FRONT OF HOUSE
THE ART OF KNOWING YOURSELF | Kent Morris
Knowing yourself means, in reference to tech, mix, shoot for as balanced a result as possible on the evoked emotion, meaning we see it
understanding what you see and hear differs without noticeable peaks or valleys in terms of differently, but it makes us feel the same way.
from the world at large. It acknowledges our both frequency and level. bias and singularity. What I see and hear 4. SET YOUR VIDEO PROJECTOR IN TEST MODE
is different from what you see and hear. and go through the color and brightness
This point was recently driven home when
my younger son and I were working in the
company warehouse. I asked him to bring
over a green box, but he replied he only saw
a gray one. In the moment, I had forgotten he
Bias isn’t bad;
it’s just bias.
settings together as a tech team. Ask how
each person perceives sharpness, clarity and
contrast. Project lyrics in your standard mode
and have people move about the sanctuary
to see if they can read the lyrics from various
is partially colorblind. Since he is tech director positions. Now add I-Mag or background and
at his church, this can present a problem with note how the readability changes based on a
lighting and video. He has learned to defer 2. GET A HEARING TEST. Without a baseline complex background which can confuse the
to others when two colors merge or when reference, we have no idea how what we eye of some people.
something looks amiss to his eyes. Instead of are hearing compares to anything. Most demanding changes be made to his viewpoint, audiologists will conduct this test for a 5. PLAY SOME TRACKS OF JUST KICK, SNARE
he understands his limitation, trusts others reasonable fee. It typically includes sitting in AND HAT through the sound system with the
and allows them to make those decisions. a Whisper Room with headphones on and dynamics, EQ and effects bypassed. Have
Here are some ways we can all adapt our cueing a device when a sound is heard. The each mix engineer dial in the drum tracks to
perspective. results of the test can be stunning. For anyone their liking and then ask the others to evaluate
who has spent time in loud environments, the overall drum sound. The differences will
1. MUSIC IS PERCEIVED ON AN INDIVIDUAL the loss will be significant. Even for those allow you to understand why it is hard to
BASIS. Though we all hear the same song, who have protected their hearing, loss can achieve a consistent mix week to week. Try
we internalize and process it differently. The come from a virus or unrelated disease or the to then eliminate the worst sonic offenses by
physical shape, size and make-up of our ear medication used to treat it. Once you see your dialing in a mix without any radical settings
varies widely person-to-person making it response curve, you are armed with the ability to create a natural sound everyone doesn’t
impossible for us to have the same experience. to compensate for your loss by inverting the have to love, but can accept to become the
Yet, it works. We share the impact of a song, curve. If you know you have severe loss in the baseline mix for your services.
but from a different perspective. This is why 2-4KHz range, make your pastor’s mix a little it is hard to please everyone with your mix. dull to your hearing in order to make it right for 6. REALIZE OUR PERCEPTION IS BASED ON THE
Some people are sensitive to mid-band, the majority of listeners. EXPERIENCES OF OUR YOUTH. Take the Top 40
others to bass and others to high frequency
songs from the year you graduated high school
content. Some people have large ear canals 3. HAVE A GROUP COLOR EXERCISE. Assemble and internalize the fact that is “good music” to
tilted upward and can accept higher levels the tech team and shine 5000K white light your ear. This is why State Farm commercials
without issue. Some have small, downward onto your empty stage. Now add a color and can capitalize on a shared “Journey moment”
facing canals with twists and bends which are ask everyone to describe what they see. It between strangers of a certain age. Bias isn’t
easily compacted, making it difficult to hear will surprise you to learn red isn’t always red bad; it’s just bias.
treble content. Aging creates loss in the upper and there can be as many different versions of mid-band response critical to comprehending dark blue from one source as there are people speech. All these physical structure issues in the room. Then ask the team what each combine to build a complex response curve color represents to them and how it makes beyond technology’s ability to fix. When you them feel. There should be relative consensus
162
May 2020
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.
Subscribe for Free...