99. Vision For The Mix

Key takeaways

Establish a clear vision for audio mixing that considers the congregation's unique preferences and emotional tone.
Know your audience and the context of each event to make informed decisions about sound mixing.
Encourage open communication among team members to align on mixing strategies and performance expectations.
Handle feedback with grace, focusing on understanding and redirecting complaints constructively.
Develop a collective vision for worship sound that includes all stakeholders involved in the service.

Summary

Understanding Vision for the Mix

In this episode, James and Gary dive into the concept of having a clear vision for the audio mix in church settings. They discuss the importance of creating a feeling for worshippers that goes beyond mere sound levels. The hosts emphasize that each congregation has different preferences and needs, which affects how sound should be tailored to fit their environment. They highlight that knowing your audience and understanding the dynamics at play is crucial to success in mixing.

Situational Audio Mixing

James and Gary explore how the context of each service influences audio mixing decisions. They share personal anecdotes about understanding when to adjust sound levels based on the event's atmosphere, recalling experiences where sound mixing did not align with the service's emotional tone. The conversation reinforces the idea that good sound mixing is subjective and situational, emphasizing that sound engineers must not only listen to the technical aspects but also the social environment.

The Role of Communication in Mixing

A major theme of the podcast focuses on the importance of open communication among all team members, from sound techs to worship leaders. James and Gary recommend initiating conversations about sound and mixing strategies and aligning on goals and expectations to ensure a cohesive worship experience. They stress the value of using common language when discussing sound levels and emotions associated with the music to avoid misunderstandings.

Navigating Complaints and Feedback

James and Gary provide insights on handling feedback from congregants about sound levels during services. They emphasize the need for sound techs to understand the dynamics of the congregation and engage with leadership to preprocess feedback proactively. The hosts share strategies to redirect complaints constructively, ensuring that issues can be addressed without disrupting the flow of the service.

Building a Common Vision

This section revolves around the collective vision that should guide sound technicians, worship leaders, and the overall leadership team. The discussion highlights the necessity of documenting and clarifying the church's goals for sound and worship. James suggests meeting with team members to cultivate that vision collaboratively, reinforcing that every participant's input is vital to achieving a successful worship experience.

Show notes

In Episode 99, James and Gary take a step back and discuss how to find and implement an overall vision for a mix. Vision isn’t always about loudness, it’s more about feel: how do we want people to receive the message and how do we match the overall tone of the service? It can vary depending on the day so it’s important before touching faders to think about the type of service, song selections, worship leaders insight, and the overall environment and message being shared. The Church Sound Podcast is sponsored by DiGiCo and Electro-Voice.

Check out co-host James Attaway’s new worship audio academy at www.attawayaudio.com/academy, and also visit our new Instagram page @churchsoundpodcast.

James is also the author of the Live Mixing Field Guide, a quick-start guide to EQ, compression and effects. Find more from James on the Attaway Audio YouTube Channel and at AttawayAudio.com. Reach him on IG @attawayaudio or contact him via email here.

Co-host Gary Zandstra has worked in church production as an AV systems integrator and as a manufacturer’s rep for more than 35 years.

Co-host Samantha Potter is also co-lead instructor with Church Sound University — a training program tailored specifically for worship audio techs that’s now also available online. Reach her via LinkedIn, on IG @potteraudio, or contact her via email here email.