Sounds Check: The Make or Break Before Service

Let me let you in on a secret about me:

I get more nervous before a sound check than I do an actual music service.

Why, you might ask? It's because of the unknown. I don't know if things are going to come together or not. Will everybody remember what we did in rehearsal? Is this going to actually be our first rehearsal, right before service? Will there be tech issues that delay us and make things super rushed?

These questions plague me all the time leading up sound check. But thankfully, everything calms down when I lead the team through the checklist before playing through our tunes.

Here's how an effective sound check should be run, even if it turns into a rehearsal of sorts. 

Define Priorities... and Stick to Them

The first thing that we do at the start of sound check after praying is to briefly outline the goals and priorities for the set list in the service. I usually take the team through each item and how we'll transition into the following sections, and then we immediately move onto a systemized checking of levels for FOH and IEMs/wedge monitors, depending on the set-up that day. Here's how I usually do it.

Generally, I find it to be more efficient to check a single voice or instrument in all monitors and FOH speakers, rather than adjusting all instruments at once within an individual's mix. So we usually go in this order:

• Lead Vox (and their instrument, if applicable)

• BGVs

• Keys

• Drums

• Bass Guitar

• Acoustic Guitar

• Electric Guitar

At this point as the leader, you'll have to "corral" players and singers who might be absentmindedly noodling on their instrument or having a conversation with another band member. All you need to do is say, "Alright, vocal 1, let's hear your mic level," or, "Drums, let's hear the kit," or, "Electric guitar, can you play for us?" This signals the others to pay attention to getting their levels adjusted as it pertains to that instrument, and everybody usually falls in line. 

What Should I Do with the Music?

At this stage in soundcheck, depending on if you had a mid-week rehearsal, you'll either start/stop tunes, or you'll need to do complete run-throughs. If your soundcheck is also functioning as a first-time rehearsal, then I would advise a more concise approach to what I outlined in Creating the Best Rehearsal Experience:

• Before starting a tune, identify any complex parts that the band will play together, and maybe take them through a brief run-through of those sections. 

• Remind singers where there'll be unisons vs. harmonies, and then run the tune down. 

• If you catch any fixes, smooth them out, but only do a run-through if time permits. 

• Generally, I save second run-throughs for the end; my goal for the team is to be familiarized with the overall material rather than spending time perfecting the details. If you obsess over the details and then try to keep putting it together immediately after the fix, then you'll most likely run out of time, and your other tunes will suffer for it. 

Just remember to be clear, concise, and nice when running this part of sound check. It's easier for anxiety and tension to escalate during this time, and your job is to be at ease and instill confidence in the team through your example. 

A Good Benchmark to Follow

These days, our music team is only able to meet prior to the Sunday morning service, so we allow about 75 minutes to get dialed in, go over material, and have a few minutes of down-time before pre-service prayer meeting. 

Within that 75 minutes, my goal is to have it broken down this way:

• 40 minutes of actual playing time.

• 10 minutes given for making adjustments to monitor and FOH levels, both at the start and throughout the soundcheck.

• 25 remaining minutes allows for late-comers (it's going to happen, just accept it), technical issues, and extra playing time if needed. 

The key to making this run smooth from the beginning is to have your plan clearly defined for how you want the band to perform the set list. Arrangements should already be figured out, notes made in the charts, correct number of copies printed and organized, etc. If you aren't prepared in this way, then it'll be a massive blow to the confidence your team has in you to lead them through a successful, stress-free sound check. 

If anything else, just remember this: Keep 'er movin', nice and easy, pausing to address the crucial bits, keeping a level head and cheerful spirit.

Updates in the Field

We’re excited to share that what we’ve been up to in our local community!

This month, we’ve added more private teaching to get instrumentalists onboarded to their local worship teams, and we’re exploring options to give group classes, too.

If you or someone you know would like to participate, send us a direct email and we’ll get the details figured out!

Also, if you’ve taken private lessons in the past with us and would like to re-visit some of what we’ve covered, then by all means, reach out!

Be blessed 👊✌️