CONDUCTING AN EFFICIENT SOUNDCHECK

CONDUCTING AN EFFICIENT SOUNDCHECK: FOR CHURCH WORSHIP REHEARSALS

Introduction 
The church has a unique setting when it comes to worship band soundcheck and rehearsals. There is a finite amount of minutes for setup and soundcheck during rehearsals or pre-service setup.

Noticing that there is a need to assist and educate houses of worship. I made short notes for the benefit of music directors or leaders for their quick reference.

These notes are freely available for distribution but please leave the links and references in the notes intact for copyright purposes. I am also available to conduct trainings for sound system operators and worship band. You can reach out to me via the Contact page.

Here we go!

Team effort

• front-end (the band) + backend (sound & media) = worship ministry
• everyone plays an active role to serve each other, the church & corporate worship
• importance of understanding the tools used
• staying a step ahead and being pro-active
• Sound check IS NOT the time for mixing. It needs to be efficient and quick
• 3C. Clear communication, Co-operation & Calm Composure

Stage/instrument/vocal setup

• Awareness
• Know each musician's setup
• e.g. drummers kit place, guitarist/bassist setup if they're running individual pedals or multi-fx. which mic is the singer using
• Take note of positions for each member on stage

Line Check Flow, Gain Structure & Fader Levels

• A standard line check flow but can be changed to suit sound check efficiency 

• Kick - Snare - Tom 1 - Tom 2 - Tom 3 - Hi-Hats - Overheads/Underheads 1 - Overheads/Underheads 2 - Electronic Triggers - Backing Tracks - Bass - Electric Guitars - Acoustic Guitars - Keyboards - Vocalists from left to right of stage - Wireless Mics

• Fader up to unity, use meters to determine healthy gain amount, lower gain incrementally if feedback occurs

No incoming signal cheat sheet:

• check phantom power if required i.e. condenser mics or DI box
• quick swap of mic/instrument cables
• verify patching is correct
• instrument output volume is up (you’d be surprised)

Monitor Send

• Pre-requisite - know how to send channel audio to monitors in console
• Identify monitor placements and their corresponding send channels
• Have a diagram or map out the stage marking out placements of monitors and instruments
• Monitor check to follow line flow check
• Ask musicians/singers their monitoring preferences

Closing

• Take a few minutes to listen to monitor sends on stage
• Open to criticism and improve further
• Be supportive towards the singers and musicians especially beginners with words of affirmation

Happy May 4th and may the force be with you and don't forget to subscribe to receive instant updates!.



​Download the PDF Note HERE!