As many of you know, I work in both the worship sound world and in the secular sound world. I am always looking for ways to improve my abilities as a technician and mixer in both of these worlds. And, of course, at the same time earn more money. Very often, the subjects that I discuss in this forum can be mirrored in the secular sound arena. My most recent income stream has been through renting gear to churches and worship events. As a rule, I always bring a few mics, stands, direct boxes and cables to any of my house-of-worship gigs. Being prepared for just about any eventuality has always seemed to be a good motto and, by the way, I am a former Boy Scout.
I have been doing services at my regular churches that require more than a few extras. For example, one of my houses has decided to do an expanded service once a month. This means there are four to five extra singers and at least one extra musician in the worship band. This service incorporates a communion offering and more music than a regular Sunday. I put together an inexpensive rental package that consist of two powered monitors and enough mics and stands for the additional singers and a C1000 AKG mic for an added acoustic guitar player (of course, I would have an extra direct box on hand should the acoustic player have a pickup in his guitar). These few extra pieces of gear make my job much easier. I don’t have to worry about enough monitors to reach the added singers and musicians. The worship band is more comfortable because they get better monitoring and nobody has to double up on vocal mics. And the congregation is better served, which is the main goal of the staff, the worship band and myself. This is just one small example of how we can expand our services to our house-of-worship clients.
Add-On Rehearsals
Since I started with above-mentioned church, I have embarked on three new rental plans. The first is a fundraiser for a Christian school in Arcadia, Calif. I am supplying sound gear and my mixing skills for a musical review. I convinced the school board that I should also be present for some of the rehearsals in order to get a better sense of what the real show will be like. At my first rehearsal, I realized there were not enough monitors or mics for the kids to rehearse properly, so I went back to the principal and the board and received authorization for additional monitors and mics to be present at all rehearsals, whether I was there or not.
On the one hand, it may seem that I am just putting more dollars in my pocket, which is true. But on the other hand, the overall show will be much better and the kids won’t have to blow their voices out trying to hear themselves during rehearsals. As far as the rental gear goes, I left the monitors in the auditorium for all rehearsals, and for the dress rehearsal and the show I will bring in an entire system including house speakers, board and outboard gear.
Production Becomes Install
My next event is at a Jewish school in Altadena, Calif. The school is putting on a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. They have hired me for three rehearsals, and for the night of the event, I will bring in a full sound system for approximately 1,000 people. This event is more like one of my outreach events except for the additional rehearsals. The show and rehearsals are being held in the school auditorium, which has a decent sound system, although it was designed for speaking not a Broadway production. However, once the staff hears the system I bring in for the show, they may want to consider an audio upgrade for their auditorium. You can see how having the trust and confidence of your worship clients can lead to more and more work and also allow you to make a real difference in these various congregations.
On the Low Down
My last rental story is at a church in my hometown of Pasadena, Calif. This is a church that I installed a system in a few years ago. I personally think that the church can supply quality sound to every seat in the house (about 600). But for this upcoming event, they want some serious low-end for a Christian hip-hop event. Rather than try to add some subs to the existing system, I sold the church on bringing in a separate rig for their show. For myself, it is easier for me to start from the ground up than try to augment the house system. So, that is exactly what I am doing. I will bring in a system that is capable of pumping the low-end and still be clean and clear. This event has been designed by the youth pastor to appeal to the youth of the community. I think he is wise in renting a separate system, especially for this event. Instead of putting on a show that really doesn’t represent what his artists are trying to convey, we will put on a show that moves some air and hopefully moves some people.
So, there you have it friends. This is my latest and greatest way of serving my clients, making more cash and increasing my personal value to the worship sound community. Whether you are renting a few mics and monitors or you are setting up a full concert rig, I believe that you will find, as I have, a real need for this type of service in the worship world. Besides, I am of the mindset that more gear and more power is always better anyway. Good luck and God bless.
You can e-mail Jamie at jrio@fohonline.com.
