Church Sound Podcast

In Episode 95, James and Gary discuss all things compression — not only what compression is but how it effects different instruments or sections during a service. The hosts share some basics and starting points they use when compressing in the mix. Compression is ultimately a tool that can help achieve a desired sound and when used correctly, improve a mix. The Church Sound Podcast is sponsored by...

In Episode 94, James and Gary discuss the relationship between audio techs and musicians. It all starts with building positive communication and thinking about not only what is said, but how it’s said. At the end of the day, both audio techs and musicians are needed to put on a good service, and when they’re working together and sharing ideas, that job and experience becomes much better. The Churc...

In Episode 93, James and Gary discuss four pillars of a great mix: a great sounding source, capturing the source the right way, level balance and gain structure, and using high and low-pass filtering. Essentially if you start with clean sound, capture it the right way, balance the levels and then make small cuts to fit it all together, a quality result will follow. The co-hosts focus on how to do...

In Episode 92, co-hosts James and Gary discuss the foundation of great audio. A solid base starts with the setup. System design, where the loudspeakers are located and where they’re pointed. System tuning, taking those loudspeakers and applying EQ and delay so they all work together. Finally the console setup, having a clear detailed map so you increase efficiency and make it easy for others to st...

In Episode 91, co-hosts James and Gary dive into the world of immersive audio. What is it, where do we find it and why is it becoming more popular? Is immersive audio worth looking into for your space? What are ways that it could be used for worship services? The Church Sound Podcast is sponsored by DiGiCo and Electro-Voice . Check out James Attaway’s new worship audio academy at www.attawayaudio....

In Episode 90, the hosts focus on a critical pillar of audio: gain structure and balancing. They discuss how to prepare for a service so you don’t have to make gain adjustments during the worship service — it can throw off everything. They also share strategies and preferences when diving into a mix, including where they like to start. And don’t suffer from “console fog” — it’s important to get ou...

In Episode 89, the co-hosts get back to the music. In a world with a million and one ways to shape, present, and experience music, how do we get out of our own way and be present in the moment? The Church Sound Podcast is sponsored by DiGiCo and Electro-Voice . They talk about ways to set up before an event and tips to make sure we don’t miss a beat during a live performance, and they also discuss...

If you're wondering if we added another bass player to the podcast, we didn't -- he plays drums. Samantha and James welcome on another new co-host, Gary Zandstra, to bring in new perspectives and even more educational content for you listeners. Gary is a long-time contributor and author for Church Sound Magazine, and we couldn't be happier having him on board! Check out our new Inst...

James is out having some family bonding time while they welcome their new daughter into the world! While James is away, the networking comes out to play! On this episode, Samantha welcomes Kat Taub from Audinate to discuss Dante and all the technology that's coming onto the network. Additionally, they discuss how to approach learning networked audio and Dante, even if you're brand new. K...

James and Samantha welcome back Ben Ivey to talk all about mixing in houses of worship and beyond! Ben Ivey is a touring FOH Engineer, Production Manager and Consultant based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Ben serves a variety of clients ranging from national acts, corporate companies and churches. Within the last year his clients have included Priscilla Block, Lily Rose, Ludacris, Megan Moroney, Elle K...

Can there be a party if there's only 2 people? We say yes! Happy Winter Holidays! That's a Merry Christmas to the Christians, a Happy Hanukkah to the Jewish, and a Magnificent Kwanzaa to those who celebrate it! Merry Winter Solstice and a Happy New Year to all! This week, James and I have a quick check in and reminder to everyone: we appreciate you for listening for 4 seasons now! Don&ap...

You're frantically googling, trying to find out what the heck is so important about mixing even though there are seemingly 10,000 things to do! Have no fear, James and Samantha are here to help. This topic comes up constantly with new mixes and new volunteers always stepping up to the plate to help out. Let this episode shed a little light on what's most important when you first start mi...

