FRONT OF HOUSE
[ FIVE STEPS TO A BETTER VOCAL MIX | Kent Morris ]
The only difference between a secular song and to be free of low-mid obstructions. Energy channel to 200Hz, as everything below 220Hz
a Christian song is the lyrical content. There are between 200Hz and 500Hz tends to mask the in her channel isn’t her.
no “Christian” chords, except Gsus (thank you, articulation necessary for a clean vocal track, so Pun Master Steve Bowersox). Both genres use dial out a low-Q (wide) amount by 4-6dB on the USE DYNAMICS CONTROLS WITH FORETHOUGHT.
the same musical structure and progressions. channel EQ. To make this happen, in rehearsal, Back in the old analog days, a compressor
The words define the musical difference. So, start with a boost in that region and sweep was only available for those channels with a
then, hearing and understanding the words the frequency around until it rings or sounds physical device attached, but now all channels
is vital to communication in musical worship. horrible. Change the boost to a cut and then have compression at the ready. Avoid the
Since the vocals carry the words, getting them narrow the Q until the “mud” is gone but the temptation to overuse dynamics controls. In
clear and articulate is essentially the Prime voice is still clear. This step is what seasoned most instances, unless a specific effect is the
Directive of worship mixing. Here are five ways live engineers do every event to rough in the goal, vocal compression should be applied only
to “make it so”: mix. when the vocalist cannot be consistent with
START; DON’T END REHEARSAL WITH THE LEAD WATCH THE EFFECTS LEVEL. at the expense of “life” in the mix if overdone.
VOCAL. Time based effects such as reverb and delay Typically, for vocals, the threshold can be set
If volume is an issue in your environment with can cause the vocals to sound opaque. Keep at -10, the ratio at 4:1, attack at 50mS and
complainers lined up at the tech-booth door the tail of the verb within the phrasing time of release about half a second. Limiting can be set
every Sunday, try this process. Instead of the song and roll off most of the low end on at -3 to 0 depending on the console.
starting rehearsal with the kick drum, then snare, the wet return (below 300Hz). Use a vocal then toms, et al. start with the lead vocal, dial plate setting on the reverb and keep the delay Vocals are the defining character of a mix. The
it in strong and clear and then make everything repetitions to a minimum. key is to make the “sit” in the mix comfortably
their level. Compression adds smoothness but
“less than” the lead vocal. This process forces
and clearly. By removing problems such as
the mix to center around the lyrical content. It SPEAKING OF ROLL-OFF, HIGH-PASS EVERYTHING. rumble, low-mids, and too much reverb, they
also tends to reduce the overall volume level Since most consoles now have a variable high- can become the center of the mix without
since the defining point level is the vocal. pass (low-cut) filter, use it on every channel, overshadowing
setting its frequency just below the cut-off of supporting them.
GET RID OF THE MUD. the input signal. For example, the lowest note
For vocals to shine through the mix, they have a soprano sings is A220 so set the filter for her
34 August 2017
WorshipMusician.com
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