In my decades of teaching churches to do audio better, I have heard a pretty good collection of misinformed ideas about how sound works, and nothing seems to attract more bad practices, confusion, and sheer guessing than channel EQ. It’s the most misunderstood part of mixing, and yet it’s one of the most vital components of a good mix. It’s also the hardest part of audio to teach because it relies on developing a critical ear that distinguishes between different frequencies and tonalities and understanding what instruments should sound like. That doesn’t happen in one session or overnight.

One of the hot topics at this year’s NAMM show was gain staging. Lots of people want to know what it is and why you need to know how to do it. It’s also the root of some of the more common mistakes I see in many churches and schools. It’s not intuitive, but knowing how to do it makes a world of difference in your signal quality. What is gain staging?

Even though the massive analog consoles have been relegated to studios and project venues where engineers are looking for the warmth and saturation of analog and their lack of portability isn’t an issue, it doesn’t mean analog consoles are done in live sound. A small analog console is still a great choice for AV gigs and small events with just a couple of mics and some background music. The world of digital consoles still can’t compete with the prices of small 4-8 channel analog mixers.

Planning a small event, whether it's a birthday party, a corporate meeting, or a band performance, requires careful consideration of many factors to ensure the best audio experience for your audience. One crucial aspect is determining the size of the PA system you'll need. Too large, and you risk overwhelming your space; too small, and your message won't be heard. In this blog, we'll guide you through the steps to help you decide the ideal PA system size for your small event.

The Sennheiser EW 135P series is a workhorse wireless microphone system that delivers quality sound and performance. This blog is designed to explain the settings so that professionals in the music, broadcasting, and film industries will know how to use these wireless microphones.

What is reverb? If you’ve ever been in a large room, like a cathedral, you’ve heard naturally occurring reverb. Reverb is short for reverberation, which is a prolonging of a sound. Natural reverb occurs in rooms where the dry/original sound bounces off of surfaces in the room creating a cascade of reflections or echoes of the original that arrive at the listener at different times. The more times the sound bounces around, the more (and different) reflections are created as the energy dies out over time. The sound of the reverb is changed by bouncing off of different materials and surfaces with varying degrees of coarseness and absorption.

I thought it might be helpful to share some of the tidbits of information I’ve learned over the past 18 years as an installer and Master Electrician with the State of Washington. Lots of venues, especially non-profits, have been trying to figure out more cost-effective ways to get their installations done, and I’ve had to do huge amounts of research into this subject as a qualified installer helping them figure it out.

You just spent thousands on new stage production equipment and anticipate long-lasting uninterrupted service, right? Well, that only happens in a perfect world, and let's face it, we are far from that. However, there are things you can do to minimize your downtime and optimize the life of your equipment. One of the most important, yet overlooked steps you can take is implementing a regular maintenance program. In other words, CLEAN YOUR GEAR!!! When your equipment is hung overhead, tucked in a back closet, or inside of an equipment rack, it’s easy to fall into the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality, but it is crucial for the longevity and reliability of your stage gear to keep it clean.

When line arrays started becoming more available a couple of decades ago, it seemed like everyone wanted one. No one really understood how they work, but we all thought it was the latest, greatest technology, so they became very popular. They sounded good and they made touring easier because they could adapt to lots of different seating configurations. But are they appropriate for all venues?

In the past few years, production technologies have made a strong move toward IP (Internet Protocol) networks as a transport for audio, video and lighting signals and controls. Audinate’s Dante has emerged as the standard for transmitting audio over standard IP networks, video isn’t far behind, and we’ve been doing remote controls for consoles over wireless networks for years now. Knowing something about networking is essential to keeping up with the progress in today’s connected production systems. Unfortunately, the bits and bytes we use to make networks work are confusing if you have no experience with them. This article is my attempt to get you the basics that you’ll need to navigate an IP connected world.

For the 30+ years that I’ve been mixing live shows and church services there is one thing that remains constant: you can’t please everyone. Inevitably, at nearly every show and service, someone will complain that they can’t hear something or that it’s too loud. It wasn’t because I sucked; I get lots of compliments from musicians who like the way I mix. If someone is going to disagree with what you’re doing in church, I guarantee the #1 request will be to turn it down.

When you understand the technology behind the wireless devices we use, it becomes easier to troubleshoot dropouts. Follow the guidelines in this article to clear up your wireless dropout issues and don’t be afraid to reach out to your local dealer to ask for help.

It wasn't that long ago that the traditional way to hear yourself on stage was through speakers laying all over the stage. The goal was to get it as loud as possible without creating feedback so you could hear yourself over all the noise around you. As a musician, your hearing is one of the most vital aspects to being able to do your job well. With all that sound beating on your ear drums at high volumes, is it surprising that this environment consistently leads to permanent hearing loss?

But what if I told you that you could protect your hearing AND have the best monitor mix you've ever heard?