WORSHIP PRODUCTION
[ PREVENTING 5 CLASSIC WORSHIP & TECH TEAM FAILS, EPISODE 4 | Doug Doppler ]
Midweek rehearsals are one of the most teams via PlanningCenterOnline.com (PCO), what actually makes a great mix, be it live or
valuable and frequently underutilized vehicles or an email linking to an online resource like after the fact. If you’re not using a digital mixer,
for worship and tech teams alike. For worship Dropbox. This gives everyone a chance to using an app like VoiceMemos on an iPhone
teams, making the most of this time can really review their parts and performances before set up at the board is a convenient alternative
propel a team forward. They also offer a great Sunday rolls around. It also serves as a great for capturing what is actually happening in
opportunity for raising the bar on production, rehearsal vehicle since the songs will be the key the room
with the added benefit of being a pressure- and order in which they’ll be played on Sunday. free time for raising up the next generation of If there are sections where the worship leader FAIL #4
production techs. Here are some tips on how will be addressing the congregation it is a NOT MAKING THE MOST OF RUN-THROUGH MIXES
you can make the most of mid-week rehearsals good idea to include those in your run-through The biggest benefit of making these recordings
for everyone involved. as well. is that it gives leaders a vehicle for getting
things better by Sunday. Providing individual
FAIL #1
NOT KNOWING YOUR SONGS BEFORE REHEARSAL
Rehearsal is a weekly opportunity to raise the
bar for both your worship and tech teams. To
paraphrase what Ricardo Sanchez said in our
last issue, this is meant to be a time where the
team comes together to rehearse songs, not
learn them. The same is arguably true for tech
teams as well.
SOLUTION: Getting everyone on the same page
about what is expected going into rehearsal is
key. If leaders want everyone who is rostered
to know their parts going into rehearsal, that
needs to be communicated as an expectation.
Ideally the same holds true for the sound team.
Knowing the songs going into rehearsal allows
and/or group feedback is key to this process.
If leaders want
SOLUTION: Be it in person, or via PCO, email,
everyone who is text, or phone, providing specific feedback on
rostered to know creatives tend to hear criticism much louder
their parts going people are doing well, as this is key to their
into rehearsal,
that needs to be
communicated as
an expectation.
what is and is not working is key. Noting that
than they hear praise, be sure to point out what
feeling appreciated.
FAIL #5
LACK OF CONSISTENCY
Be it recording and sharing rehearsal run-
throughs and comments, or online podcasts
of your entire service, consistency is the key
to success.
sound techs to know what to mix for, and SOLUTION: Leaders are busy, and people tend
practice before Sunday. to forget that they are working long before and
FAIL #3
after rehearsal ever starts. That said, making
FAIL #2 NOT NOT RECORDING FINAL RUN-THROUGHS STREAMING MIX raise the bar for everyone involved and are
I’d suggest rehearsing the songs in the order Most board mixes are a poor representation of well worth the investment of time. Whether it is
in which you’ll be playing them on Sunday how things actually sound in the room since adding them to your must-do list, or delegating
morning, unless you’re adding a new song, in they have to compensate for the volume of them to someone else, creating systems that
which case I’d suggest starting there. drums and amplified instruments. ensure that these resources are shared in a
HAVING
A
SEPARATE
BAND/PODCAST/
the most of these digital resources can really
timely fashion is key. Delegating is not admitting
SOLUTION: Once you’ve rehearsed each song to SOLUTION: If your church is using a digital mixer, failure, rather it is giving someone else a chance
the point where the team can play it all the way this is relatively easy to remedy by creating to come along side of you, as you support and
through without mistakes, I’d suggest running separate mixes and routing those to alternate grow your teams.
and recording the entire set list in order. I’d also outputs on the board. In addition to providing suggest recording your set via an iPhone of a much better listening experience, this is also the board to share with the worship and tech a great opportunity to raise up sound techs on
January 2018
Doug Doppler
Doug is the Editorial Director for Worship Musician
and Gear Tech + Recording magazines.
WorshipMusician.com
WorshipMusician.com
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