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
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Thursday, November 6, 2008
It's static time of year
Well, it's that time of year, cool and dry. That combination makes for a more electrifying climate due to static buildup. Static buildup occurs simply by just walking. Once you touch something that's grounded, the static buildup discharges. A discharge could even occur between what appears to be ungrounded elements just to achieve balance, like after you've driven your car, stop, get out, and touch the door again.
In the church, static discharges manifest themselves as pops through the sound system, usually caused by someone touching a wired up microphone after walking a while. Not only are static discharges annoying, they can damage sensitive electronics. Sometimes the discharge won't occur until the microphone touches the lips. This would be the case if the microphone was insulated from ground where held, but the screen wasn't (poorly designed, IMHO).
So, how can you minimize static buildup?
Well, you can add humidity, use anti-static sprays, use anti-static wipes, to name a few.
I prefer anti-static sprays and those anti-static dryer cloths. Use the spray over carpeted areas most traveled, and use the dryer cloths to wipe hands and microphones just prior to use. They can even be used on areas of clothing which are clinging. If your services use fog machines, you may be static free anyway.
Hope your services are static free this fall and winter.
Ken
In the church, static discharges manifest themselves as pops through the sound system, usually caused by someone touching a wired up microphone after walking a while. Not only are static discharges annoying, they can damage sensitive electronics. Sometimes the discharge won't occur until the microphone touches the lips. This would be the case if the microphone was insulated from ground where held, but the screen wasn't (poorly designed, IMHO).
So, how can you minimize static buildup?
Well, you can add humidity, use anti-static sprays, use anti-static wipes, to name a few.
I prefer anti-static sprays and those anti-static dryer cloths. Use the spray over carpeted areas most traveled, and use the dryer cloths to wipe hands and microphones just prior to use. They can even be used on areas of clothing which are clinging. If your services use fog machines, you may be static free anyway.
Hope your services are static free this fall and winter.
Ken
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Mmm, tight bottoms
So, you're walking along and there it is, a tight bottom! No, not of the female variety, but audio of course!
Well, we got some more subs on the floor and some folks came in, Christian and Brandon, and they showed me a thing or two about how to get a tight bottom.
It all has to do with compression and when it's applied.
Compressors are used to squash signals under a variety of conditions. These conditions are determined by knobs labeled Threshold, Attack, Release, Ratio, Output Level to name a few. You can use them to tame the occassional hot signal, like when the keyboard changes patches to the unforgiveable "organ" (I don't know why keyboard manufacturers can't get their patch levels the same from one to the next, but I digress).
Threshold is at what level of the signal the compressor looks for work to do.
Attack is how soon after there's work to do, do you really want me to do it, me, the compressor. A setting of 0 (zero) or fully counterclockwise means "right now".
Release is how soon after I've done the compression do you want me to let go.
Ratio is how much squash of the signal do you want, a little bit (1.3:1) or a lot (4:1).
Output Level, sometimes known as make-up gain, is the boost in the signal which isn't compressed to pass thru. I use this on vocals and pastors so that when the compressor does kick in, it's not as obvious that it is. It's one way to maintain an even level.
Anyway, back to our tight bottoms.
What we want is the original signal to pass through and then squashed so all we hear is what we want, umph. This means the attack is a few milliseconds later. This of course needs playing with depending on the room and environment. You can start with say 30ms. Likewise the release will vary depending on how fast the kick drum is playing. You don't want it so high that the next beat of the kick is still squashed since you want to hear it again. 4/4 time, if you know music, might be about 1 beat per sec, and there's 1000ms per sec so 500ms might be a max setting for a release. If the settings aren't quite right, you'll hear the compressor "pumping". We don't want to level the result, so leave the output level at 0. The threshold gets adjusted based on signal level.
That's my simplistic understanding of what I learned last night. Yes, been running sound for a while, and still learning. So, you too! Don't ever stop learning nor thinking you know it all. That's when God will burst that bubble. We all can learn from someone. I just hope that what I wrote in this blog is accurate or close enough to get your bottoms tight.
Serving Him in sound reinforcement,
Ken
Well, we got some more subs on the floor and some folks came in, Christian and Brandon, and they showed me a thing or two about how to get a tight bottom.
It all has to do with compression and when it's applied.
Compressors are used to squash signals under a variety of conditions. These conditions are determined by knobs labeled Threshold, Attack, Release, Ratio, Output Level to name a few. You can use them to tame the occassional hot signal, like when the keyboard changes patches to the unforgiveable "organ" (I don't know why keyboard manufacturers can't get their patch levels the same from one to the next, but I digress).
Threshold is at what level of the signal the compressor looks for work to do.
Attack is how soon after there's work to do, do you really want me to do it, me, the compressor. A setting of 0 (zero) or fully counterclockwise means "right now".
