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Hit The Ground Running: 10 Ways To Bring Speed & Efficiency To Worship Setup

Want to set the stage as quickly and accurately and safely as possible? Try these simple, straightforward suggestions from a veteran worship tech.

Honestly, there are times when I arrive early at church, get some music playing and simply enjoy setting up the stage. Routine, yes. Exciting, no. But, enjoyable nonetheless.

Some of my speed comes from years of experience and some of it comes from knowing how I can set it up in the least amount of time necessary.

Want to set the stage as quickly and accurately and safely as possible? Let’s press on…

1. Know who’s playing in the band. Sure, this sounds simple, but if you’ve ever had a time when you set the stage only to find out that one or two people weren’t performing, you’ll know what I mean.

What to do: Get the band list in advance. Just because the band usually has five people doesn’t mean that next week all five will be playing. As far as “morning of” type of notifications, ask the worship leader to text you any lineup changes as soon as possible. Of course, if you’re not a texting person, a phone call will work just the same.

2. Plan ahead for space issues. I’ve jokingly hummed the music you hear at a three-ring circus when the pastor handed me an “updated schedule.” In the case of stages with limited wiggle-room, free space is a commodity. Whether it’s an added instrument or a sermon prop, it’s an added dimension to managing the stage.

What to do: Get the service schedule well in advance. If you often find the church service to feel more like a three-ring circus, considering running that by the pastor. Sometimes, they just need another person’s perspective. Also, in the case of last-minute-changes, see a prop (even a large plant) can be brought on stage when needed and then removed when you need to reclaim the space.

3. Label cords for length. Using the shortest cords helps stage clutter and keeps the stage safe from added hazards. If you’ve ever seen someone trip on a cable, you know what I mean. When you know the length of the cable you grab, you know where you can use it.

What to do: Colored rubber bands on the end work great for this, as does colored tape. Basically, each color represents a known length. White electrical tape with the length written on the end can also work, it’s all up to you.

4. Enlist musicians to help. They’re a valuable resource!

What to do: Train them to set up their stations. As long as they come in a bit earlier than normal, they can be a great help. Guitarists can easily set up their pedals and DI boxes and singers can grab their own mics and cables or a wireless from FOH.

5. Use the same band setup. Familiarity breeds something… Oh right, familiarity on stage is good for musicians and sound guys. For example, the guitarist is always on the left and therefore always knows to look right to see the bass player. It’s also just a mental issue. When you can picture who is standing in what locations, it’s easier to set up as you move across the stage.

What to do: Establish a stage chart for each band. You’ll be amazed how quickly questions during setup diminish when people suddenly have their own “spot.”

6. Labels for the mixer. I put this off for longer than I should and regretted the delay once I did it. Enough said.

What to do: By spending an evening with magnetic tape and a labeler (or just use a pen), create labels for every person in the bands as well as any other people such as the pastors mic and, lectern mic. Also create generic labels such as “guitar” or “guitar 1” and “guitar 2.” These labels are great if you either prefer to label your channels by instrument or if you have a visiting band.

7. Keep an orderly audio closet. Quite simply, an organized audio closet/room enables you to find equipment in a snap. Keep those mics in the same place, with cables wrapped and ready to go.

What to do: Tag it, label it, hang it, whatever works best for you to organize the area. I use labeled bins for tools, mic part, cable parts, etc.

8. Find out about last-minute changes as soon as you walk in the building. Once… we had a miracle. The schedule was not changed by either the pastor or the worship leader. Typically something is switched or added.

What to do: Take your copy of the schedule to the pastor, worship leader, or whoever else might have a key role in the service and check for changes. Do this as soon as you can. It’s easier to deal with the needed changes earlier in the process instead of at the last minute.

9. Drink your first coffee on the way to church, not once you get there. This is partly is jest, but if there’s anything you need to do to be prepared for the service, take care of it before you hit the door. This includes properly caffeinating yourself, if necessary. After all, why should we expect anything less of ourselves?

10. Mentor someone! Have a person interested in joining the audio team? Know of a sound tech who needs some extra attention? This is a great time to use them as a helping hand as well as talking and teaching and getting to know them.

Hopefully you’ve found some — if not all — of these illuminating. I’m sure you have your own tips and tricks to help speed things along as you prepare for worship.

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