Audio Tips and Techniques for the Smaller Church

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Audio Tips and Techniquesfor theSmaller Church
blantonschool.com
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Audio Tips and Techniques for the Smaller Church
(ATTSC)WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?
Chris Blanton
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ATTSC AUDIO ISSUES OF SMALLER CONGREGATIONS
Chris Blanton
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ATTSC Audio Issues

• CD EARS
• Since 1982
• Everybody has audio system.
• Worldwide - 30 billion in 2004.
• MP3 Players.
• Audio Expectations.
• Typical Church Sound hmm.

Chris Blanton
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ATTSC Audio Issues

• LIMITED BUDGET
• Experiment with your gear.
• Download/read manuals.
• Ask questions.
• Research compare data.
• Communicate confidently.
• Local relationship is worth an extra 15.

Chris Blanton
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ATTSC Audio Issues

• VOLUNTEERS
• Personality quirks.
• Hang out, meals, special events.
• Host a guest audio trainer, and involve the
  musicians.
• Read the manuals.
• Learn the gear.
• Knobs and dials during Check!

Chris Blanton
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ATTSC AUDIO MADE SIMPLE
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ATTSC Audio Made Simple
Look for those bare necessitiesThe simple bare
necessitiesTo let go of your worries and your
strife Its just a bare necessity --to set
your board up properlyya gotta get yourGAIN
STRUCTURE just right.
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ATTSC Audio Made Simple

• Cathedrals, Caves, Tile Rooms.
• Natural Acoustic Purity.
• Luke 51-3
• Dale at Armuchee Baptist.
• In Process Out

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ATTSC Audio Made Simple

• INPUT
• Microphone.
• Direct Injection.
• Audio from Video.
• CD, Tape, Karaoke.
• Telephone.

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ATTSC Audio Made Simple

• PROCESS
• Anything that changes, adjusts, enhances,
  destroys, minimizes, maximizes, transforms,
  directs, combines, splits, or duplicates the
  incoming signals.

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ATTSC Audio Made Simple

• OUTPUT
• Amplifier Speaker.
• Headphones.
• Recording Device.
• Listening System.
• Broadcast.
• Audio for Video.
• Telephone.

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ATTSC ROOM REINFORCEMENT VS.TOTAL AUDIO
MIXING
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ATTSC RR vs. TAM

• Sound Reinforcement vs.Total Audio Mixing
• musicians, monitor mixes, house mix
• Music Styles
• Establishing Trust

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ATTSC RR vs. TAM

• FACTS WE ASSUME
• Musicians need to hear themselves to play well.
• Musicians have monitor needs.
• Musicians are familiar with their equipment.

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ATTSC RR vs. TAM

• SOUND REINFORCEMENT
• Musicians can hear themselves without the help of
  sound tech.
• Band can be tighter.
• Eliminates monitor-feed needs.
• Live feel with the room.
• Mixing considers stage sound.
• After thorough check, FOH less hectic, trusting
  the musicians.

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ATTSC RR vs. TAM

• SOUND REINFORCEMENT
• Monitors need Voices Keyboards Leaders
  Instrument Acoustic instruments
• House Mix used make up the difference in whats
  coming from the stage.
• Orientation shape of room?

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ATTSC RR vs. TAM

• TOTAL AUDIO MIXING
• Stage volume is either much lower or
  non-existent.
• FOH has all the volume control, and the full
  weight of audio responsibility.
• Reverb unit is an absolute must for a sense of
  space.
• Complicated monitor mixes.
• Carpet helps for a clean canvas.

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ATTSC RR vs. TAM

• MUSIC STYLES
• Style affects a lot of things.
• There are no cookie cutter settings, even
  week-to-week.
• Temperature.
• Humidity.
• Number of people.
• Quantity of In Process Out.

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ATTSC RR vs. TAM

• MUSIC STYLES
• Whats Driving? Piano/Organ Guitar Drums/Bass
  Input (CD, Tape, MP3)
• Supporting Roles.
• Soloing.
• Musicians Preferences.

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ATTSC RR vs. TAM

• ESTABLISHING TRUST
• Explain/Demonstrate as simply as possible
  pastors lapel, singers mic-to-monitor position,
  choir mic.
• Be willing to learn.
• Admit that youre no expert.
• Everybody wants to do good.

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ATTSC RR vs. TAM

• ESTABLISHING TRUST
• Instead of commanding and demanding, ask
  questions.
• What if we try
• What do you think about
• Would it be okay if we
• Your building needs something different than the
  other guys.

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ATTSC RR vs. TAM

• ESTABLISHING TRUST
• Talk collectively about your rooms positive
  traits and its challenges.
• Hang out together. Eat. Dialog. Go to a concert.
• Learn from your mistakes dont ignore them.

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ATTSC CUTTING THROUGH
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ATTSC Cutting Through

• EQ cannot change pitch.
• EQ cannot correct tempo.
• EQ cannot fix poor gain structure.
• EQ cannot fully compensate for comb filtering,
  due to poor speaker placement.

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ATTSC Cutting Through

• EQ can increase GBF (gain-before-feedback) Graphi
  c (1/3-octave). Parametric. Ferret, Detective,
  etc.

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ATTSC Cutting Through

• EQ can sculpt a sonic space for each
  instrument. Mid-range sharing. Piano and
  Bass? Multiple Guitars. Experiment by
  permission.

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ATTSC Cutting Through

• Remove harshness.
• Add warmth.
• Minimize handling noise.
• In-/decrease perceived volume.
• Tune the room (5,7,11,15,31).
• In-/decrease the presence of foundational tones
  and harmonics.

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ATTSC EQ Foundational Tones Harmonic Partials
http//www.soundinstitute.com/images/tt58f2.gif
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ATTSC TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
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ATTSC Tips and Techs

• Its all connected.
• Everything colors the sound.
• GAIN (Trim, Level, Volume).
• A Hot Signal, plus lower Gain at the board,
  equals cleaner tone.
• Effects routing options Aux Send/Return. Own
  Channel.

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ATTSC Tips and Techs

• AUX possibilities Monitors. Effects. Assisted
  hearing. Overflow / Nursery feed. Recording. Ph
  one Out.
• Route Guest Musicians to unused channels for a
  fresh start, and House Band consistency.

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ATTSC Tips and Techs

• Lapel Receiver ¼ output instead of XLR.
• Lapel Dedicated 31-band, plus original signal
  for beefier tones.
• Sweep it till ya find it.
• Male singer boost at 1.6 kHz.
• Trust good musicians.

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ATTSC Tips and Techs

• MAINS Compressor (gentle).Ratio 21 41,Long
  Attack, Long Release,
• Adjust Threshold in order to achieve minimal
  effect, without pumping or distorting (15).
• Limiter (brick wall).
• ALTO ACL2-Pro pdf manual.

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ATTSC Some Resources

• Internet Sound Institute (give zip-3) soundinstit
  ute.com
• Technologies For Worship Mag.Past Articles -
  tfwm.com
• Study Hall - ProSoundWeb.com
• Search Engines brand model product
  user manual
• ChurchSoundcheck.com

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Audio Tips and Techniques for the Smaller Church
(ATTSC)

• Q A.
• Survey.
• Thanks.

Chris Blanton
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Audio Tips and Techniquesfor theSmaller Church
blantonschool.com