Chase Livingston

Enhancing a mix with effects such as reverb and delay is a great way to achieve a true live sound. Many times, these effects are either overused, or used improperly. In my opinion, less is more when it comes to audio, so I tend to use effects sparingly, and only in a few different cases.

Vocals

Vocals are one of the best, if not the best case for using effects. When someone is singing, a little reverb and delay used properly can really add a lot of body and fullness to their voice. There isn’t a magic formula as to how much or what kind of reverb and delay to use, it all depends on the room you’re in and the sound you’re trying to achieve. Be careful not to overdo it and make the vocalist sound like they’re singing in a tunnel, though.

Drums

If you mic an acoustic drum set, the microphone won’t pick up the natural reverberation of the drum head many times. This is another case where a little reverb from the engineer can make the drum sound more real and live to the audience.

Guitars

I typically don’t add any effects to guitars, since most guitarists bring their own in the form of a pedal board. Know that it is possible, however, and can be done if a guitarist doesn’t have a pedal board, but still wants to achieve a certain sound.

These are normally the only instruments I deal with on a regular basis and add effects to. As I said, my philosophy is always “less is more,” so I try to use effects sparingly, so the natural tone or character of the instrument isn’t lost.

What other ways do you use effects in live sound?

For new engineers, the EQ can be one of the most daunting portions of a sound console. They’re not sure what all the knobs do, and may not understand what “low, mid, high” refers to. This will by no means be an exhaustive lesson in EQ, but I hope to dispel many of the myths about EQ being difficult. It’s a great tool to assist you in trying to achieve the best mix possible. First, let’s take a look at the five types of EQ, as well as their pros and cons.

1. Switchable

Switchable is what you’ll normally find on low-end analog consoles, as well as other consumer grade stereo or car audio equipment. Usually you have the option of adjusting high, mid, low, with each of those being set at a predefined frequency, only allowing you to adjust the gain of each of those frequencies.

The advantages of this type of EQ are simplicity and ease of learning how to use it effectively. The downsides are the limited choice of frequencies to adjust, as well as no Q control, which we’ll cover a bit later.

2. Sweepable

This type of EQ is very similar to switchable, except that it offers a band or two that are “sweepable.” This means that you can adjust the frequency as well as gain of those bands. These usually occur in the midrange, between about 100Hz- 8kHz. The added frequency control makes this type of EQ a little more preferable to switchable, but it also still does not include any Q control.

3. Semi-Parametric

Semi-parametric EQ adds selectable Q control to an otherwise sweepable EQ. Q is the measure of how wide or thin a band of frequencies you’re selecting is. This obviously allows you a little more control over how you’re effecting the sound, but can take more time to setup if you’re not familiar with it.

4. Fully Parametric

This type of EQ is usually found on high end consoles, particularly digital consoles. It offers full control over frequency and gain selection, as well as full Q control. If you’re looking for granular control, this is the way to go. It does take a while to learn, however, and also takes time to setup, since there are so many options.

5. Graphic

Graphic EQs are generally found on the output side of a console, effecting an entire mix, rather than an individual channel. They are normally separated into bands, allowing you to adjust the gain of each individual band. These are the most difficult to setup, taking time to “tune” the system. These are generally utilized to adjust a system’s output based on a particular room, helping to eliminate problem frequencies, and enhance frequencies that are not balanced.

[Images via Sonic Electronix, Quad Eight Electronics, Solid State Logic, immusical, Mindspring]

How many times have you been running sound and had to battle with feedback? It’s the bane of an audio engineer’s existence. We do everything we can to prevent, but sometimes it appears without warning, and we have to deal with it quickly to minimize the distraction it causes. Here are a few tips I’ve developed over the past several years dealing with feedback:

1. Pay Attention to Gain Structure

Gain structure is one of the most important principles in audio. If you don’t have your gain set correctly, you will probably struggle with other settings since it all depends on the gain. To set gain, I start with both the fader and gain all the way down, then bring the fader to unity. After that, begin turning the gain up until it gets to a suitable level, or until it begins to feed back. If it does begin to feed back, back off of the gain a bit so you will have some headroom to be able to adjust the fader up if you need to. A good rule of thumb is once the gain is set, don’t touch it, just use the fader to adjust the level.

2. Mute Microphones That Aren’t Being Used

To many engineers, this is obvious, but I’ve also worked with many who don’t follow this practice, and many times it comes back to bite them. The more microphones you have open, the bigger the chance for feedback caused by any one of those microphones. My rule is, if you’re not using it, either mute it, or bring the fader all the way down.

3. Meet with Performers

Many performers have plenty of experience working with audio and know the drill when it comes to how to hold their microphone, where not to point it, etc. I’ve found that it’s always best to make sure of this, and not make any assumptions so you minimize the chance of problems during an event. Make sure the performers know not to point their microphone at any monitors or speakers, since that will definitely cause feedback. I’ve seen countless people finish speaking or singing, and hold the microphone down at their side, which just happens to be where the monitor is placed. That’s not a very pleasant sound.

What other tips do you have for reducing feedback?

[Editor's Note: This is part of the Audio Aggravations series of posts.]

I’m sure if you’ve spent any amount of time running audio in a church environment, you’ve heard something similar to, “It’s too loud!” It seems that no matter how hard you try, someone always thinks it’s too loud, even if it appears to be fine for everyone else. I’ve definitely experienced this, and have come up with a few “rules of thumb” for this situation.

1. Evaluate the Source

This may sound rude, or inconsiderate, but I think many times you should simply stop and evaluate who it is that’s complaining about the volume level. You’re never going to be able to please everyone, so if the majority of your audience is fine with it, sometimes you just have to smile and nod towards the ones who aren’t. If you’re in a church that regularly runs 95-100 dB, you might even consider offering earplugs for those who’d rather not “feel” the worship quite so much.

2. Get a Decibel Meter

This is probably obvious, but having an accurate decibel meter on hand can assist you in making sure your volume is consistent. If the band starts getting a little too loud, or the guitarist keeps cranking his amp up during a solo, having a decibel meter to objectively measure this will help you adjust accordingly.

3. Talk With Your Leaders

Once you have your decibel meter, make sure to talk with your leaders and find out if they’re ok with the volume level you think is appropriate. You may have to give them a crash course in how the decibel meter readings correlate to volume level, but the main idea is to show them what that level actually sounds like so they can make a decision.

I think using these tips when mixing in your own environment will help you to make sure everyone has an enjoyable experience, and that the message isn’t colored or hindered in any way.

Stay tuned, next time we’re going to talk about feedback!

What other tips or experiences have you found helpful for volume aggravations?

While just about every aspect of church tech fascinates me, my primary area of focus is audio. That’s what I’m studying in school, so it’s what takes up most of my time and energy. I’m going to start a series of posts about some common aggravations with audio I’ve both seen and experienced in a live church setting. Here are some major points I’m going to try to focus on:

• Volume
• Feedback
• EQ
• Effects

Is there anything else you’d like to see me cover as part of this series?

[Image via Bad Credit Daily]