the front edge of a synth stab. Transients live primarily in the high mids and highs, and they are crucial for articulation.
Without them, your keys parts may feel sluggish and soupy, even if you’ re playing fast. This is another area many worship keys players overlook, especially when we’ re filling that‘ pads and ambience’ space. But even when your parts and sounds are more focused on glue and filling space, a lack of definition can result in a sound that’ s too murky and undefined. To combat this, try layering a percussive pluck or mallet-style attack over a smoother pad or sustained sound. When done subtly, it won’ t sound like two sounds, it will just feel alive and responsive.
Side note: I think this is a big reason why the‘ just play piano and pads’ trope is such a generally useful approach. The pads glue things together but the sharp transients of the piano ensure that your changes and rhythmic contributions are still clearly audible in the mix.
If you’ re already layering pianos and pads, just try swapping out that piano for a synth pluck, bells, or anything else with a strong start to mix it up.
GOTTA SIZZLE
‘ Sizzle’ is the icing on the cake for your mix. The airy, breathy high frequencies( 8kHz and above) that create shimmer, sparkle, and a sense of energy and air. These are all commonly desired characteristics of modern worship, but just like icing, too much can completely spoil things.
Sizzle is as much felt as it is heard in a full band mix, similar to how we experience sub bass. That’ s because the frequencies are so close together that it’ s more of an‘ airy feeling’ than a clearly spaced-out harmonic character, especially when you have guitars, cymbals, and vocals playing in this space as well.
These frequencies should be viewed as seasoning to add or subtract based on the needs of a specific song or moment. Too much can clash with cymbals or get in the way of vocal clarity, but the right amount can ensure the energy is there as your band builds into an all-in moment.
ALL IN MODERATION
In many ways, playing worship keys is about restraint, knowing what to leave out as much as what to leave in. But that doesn’ t mean being invisible, it means being intentional. Every sound choice and voicing decision is a chance to either blend or blur, to enhance or clutter.
So the next time you’ re preparing at home, or bringing your parts and sounds to soundcheck, consider not just the low-mid glue, but whether your approach to upper mids, transients, and high‘ sizzle’ is playing its part too. Dialing in just the right amount of each can elevate your sound and help your band shine.
David Pfaltzgraff Founder and Lead Sound Designer at SundaySounds. com, a site that resources worship keys players and guitarists around the world. David currently resides in Des Moines, IA with his wife and two boys. He enjoys volunteering in his church’ s worship ministry, old synthesizers, and a good super-hero movie.
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