mikes, cables, and stands. Make sure none of that creates a safety hazard in front of the platform or in the middle of it. During the sound checks, problems invariably arise. Adjustments can be made at this time. For example, if a buzz begins emanating from an unknown source, it's often due to a mis-patched or faulty cable. If you're using a wireless system and there's lots of interference, try switching frequencies or using a wired mike. Some visiting performers may want to use their own monitors or other equipment to get the sound they want. 

5. Stand up to criticism. After a proper sound check and corresponding adjustments, everything should be ready for a great performance. But what should you do if someone still finds fault with you or the sound quality? 

Express concern, then ask for specifics. Usually sound people know when they've messed up and why, but not always. Getting specifics is essential because you can't fix something if you don't know what's broken. If your critic knows a lot about sound, ask him or her what should have been done. Such insights can be valuable. 

Making performers and their audience comfortable is your highest priority as a sound crew. You must see yourselves as servants, modeling the example of Christ. Nothing could be more professional.