Guest Interview: BehindTheMixer

Chris is a brilliant blogger that currently resides at behindthemixer.com. I thought I'd pick his brain to see what teeming nodes of thought we can glean from a fellow pro.

1. What is your most favorite part of the audio production process?
My favorite part is the moment I am blending the different voices and instruments into a complete sound. It’s like cooking chili where all the main ingredients are simmering in the pot. Then I pull out my spices and add / taste, add / taste, etc until that moment when I taste the chili and I can tell it’s perfect.

2. What is your least favorite part of the audio production process?
My least favorite part is dealing with musicians who also sing. I find the volume level they sing, while they play, can vary a lot. Usually the range is small enough that the gain structure is ok and I can adjust the fader. I remember when a musician was singing softly throughout the whole set until the last song and then they were belting it out. Not only did that throw off my gain structure, it affected the monitor levels.

3. You find yourself marooned on a desert island with only an SM57, a roll of gaffers tape, a music stand, a green velvet choir robe, and a box of 9V batteries. How do you escape?
What do you mean escape? I’d finally have some time to myself! Seriously though, with the tape, a music stand, and a choir robe I might have the makings of a small sail. So it’s off to the island to build a raft. Once all that was done, I’d set out on the ocean. I figure when they’d find me dead after a few weeks, I’d be wearing a pair of coconuts with the microphone taped to my hand. That would guarantee my death would make the headlines.

4. What is your favorite microphone to instrument combination?
Right now, I love the two-mic setup for our djembe. I place an MXL pencil condenser on the top and a Shure SM58 near the bottom. It gives the instrument so much more tone and depth. I can turn up the highs on the top to capture the hand slap. I also cut the lows. Then I boost the lows from the dynamic while cutting the mid’s and highs.

5. Chris Tomlin is coming as the guest worship leader next Sunday and he wants you to mix his band. What do you do to try and make that Sunday amazing and perhaps encourage him to come back?
Make a large cash donation? Wow, great question. It boils down to setup, sound, and communication. I’d contact him and ask for his standard setup list. The reason is I’d want to know I have the proper equipment (and space) to meet the needs of the band. I’d speak with his regular sound tech and find out about any idiosyncrasies of the band or the equipment. “Never mention tone to the bassist” – hey, you never know! I’d also ask about how he generally eq’s each instrument. I’m sure the band would give me feedback but during the sound check I’d rather be as close as possible the first time I eq’d the guitar. For example, Chris likes his guitar to sound warm, not bright. Finally, I’d talk with the band about communication. They might have signals they use when playing that mean “more me in the monitor” or “turn me up.” In short, I’d want to be in tune with the band – their needs, their way of working, etc.

One last thing, I’d get a song list. Then I’d listen to those songs over and over until I knew the nuances of each instrument / voice in each song. I know I’d be mixing for a live energetic feel but that would at least give me a good baseline.

6. Recall the moment you heard the worst sounding instrument in a mix. Describe what you did to improve its sound quality. How would you have approached that situation differently now?
I had a guitarist with a sound-hole pickup that was nearing the end of its life. I had to crank the gain (almost maxed) to get anything out of it. There was also a loose wire within the pickup wire that was causing a lot of buzz. No matter what I did, the buzz stayed. I walked up to the stage and set up a condenser mic pointed at the 12th fret of the guitar. He was sitting, so I didn’t mind using the condenser. Then I had the guy take out his pickup. The guitar sound was so much clearer with a beautiful tone. Given the same situation, I wouldn’t change a thing.


7. What two items do you wish your church could afford to buy for your ministry?
The first would be a lighting control unit. Our lights are still located on the wall. Therefore whenever we play a video clip, the pastor asks “could someone turn down the lights?” I’d love to bring all that into the booth.
I’d also like to have real drums – and the microphones to go with them. We run an electronic drum kit which is great as we don’t have to mess with drum shields. However, the set comes to the board as one input line. I can’t EQ much. I’d love to hear the sound of REAL drums that I could EQ for the room.

8. How is what you do on any given Sunday morning different from what you would do in question 5? Why?
The more I understand the needs of the band and how the songs should sound, the better I can provide what they need. Our current worship teams know what I expect of them (time for sound check, etc) and I know their songs and styles. I think the only difference between the two would be my nerves!