4 Musician & Mixing Steps for Pristine Live Worship Sound

Mush. It’s easy to create but can be hard to remedy. Even at the top of your game and with your hands on the best sound system, the best mics, and the best musicians, you only get a great big wall of shapeless, overwhelming sound if everyone plays the same 3-chord note in the same octave with the same rhythm. And while that may be a great technique for creating an intense moment, an entire set like that isn’t very engaging. The same bland wall of sound occurs when everyone on the platform plays their part without regard to the rest of the band or when room ambience takes over. Listeners’ ears may have nothing to focus on.

On the other hand, everything can come together if your artists/musicians hear one another and understand how to craft musical parts that contribute to the overall sound without competing for overlapping sonic space. The artists and the gear weave a musical tapestry that inspires, engages, and uplifts. Every musician uniquely elevates the congregational worship experience. Here are four steps that can help you fix unfavorable sound at the source.

Step 1: Train the TeamStep 2: Give the Team Ears to HearSound-isolating EarphonesAdding Congregational MicsStep 3: Adapt to Ambient SpacesStep 4: Mix Out the MudAn Audio Engineer’s Checklist for Clean SoundDiagnostic Tools

Step 1: Train the Team

Sometimes, a little education can go a long way. Review proper mic handling techniques with your vocalists and presenters — such as mic direction awareness, where and how to hold the mic, and the downfalls of cupping the mic — to maximize effective tone and reject unwanted sounds. Give your musicians a refresher on identifying their parts of the musical pie, and avoid playing over one another.

Every worship musician desires to contribute to the band’s sound. They can do this by adapting their tone/timbre, rhythm, and even the octave where they’re playing, as detailed in the later chapters of my book, Born for Worship: The Best You Can Be in Worship-Arts Ministry. A team that understands this can create interesting arrangements more quickly and with less effort and rehearsal time. They make it easier for the sound engineer to create distinct mixes to engage the congregation. The larger the team, the more significant this becomes.

Step 2: Give the Team Ears to Hear

Limited rehearsal time provides little opportunity to fine-tune musical arrangements. In-ear monitoring allows musicians to better listen to one another. It also prepares them for their unique places in the sonic spectrum during rehearsals and performances. Everyone must clearly hear themselves and the rest of the band to create a pleasing arrangement.

In-ear monitors (IEMs) make it easier to hear yourself and others and can improve communication between the band and the audio engineer, music director, or producer. They also allow everyone to keep the rhythm while making musical adjustments that help the congregation engage in gathering together for worship.

Musicians sometimes need help creating successful IEM mixes. Training can help. When you notice that someone on the platform has pulled out one in-ear, they are signaling that there is a problem or that their mix isn’t optimal. This is a golden training opportunity! The helpful guide “How to Move Your Team to In-ear Monitors” is a great place to start. Take it from an old rocker — IEMs are a godsend!

The Behringer Powerplay P16-M digital personal mixer offers up to 16 channels plus individual LED meters, a 3-band EQ, level limiting, and setting recall. The flagship Allen & Heath ME-1 personal monitor mixer is Aviom-compatible, can draw from 40 sources to create groups, and has a 16-channel mix with all the fixings, including an ambience mic. The PreSonus EarMix 16M AVB personal monitor mixer provides an EQ and limiter on all channels and is an easy-to-understand interface.

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Several options simplify personal monitoring. The Rolls PM50se personal monitor amp mixes a single microphone or instrument signal with the stereo or mono monitor mix. For a musician using both a vocal mic and an instrument, the Rolls PM351 personal monitor system allows the musician to control the instrument, mic, and monitor mix separately. And the ART MyMonitorII personal monitor mixer blends a personal mic or instrument signal with a stereo monitor mix and can be powered by a 9V battery.

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When on-platform gear needs to be reduced, the Digital Audio Labs Livemix CS-DUO personal monitor mixer can be used by two musicians, each with their own mix of up to 24 channels and two built-in ambient mics. Plus, remote mixing capabilities are present for sound techs to hear and modify individual mixes.

