For speech, the job of the sound technician is simple - to see to it that every word is heard clearly, preferably at a comfortable listening volume.

On the other hand, the music mix is very much left to the taste and discretion of the sound technician and the music minister, and in general, it should sound like a professional recording.

That is to say, a musically pleasing blend of the instruments and voices, enhanced with the tasteful use of effects devices to produce an overall sound that is very close to what one would expect to hear from a polished recording of that same music.

The sound technician and the music minister should hopefully come to an agreement as to what that finished mix should sound like, with the sound mixer should deferring to the taste of the music minister - and yet in the same breath - the music minister learning to trust the sound technician to do his/her job during the service.

These two comments can’t be separated - they must be considered together! 

In most churches, only the sound technician is in a position to make decisions during the actual performance, and in effect, also becomes the producer. 

If you’re the music pastor and will be on the platform during the worship service, then the responsibility of the music mix must be delegated.

To delegate something means that you give it to someone. The word is a verb! It requires action. 

Consider these definitions from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary for the word delegate:
- To entrust to another
- To appoint as one’s representative
- To assign responsibility or authority

It doesn’t mean relinquishing total control, but letting go of the mix in order for the sound technician to take it.

I can tell you that I’ll let you borrow my car, and I can even hold my keys out to you, but until I let go of those keys and put them in your hand, you can’t go drive my car. 

Hopefully two things will surface: the sound technician and music minister will find that they have very similar tastes in music and what a good mix sounds like; also, the sound technician’s creative input will be valued highly and considered an objective and positive force toward a pleasing end product. 

The craft of sound mixing is to shape all of the musical elements into a polished, finished product, in much the same way that the music minister shapes the sound of the choir, for example, into a polished, finished product.

Each does the best he/she can with the tools provided. And neither is a miracle-worker. 

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