FRONT OF HOUSE
FAILURE IS ALWAYS AN OPTION | Kent Morris
Photo by Memento Media on Unsplash
Gene Krantz, Chief Flight Director for NASA, famously stated“ failure is not an option” in response to the alarming and life-threatening danger aboard the crippled Apollo 13 vessel. True to his word, the team found a way to bring the three astronauts home. However, in church audio, failure, unfortunately, is an ongoing option. The realities of equipment failure, human error, and poor implementation mean failures can and will happen. Keeping failure at bay and learning how to deal with it when it does occur are the keys to long-term success and stable emotional health behind the console.
Failure is a strong word. It implies lack of success or omission of needed action. It reflects back on us in the tech booth. Standing at Front Of House, when the pastor’ s mic goes out, everyone knows whom to blame. They all turn around and look at us as if we didn’ t notice. We are also the obvious target of leadership’ s angst. It matters little what forces lie behind the failure; it falls to us to handle. This may seem odd, but the best way to keep failure at bay is to be constantly paranoid. As uninspiring as it seems, paranoia in the booth is an effective antidote to failure. From constantly watching the Wireless Workbench screen, scanning for wireless mic issues and weak batteries, to seeing if the next song’ s soloist channel is prepped and ready, always being alert is the best way to manage a mix.
Of course, preparation starts well before the service countdown clock reaches zero. It begins at line check when all the inputs and outputs are tested and cables confirmed. It then moves to rehearsal. While the team is going over bridges and reprises around the piano, we can be testing transitions such as bringing in the next snapshot or scene and determining if anything is awry. We can also take advantage of rehearsal as a spot to check out a new plug-in and see how it performs in the real world. Any issues should be dealt with in a low risk environment and never when the service is rolling.
Assume nothing good during a service. If the guest speaker can find a way to mute their bodypack, they will. Gaff it and be present when the mic is attached. Before the pastor walks to the platform, look for any signs of a headset out of place, an antenna sticking out from a jacket, or anything out of the norm. Ask the worship team, especially guitarists, if they have any new equipment in use this morning. Test pedalboards every service to be certain things sound as intended. Check ear monitor placement and be aware a loose ear monitor
can and will be picked up by microphones, thus letting everyone in the congregation hear the click and guide.
Second service is when all the bugs are worked out and things go well until the sermon begins. Having heard it once already, it is tempting to scroll the phone instead of paying attention, but that is when disaster will strike. As sure as our focus moves off the console, something will happen and we will be ill-prepared to fix it. Stay on top of the mic, watching for a loose cable or a clip hanging on for dear life.
When the inevitable problem does arrive, have a plan to fix it immediately. Always know the fall back plan for any situation. Have the worship leader on standby to deliver their mic to a pastor whose signal has gone off. Think through the logistics of getting out of a plug-in or channel with an issue. Always know more than one way to route signals to outputs.
Failure is part of tech life. Any device made by humans or machines will fail at some point. Our preparation and resourcefulness are the keys to surviving the day and preventing it from becoming one of our worst.
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.
112 September 2025 Subscribe for Free...