AUDIO
SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS | John Schauer
As worship leaders and their sound specialists told what place or town they were performing in hardware or home improvement store, to make
know all too well, not every house of worship (I would see signs onstage to remind the talent sure all the outlets are wired properly and that all
has the means for a professional audio crew. where they were). Boy, was I wrong! As it turns three-prong outlets have a ground connection.
When communities are faced with such out, the tech teams that prepare the stages You don’t need to be an electrician to use this
constraints, volunteer and part-time sound these artists perform on are experts at making type of tester, so volunteers with even limited
engineers become crucial elements for the vast the talent feel totally at ease, letting them forget experience will take quickly to important jobs
bulk of audio-related worship tasks. the details and concentrate on giving a great like these.
performance. What I’d thought was the talent’s
At the same time, even for trained volunteers, indifference toward a tightly run show was in If you find mis-wired outlets, ask someone in
there are practical sound-design pitfalls that fact the discipline of prioritizing what they could the congregation or leadership if there is an
these dedicated recruits can avoid by starting control over what was best handled by others. electrician who can help. If not, it’s the best
with a few pro tips in mind. We can learn a An attentive stage team is what helps make a practice to hire one, given the safety and liability
lot from the paid professionals in our field to great experience possible. issues involved. Bad extension cords need to
improve the quality of the audio we serve to a
congregation. Focusing on the fundamentals
be tossed in the trash, preferably with an end
SAFETY FIRST
cut off to keep them from turning up anywhere
will yield amazing results.
else on your stage.
First and foremost, the stage must be safe.
THE RIGHT ATTITUDE
All the AC power on stage needs to be wired
NEATNESS COUNTS
properly to avoid hurting the talent, or worse.
You might not think of the following as strictly Professional touring sound companies carry A safe stage is always clear of clutter. Trip
audio-related, but when you set out to all their own power cabling and connect to the hazards are unheard of on professional stages.
improve your space’s audio it’s important to main electrical panel coming into the building If you’re fortunate enough to have a stage you
acknowledge that the process starts even to avoid these issues. Get an AC outlet checker can keep set up, it will be up to you to keep
before you’ve unpacked the first cable. First on like the one listed below online, or from a it clutter-free at all times. Set rules for your
your checklist is a vital prerequisite: getting your talent about food and drink on stage (you will
head in the right place. need to follow these rules too). A few rounds
of crossing the stage with a trash bag and
Worship is a “we” thing, and can’t be clearing cups, cans and debris will set a good
segregated into “us” and “them” with the audio example to the team. Most professionally run
team off in its own clique. A congregation is productions don’t allow food or drinks other
a community, and preserving that sense of than water onstage. Get some skinny rolls of
community on your stage benefits everyone gaff tape, often referred to as spike tape. It
involved in making your service successful. comes in many colors and allows positions
Please remember to learn everyone’s names onstage to be marked easily. Talent will be
to the best of your ability. Refer to the people much easier to direct on a stage that is clearly
on your stages collectively as “talent,” as a way marked using this tape. At first, you may find
to keep in mind that everyone involved has a enforcing your new rules a chore, as the talent
skill to offer and you’re all in it together. Paying may not be used to them, but it’ll get easier as
everyone the respect they deserve is the best they come to appreciate the effort.
way to win their trust and cooperation early on.
When cabling your stage, once again, neat
You’ll find that this attitude leads to technical and tidy is the best practice. You can buy or
success. When I started at Yamaha, I used to construct small audio snakes to consolidate all
think that the talent in the big touring acts was so the cables on a drum set or keyboard riser into
jaded and self-centered that they needed to be
180
ET15 Receptacle Tester
November 2019
a single run. Gaff tape (not duct tape!) is always
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