Stage Set up

MNM7

This one is for my fellow church musos. I just would like to know what your stage set up is in terms of the band members. Basically how many of what instruments, and the basic layout if possible. I'm doing this cause i'm trying to get an idea for the band stage set up at the church where I play. So please share away.

Jack-Flash-Jr

I'd assume band set-up is similar for agnostic, atheist, Islamic, Buddhist and FSM bands in a hall type setting ?
But I'm keen to hear specifics.

guitarboy2828

Jack Flash Jr wrote: I'd assume band set-up is similar for agnostic, atheist, Islamic, Buddhist and FSM bands in a hall type setting ?
But I'm keen to hear specifics.

Yeah, I agree with Jack. I am a band leader in my church, however, we do not have a very big stage, so it is not set up the way we would like. So, I assume it is the same with any band situation. You set it up with the space you are given. When I've played with worship bands on a big stage, we set it up the same way all big bands do:
Drummer at the back. Leader in the middle in front of the drummer. Other guitarists and keyboardists on either side of the leader, sometimes pulled back a bit.

Nitebob

Mornings: 2x Acoustic guitars, 1 Keyboard (Stage Piano), 1 Bass, Drums. If 2nd keyboard player is available, 2nd keyboard playing strings.

Two acoustics on left of stage, keyboard player next to them, Drummer behind keyboard player (inside drumbox) bassist to the right of him. Strings/Keyboard on right of bassist. Two backing vocalists on right hand side. Usually lead by Worship leader behind keyboard or else centre of stage, if not playing.

Evenings: 1x Acoustic guitar, 1x Electric guitar, 1 Keyboard (if player is available), 1x Bass and Drums. Sometimes violin in evenings.

One acoustic left side, drummer and bassist same as in mornings. Electric guitar/Worship leader in centre. Two backing vocalists on right. Violinist on right of bassist.

Basically man all just needs to find a space that works and you monitoring needs to be ample, basically monitor to each person. If space is your main problem though, in ear monitors are the way to go. We are currently trying to twist the board for in-ear monitors...

Incidentally the only worship band that doesn't spend a lot of time in post production for their cd's is Jesus Culture, I am of the opinion that this is achieved by them being spaced very far apart, so the mics don't pic up everything happening as opposed to if they had been standing on each other.

Averatu

Jack Flash Jr wrote: I'd assume band set-up is similar for agnostic, atheist, Islamic, Buddhist and FSM bands in a hall type setting ?
But I'm keen to hear specifics.

FSM all the way!!! We're finally getting the recognition we deserve!!!

Nitebob

:-\ Ummm...what is FSM?

Jack-Flash-Jr

Nitebob wrote: :-\ Ummm...what is FSM?

A response will contravene the regulations of the site. I raised FSM because a lot of new members (not necessarily the OP) are contextualizing themselves in a religious fashion, which is fine but is on the verge of contravening rules and may make minority members uncomfortable.

Nitebob

Okay...I'll just change my nic to Mushroom boy... ?

Averatu

Nitebob wrote: :-\ Ummm...what is FSM?

It means I get to wear a pasta strainer as a hat.

Nitebob

:-\ Still don't get it :-[

Squonk

Flying Spaghetti Monster...

AlanRatcliffe

You don't have Google on your Internet Bob? ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_spaghetti_monster

And that will be the end of the religious part of this thread's programming please.

MNM7

Sigh. Alan you can close this thread as It seems that simply because I used the word "church" in my question I had a religious focus when I simply had a question about stage design in the only place where I play live, aimed at the few forumites who have said that they are church band members. Because churches sometimes have specific fixed stage designs with regards to where the members are positioned (thanx nitebob) and I didn't want to ask this on an international worship forum because I wanted local SA opinions and ideas and this is the only forum in guitar forum I belong to or know of in SA. So if anyone was offended I apologise.

Nitebob

Mushroom boy gets it....finally...no comment...

AlanRatcliffe

Nothing so serious as to warrant the closing of the thread.

However, I don't think there is any real difference to a P&W stage setup that doesn't apply to any other stage. Most P&W bands are built around the now common rock/pop band format, with the occasional addition of a choir.

Paul has already covered the basics - the rest is down to how many band members you have and the size/shape of the stage. It all boils down to cramming 'em all in whatever available space there is and setting up mics and monitors for the best coverage before feedback.

Gearhead

I know that in the church where Sean leads worship, they have cleaned out the stage and taken out the first two isles. The worship team stands in front of the congregation but faces the same way. It is not a performance in front of an audience, it is taking the lead in worshipping together.

Averatu

MNM7 wrote: Sigh. Alan you can close this thread as It seems that simply because I used the word "church" in my question I had a religious focus when I simply had a question about stage design in the only place where I play live, aimed at the few forumites who have said that they are church band members. Because churches sometimes have specific fixed stage designs with regards to where the members are positioned (thanx nitebob) and I didn't want to ask this on an international worship forum because I wanted local SA opinions and ideas and this is the only forum in guitar forum I belong to or know of in SA. So if anyone was offended I apologise.

??? Who's offended?
You have a bunch of wack jobs with varied world views here. Some other members did post very relevant responses, no need for the wounded act.

Airguitar

Church buildings DO have specific needs. They are big hollow spaces filled with reflective walls, etc. Also the audience is a lot different in that they don't want a marshall stack puking in their face on a sunday morning. The man's point is purely technical and valid.

AlanRatcliffe

Airguitar wrote: Church buildings DO have specific needs. They are big hollow spaces filled with reflective walls, etc.

As a description, that fits of a lot of halls or bigger club stages too.

Also the audience is a lot different in that they don't want a marshall stack puking in their face on a sunday morning.

Who does? ? It took us a while, but most bigger stages have quite reasonable stage volumes these days with more DI-ing than ever before and mostly in-ear monitoring. Churches were forced to go there first thanks to the need to cater for the varied nature of their audience, but clubs are following rapidly thanks to enforcement of the noise laws (there's currently a lot of disgust in the Jazz circles in CT as one club has been shut down and PA confiscated. Also look at the Cool Runnings story recently).

Sure, it's different in a dingy little metal club, but that's not where most players are gigging these days.

Airguitar

Right. Funny then that more time has been wasted on people taking offence at the use of the word CHURCH in this thread. It generated almost as much discussion as the original question. While it's true that larger venues have wized up to controlling their volume levels, they have an audience that paid to see a show. They have different budgets, they don't always have a bunch of pro musos onstage, they often have to make do in rented halls whose acoustics are a nightmare, they mostly don't have a trained sound man on duty, they maybe rehearse once a week, they are not even performers, but facilitators of corporate worship where the entire congregation forms part of the overall sound. I play in both secular and church situations and have no doubt that while there are many things which are thge same, there are just as many that are different.

Now for my 2 cents worth on the original posting, in our church the band is streched out across the stage as described by others in this thread, but the guitar and bass amps are in a seperate room and mic'd into the PA. a seperate monitor mix is used onstage. The speakers are suspended overhead center stage, as well as overhead wide left and right.