From the Field: Mike Robertson on Audio Mixing

Like many before me, I started my tech journey when I was in middle school, at the youth group. They needed someone to turn some knobs, and man, did I like turning those knobs! I ended up being the “sound guy” for our youth group and quickly was serving in “Big Church.” I never ended up getting formal training, but simply learned to use what we had at the church, picking up tricks along the way. This path allowed me to work local events and eventually I ended up leading the church technical team. When I left for college, I still did some audio support but dove into the broadcast video world. This took me out of the audio world for the next decade plus – now I was the Video Guy. 

Years later, after working in two Tech Lead roles at two churches where I had a hand in most everything but primarily video, I have stepped into a volunteer role at my local church video directing and running audio…and I have to learn everything all over again!  

Here are things that I have learned over the past year while learning how to be the sound guy again. I am not an expert; sometimes I feel like I’m not even good! But, I want to serve wherever I go, and I feel a connection to God, worshiping as I serve at the FOH position. 

1. Learn the instrument you are using

I grew up mixing on mostly analog consoles. I have used some digital boards along the way, but not consistently. I currently work for a National Integration company and a phrase I hear in my conversations with other Church Techs who are still making that Analog to Digital transition is that the “Analog to Digital Learning Curve is steep”. Not all digital boards are the same, but it always does take time to learn the ins and outs of the instrument we were using at the church. One year into my journey of using this audio board a few times a week, I finally felt comfortable with how to navigate “all the things.” When that comfort level hit, I felt liberated to begin exploring my mix on a deeper level.

2. Learn to be curious

Learning your tool leads to an ability to be curious and to explore the options that are available to the mixer. I have become more adventurous with adjusting the compressors and gates and started rearranging the physical layouts to fit my needs. We use a third-party software and hardware program for effects and processing and I am now turning, twisting, and testing everything I can to see how it affects the audio I hear. There were moments when I would sit in the room by myself, play tracks, and then decide to scrap everything I was once using for another path. Being curious is a path to growth.

3. Learn to ask questions and take feedback

I knew my instrument and I became curious. With sound, there are many paths and opinions, and not everything I tried worked out. I had to learn that even though I had experience, there are others around me that had much more experience along with different experiences. How could I tap into that wealth of knowledge!? I started asking questions such as, how my counterparts are tackling a certain vocal and why. I want to know why they are using certain plugins or how they managed to get a full sound from a certain instrument. When I ask questions and apply the feedback provided, I find myself getting better at what I do and understand my craft more.

One thing I love about what I do as a job is that I get to communicate with many church techs from around the country. I get to interact with people with varying experiences and abilities. There is always something that we can learn and share,  and doing so in a community brings us all to a higher level of excellence in serving our local churches. This leads me to my last note.

4. Learn to share

I don’t always feel like I have much to share. There are so many talented individuals who are working and serving churches across the country, what do I have to offer them? It feels easy to fall into the comparison ditch, or to feel inferior because a certain church is bigger than another. Where I have landed the plane is that the truth of what I have to offer is willingness to not isolate myself on this journey and to include everyone I can. What I have to offer is a togetherness, or an awareness that as church techs we are not on an island, we are not isolated and all can be a resource to each other. We are all on this journey together and we are operating in a healthy way when we are sharing our experiences and knowledge in a way that builds each other up.