Church Sound Files: Making Interviews During Worship Successful

I would recommend experimenting a little to find out which mics give you the best combination of sound quality versus pickup flexibility versus gain before feedback.

Chances are you won’t get these folks to hold the mic right on their chin, so pick something that works 6-8 inches away.

Compress Like Crazy
I tend to be pretty aggressive with compression for guests like this.

The reason is simple; they don’t typically know how to properly hold the mic, and they tend to be all over the place in terms of level.

Often times, a guest will start with the mic close, and as soon as they hear themselves out of the PA, they back it away, thinking it’s too loud.

I shoot for hitting 4-6 dB of gain reduction all the time, and boost the output gain back up to make up the level.

I tend to go with a little higher ratio to make sure if they suddenly get excited they don’t get too loud (think 3:1 or maybe 4:1). For an interview, I’m not worried as much about absolute sonic purity as I am intelligibility.

Chances are this is a 3-5 minute deal, so I tend to worry less about getting it sounding “perfect” and more about just making it clear.

Ride the Fader
I tried to come up with a way to illiterate that better but failed. Sorry. I always keep my hands on the fader for these mics. When the guest is not speaking, I’ll typically pull them down to -10 to -15 just in case they do something crazy with their mic.

I don’t turn them all the way off for two reasons: One, if they suddenly start speaking, going from off to on is going to be abrupt, and two, it’s a lot farther to move the fader, and as such takes longer. Watch them as they talk.

If you checked the mic at 6” from the mouth and they start off closer, set the fader at -5 when they start. But be ready to push it up as they will likely back off.

If they move the mic around a lot, ride the fader a lot. The compressor can only do so much, you have to work it, too. If you know the people who are speaking, take a guess as to how loud or soft they speak and set the fader accordingly.

In situations like these, you have to use every clue available to make it sound good. Pay close attention, and you’ll do well.

In many ways, these little interviews are guerrilla audio. You’re working under far less than ideal conditions and simply have to make the best you can with what you’re given.

Don’t sweat it too much, and be sure the people can be heard.

Do you have tips for making worship interviews successful? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

Mike Sessler is the Technical Director at Coast Hills Community Church in Aliso Viejo, CA. He has been involved in live production for over 20 years and is the author of the blog, Church Tech Arts . He also hosts a weekly podcast called Church Tech Weekly on the TechArtsNetwork.