Sound Check and Rehearsals: Building Relationships

Instead of "Sound Check and Rehearsals" this should really be about the "Art of Building Relationships," as it ends up being those on-stage vs. the crew.

It doesn't have to be this way.

One must have the willingness to be a servant and to anticipate and then fill the needs of others. How much time do you spend asking questions? When was the last time you went on stage to listen to what they hear? Do you have an us vs. them mentality?

Doing a sound check is not always just about getting the sound right. It can be an opportunity to build the relationships necessary to get things done in a fast and efficient manner. If you have a good relationship with the singers and the musicians, it will go a long way to helping you get what you want from them, while giving them what they need. It will also make things easier when you need to get more from them or when you need to explain why you cannot give them everything that they want.

Mixing is generally about compromise.

It would be nice if it were as easy as having the band play and mixing the house the way you think it should sound. There is a lot more that goes into it than that.

How it sounds at the mixing board is different than how it sounds in the house and on stage. And then you fill the sanctuary and everything you did in rehearsal just goes out the window.

The key to all of this is relationships.

If you become a servant and listen to the needs of everyone and then get on stage with them to hear what they are hearing, they will be more apt to listen to you when you tell them what you can and can't do, and why.

Mixing is generally about compromise.

How much sound can you put on stage without bleeding into your house mix, making it muddy? If you have a good relationship with the singers, musicians and the director, it will go a long way to making sure that the house will sound the way it needs to, which is your biggest concern.

It rarely sounds the same on stage as it does in the house. I have been on stage in concert when the sound of the house and the energy in the room fills the stage with this electricity and I understand it is intoxicating, but it rarely happens. Our job is to give the stage what they need without detracting from the sound in the house.

So, after all of that, let's start.

The first thing you need to do is to get a copy of the day's program and discuss it with the Pastor and the Choir Director. It would also be good if you could schedule any of the rehearsals during the week to get a feel for the songs and to know where any solos are. I make notes on my program for each song and discuss this with the sound engineer. He is also encouraged to attend as many of the rehearsals as possible. Many of the songs we do are on the radio or are songs that have been done in our facility for many years. Also, our Choir Director informs us of new songs that they are learning, so that we may acquaint ourselves with them. Once we know the program, songs and players, we can make sure that before rehearsal we have everything set up and ready to go.

Once we are ready, it is time to talk to those on stage and ask what they may need. I did mention being a servant earlier. The more we ask and anticipate the needs of "them," the more they will trust "us," and the faster things will go. (I am assuming that you are in your sanctuary and that you are mixing in a room that has been EQ'ed where most of the singers and instruments are the same and have been EQ'ed as well. For a new venue, the sound check begins after you set up the instruments and EQ the room, and then you can begin with this article.)

Next, we get a general mix of the first song using the faders to get an initial mix. It is at this point that you need to get into the house and onstage to listen to the room and what is on stage. I would do this until you have the balance that you are looking for. You should be able to do this in the first song. Now the fun begins. As you should know, it sounds different at the board than in the house, and it sounds different with an empty room than with several hundred people in it.

This is where the relationships come in.

As a sound engineer or TD, you need to be familiar with how the sound in the house needs to sound with a room full of people and mix for that room. This means that you need to be able to mix an empty room in a way that will sound correct when the people fill it. You are basically flying blind and you need to be able to communicate this to the Choir Director and those on stage.

If you are constantly giving and asking for feedback, you will have built a relationship of trust which will help you to overcome the questions and complaints that will arise pertaining to what they hear vs. what you need it to sound like. Remember the most important thing is for it to sound correct to the congregation. My choir director is constantly going into the house to listen during rehearsals, to the sound in the house and then requesting changes. I must have a good and trusting relationship with him, so that when I tell him it will sound correct when the people come in, he will trust me and we can move on. Part of this is training your ear to what it should sound like in rehearsal in order to give you the sound you need with people in the room. And you also need to train your choir director and those on stage the same thing.

After you have the first song mixed, it is time to isolate each instrument or group of instruments to hear how they fit into the mix. And now is also the time to remember that when you have a basic mix the next thing to do may be to start bringing sounds down instead of up.

If a voice or instrument is lost in the mix, turn a few things down until you can hear everyone. You should be able to close your eyes and pick out each voice or instrument as you concentrate on it in your mind. Sometimes you may need to turn them up a bit, but leave some room for solos. You do not want to take up all of your headroom with the mix. Leave room for solos and to turn up the whole mix as you get further into the song and the service. The program should ebb and flow. You build with the song. And then bring it down a bit for the next song and do it again.

Next you want to think about how each song builds and where the solos are, so that you can make notes on your program to make adjustments when needed. The same holds true for speakers. They may get animated to the point where you may need to adjust the volume up or down. A note of caution here. Be careful how you make these adjustments. Many times, this volume change is on purpose to make a point. If you have the same speakers and the same Pastor, make note of how they use their voice so as not to counteract what they are trying to achieve emotionally. 

A few notes. As you transition between songs and speakers, be mindful that you will have to bring the speakers mic up over the applause and also that when you go from loud songs to the speaking voice, it takes a while for the ears to adjust. You are playing an instrument just like a musician and you must pay attention to what is happening at all times.

If your choir director likes to talk between songs, then you may need to turn down the reverb and any instrument that may be louder than his or her voice. Watch the stage for any signs and listen to the subtleties. Nothing sounds better to me than to have the mix set so that all voices and instruments can be heard and then you hear a little solo or a fill from a horn or the drums.

That's when you know that you got it right.

Please continue to build the relationships on stage by being a servant and asking questions. I buy the lozenges for our church and pass them out before practice. This gives me the opportunity to ask questions and when I need something from them or cannot give them what they want, I have that rapport that makes us both comfortable enough to discuss it and come to a quick resolution. It costs very little to listen and pays big dividends when there is controversy.

As a side note. If you are not the only one who mixes at your church, allow for the difference in their ears. We all hear differently and we all mix differently. Look for the good and add those to your repertoire.

Leave the corrections to the TD or the Choir director.  You need to build relationships on both sides of the board.