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Sound-isolating Earphones

Everyone’s ears and musical preferences differ. So, rest assured that Sweetwater offers several standout products to its customers! Highly rated Sennheiser IE 400 Pro monitor earphones have a unique, distortion-free, full-range single driver with a 6Hz–19kHz range. The dynamic Mackie MP-320 triple-driver professional in-ear monitors offer a 20Hz–20kHz range. Other popular choices include the affordable single-driver Shure SE215-CL sound-isolating earphones with a 22Hz–17-1/2kHz range and the triple-driver Westone Audio Pro X30 earphones with a 20Hz–18kHz range.

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Adding Congregational Mics

Many churches incorporate ambient room mics into their in-ear mix to help musicians retain a connection with the congregation and instrumentalists. (This also reduces the temptation for musicians to remove one in-ear, risking hearing damage or potentially feeding the click or loop signal back into their microphone.)

Correct ambient mic placement is vital. Avoid the back of the room facing the platform or dropping a mic or two from the ceiling in the main speaker path. These placements capture too much reverb and house bleed, resulting in a muddy IEM mix. Instead, place two pencil or shotgun condenser mics on the front edge of the platform (one on the left and one on the right), aimed at the most crowded area of the congregation. While rejecting stage and speaker noise, the clean stereo signal can be hard-panned to interfere less with the rest of the elements in each musician’s in-ear mix while still providing a sense of being in the room. To learn more about miking a congregation, check out “Using Ambient Mics to Hear the Audience.”

Using Ambient Mics to Hear the Audience

When selecting an ambient room mic, key considerations include whether it has a tight pickup pattern, the ability to roll-off low frequencies, and low self-noise. Each of these shotgun condenser mic models has a 40Hz–20kHz range: The Sennheiser MKH 416 offers precise directivity with a hypercardioid pattern at low and medium frequencies with a lobar pattern above 2kHz. Plus, it only has 13dB of self-noise! The pattern of the Audio-Technica AT8035 is ideal for long-distance sound pickup, with an extremely narrow acceptance angle that offers superior side and rear sound rejection. Finally, the Sennheiser MKE 600 uses a supercardioid/lobar pattern with 16dB of battery-powered self-noise. Its low-cut filter can be toggled to 100Hz for improved vocal intelligibility, too!

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Step 3: Adapt to Ambient Spaces

If your auditorium has long reverberation times, then the musicians and presenters may need to consider modifying their playing/singing/speaking style to improve clarity. Speaking more slowly and avoiding faster notes (like 32nd notes) can overcome long room-resonance times. Plus, help the melody stand out from the accompaniment by using contrasting note durations. For example, a melody that primarily uses quarter notes will stand out more if the accompaniment focuses on whole or sixteenth notes.

Use close-miked positions rather than distance or group miking. Position your choir or ensemble behind and offset from your main speakers to reduce feedback and ambient room bleed. Instead of using choir mics, give handhelds to select singers within the ensemble. Some churches even add recordings (“stems”) of their choir or children’s groups to increase clarity and avoid choir miking issues. Of course, addressing the room acoustics is the best way to overcome this challenge.

Step 4: Mix Out the Mud

When the individual musicians determine the arrangements, they often arrive at rehearsal with a part prepared, hoping that minor tweaks will pull the whole thing together. These parts are typically approximations based on the sounds on a studio recording, a live recorded version (usually incorporating studio-produced loops), or YouTube tutorials.

These parts don’t always blend well with what other band musicians have prepared, and the resulting mash-up of parts can easily create contrasting rhythms and clashing tonal colors. In a perfect world, everyone would have the time to listen and adapt to one another. That’s often just not possible. Sometimes, the music director must trust the sound engineer to clarify things at the console. That’s one of the greatest — yet most rewarding — challenges of mixing live sound.

An Audio Engineer’s Checklist for Clean Sound

Here’s a checklist of solutions for the audio engineer to help clean up the overall sound:

Ahead of time:

Double-check that there are no open mics or unconnected cable runs (which can act as antennas).Ensure batteries are freshly charged — including piezo and active guitar/bass pickups — to avoid distortion, dropouts, and artifacts.If you have a digital sound console, then drag in each musician’s EQ settings from your saved templates.

