LakeView Sound Team Resources

First of all, let me say thank you. There is perhaps no other volunteer position at LakeView that puts in so much time with so little recognition. Our goal is not to achieve excellence. We are a volunteer team that will never achieve what professionals are able to do. We strive to be one step better next week than we were this week. Maybe that’s remembering to unmute a mic. Maybe it’s overall volume. Maybe it’s something like fine tuning a guitar. Whatever it may be, we always want to give God our best and do our part to help people to worship him more.

We have put together this video and the corresponding notes (download here) to help you in understanding how we run sound here at LakeView and hopefully to help you improve:

Recalling Presets (1:16)
  • Go to main processing page (that shows all channels).
  • Select channel.
  • Press “Library” and tap “user.”
  • Select appropriate preset and recall.

Setting inputs (4:23)
  • Tap on preamp.
  • Under source select, make sure it says SLink Socket.
  • Change number to corresponding input on stage.

Changing the interface (5:22)
  • Pretty simple, but too much to write out. See video.

Setting Gain (6:20)
  • Go to preamp/input screen.
  • Turn “preamp gain” knob until the signal is right where green hits yellow just above 0.

Adjusting monitors (7:55)
  • Most musicians use the app to adjust their monitor themselves.
  • Mixes 1-10 on right side of board correspond to monitors 1-10.
  • Select appropriate mix.
  • Adjust individual instruments and vocals as musicians desire.

Mixing the sound (9:13)
  • Understand the “pyramid of sound”
    • Vocals in front.
    • Drums and bass lead instruments.
    • Instruments can move up and down the pyramid during different parts of songs.
  • Vocals
    • Leader in front.
    • Harmonies should be felt more than heard.
  • Large sound meter should run 84-90dB on average.
  • Feel out the song and the crowd’s response to it. Don’t run it too quietly.

Mute groups (14:16)
  • Labeled. They mute what they are labeled.

Effects (14:29)
  • 3 FX: instrument reverb, vocal reverb, vocal delay.
  • Set the tap tempo.
  • Push levels up until it is too much, and then pull back just a little.

Using the iPad (15:55)
  • Easy to use.
  • SQ MixPad app on homescreen.
  • See video for details.

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More in-depth
High Pass Filter (19:46)
  • Vocals – somewhere around 120Hz, never above 180Hz.

Compressor (20:23)
  • Threshold – point where compressor engages.
  • Ratio – amount of compression applied.
  • Gain – makes up for signal loss.
  • Vocals – gain reduction should be no more than 6dB with ratio around 3:1.

EQ (22:55)
  • Less is more. The room has been professionally tuned.
  • Listen for something in a vocal or instrument that just sounds off.
  • Take a frequency band, change the width to make it narrow.
  • Gain it up to around +12dB and sweep back and forth until you find it.
  • Pull that frequency down a little below 0 and widen it a bit.