Release is how soon after I've done the compression do you want me to let go.
Ratio is how much squash of the signal do you want, a little bit (1.3:1) or a lot (4:1).
Output Level, sometimes known as make-up gain, is the boost in the signal which isn't compressed to pass thru. I use this on vocals and pastors so that when the compressor does kick in, it's not as obvious that it is. It's one way to maintain an even level.
Anyway, back to our tight bottoms.
What we want is the original signal to pass through and then squashed so all we hear is what we want, umph. This means the attack is a few milliseconds later. This of course needs playing with depending on the room and environment. You can start with say 30ms. Likewise the release will vary depending on how fast the kick drum is playing. You don't want it so high that the next beat of the kick is still squashed since you want to hear it again. 4/4 time, if you know music, might be about 1 beat per sec, and there's 1000ms per sec so 500ms might be a max setting for a release. If the settings aren't quite right, you'll hear the compressor "pumping". We don't want to level the result, so leave the output level at 0. The threshold gets adjusted based on signal level.
That's my simplistic understanding of what I learned last night. Yes, been running sound for a while, and still learning. So, you too! Don't ever stop learning nor thinking you know it all. That's when God will burst that bubble. We all can learn from someone. I just hope that what I wrote in this blog is accurate or close enough to get your bottoms tight.
Serving Him in sound reinforcement,
Ken
Monday, September 29, 2008
Audio, a work in progress
Well, we've been in this new building for almost a year, and still, the audio needs help. The latest addition, speakers on the stage, and subs on the floor.
The speakers on the stage are to provide coverage to those folks in the first few rows of seats who are not in the main coverage pattern of the flown speakers. Unfortuneately, near as I can tell, there is no trim on the speakers in order to attenuate the one within 2 feet of a seat vs. those 6 feet away. And, these are great when seated, but as soon as the audience stands, guess what, no coverage to the 2nd row of seats (assuming of course that people are in the 1st row. :-) )
The subs on the floor, more to come by the way, are to get more umph in the bottom end, move some air, compress your chest as the kick drum is played. So, those of you who like the low end, go ahead and sit closer to the stage since that's where the initial impact of air movement will be felt. I could feel it pretty good during rehearsal last Wednesday, but didn't really feel it this past Sunday. I wasn't mixing though. :-)
And that brings up another point. Those of us who mix at front of house, do have our own styles. I tend to be more rock 'n roll, and others tend to be more musical or studio-like. We each use our giftings and knowledge the best we can for the moment. Grant it, in live audio, there's no re-do, you just roll with it, hope you get no feedback, and that the mics are opened when they should be. Sure, we make mistakes, and no one is perfect. We try to get a good mix with all the distractions of others relaying information to us while in the heat of mixing. It isn't easy and takes a certain kind of personality to deal with (or ignore) "it". There are some in the audience who loved the mix and some who didn't. There are those who have been in bands, are still in bands, and have a thing or two to say. We just roll with it, take what we can from it and hope to be better and better as time rolls on.
Think about it. A front of house guy can't really take his instrument home to practice, so the only practice we get is during rehearsals or live shows. That's why the better ones have been doing it for a long time. The really good ones keep on learning.
We've all heard the "God isn't finished with me yet", and so it is with audio. We're not finished yet either. More enhancements to come.
Serving Him in sound reinforcement,
Ken
The speakers on the stage are to provide coverage to those folks in the first few rows of seats who are not in the main coverage pattern of the flown speakers. Unfortuneately, near as I can tell, there is no trim on the speakers in order to attenuate the one within 2 feet of a seat vs. those 6 feet away. And, these are great when seated, but as soon as the audience stands, guess what, no coverage to the 2nd row of seats (assuming of course that people are in the 1st row. :-) )
The subs on the floor, more to come by the way, are to get more umph in the bottom end, move some air, compress your chest as the kick drum is played. So, those of you who like the low end, go ahead and sit closer to the stage since that's where the initial impact of air movement will be felt. I could feel it pretty good during rehearsal last Wednesday, but didn't really feel it this past Sunday. I wasn't mixing though. :-)
And that brings up another point. Those of us who mix at front of house, do have our own styles. I tend to be more rock 'n roll, and others tend to be more musical or studio-like. We each use our giftings and knowledge the best we can for the moment. Grant it, in live audio, there's no re-do, you just roll with it, hope you get no feedback, and that the mics are opened when they should be. Sure, we make mistakes, and no one is perfect. We try to get a good mix with all the distractions of others relaying information to us while in the heat of mixing. It isn't easy and takes a certain kind of personality to deal with (or ignore) "it". There are some in the audience who loved the mix and some who didn't. There are those who have been in bands, are still in bands, and have a thing or two to say. We just roll with it, take what we can from it and hope to be better and better as time rolls on.
