The sound tech should try really hard to come half way and start listening to music, and learning more about how to mix music then just how to make sure that everything is running properly and efficiently. And the worship leader should maybe take a week off and run the sound for a Sunday so he can learn how everything is hooked up. It’ll give him a much better understanding of what the sound guy goes through, and how to not cause the sound techs problems by hooking something up wrong. I try and do this every few months…..it just really gives you an appreciation for how incredibly difficult running sound really is.
Top Tech Advice – Worship Leaders
Gerry Leslie – Q:What mistakes do you see sound operators make when it comes to EQ’s and mixing guitars?
A: With acoustic guitars, over mixing the highs to the point where they’re shrill. With a full band playing at once, this isn’t as noticeable, but once an acoustic player is out front all alone, shrill tone is like fingernails on a chalkboard. Interestingly this is a problem I’ve even seen with notable Christian artists in concert.
With electrics, the problems I notice are not finding the right levels, (too cranked or too soft) or having too much of the low-mid/low frequencies that make the overall sound extremely muddy. I absolutely love sound guys that understand how an electric guitar works, and can communicate what changes need to be made to get the sound quality as good as possible considering the environment being played in.
This article on worship tech director advice originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
