Improve The Live Worship Sound Mix With These Tips & Techniques

Moving Beyond

Once the practice of frequency bracketing is understood, it’s time to think about frequency carving.

A good example of it is the kick drum/bass guitar duo. This combo is actually one instrument played by two different musicians, and to have it sound great. not only do the musicians have to play in time, they must also be mixed together properly.

While the following concepts may be understood intuitively, it’s time to define what’s really happening. To make the kick and bass live together in the mix properly, one of them has to make the “boom” while the other has to make the “thwack.”

But first, let’s take a trip to the past and think about the kick/bass relationship. In the late 1960s and early ’70s, sound systems didn’t have a lot of low-frequency output. The bass player had to supply much of the low end for the entire band.

Also, bass guitars of the time were often played through amplifiers with large-diameter speakers that couldn’t produce high frequencies. To top it off, bass players often used their fingers to play without any pops or slap. (They made a lot of boom and no thwack.)

On the other side of the street, the kick drum was asked to fill in the higher “thwack” frequencies and didn’t have to bother with bass. In fact, we sometimes would tape a credit card or quarter to the beater side of the kick head to further that effect.

Fast-forward to the ’80s and ’90s, and we see that bass players began playing through amplifiers that could produce a lot more high frequencies. Further, their playing style included more percussive pops and slaps, with not as much bottom end. Thus the kick drum now needed to do the opposite – make the bottom frequencies without so much of the highs.

A good approach given these factors is to first look and listen to whatever the bass player is doing and then make the kick drum do the opposite. If it’s a sound with a lot of bottom, add a 6 kHz thwack to the kick drum without any bass boost.

However, if the player is slapping and popping, do just the opposite to the kick drum EQ, adding more bass boost in the 40 Hz range and lowering the bracket of the top frequencies to maybe 5 kHz. In this case the bass guitar makes the thwack, and the kick drum makes the boom.

Putting them together correctly makes the great percussive sound we all know and love.

Adding Flavor & Texture

I often find that the equalization sections of channel strips on consoles at churches are set to what appears to be random values. Most of time I return all channels to flat (the 12 o’clock position) and then make EQ decisions based on the ground we’ve covered to this point in the article.

What it means is that not only do we need to understand what each instrument is supposed to sound like, but we also must correlate that sound with a number selected on the console itself.

It’s equivalent to a chef “adjusting” soup with just the right amount of seasoning, and it’s something that takes years of listening and practice to do well.

 width=Figure 2

Here are suggestions for those who are just getting started with EQ.

Understand the channel strip equalizer (Figure 2). On any medium- or large-format analog console, there are likely four bands of EQ with sweep midrange controls plus a low-cut (or high-pass) button.

The top and bottom controls marked High and Low are pretty easy to understand. The High knob is something called a shelf EQ that will boost or cut everything above 12 kHz (12,000 Hz). The 12 o’clock U (or Unity) position has no impact on the sound.

However, turn it to the left and it begins to cut all those frequencies. Turn it to the right and it begins to boost all frequencies above 12 kHz.

The Low control at the bottom of the channel strip EQ functions similarly. It adjusts the frequencies below 80 Hz or so, subtracting bass when turned to the left of the U position. When turned to the right, it boosts these same frequencies.

The Low Mid and High Mid controls are a little trickier to adjust since there are two knobs associated with each band. The Freq control sets the center of the frequency area to be boosted or cut, while the -15/U /+15 control boosts or cuts that particular frequency area. (Note that digital consoles work similarly except they also let us see the actual equalization curve we’re applying to the instrument or voice.)

Numbers Game

It’s also important to associate the numerical values of the frequencies with what they sound like to our ears. Figure 3 describes each group of frequencies and what they sound like.

 width=

Sheen is the metallic sound of cymbals or violin strings at their highest frequencies. Add a bit more sheen (maybe 6 dB) to make cymbals sound more alive. Sibilance comes from an exaggeration of sound that projects from the roof of the mouth. Tune it out by sweeping the frequency knob with gain knob boosted about 6 dB. Then listen for the really offensive point on the frequency knob and cut it by -6 to -12 dB.

Presence frequencies can make an instrument stand out in the mix without increasing its overall volume. So add about 3 dB at 4 kHz to give a vocal or guitar more “punch.” Vocal intelligibility (intel) frequencies are where we understand the spoken word. Apply 3 dB of boost around 1,000 to 1,500 Hz if the desire is for the words to be more intelligible. Nasal “honk” is a nasty group of frequencies that sound like a person with a cold. I generally cut a few dB around 600 Hz to get rid of the honk on vocals and percussion, especially on kick drums.

Tubbiness can happen to instruments such as acoustic guitars that are shaped like a tub. In general, cut a few dB around 200 Hz to clean up the lower register of the sound.

Boom can be useful on shell and floor toms, but not so much on snares. I usually get rid of some of the 100 to 150 Hz tone of a snare drum while also boosting the floor toms a bit in those frequencies. Deep bass is usually reserved for kick drums and bass guitars. But do boosting of these frequencies sparingly since it’s easy to overload the woofers in the sound system. Let your ears be your guide.

Getting There

It’s hard to learn and apply all of this in the middle of a worship service since you don’t want to make mistakes with the congregation present. So practice these skills during downtime.

Make a recording of your pastor speaking, then spend a few hours just playing with all EQ knobs and listening to the results. Do the same for members of the praise band. Record a few minutes of each of them playing or singing, then begin experimenting.

Most digital consoles have an easy way to create something called a virtual sound check, which records each instrument on its own track on a computer. The recorded tracks can then be played back at your leisure and be tweaked and adjusted for hours. And nobody needs to hear it but you.

Practice, practice and practice.