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BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Yearn to Build RelationshipsThe key to a good sound mix is a good relationship with the worship leader and the band. It’s that simple.
Successfully mixing sound on a fundamental level is all about trust. The only way you build trust is through relationships and repeated successful experiences. It’s easy for technically focused people to miss this (or in some cases, avoid this), but it’s a critical part of being successful.
Let me elaborate with one specific example – guitar amplifiers on stage. Almost every contemporary church struggles with stage volume. It’s a known and proven fact – if the stage volume is too loud, the main front of house mix will suffer. So, churches are always trying to solve this problem. The problem is solved with relationships. In this example of guitars, once the sound engineer takes the time to get to know the guitar player(s) and spend time learning why the amplifier is so important, the two begin to develop a trust. You see, a guitarist usually wants the amplifier onstage because it’s a comfort. The artist KNOWS they can control the sound – tonality and volume – if the amplifier is right behind them. This is a trust issue between them and the sound engineer.
As the sound engineer and guitarist start to form a relationship, trust beings to form. The sound engineer starts to know the artist, but through this process, the sound engineer should also be trying to learn more about the artist in relation to playing the instrument. For instance, try asking, “What do you want the instrument to sound like?” You see, it’s not real important what YOU want it to sound like. It’s important that you make it sound like THEY want it to sound like. You can’t do this if you don’t ask (and really care). Remember, being a worship technician is truly about service. You’re providing a service ministry for the pastor, worship pastor and band.
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Experiencing Worship, The Study