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Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Gary Zandstra 05/22/12 02:52 PM,Sometimes my first reaction to something isn’t always my best reaction. Recently I was mixing a group that I’d handled a few times before, and after about 30 minutes of rehearsal, the leader walked out in to the house to listen to the mix. What happened next is where I thankfully took time to process rather than react. After a few minutes, the leader shouted, in what I interpreted as a rather curt tone, “The kick drum is way too… View this story
Filed in: Church Sound • Feature • Blog • Consoles • Mixer • Signal • Sound Reinforcement -
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Gary Zandstra 05/10/12 05:51 PM,Producing great sound in a worship service can seem as elusive as finding a soloist who always sings on key. However, this doesn’t have to be so. Many factors influence the quality of sound: room acoustics, sound-system design and performance, operator experience, and quality of musical performance. Here are some practical tips on how to tie all of that together to get the best sound. Understand the Basics To get the most out of a sound system, you must first… View this story
Filed in: Church Sound • Feature • Blog • Poll • Analog • Audio • Digital Audio Workstations • Education • Engineer • Installation • Loudspeaker • Mixer • Signal • Sound Reinforcement • System -
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Gary Zandstra 04/26/12 07:25 AM,Several years ago, I was invited to be a presenter at an audio industry trade show, and while there, I greatly enjoyed meeting some fellow presenters. In fact, after the convention center hall closed, eight of us audio “geeks” went to enjoy dinner together, and it turned out to be a fun—and instructive—evening on many levels. At one point, as we were seated around the table, someone in the group posed this hypothetical question: “If you got a call to… View this story
Filed in: Church Sound • Feature • Poll • Microphone • Sound Reinforcement • Stage -
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Gary Zandstra 04/17/12 07:07 AM,A number of years ago, a guy ostensibly working in “professional audio” told me that the reason he mixed the events he did (they were generally smaller local events) was so he could turn up the bass as loud as he could and/or as loud as was possible. Personally, I’m glad I didn’t attend any of these events. It’s not that I don’t like bass, it’s more that he was more concerned about how it sounded to him rather that… View this story
Filed in: Church Sound • Feature • Blog • Engineer • Mixer • Technician -
Monday, April 09, 2012
Gary Zandstra 04/09/12 10:47 AM,The emotional attachment to music that we humans have amazes me. I can hear a song that I listened to in junior high school, and boom—my mind goes back there. I can remember where I was, see who was with me, and sometimes even relive the emotion that I experienced almost 30 years ago. Recently I interview Gary Matthews, Pastor of Worship at Christ Memorial Church in Holland, MI, and we talked about this attachment to music. Gary made some… View this story
Filed in: Church Sound • Feature • Poll • Video • Engineer • Sound Reinforcement • Technician -
Monday, April 02, 2012
Gary Zandstra 04/02/12 04:35 PM,About once a month, I get to mix for what I call an “extravaganza” of musical performance. Our worship leader refers to it as “sound by the pound.” The event can consist of a brass section with 10-12 players (trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and tuba), as well as a string section of a few players sprinkled with a few woodwinds, and then a rhythm section that includes lead guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboard(s) bass, drums, aux percussion. Oh, l almost forgot the… View this story
Filed in: Church Sound • Feature • Poll • Study Hall • Concert • Sound Reinforcement • Stage -
Friday, March 30, 2012
Gary Zandstra 03/30/12 09:05 AM,This past weekend I was at a Regency Ball with my family for an afternoon of exquisite ballroom dancing (think Jane Austen, 1812). The ballroom is located in South Bend, IN, in a restored old building called the Palais Royale. With its tall ornate ceiling and beautiful wooden floor, it’s one stunning place! At the ball, there was live music (piano, harp, and flute) and a “caller” who walked us through the dances. He used a handheld wireless microphone feeding… View this story
Filed in: Church Sound • Feature • Study Hall • Audio • Measurement • Signal -
Monday, March 12, 2012
Gary Zandstra 03/12/12 01:14 PM,On typical Sunday mornings, we have about 35 minutes to clear the traditional service off the stage, set up the contemporary service, and then have the band do a final run-through of the music package. We’ve worked out a pretty smooth approach to these transitions - most weeks it works well, with the sound check/rehearsal complete by about 15 minutes ahead of the start of the contemporary service. On recent Sunday morning, however, things weren’t quite so typical. The worship… View this story
Filed in: Church Sound • Feature • Poll • Concert • Education • Stage -
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Gary Zandstra 02/28/12 06:00 PM,The venue where I serve as technical director has recently had a number of touring acts come through. With each tour, there are always special technical requirements that the artists need, particularly in these tight economic times where few of them are able to travel with everything they need. The last three events, the venue was responsible for providing the entire house system, and for two of them, I served as the front of house engineer. When a tour group… View this story
Filed in: Church Sound • Feature • Poll • Audio • Business • Engineer • Mixer • Technician -
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Gary Zandstra 02/21/12 03:01 PM,Do you replace production/system equipment based on it being worn out or for new features and functionality? When we get a new system or new piece of gear, often the last thing on our minds is repairs or the life cycle of the system. In my view, churches are getting better at understanding professional A/V systems. I find that in general the market is more aware of the cost versus the expectation of the system, along with the willingness to… View this story
Filed in: Church Sound • Feature • Poll • Study Hall • Consoles • Installation • Loudspeaker • Sound Reinforcement • System
Articles Tagged Gary Zandstra
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