Learn more about how Lafayette, Colorado-based Flatirons Church gets consistent, high quality sound across all of their campuses. Ryan Linnett, the church's broadcast and production engineer is shown here preparing for a recent service.
As the month of December rolls around, church production directors and audio engineers across the country feel both the excitement and utter fear of the Christmas season. A new year brings fresh ideas, revamped pageantry, bold staging, and thrilling musical presentation. Yet we all shutter in fear, wondering if we’ll have enough inputs and mics to go around, a safe backup plan, and the simmering feeling of, “Will we pull this off?”
For good reason, Christmas can be challenging for churches of any size, especially on the audio front. The fine balance of dreams versus reality and how to please all the creative players in the planning room can be an entire novel in itself. Challenges for any audio engineer reside not only in a higher channel count, but also in mic’ing instrument, vocal, and spoken word combinations not seen on an average Sunday.
While emptying the mic cabinet once a year can provide a rare thrill, perhaps we need to consider our Christmas services from a new vantage point --- one that takes into account the end result, which in this case can be significantly different from our week-to-week services. Although each situation, venue, and personal preference may dictate your specific mic’ing solutions, a few fundamentals remain true.
Placement Comes First
In creative circles, people often say the best way to approach a problem or spark fresh thinking is to start with a blank sheet of paper. So before mics are placed, a strong understanding of stage layout for all playing and singing elements must be in place. This absolutely dictates how mic’ing solutions should be employed. It’s also a great time to dialogue with worship leaders, lighting designers, and others to ensure everyone will get what they need.
Get mic placement tips in this video interview from Bryce Boynton, audio director at Flatirons Church in Lafayette, Col. and sponsored by Sennheiser.
A vital first step is determining where each performer will reside on stage. Christmas often brings extra vocalists, choirs, and string sections which carry a more wide-open mic approach, versus close-mic instruments such as guitar cabinets, drums, and those running through direct boxes.
Too many times these factors are not taken into consideration and the next thing you know, a choir is placed just off to the side or behind a drum kit, and then we all start to wonder why the choir isn’t heard or isolated more properly in the mix. Placement matters, and solutions need to be intentional and planned for upfront rather than a last minute scramble at your tech rehearsal.
While we’re talking placement, actual mic placement on its source should always be taken into account. Yes, this takes time and effort, but it can be positively shocking how much difference a distance of just a few centimeters will produce when mic’ing a particular instrument. Employing a critical ear and taking due time to properly place microphones should be just as important as any other aspect of rehearsal and preparation.
Needs Vs. Wants
Dave Rat, owner of California-based Rat Sound and former live engineer for touring heavyweights such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, notes an often-seen disease, which plagues many sound engineers. He says that far too frequently engineers believe “more” equals “better” when it comes to mics. What could be done with 20 channels often balloons to 40 because of ego and misguided notions.
In most churches, the luxury of endless input channels and monitor solutions simply does not exist. Therefore, decisions need to be made with the goal of a full, robust audio experience, without clouding up the console and the mix with superfluous channels.
For example, the addition of a string section might not warrant individual mic’ing of each instrument. With proper stage placement in mind, two large-diaphragm condensers suspended overhead can accurately capture the resonance and mix of that group.
Additionally, multiple guitarists–both electric and acoustic–are often part of our Christmas productions. Do multiple cabinets need to be double mic’ed? Sure, we can always make the case. But often a single mic is more than enough, especially as additional layers of similar instruments are added. While it may look attractive, adding unnecessary mics only crowds what may be an already dense audio environment. Start with the minimum, focus on placement and tones, learn how to fit a good mix together, and then add additional channels only if absolutely required.
Experiment
Raise your hand if you’ve been mic’ing your snare drum and guitar cabinet with the same mic for years. Sure, that might sound a bit condescending–and by all means, tried and true options are perfectly fine to employ–but falling into a rut with regards to mic selection is all too common. A willingness to try something new can open up new sonic possibilities and new options for your special events.
Bryce Boynton, audio director at Flatirons Church in Lafayette, Colorado, has employed several interesting combinations throughout their worship band. On the drum kit, he uses a Sennheiser 609 on the hi-hat, mic’ing it from underneath. This particular mic has been a mainstay for years on guitar cabinets, due to its flat design and warm tone. But Bryce says they love the sound they get for their mix from that mic and it provides a full, robust sound.
They also have experimented with mic’ing both the tops and bottoms of their toms, using Sennheiser e 904s on top and e 604s on the bottom. Boynton says the bottom mics provide a warmer sound, without the attack of the top head, and they blend the two together for a unique sound.
Aside from drums, Boyton says they regularly mix up their electric guitar cabinet mics depending on the player, tones needed, and type of music the band is playing. While they commonly opt for a Sennheiser e 906, they might use a large-diaphragm condenser, ribbon, or other dynamic option either individually or blended together. He stresses that engineers should always be open to trying options. There’s always room for more than one tone, which can come in handy with multiple players, where separation and individuality across the frequency spectrum is key.
An Open Canvas
Often forgotten in the week-to-week grind in church production is the realization of creativity and how many potential solutions reside in the world of live sound. We often become enamored with stereotypes and third-party anecdotes that fuel our choices in how we approach our jobs–in this case, how we choose to employ microphones.
In the end, the final outcome is what matters and the way we choose to reach that ending might look vastly different from another venue.
Christmas will come with its fair share of busy nights and extra rehearsals, but it’s the perfect chance to hone your craft, step outside the normal routine, and refine your skill in providing an audience with an impactful experience. And there’s no greater feeling than sitting at home when it’s all said and done thinking, “Yes, we pulled it off.”
