FRONT OF HOUSE
SURFING THE MIX | Kent Morris
Photo by Emily Lewis on Unsplash
In any solid mix , there is a continuous melding of voices , instruments , and effects into a variable “ right balance ” which is determined in real-time by the audio engineer . Knowing what “ right ” means , though , is a challenge , because everyone present has an opinion on it . Generally , a musical balance within current worship environments entails open , unrestrained vocals with presence and clarity bolstered by string melody instrumentation that manages to steer clear of stepping on the vocals or each other while the bass rounds out the fundamentals and the rhythm sets , controls , maintains , and locks in the timing .
Beyond these basics , the mix diverges according to the musical genre , local taste and edicts of leadership . Within these variables , an often overlooked truth is the fact the mix , at this late development stage , is mature and needs only minor adjustment to remain relevant to the intent at play . By the time , the Thursday rehearsal is complete , and the Sunday morning run-through is finished , the mix should “ be there ” with all the big strokes made . The small strokes , however , are vital to moving the mix from good to great . Let ’ s look at some of these moves .
A complex mix , with scores of inputs , can become quite crowded quickly with little ability to distinguish among the dozens of signals forced to occupy the same sonic space . In a church with an orchestra , praise band , choir , and multiple worship vocals , finding a way to separate the segments can be difficult . One option is to realize small changes reap large results , such as tapping down the violins 2dB opens up a significant space for the guitars when the song calls for acoustic guitar clarity in the opening bars . Conversely , rolling out of the bridge into the final large chorus , the strings can be impeded by an acoustic guitar ringing all its harmonics as the player digs into the instrument , meaning a judicious dip in the upper mids of the acoustic will allow the strings to sing through the impactful moment .
Further , vocals stacking upon one another can present a wall of sound not always conducive to balance among the inputs . With a frequency dependent EQ or compressor , the offending part of the vocal combined signal can be tamed either as a group , or , if the gear allows , individually and then as a whole to prevent one voice from triggering reduction for the entire ensemble .
Often , one vocalist will start a song softly and then others join or swap out as the song progresses . Achieving the correct initial vocal level and then the needed subsequent
reduction need only involve minor fader movements as the engineer surfs the mix as a large wave of sonic energy . Small adjustments bear large results as the overall mix resides at a robust point with steering simply requiring a light touch . An abrupt fader change will break the moment and be a distraction . Smooth and easy are the keywords to maintaining the flow of worship , both in musical contexts and via the spoken and prayed word . For speech , the key elements are prevention of feedback and removal of popping and contact noises . With a quality headset mic mounted correctly , the movements to make include heavy bandpass around 150Hz and 8KHz , a significant narrow notch at the primary problem frequency of the individual around 300Hz , and enough physical gap between the boom and the head to clear facial hair and clothing .
Finally , surfing the mix entails being present in the moment as the service unfolds . Anytime the Spirit moves , we must be ready and respond accordingly , never leading , always following , but doing so tight up against His movement .
Kent Morris Kent Morris is a 45-year veteran of the AVL arena driven by passion for excellence tempered by the knowledge all technology is in a temporal state .
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