all of the audio rig effects were disabled midsong , most people would think something had gone terribly wrong ! Of course , the drums will be compressed , the guitars will be carefully EQ ’ d , and her vocals will feature a bit of subtle technological assistance . In other words , it is expected that technology is part of the equation .
In the case of immersive audio that the CMS attendee brought up , we are likely to expect that some amount of room tuning and added reverb would be in play with just about any style of music in a live performance scenario . You could argue that the research I shared ( from Alaa Algargoosh , 2022 ) equally demonstrated that dry ( non-effected ) audio had a higher response of folks saying it was ‘ sad ’ and ‘ tense ’ just because it deviated from the expectation that most music is heard with reverb . In this sense I don ’ t think that we really run the risk of an expectation mismatch when we add reverb in an effort to make a better mix , and it happens to track to that mix shows up as being more ‘ spiritual .’ We aren ’ t trying to fool anyone ; we are just following the musical norms given the current technological state of things .
So immersive audio techniques , or the addition of reverb or subtle pitch correction , don ’ t seem to be a case of an unethical use of technology per se . Hiding the fact that new content is being created with the aid of tools like AI ( in at least the most extreme cases ) seems to veer into murkier ethical waters , though .
What about the question of whether an experience is less ‘ real ’ or somehow a lesser spiritual experience if it is being caused by our addition of reverb vs . a ‘ real ’ spiritual experience without reverb ? Well , here I ’ d say that just because part of an experience contains some aspect of technology doesn ’ t mean it is less real or of a lesser quality . As noted , the expectation is probably more closely aligned with the inclusion of some technology in the first place . We have no reason to think that a distinction exists between a ‘ real ’ and a ‘ fake ’ spiritual experience . If you feel it , it is real . How you got to that point and whatever neuronal activities happen to be going on at the time likely have no real impact on its veridicality ( truth value ).
On this point I will return to the concept that I shared at CMS in the same presentation , the numinous . Coined by the philosopher Rudolf Otto , this term aims to capture the feeling of the religious experience — the “ gentle tide , [ the ] pervading [ of ] the mind with a tranquil mood ” that contains a seemingly indescribable combination of wonder and awe . I fail to see how the inclusion of digital reverb on channel 17 in the console would be able to take anything away from a congregant who is feeling the spirit and worshipping God . If you are in this state , you are in this state . How you got there and the buttons that the sound engineer might be pushing at the time wouldn ’ t seem to enter the equation .
In short , it would seem that aside from obvious lip-sync fakery or complete fabrications of content via the undisclosed and nefarious use of AI tools , we aren ’ t likely to enter into cases of obvious unethical uses of church audio technology . Pitch correction may be a tricky one on the edges , but most subtle uses of the tool seem to pose little to no risk of an axiological expectation mismatch . As sound engineers , we are expected to use the technology we have to enhance the mix and create a space for the spirit to move .
We should also be cognisant of the fact that the spirit doesn ’ t need us to work ! I ’ ll close with yet another reference from that CMS presentation : “ For where two or three are gathered together in my name , there am I in the midst of them .” [ Matthew 18:20 ]. As I said in the session , I don ’ t recall seeing any asterisk or caveat at the end of that scripture that says , “* as long as there is the right amount of reverb ” or “* as long as the vocalist is in tune .”
Yes , there are likely cases where we can create a large enough expectation gap with the audience to veer into potentially unethical territory . But as long as we are honest and intentional in our application of technology , it shouldn ’ t be something we worry too much about . I hope that this article answers the set of questions from the CMS session much better than what I attempted to piece together on the spot that day !
Jeff Hawley A 20 + year music industry veteran — equally at ease behind the console , playing bass guitar , leading marketing teams or designing award-winning audio products . He currently heads up the marketing for Allen & Heath in the US .
96 December 2024 Subscribe for Free ...