Train the younger ones

It's been quite a while since my last blog. I have to confess, writing is not one of my passions, audio is! No surprise there. But several things have taken place which has prompted me to write this about training.

12Stone is entering a new era in our community. To help give back, we are embarking on cooperating with local universities, tech schools and the like, to help train folks for ministry. The obvious types are the interns, but a few are into tech, and have gained the hours required by their university.

12Stone is also expanding in the way of satellite churches. A satellite church, for us, has a teaching which is either a live feed or 1-week delayed video of the service on our main campus. "main" is probably not the correct term, since we are 'one church', but hopefully you get the idea. The satellite church is planted into communities where it is easier for the unchurched to visit instead of traveling over 30 minutes to visit the main campus. Afterall, that's the point isn't it; to reach the unchurched, let them hear of Jesus and accept Him that they might go to heaven too?

So what does a satellite church need? A building for one, a pastor, leaders for children, a worship team, and yes, tech. (I'm sure there are probably other needs). To get one going, it's best to already have trained folks ready to step in.

But where do trained folks come from?

Well, some want to make it their profession. These folks actually go to schools to learn and get some hands on experience. The best ones actually throw them into a live concert environment. We've had a few come to 12Stone with this background, but like any profession, the ones fresh out of college still have a long way to go. And, church audio is a far cry from the concerts where the audio guy travels with the band, knows the songs intimately, knows the band members, the nuances of their instruments and voice. In church audio, at least at 12Stone, we'll have different band members every week, different singers, perhaps a baptism, a choir, the occassional brass ensemble, violin, drama. The point is, church audio, at least at 12Stone, is not the same old thing. I know there are very traditional churches out there which have a set flow and rarely deviate from week to week.

Some folks, on the other hand, like me, made audio a hobby. My profession is a computer software engineer. But, I enjoyed buying a decent amp, decent speakers (yes, back when I had money and was single :-) ), and CDs and playing them not only on my home system but on my fancy car audio system too. As a church member, I was always annoyed at the missed cues, unopened mics, screaching feedback, and thought, "hey, I could do better", and so offered to help.

So, how was I trained? (The whole point of this blog.) Not very well, at first, it turns out. I was placed on a recording console, and basically self-taught in those early years to get a mix. I did however, get the priviledge of running the main console for the occassional wedding with an accoustic guitar, organ, and singer or two, not to mention of course the pastor. I asked questions of the main FOH guy; what's this knob or button do, etc. Occassionaly, the church hired a professional sound company to bring in extra gear and run the audio for a major production / concert. I sat next to him, watched, and asked questions at times when he wasn't too busy. The main FOH guy got a job change, which left the position to me (yes, he was a volunteer too). I should say there's nothing wrong with having paid professionals run your church audio. I was offered to be a paid FOH guy, but declined since it would mean "my get to becomes a have to", if you know what I mean. I do get paid to be FOH on non-Sunday-Service events when asked, no where near the going rate, but hey a little something is better than nothing.

I also joined audio discussion boards, email lists (churchsoundcheck.com), subscribed to audio magazines (Live Sound is my favorite), picked the brains of others whom I found out were also audio guys. I even dished out the big bucks to attend InfoComm and the audio courses available, and even attended SynAudCon training and am still a member in good standing. I'm still learning too! I've been recently trained on how to make better use of EQ so that the audio isn't just a big muddy mess.

All this to say, you could be learning too and training someone else. Our church bought the "Church Sound Bootcamp" by Curt Taipale of churchsoundcheck.com and I and another tag-team-taught the course to our techs (sad to say, not many came). New folks who want to join the team may "know it all", but the wise young one won't be like that. They'll watch, see you made an EQ adjustment, listen for the change, and hopefully register it. They'll see how you pre-cue the CD (or tape if you're still using that), ready for playback at the right time. They'll see how you cue up the next person about to speak or sing to ensure their mic is on and unmuted. They'll see how you bring down unused open mics to avoid extra noise and reduction of gain. They'll see you perform the artistry to paint the audio picture that the worship leader intended to put forth to the audience particpating in worship. They'll see how receptive you are to input from others in the booth or how you handle multiple cooks in the kitchen. Perhaps they'll even offer their own suggestion and see what you do with it.

But the absolute best way to train someone, is to let them run the show. There's nothing like on the job experience. I'm over my butterflies now, but in those early weeks, I was scared to death. Remember how it was for you? So, no, you just don't want to throw them in by themselves. You need to be there too. The hardest part will be the "painting" itself. We are not clones of each other. God made us to be unique, and gave us different gifts and talents to be used to serve His kingdom. I might like to hear more kick drum or have a snappier snare than another. Perhaps my favorite instrument is accoustic guitar, so I might have more of it heard in the mix (my favorite is actually the piano/keyboard). I would caution that how a newbie wants to paint should be left to themselves, but make suggestions, like "I see that keyboard player going to town, do you think we ought to hear what he's doing?". Similar for other instruments. Bring them up during their solos or special riffs. Are the instruments overpowering the vocals?

It's hard to get off the throne and let another on. For me, it's hard to admit that someday I won't be able to do sound simply due to old age (I think I have quite a few more years, but if a lot of folks begin complaining, probably a good time to step down and see where else God would have me serve). It's also hard to share your audio tricks for fear of no longer being needed. Perhaps you tried someone out once or twice, they didn't do so well, and aren't really willing to have them try again. Hey, it takes years and years to get it right. I'm still learning, are you? Perhaps a tech director or other higher up doesn't want so and so on; well, not your call then, follow your leader.

The point is, be willing to teach others, be willing to learn, and be willing to let others drive.

Serving Him in sound reinforcement,

Ken Shaffer