Mixing Consistency

Are you easily offended when someone criticizes your mix?  Are there things that you change immediately after recalling the Base Setting (starting point) because you see things a different way?  What source are you getting your preferences from?

Who is the mixing standard bearer/sound leader on your team?  Would you welcome them sending  you a text during service to correct an issue that they may hear?

In the event that each member starts to create their own path, the eventual end result can go much farther than you may think.  I have witnessed multiple instances where each member would end up creating their own base setting based upon personal preference.  Maybe one didn’t really care for guitar, or the other really liked a certain singer, etc.  Some team members would even create a personal base setting, hide it farther down the list so that others couldn’t easily find it, and lock out certain features so that other members couldn’t access them.  It easily can become a game of cat and mouse, and this eventually leads to an inconsistent worship experience for the church body.  The people on the pew should not be able to tell who is mixing without turning around to look.  It is desirable for a sound mixing standard to be set, molded over time and upheld by the entire team, even if that means that members are periodically taught/corrected along the way.

The goal here is not to kill initiative within the team, but to create boundaries to work within that will create some form of consistency over time.  There are many ways to be creative while still facilitating the vision of the standard bearer.  The “set it and forget it” motto really doesn’t fit into this philosophy of mixing.  We should all be striving for excellence within our area of responsibility.

Are you struggling in a certain area?  Request off-night training or just a quick brush up from your leadership.  We all forget things from time to time, and it does not mean that you are incompetent because you need a refresher.  Also, technology is always changing, so learning is an ever present part of this process. 

Are you overlooking the simple things?  Always check to make sure that the correct vocal EQ’s are assigned to each member of the praise team.  Have you pulled the aux keys back for a certain part in a song, but forgotten to boost them back up?  Are you periodically checking to make sure all musicians are sitting properly in the mix?  Is the compressor set too aggressively on the preacher’s vocal, or not aggressively enough?  

You have a MASSIVE tool box with the equipment that you have at your fingertips, don’t be afraid to dig in and use everything that is available!

To summarize, we all need instruction and training along the way.  If we are approachable and possess a teachable spirit, it makes for a better working environment for the team and a better listening experience for the congregation.