BASS
THE TECH AFFECT | Gary Lunn
Something I have not talked about very often is the effect that tech problems can have on our performance and comfort levels during worship . I am not talking about our ability to show off ( which we should never do ). I ’ m talking about our ability to concentrate and be free and sensitive in the moment as we “ go with the flow .” So , I have a recent , pertinent story to share .
I just returned from a very intense couple of days rehearsing and playing for a concert in a multiartist situation . Needless to say , there were many moving parts , but total professionalism was everywhere ! I was the bassist in the house band , along with some of my favorite musical cohorts . Great backline gear , charts , and demos were provided . An added plus was that this was the second time this event had been put on , so all but one arrangement was very familiar to everyone in the band . We knew that everything should go smoothly .
Our goal was to play from our hearts and contribute on a musically spiritual level ( the good kind , lol ). Things were definitely headed in that direction until dress rehearsal on the day of the show . We were starting a complete , timed run-through of the nearly three-hour event when suddenly , “ hiccups ” or “ skips ” began to occur on the click track . What ’ s worse was that they were happening at wide , random intervals .
I know this may seem like a minor problem to some of you , but recording both multi-track audio and video can be a terrible nightmare in the video-sync world during post-production . And equally as important ( in my opinion ) is the fact that any time there is a random , recurring technical problem happening in the headphones , it can really bring an “ unsettled ” feeling into the situation .
Tech problems could include a sudden , deafening burst of volume from an instrument , a bad connection with a cable somewhere causing a sudden , loud noise , or a microphone going bad , causing a crackling noise . With everyone listening with headphones while concentrating on so many elements simultaneously , distractions can start a whole set of problems .
In our rehearsal , the guitarists were listening to each other , trying to remember what parts they were to play on each song while paying close attention to the click track with section cues . The keyboardist was listening to his timing with the drummer while referencing the kick track and section cues . I was listening to
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