During sound check:

On EQs, cut frequencies rather than boosting.Double-check each channel’s gain structure to avoid signal loss or added noise.Give each instrument its own sweet spot in the frequency range so that it can shine. Consider using gentle, mid-cut EQ on instruments around 2kHz to allow the vocal to cut through. If you use a digital board, then save each musician’s settings as a preset for you to drag in and tweak to match that week’s factors.Check mics for phasing or comb filtering, add a highpass filter around 140Hz to eliminate mud, address harshness by cutting or compressing highs as needed, sweep for muddy frequencies, and add or fine-tune noise gates.

During rehearsal:

If an adequate sound check for all participants does not fit into the allotted rehearsal time and you have a digital board or the right analog gear on hand, then consider recording the individual tracks for an extended virtual sound check when the musicians have left.Spot-check (solo) all channels for surprises, such as new patches, odd frequencies or tones, damage (like a cracked headstock or low battery), altered gating or EQ, sub-cabinet rattle or distortion, system mid- or sub-EQ misadjustment, and so on.Double-check mic placement at stations and on lapels, headsets, handhelds, and amps.Double-check effects (especially reverb and delays) by turning them off and bringing them back in to listen for increasing mud. You may need to consider using a lowpass/highpass filter and slight dip around 2kHz on EQ of ambient effects to help vocals remain clear. Using delay/reverb will push instruments to the back of the mix, and removing it brings instruments and vocals to the forefront.Walk the auditorium and, from various locations, listen to the mix’s clarity (or lack thereof). An iPad app or remote controller is great for this. Or, if you have a partner with headphones at the console, then use a wireless mic to give instructions.If you run stereo, then check your panning. The lead vocals, bass, and kick are usually centered. Other instruments are panned gently so that people on the other side of the auditorium don’t miss parts.

Between sets:

Check with the music director and musicians to learn whether they’re hearing everything they need.

After the set:

If you have a digital console, then save your adjusted musician templates. (Don’t overwrite the original!)Jot down relevant notes for the music director or, if you have a team, the next sound engineer.

During the week:

Review the playback of the room mix, making notes on improvements as needed. If you have a digital board and saved individual channel settings, then check them as well to identify potential trouble frequencies.Listen to and check speaker placements for dead spots and overlapping frequencies causing frequency spikes, comb filtering, or phase cancellation. (Pink noise, a decibel meter, and some earplugs can be your friend!)Track wireless frequencies on all wireless devices in your facility, including other departments, to avoid crosstalk and interference.

If clean mixes are a concern and there is not an adequate opportunity for the sound tech to clean up the sound by adjusting the mix, then the sound issues will probably not improve.

You can improve your sound team’s skills with a live mixing class from the Sweetwater Academy of Music & Technology or one of our mixing masterclasses. As a reference, consider the third edition of The Ultimate Live Sound Operator’s Handbook by Hal Leonard.

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Diagnostic Tools

To get an eye-opening image of overlapping or spiking instrument frequencies, consider capturing your individual tracks and testing them in a DAW with a frequency analysis plug-in. Sending a screen capture to your musicians and music director may help them understand the significance of the issue and inspire them to help create solutions.

With the MeldaProduction MMultiAnalyzer audio analyzing plug-in, you can layer multiple tracks to discover where frequency issues arise. Likewise, the Blue Cat Audio FreqAnalyst Multi real-time spectrum analyzer plug-in compares the spectral content of multiple tracks simultaneously and allows you to match an instrument’s EQ curve to a target version. The iZotope Neutron 4 mixing plug-in suite includes the Unmask Module, which identifies masking issues and seeks out instrumental imbalances and competing tracks to help you identify and clear up any muddy mixing. The FabFilter Pro-Q 3 EQ and filter plug-in has a frequency collision indicator to help you carve out sonic space.

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Pro Tip: Leverage that stack of unused music gear gathering dust by selling it on Sweetwater’s Gear Exchange!

Do You Hear That?

Reach out to one of our knowledgeable Sweetwater Sales Engineers at (800) 222-4700 and start resolving your auditorium clarity issues today!
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