Defining our sound

Music is a big part of our corporate worship during Sunday services at TBC.  As a result, we work very hard preparing and executing those elements each week.  But there are a lot of variables that need to come together in order for the music played by a band of 8-10 people to connect with the thousands of people.  Those details range from how the drums are tuned, to electric guitar tone, to what octave the piano is played in, to what vocal parts are assigned and to whom.  They include which instruments play and when, how things are high passed, how things are gated, and the balance of the drums to the bass to the piano to the lead vocal to the electric to the BGVs...  How do we manage all those variables and assure that we hit the mark week after week?  

Its important for us to define what we want our music to sound like.  Its easy to just say "It should sound good."  But "good" is not defined the same way everywhere you go.  In order for the music we present to our congregation to be, not only high quality, but also to be consistent from week to week, we need to define our sound and what we value in our mixes.

Good Sources - This means that the drums should be tuned, mics placed properly, the guitar tones and keys patches carefully selected etc.  If it doesn't sound good on stage, it probably won't sound good in the house.  We've recently switched back to acoustic drums and we encourage our electric guitar players to bring in their amps, which we isolate and mic.  (This only works if your guitarists actually have good amps.  Another source to deal with)  Doesn't that take more work and preparation? Yes it does, but the classic, natural tones we get are worth the effort.  

Timeless Tone -  We are looking for sounds that are classic, that don't date themselves or evoke a certain era.  We want to be creative but not distracting, and we want to connect with as broad a range of people as we can.  This means we play it straight (mostly), no space-age ping pong effects or 80s ballad snare reverb.

Active Mixes - Music is not a static thing.  It is a dynamic, changing, moving thing and its important the it is mixed that way by the engineer.  Its not a "set it and leave it" kind of gig.  If you stop mixing after soundcheck, you're missing out on how powerful and effective the music could be.  Even within different parts of a song, the musical balance can shift dramatically and you, the engineer, must be ahead of the curve, constantly adjusting to the feel and direction of the song.  That means knowing when the guitar solo or vocal transition is going to happen and not realizing a measure in that you missed it....again.  

The Foundation - For the style of music we use, drums, bass, and vocals are the foundational elements of the mix.  Drums provide the rhythm, bass provides a foundational pitch reference, and vocals (obviously) provide the melody and lyric.  Drums and bass also provide a lot of the energy in a song.  Its important that the vocals are heard, but a quick way to lose energy and excitement in a song is to have the vocals be too loud.  Another vocal pitfall is the lead vocal/background vocal relationship.  We usually have 3 vocalists on stage at once, with one being the clear leader.  Who this leader is may change from song to song or even within a song.  However, the BGVs need to stay in the background. The leader should not be competing with the other vocalists.  Its important that the engineer actively manages this balance and smoothly transitions from leader to leader, while keeping the backing vocals layered in behind the lead. 

The Fluff - Just kidding, this stuff isn't fluff.  Electric, acoustic, piano, keys, strings, maybe you have a horn section? In our music style, the electric guitar drives most songs.  Whether its a big rock anthem or an ambient and introspective song, chances the electric guitar has a key hook of some sort.  Don't bury the electric guitar!  Be confident with it and let it do what its supposed to do.  Acoustic and keys give texture and interest in a mix (orchestral instruments often fall in this category as well).  They rarely dominate the mix when the whole band is playing but provide a breath of fresh air and dynamics at certain points in a song.  Rarely should the acoustic guitar be louder than the electric when both are playing.  Just because the worship leader is playing the acoustic doesn't mean it should be the loudest instrument. Quite the opposite actually.  By not forcing the acoustic guitar forward in a mix, you allow for really cool moments to happen when the band falls back and acoustic can really shine through.  Remember, music is dynamic!

Hope this was an interesting read and that it gives just a little more perspective on how we do what we do each week at TBC.  This framework is a product of lots of experimentation and constant self-evaluation.  Thanks to Tim Corder for his inspirational and well-articulated post on this subject.

What does it cost?

How many man-hours do you think go into a typical weekend service at TBC? 20 hours? 40? 70?

Our services are completely volunteer driven, which means that these people are giving up their time and energy to serve you and to serve God.  Lets break it down...

It takes 8 volunteers to run the technical systems each weekend and there are normally 8 people in the band.  On a weekend where the choir or orchestra are performing, there are 20 more people involved.  Then there are 3 vocalists leading in the Lower Auditorium.

Lets say 39 people.

31 of them have this schedule: 2 hours of Thursday rehearsal + 5 hours on Sunday mornings = 217
5 of them have this schedule: 5 hours on Sunday mornings = 25
3 of them have this schedule: 1 hour on Sunday morning = 3

Total hours = 245

That is the equivalent of 6 people working a 40 hour week and thats just counting the time the volunteers were physically in the building.  It doesn't include the hours of practice they do on their own time or the hours of work that Bryan and I invest each week.  If TBC were to pay even minimum wage for this work it would cost $1,776.25 each week and $92,365 each year.

