Church Production Magazine: There is probably not a relationship in a church that is more polarizing than between the worship team and the sound engineer. One week it can be perfect and everyone is happy, and the next week the guitar player might be ready to throw his Ernie Ball VP Jr at the sound booth. It can be a frustrating relationship for band members who work so hard on a guitar tone or keyboard sound to receive feedback from the sound engineer that it needs to be different for the mix.
3 comments:
This article covers the topic of trying to understand the other fields that you are working with first before trying to be understood. The relationship demonstrated is between sound engineer and musician. One important part of this article is that it tackles the situation with understanding of both sides. It’s important for musicians to understand what the sound engineer is concerned with in order for them to be the most beneficial to their work, which then benefits the musicians performance in the long run. I think this is a good perspective to have on this situation or any situation that one comes across where two parties lack knowledge of the others’ job. In order for people to work well together, they should have some knowledge of how the other fields works so everyone can improve their own work. Overall, the emphasis on perspective and understanding is important to any work environment either in entertainment, theatre, or a business. When people work towards a cohesive understanding of those around them, the whole improves and the outcome is better than before.
This article really highlights the tension between the worship team and the sound engineer, something I've seen firsthand in various productions. I agree with the point that "Often this conflict can come from a lack of understanding of what the sound engineer's job actually is." This seems to be the core issue. In fact, our stage management course includes basics on sound and lighting to help us understand the needs of our colleagues better and communicate more effectively. This idea applies to all theater jobs. Successful collaboration in theater relies on mutual understanding and good communication. Every part of a production needs to work together smoothly for it to be successful. The article also reminds us of how important it is to respect the sound engineer's role. They hear the full mix in a way that we on stage or in the control room can’t. Knowing their perspective has made me more aware of how my actions, like making last-minute changes or not giving enough preparation time, can affect the whole production. In theater, every role, whether on stage or behind the scenes, is vital to the success of the entire show. We all need to work together and respect each other’s expertise to give the audience or congregation the best experience possible.
I completely agree that it’s important to understand the other person's job. As someone who has been working as a mixer, engineer, and all of the sound crew for all of highschool, I have been faced with both sides of the spectrum of performers. I have had people who were super understanding and listened to me when I gave instructions. And I’ve also had people who don’t understand that the sound desk is the one of the most important places to have quiet. It makes an incredible difference for me to do my job when whoever is on stage is understanding and asks before they fiddle with anything. Performers and techs are working as a team to create the bigger picture, we shouldn’t be working separately. Communication is always important no matter the work setting. If a guitarist wants to adjust some configurations on their amp, that’s okay, as long as I know to accommodate for it. It works the other way around too. If I’m adjusting monitor volumes, it’s important to ask the guitarist if it’s all good for them.
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