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Following the Melody
Following the Melody
On any given Sunday, our worship leaders gather in various combinations to lead us into the presence of God. As a combined worship and tech team, one of our top goals is to keep the vocal melody of each song at the top of the sound mix.
One of the fantastic ways Russ serves our church is by strategically leveraging each team member's strengths. This strategy includes assigning vocalists to lead specific parts of songs. Each song—divided into verse, chorus, and bridge(s)—leads with one or more vocalists. When a vocalist is not leading, they sing a harmony part or are off the mic.
Out of Balance
Out of Balance
Our goal as a tech team is to keep the melody balanced adequately so that the congregation can sing along. Often, this means adjusting which vocalist is at the "top" of the mix for each *section* of the song. Here is an example of when this did *not* happen.
Rebecca has the melody, and Russ' harmony is much louder.
(Note: this was my bad because William had used Russ' mic for preaching. I forgot to reset an adjustment to the livestream. However, it makes for a great example!)
Ideal Balance
Ideal Balance
Now, here is an example of when the balance was ideal. In the first set same service, Russ has the melody, and Rebecca sings the harmony. In this example, the vocal parts are balanced appropriately.
While keeping the melody at the "top" of the mix helps our configuration, it is a complex and nuanced task. In conversation with Russ this week, he reminded me that the notes about whom is leading which song (and parts of songs, are written in the PCO service plan.
Next Steps
Next Steps
So, in the coming weeks, we will emphasize the importance of each team member reviewing the PCO service order digitally (phone, computer, or table) or on paper. Referencing PCO during the service will help us lead better together, including keeping the melody balanced.
Finally, I intend to follow up with a more detailed “how to” for the audio team members with tips on how to set up the vocal channels to make following the melody more straightforward.
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