We have incredible talent at TBC and I'm so thankful that so many great artists are willing to give their talent away to build the Church.  So thanks to all our Worship Arts volunteers for all the great work you do!

Interlocking | Spring Stage Design

Check out TBC's recent stage design featured on ChurchStageDesignIdeas.com. Thanks to all our tech arts volunteers who make it happen every week!

http://www.churchstagedesignideas.com/2012/03/20/interlocking/

Going the Distance

It's impossible to know exactly what the future holds.  However, planning for contingencies and being prepared for the unforeseen is vitally important.  When you're selecting and installing equipment that costs thousands of dollars, this becomes paramount.  It's part of being a good steward of time and resources and it definitely makes life easier when the unforeseen appears.

For example, the tech team here at Topeka Bible Church is in the midst of our long awaited upgrade to an HD video production system.  As our old equipment begins to show its age and the proliferation of high definition media continues, the time has come for us to take the next step in improving and optimizing our video system.  But there is another factor at play in the decisions that are made during this upgrade.  

TBC is currently preparing to launch a building project that will provide us with a second, full sized auditorium that will function as both a live venue and a video venue.  This means it will receive a live video feed of the teaching occurring in the other auditorium, located across a city street.  A set up like this requires a flexible and powerful video system.  Would it make sense to purchase video equipment the meets our needs now and then have to replace it in two years because it can't meet our future needs?  This may seem like a cost cutting measure in the present, but being a steward does not always mean being cheap.  Sometimes it means making a long term investment.

What are the benefits of thinking long term in this scenario?  Our volunteers will already be familiar with and trained to use the equipment when we expand our facilities.  We've actually spent the last two years putting this idea into practice as we've upgraded our audio, lighting, and graphics areas.  Another benefit is that we won't need to replace our existing video system in the near future.  It will be ready to step into a more demanding role with just a few additions.  The life span of our new system could approach 10 years and TBC will be able to get the most out of its investment.  It also removes some equipment costs from the future new construction, while allowing us to experience all the benefits of the equipment in our current space.  

Thinking about the quality and the flexibility of equipment is important, but thinking ahead doesn't stop there.  It also extends to how that equipment is installed.  A properly executed installation can extend the life of a system by many years.  Conversely, a poor installation will eventually cause equipment and cable failures, user frustration, and increased maintenance costs.  Here are some not-so-good examples:

Hard work and attention to detail in the beginning will go a long way.  Being a steward means taking care of what you have, and that extends far beyond finances.  This is a principle that applies to all areas of life. Making the best choices you can now will enable you to go the distance with excellence, whether those choices affect your personal, professional, or spiritual life. 

*If you're interested in the technical details of TBC's new video system, check out my previous post.

The Nuts and Bolts of Our HD Upgrade

For those who enjoy reading up on image resolutions, frame rates, HD-SDI, output bus counts, and H.264, I've compiled this list of the major components in TBC's new full HD video production system.

Black Magic Design ATEM 1 M/E

This is a 1 M/E (Mix Engine), 8 input, 3 discreet aux out, 5 program out broadcast switcher with a built in multi-viewer.  It has 4 SDI inputs, 4 HDMI inputs, and one analog input which can be use in place of one of the HDMI inputs.  We'll be using two SDI, one HDMI, and the analog input.  This enables the operator to switch three cameras + computer graphics in 1080/60i HD.  The aux outs will feed our main projector and one of our video venues.

This switcher is also a true preset/program bus switcher.  If you serve as a video director at TBC, you'll appreciate this, as its a big improvement over our old A/B bus switcher.


Panasonic HPX250

This unit will become our primary camera for capturing teaching and worship.  It has a 22x lens and can shoot in resolutions up to 1080p.  It has 3 of the same 1/3" CMOS sensors found in Panasonic's HPX370 but in a compact format.  HD-SDI out and genlock allow seamless integration with professional broadcast systems.

Black Magic Design H.264 Pro Recorder

This handy device allows for real time HD H.264 encoding of our services.  This means that they are immediately ready for uploading to the web or can be edited quickly and easily.  It will take in our 1080i video over HD-SDI and output via USB to an iMac.

Black Magic Design Media Express

This is a easy to use media capture program that works with the H.264 Pro Recorder to capture and organize our video.

Sony VPL-FH500L Projector

With 7000 lumens of output and 1920x1200 resolution, this higher-than-HD projector will provide incredibly clear, high definition content for our main auditorium.  Its lamps and filters are rated for over 6000 hours of use, making it extremely affordable to maintain compared to similar units.  And because it features an HD-SDI input card, it can receive an extremely low latency, all digital signal for pristine image quality.


There are lots of other pieces involved in tying this system together, but those are the big ones.  If you have any questions or want to get involved in tech ministry at TBC, drop me a note below!

