FRONT OF HOUSE
122 INPUTS ON 4 FADERS | Kent Morris
Jeff Barnett is a dear friend who has worked at Sweetwater for more than twenty years . Jeff is also a fine audio engineer . Recently , he relayed the story of a dream he had involving my position as Front Of House ( FOH ) engineer at First Baptist Atlanta ( FBA ). In his dream , Jeff was visiting the booth at FBA when I informed him I had to deal with an issue backstage and needed him to watch the console while I was gone . He obliged and then realized the service was starting and there were 122 inputs , all gated , but only four faders on the console , making navigation a thirty-one layers deep endeavor !
Jeff ’ s dream-state fear parallels the realworld trepidation many engineers have regarding mixing large-scale events . When the input list is small , it is relatively easy to juggle channels consistently . However , when the gig calls for a hundred inputs , making sense of it all can be difficult . Instead of letting the dream of helming a large event become a nightmare , here are some ways to keep a steady hand on the proceedings .
FIRST , FIND AN A2 ; someone who can manage the non-mixing audio needs of the event . Usually , the A2 is as capable as the A1 but , like a co-pilot , focuses on those items that could create a distraction for the pilot . Everything from cueing tracks to monitoring the intercom feed fall to the A2 . In addition , the A2 runs interference for the A1 with those who would comment on the mix , want to know where the restrooms are and feel compelled to complain about the temperature in the room .
NEXT , MAKE TIME BEFORE THE EVENT TO LAY OUT THE CONSOLE IN A WAY THAT MAKES SENSE FOR THE PROJECT . For instance , if an orchestra is involved , either mic sections to reduce complexity or mic individually if required and route each section to a secondary console , such as the broadcast mixer and send only subgroups to FOH . This allows the FOH engineer to adjust violins against violas , without having to fish through a dozen faders .
THEN , MAKE COPIOUS NOTES ON THE RUN OF SHOW SHEET . If the second song has a key opener , note “ Keys +” and then note a strong male in a mixed duo with “ Bob- “ as a reminder to lower his level marginally . The idea is to create a shorthand that works in the heat of battle . Trigger a reminder to turn the worship leader back on after the announcements with “ WL - ON ” in the appropriate section . Place the FX return channel for the snare next to the snare fader and the VOX FX return right after the last
vocal in the strip .
MIX ON DCAS AND DON ’ T BE AFRAID TO DOUBLE AND TRIPLE ASSIGN SIGNALS that have different requirements throughout the service . For example , assign the B3 to its own DCA if available , but also to the band DCA and the rhythm DCA and use snapshots to quickly move into the right place so each song is treated correctly . For worship leaders who sing and talk , double assign their channel to one routed through FX and one direct so all you have to do is balance the two faders as they transition .
FINALLY , IF THE GIG IS BIGGER THAN THE GEAR , LEAVE THINGS OUT OF THE MIX . If the trumpets will not fit on the console , unless the room is huge , they will be heard well without reinforcement .
Keep your wits about you and trust your own judgment as to what works and what doesn ’ t in a given situation and don ’ t be afraid to ignore some things in order to insure the core elements are audible in the mix .
Kent Morris Kent is a 40-year veteran of the AVL arena driven by passion for excellence tempered by the knowledge digital is a temporary state .