The following is a fictitious exchange I cooked up in my head, but you know in your heart of hearts that it has probably happened in reality:
Pastor: “The music’s too loud!” FOH Mixer: “Okay — I’m turning it down now.” Pastor: “It’s still too loud!” FOH Mixer: “Okay — turning it down more.” Pastor: “It’s still too loud!” FOH Mixer: “Okay — the master fader is now all the way down.” Pastor: “It’s STILL too loud!” FOH Mixer: “Okay — now I’ve turned off all the stage monitors.” Pastor: “IT’S STILL TOO LOUD!” FOH Mixer: “I’m cutting power to the guitar and bass amps.” Pastor: “Can you turn the drums down?”
I couldn’t prove in a court of law that this has happened in reality, but as I implied, I’d bet something similar has happened many times over the years. The problem? There’s so much stage volume that the overall room volume is simply not under the control of the FOH engineer. And most likely, this is a bigger issue in smaller sanctuaries, especially if the worship musicians perceive that louder is better.
We all know that the best mix the congregation will ever hear is the one created by a competent FOH mixer with complete control of the levels of every element in the mix, as if in a recording studio. This may sound like an ego trip on the part of the engineer. Yet if there are musical elements the engineer cannot attenuate below certain levels, they’re forced to turn other elements up to arrive at an appropriate blend.
The Silent Stage
So how do we resolve this problem? We need to reduce stage volume, possibly even to the state known as “silent stage,” in which only unamplified sounds emanate from the platform — vocals, acoustic guitars, wind instruments and drums. As we will to find out, it may even be plausible to attenuate or even eliminate drums and/or percussion from this list. This will result in better FOH mixes — making it more consistent for the congregation, no matter where they’re sitting in the room. If stage volume is too high, the mix will be noticeably different for those sitting up front versus those sitting in the back of the room.
Over time, we’ve adopted in-ear monitors — perhaps not universally — but they’ve become pretty pervasive. Among the numerous benefits of IEM use is reducing or completely eliminating the stage volume created by monitor speakers. As illustrated by our fictitious scenario, there can be times when the monitor speakers compete with and even overtake the main P.A. system. In a perfect world, we’d eliminate monitor speakers and get all the performers on IEMs. If it’s not possible to completely replace monitors with IEMs, we can still make improvements. One strategy is to reduce the number of monitor speakers by moving to a hybrid system in which some performers use IEMs.
Take care when positioning monitor speakers, pointing them away from the congregation whenever possible. Also, try to point them toward an absorptive surface, so they don’t reflect back out into the room (and yes, the body of the person they’re pointed at counts as absorption). And move wedges as close as possible to the people they’re intended for. The farther away they are, the louder they must be to provide sufficient SPLs. Also work with the musicians and vocalists to reduce or even remove elements in their monitor mix. Do the front line vocalists really need that second electric guitar cranked up in their floor wedges?
The Amp Issue
Guitar and bass amps are a major source of stage volume. Traditionally, electric guitarists and bassists have amps on the platform, but over time, this practice is starting to fade. Some guitarists insist they need their amp as a monitor so they can hear themselves. Proper monitor mixing should resolve this issue, whether using monitor speakers or IEMs. Others insist they cannot get the tone they want without an amp. This issue is also fading into the past as modern amp and cabinet simulations can deliver tone that’s virtually indistinguishable from the genuine article. And for holdouts who insist on amps, try solutions to reduce or eliminate stage volume. At the very least, keep amp SPLs as low as possible, increasing mic gain to compensate. Also, as with stage monitors, point amps toward absorptive stuff. We could even go so far as to wrap amps up completely in absorptive material, tucked away in amp lockers under the platform or backstage.
Theoretically, we could locate loud amps in another room as long as we have tie lines to get signal to and from them. Ultimately, the most desirable solution towards realizing a silent stage is to use virtual amp technology, and more guitarists are warming to this way of thinking.
Drums and More Drums
Drums can present a major challenge in terms of stage volume. Among the various solutions, one that is frequently overlooked is simply working with drummers to get them to play softer. With an acoustic drum kit, the energy with which the drummer strikes the drums and cymbals does make a noticeable difference in their timbre, so it may not be plausible. Sometimes drummers simply have to hit harder to get the right sound, but that’s not a legitimate rationale for bashers to go on crushing their kits at stick-breaking levels at all times. We can reduce stage volume a bit if they’ll at least play a little softer.
We’ve all seen the Plexiglas shields and/or cages deployed to reduce drum SPL, and continue to use them as they help accomplish our goal. However, they’re not perfect, and close reflections can negatively affect the quality of the drum sound. Try reducing the reflections by covering substantial parts of the cage’s interior with absorptive materials.
Another potential solution is electronic drums. In my experience, drummers resist electronic drums even more than guitarists resist virtual amps. There are legitimate reasons for this resistance — most electronic drum kits do not “feel” the same as their acoustic counterparts, and despite advances in drum pad technology, don’t deliver the same dynamics drummers get when hitting different parts of the head or even the rim. On the other side of the coin, electronic drums open a world of potential sounds, as each pad can be assigned to play a certain sample, allowing drummers to build kits that include very specific drum sizes and timbres from a large selection of available samples.
At the end of the day, live drums recorded in studios for a lot of worship music are replaced with samples anyway, so it’s arguable that an electronic kit can deliver sound that’s closer to what we hear on album releases. And despite the fact that electronic drums don’t behave and feel exactly like the genuine article, I would submit that truly accomplished drummers can adjust their playing to arrive at truly excellent results.
Moving Forward
Change is never easy, and if worship musicians are accustomed to a loud stage, moving them toward reducing stage volume can be challenging. If done in a gentle way and they can hear the improvements in the front of house mix, their response is likely to be more positive. Don’t cram the change down their throats — show them the benefits and remind them they’re not on the platform to make themselves happy — they’re there to lead the congregation in worship. Pastoral compassion will go a long way toward the goal.
John McJunkin is the chief engineer and staff producer in the studio at Grand Canyon University.