Achieving consistency is one of the most important goals for mixing as soon as you graduate from newbie to intermediate mixer. Whether that's consistency between services, between weeks, or between engineers, if we have consistency it leaves space for meaningful worship, quality broadcasting, and more cohesive experiences all-around. Samantha and James dip into the topic this week offering ti...

Crowd mics (and by extension, room mics) are an easy way to help out the musicians on stage, and everyone tuning in to the broadcast feed. James and Samantha dive into setting up crowd and room mics, what the difference is, how we process them, and when the best times to start using them are! Co-host Samantha Potter is also co-lead instructor with Church Sound University — a training program tailo...

When you do what you love, or you give your heart to volunteering, it becomes hard to distinguish sacrifice and burnout. In this week's episode, Samantha and James dig into creating a balance between our work and the rest of our life. Take care of yourselves out there as the winter holiday season is upon us -- an often draining time contrasted with joy and reverence and reflection. Co-host Sa...

What tools should every FOH have? What tools do we carry in our bags? This week, Samantha and James tackle the tools that are good to have in arm's reach. There are specialty tools, and there are generic tools. We need a good mix of both in order to cover any reasonable amount of issues -- batteries, tape, volt meter, spare mics, and more! **Coherence value (not correlation) is what lets us k...

Stage noise has this thing where it's everywhere and contributes heavily to out-of-control sound systems. In an effort to create a world with as little unwanted noise as possible, Samantha and James arm wrestle with tactics and techniques on getting control of our stages and all the distortion coming off of it. Some sanctuaries or venues are built to not have amplification in them, and that c...

How many bassists does it take to talk about live sound mixing? A lot, apparently, given that so many of us are bass players. In this week's episode, James and Samantha finally tackle the topic that could easily turn into a 3-part gear series: bass guitar. Bassists On Bassists -- what a world. Tune in to hear a whole lot of opinions, and some great starting points for nailing that persnickety...

That's right, "miking" not "micing". James and Samantha deep-dive into stereo miking techniques, why it's important, when we should do it, and why our lizard brains function the way they do. If you're curious about stereo miking, this episode is for you! Co-host Samantha Potter is also co-lead instructor with Church Sound University — a training program tailored...

Eliminate variables, don't create them. In this week's episode, James and Samantha tackle every tech's most important and most feared skillset: troubleshooting. What happens when our wedges are feeding back? How come my iPad won't connect? How do I figure out what's happening? Join us as we wrestle with troubleshooting tips and tricks Co-host Samantha Potter is also co-lea...

What happens if you choose to believe the best in the people you serve with? How do you manage your leadership team? This week, Samantha and James discuss what it's like to work with leaders who are perhaps failing to lead, and what we can do to help drive our tech teams and our houses or worship to success. Co-host Samantha Potter is also co-lead instructor with Church Sound University — a t...

This week, Brad Price from Audinate joins James and Samantha to discuss Dante Virtual Soundcard, when it's time to start implementing Dante, and if Dante is affecting sound quality, plus more! Networked audio -- it's time to get on board, folks! Audinate has some excellent training available, and we always highly suggest techs take at least the Level 1 Certification to familiarize themse...

While Samantha and James are recovering from some hectic travel and personal losses, we wanted to bring you the second part of one of our most popular episodes: The Best of the Best, Part 2! Where we've condensed nuggets of info from some of our most-downloaded episodes. This episode features clips from Episodes 52 (Church Gear), 51 (Letting Go of a Volunteer), 61 (Virtual Soundcheck), 65 (Au...

Low frequencies are notoriously hard to control. They have a tendency to build up and get out of whack. Why is that and how can we mitigate those problems? What's low-end feedback? Why should we invest time into this at all? Samantha and James discuss low frequencies in our systems and how to tackle issues before someone notices! Co-host Samantha Potter is also co-lead instructor with Church...

Guitars (after vocals) are the most prominent instrument in modern worship services. Acoustic, electric, multiples of each, even! James and Samantha dive in to mixing guitars, miking them up, and how we approach guitars in mixes on Sundays. Co-host Samantha Potter is also co-lead instructor with Church Sound University — a training program tailored specifically for worship audio techs that’s now a...