WantzChas wrote
To those who are familiar with both churches and theaters, how differently do you have to approach the setup?
They all tend to be the same.. Depends on the layout though, and budget.. Some churches have no budget, others have systems in them that will make the State theater look like Back 2 Basix with hired in sound.. Problem comes in actually mixing there.. Theaters are where people pay to go to, so they expect a certain quality of sound.. Churches are mostly run by volunteers, and you always tend to have some old lady come to you and say 'sonny, that music was too loud'.. What I then do in a situation like that is reach over, and turn DOWN her hearing aid.. The theory for all stays the same, the way to balance a mix.. How to read the crowd.. What is that annoying buzz..
But there is a certain art to keep people in a church setup happy.. Playing in a band aswell has it's challanges.. Not too much Overdrive, we might open up the gates of hell (that has happend to me.. not the gates of hell part, but people moaning that it sounds too much like ROCK music), Keep the drumming restrained, not too flashy.. And that 'no smoking on stage' rule got to me.. ?
But overall, there are a few things Church muso's do differently from others.. The sounds you tend to look for may change (U2 delays are always a hit), Vocals in the mix is important, In the slower songs, 'landscapy' chord progressions (very prog rock as someone pointed out earlier), And you tend to become quite the player to play by ear.. yes, some worship leaders tend to go on their own mission, and you just have to follow.. So your 'playing by ear' skills develop by leaps and bounds..
TomCat wrote
Sean wrote
Good idea. Instead of "Church" we can use either "P&W" or "HOW"
'HOW' but that might cause a potential problem eg.. 'HOW How do I get my....' Sorry I just saw the HOW and couldn't resist.. Throwing of tomatoes in my general directions may now happen..