Think about it. A front of house guy can't really take his instrument home to practice, so the only practice we get is during rehearsals or live shows. That's why the better ones have been doing it for a long time. The really good ones keep on learning.
We've all heard the "God isn't finished with me yet", and so it is with audio. We're not finished yet either. More enhancements to come.
Serving Him in sound reinforcement,
Ken
Monday, May 5, 2008
Where's the subs?
No, not the kind you eat; this is an audio blog afterall. :-)
The subs hang in the ceiling. We chose that for more even coverage, but especially so that those nearest them won't have that wind-blown look.
It seems of late, I'm getting more and more complaints of no low end. But I know I get plenty where I'm at in the mix position.
So, took a walk around this 270-degree room, and sure enough, there are seats where it is just gone.
What's the cause? Well, our absorption isn't completely installed yet. This means that the audio bounces off walls. Because of this, the sound will be louder in some spots because the signals combine to a greater amplitutde, and at other spots the sound is just gone, because the signals were of opposite phase and thus cancelled each other out. So you get these lobes and nulls if you were to map it all out.
So, be patient. Until we get the finished treatment installed to prevent all the bouncing around, we will have this problem.
It sure gives us audio guys a bad rap though.
Anyway, hope this finds you well.
Until the next time,
Ken
The subs hang in the ceiling. We chose that for more even coverage, but especially so that those nearest them won't have that wind-blown look.
It seems of late, I'm getting more and more complaints of no low end. But I know I get plenty where I'm at in the mix position.
So, took a walk around this 270-degree room, and sure enough, there are seats where it is just gone.
What's the cause? Well, our absorption isn't completely installed yet. This means that the audio bounces off walls. Because of this, the sound will be louder in some spots because the signals combine to a greater amplitutde, and at other spots the sound is just gone, because the signals were of opposite phase and thus cancelled each other out. So you get these lobes and nulls if you were to map it all out.
So, be patient. Until we get the finished treatment installed to prevent all the bouncing around, we will have this problem.
It sure gives us audio guys a bad rap though.
Anyway, hope this finds you well.
Until the next time,
Ken
Thursday, April 24, 2008
A blog? I don't have one!
So, here I am running sound for Maximum Impact at my church 12Stone Church and a guy named Dean comes up and chats about all things audio. We talked about the M7CL console in use, the Danley speaker cabinets, what I use the DCA's for, you name it.
And then, he asks if I have a blog. Well gee, I never thought of having one. Being a volunteer, the church doesn't yet have sharepoints for us to use, so the only alternative is to go create one on my own, offsite. I'd rather have a sharepoint for schedules and other information for my team, but that's another topic.
So, Dean, if you found me, you can thank yourself for inspiring me to get one going.
Anyway, I never put much thought into creating one or using the blog capabilities of my facebook login, strobelight.audio, for those interested, since my first thought is that a blog is time consuming. But then, I think, I only need to update it when I feel like it, when I might have the time. I figure, may as well have one, at least I can get things off my chest as issues crop up. "Issues?" you may ask; sure the Church isn't immune to people issues from within, I myself trying to come up with other audio team schedules, thoughts of a recent message, you name it.
So, for those of you who found this, welcome. For those team members reading, I trust this will be informative.
I don't claim to be the eloquent writer, so flames off as we used to say on newsgroups. But then, blogs aren't newsgroups. I suppose this is more of a one way treatise from me. Ha! Although, feel free to leave comments and such, with my approval, of course.
Thank you for your time,
Serving Him in sound reinforcement,
Ken
And then, he asks if I have a blog. Well gee, I never thought of having one. Being a volunteer, the church doesn't yet have sharepoints for us to use, so the only alternative is to go create one on my own, offsite. I'd rather have a sharepoint for schedules and other information for my team, but that's another topic.
So, Dean, if you found me, you can thank yourself for inspiring me to get one going.
Anyway, I never put much thought into creating one or using the blog capabilities of my facebook login, strobelight.audio, for those interested, since my first thought is that a blog is time consuming. But then, I think, I only need to update it when I feel like it, when I might have the time. I figure, may as well have one, at least I can get things off my chest as issues crop up. "Issues?" you may ask; sure the Church isn't immune to people issues from within, I myself trying to come up with other audio team schedules, thoughts of a recent message, you name it.
So, for those of you who found this, welcome. For those team members reading, I trust this will be informative.
I don't claim to be the eloquent writer, so flames off as we used to say on newsgroups. But then, blogs aren't newsgroups. I suppose this is more of a one way treatise from me. Ha! Although, feel free to leave comments and such, with my approval, of course.
Thank you for your time,
Serving Him in sound reinforcement,
Ken
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