WFX Highlight Video 2011

*Edited by Carrie Davidson*

What a Non-Techy, Normal Person Learned at a Tech Conference

*A Guest Post by Carrie Davidson*

I’m not techy by nature. I don’t have a knack for understanding networks, audio systems, or anything that requires electricity. In my home, I delegate the operation and maintenance of items that have wires to my electrical engineer husband, Chris. Given my propensity to not understand technology, it was definitely a “God thing” that, about a year ago, I somehow ended up as a volunteer in the technical arts department at Topeka Bible Church. And by some additional miracle (or accident maybe?), I recently travelled to Dallas with a group of technical arts staff and volunteers from Topeka Bible Church and Fellowship Bible Church to attend a technical arts conference. What follows is a plain, simple, non-technical recap of the tidbits I gleaned from a few days at WFX.

My conference began with a tech leaders retreat intended to help tech leaders and laborers network, relax, and figure out ways to do our jobs more effectively. This part of the conference featured a panel of industry professionals who had some serious competence in the field of church technical arts. They spent time answering questions posed by the larger group as well as facilitating smaller group discussions on various topics including audio, video, lighting, burnout, and volunteers. At these sessions, I was introduced to a few helpful online resources (churchtechleaders.org and lightingtrainer.com). Most significantly, I came to understand that the technical arts department is a ministry to all the people in the church, as well as the staff and volunteers who comprise the department. And as a ministry, the calling of tech leaders goes beyond making all of the audio, video, and lighting in the church work. The main focus of a tech leader is to minister to their churches and teams, and that’s an exciting assignment. That’s the reason that I find technical arts so exciting and energizing; it’s not about the DMX protocol or the equipment, it’s about building the body of Christ!

The only thing I know about video cameras is how to turn one on (and even that little bit required some training). So I was really jumping into the conference with both feet when I began my Wednesday morning in a hands-on-training session taught by Anthony Coppedge called Directing a Live Production. I still don’t really know how to do anything other than turn on the camera, but I appreciated leaving the session with dozens of practical principles regarding video. Here are the highlights, as best as I can recall them:

Consider why you are doing video before you actually begin doing video. If you are not leveraging video to accomplish the purpose of your church, do NOT use video. It’s a major black hole for money and bad video is worse than no video.

It’s important to capture the heart of the worship experience and not just the beat and rhythm of the worship.

Define the terms that you are using (does wide angle mean zoomed all the way out or just zoomed out to the edge of the stage?)

Love your group, whether paid or volunteer. You will never get the results you are looking for if all you ever talk about is “I need a wide angle on camera 2.”

Good stewardship is less about how much you save and more about what you don’t waste.

Directly following my video class, I attended a session called Lighting, Stage Elements, Set Design, and Effects taught by Alex Castro. If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE lighting. I love designing and executing a show, I love trying to figure out how lights work, and I love thinking of ways to program better. Lighting is definitely more up my alley than video or audio. I tell you this just so you understand that I thought that I would be learning about the technical side of lighting when I attended this lighting class. Instead, Alex Castro drilled home the fact those who are involved in building anything in the FOH (front of house) are called to do so, just as God called workmen to build the sanctuary in Exodus 36:1. As people who are chosen, God enables us through wisdom and experience to do excellent work and He equips us by providing the skills and resources needed to do His work. This was a valuable point to learn because it is a reminder that it is a privilege to do a job that brings the attention of the church to the altar of God. We should do so joyfully for an audience of One.

The keynote speakers focused on the purpose of using technology in worship. TBC’s purpose is to lead people to life in Christ, and it’s that very purpose that should drive the technology that we use as a church (not the other way around). Determining the technology we use involves classifying it as either necessary or helpful and to not confuse the two (this doesn’t mean that we can’t ever use helpful things). For example, in a 1,500 seat auditorium, a way to project sound is necessary. Having a video projection system is helpful. It’s the church that drives the technology, not the other way around.

When it comes to tech gear, I’m a little bit behind the times; hence, it was majorly great that a large part of my trip to Dallas was spent walking around the expo hall looking at gear. I had a wonderful time hearing about some really great new gear that my group found (example: Elation Platinum Spot 5R Pro Moving Head w/ CMY Color Mixing System) and discovering some cool technology that I thought was new but had been around for a long time (example: rear and short throw projectors). I even got to talk to the manufacturer of TBC’s lighting console (ETC’s Smartfade ML) and ask every question I could possibly think of. As an added bonus, I came home with some decent swag (some of which will possibly end up in my small group’s white elephant gift exchange)!

Last but not least, the most beneficial part of this conference for me was not the product demos or lecture sessions. It was getting to spend time getting to know the techs that I minister with on a regular basis. Like me, these are people who are passionate about serving in order to enhance the experience of everyone who walks through the same doors as I do each Sunday. Yeah, we had some good laughs (Bryan: I think we should go to the gas station. Cory: What do you mean? We just ate Mexican food; we ARE the gas station) and we talked geeky tech specs (Kaleb “The encoder on Citygate is really bad”), but most importantly, we grew together as a team. The technical arts ministry spans so far beyond pushing the right buttons and executing a flawless church service. It’s all about pouring into the lives of those we serve and those we serve with.