FRONT OF HOUSE
TIPS FOR MULTI-CONSOLE ENVIRONMENTS | Kent Morris
With one audio console often incapable of handling the myriad requirements of a contemporary service , dividing the workload among two or three consoles is now the standard situation for many mid-size churches and is no longer reserved for solely mega-church environments . A mixer ecosystem might be as simple as an X32 at FOH and an X32 Compact for the livestream or it can be as complex as three DiGiCo Quantums tied together through OptoCore . In either case , the workflow can quickly become overwhelming with routing schemes as messy as a bait-cast reel tangle and set-ups as different as Kid Rock and The New York Philharmonic . Fortunately , there are some tried-and-true ways to solve these issues and improve efficiency and success behind the board . Let ’ s delve into some tips and tricks .
Decide on a scheme . If the system is FOH ( front of house ), MON ( monitors ) and BRD ( broadcast / livestream ), the most common scenario is FOH gets the largest surface with the most faders , BRD gets the second highest fader count and MON can make do with an iPad surface based on the need of each position to access faders quickly . MON should be free to roam on an iPad during rehearsal and dial in each mix as requested . Once the service starts , MON need only adjust according to moves agreed on during rehearsal for certain songs and parts . BRD , though , needs the ability to make fader moves , at least in groups and DCAs while FOH needs the ability to constantly adjust every part of the mix based on real-time events in the room .
Determine the connectivity . If Dante is the backbone , it makes things simpler for all involved as its ubiquity supersedes brand specific protocols . If MON needs to pick a pair of channels off the network for a lastminute track playback only in the ears , Dante is the answer . However , if the system is simple , as long as all the consoles and stage box reside in one brand of ecosystem , it can work without Dante or AVB , but will be quite limited in adaptability .
From the outset , determine how things will be routed and why . In most consoles , delay compensation is automatic , and the system will set the delay for everything to match the longest path . This approach offers ease of use at the expense of versatility and is exemplified by the AVID S6L . DiGiCo , on the other hand , delivers versatility at the expense of ease of use since the delay remains constant but requires the operator to consider path as part of the layout . On non DiGiCo set-ups , the smash route can combine with the non-smash route , and all is well , while on DiGiCo such a mix will create audible issues . However , even outside DiGiCo set-ups , each operator needs to match the path of the others as a matter of protocol . For instance , DCAs and groups should correlate at each position in order to provide a known platform of work when the FOH engineer has to run MON if the MON operator calls out sick at the last moment .
Use consolidation as each location . At First Baptist Atlanta ( FBA ), Jason Singleton is our BRD audio engineer on a Rivage PM7 and does an amazing job capturing the services in full response . Meanwhile , A1 Rusty Galloway is hard at work on his own PM7 making the 122 inputs sing at FOH while Nick Shelton handles MON on a remote iPad tied to a PM5 . With a full orchestra , it makes more sense for BRD to take in every orchestra input and provide FOH with a consolidated reduction of nine channels based on alike instruments . This step allows FOH to mix an entire orchestra with nine faders while the more accurate listening environment in BRD permits Jason to dial in the nuance that would be lost at FOH . MON may only need violins for the in-ear mixes and need not deal with finding an errantly open orchestra mic causing issues for a BGV .
Watch each other ’ s back . FOH is a noisy place and sometimes it is difficult to hear a slight ring in a choir mic from 150 ’ away , but BRD can hear it and let the A2 know to bring down 1.6KHz in choir mic five . Conversely , the A2 at FOH can see the senior pastor stand up to make an unscheduled statement well before he shows up on the BRD video monitor and alert the BRD engineer to open the senior pastor ’ s mic .
Work problems in a coordinated manner . When something goes wrong , the A2 should jump into action and be the center-point for communication on intercom via instructions from the audio director . It makes no sense for everyone to speak or make changes at once .
The path to success is for one person to determine the issue from each location ’ s input and then for the audio director to decide the right solution which will be implemented by the A2 . This process solves problems efficiently and without finger pointing .
Multiple consoles are now the norm for many churches and can be built into a coordinated whole with few issues and extreme stability when protocol is established and followed .
Kent Morris Kent Morris is a 44-year veteran of the AVL arena driven by passion for excellence tempered by the knowledge all technology is in a temporal state .
106 March 2024 Subscribe for Free ...