...YOU ARE TOO LOUD!

[uriahsmusic]

....... HAVE YOU EVER GONE TO A CHURCH AND THE MUSICIANS SOUND OK....BUT THEY ARE BLASTING.....THE SPEAKER OF THE DAY IS ACTALLY SCREAMING INTO A MIKE AND THE SINGERS CAN BARELY BE HEARD....(FORGET ABOUT THE SPEAKER..THEY SCREAM ANYWAY!)
...WE AS MUSICIANS WOULD DO WELL TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE CANGREGANTS FACES .....IF THEY ARE HOLDING ONE EAR AND HAVE THEIR HEAD TILTED DOWN AND TO ONE SIDE....THEY ARE NOT EXPERIENCING THE "HOLY GHOST"!!!!....WHAT THEY ARE EXPERIENCING IS LOUD MUSICIAN SYNDROME!....LOUD ORGANISTS....LOUD BASS AND GUITARISTS....AND EVEN LOUDER DRUMMERS!!!!

SO NEXT TIME YOU SEE A CHILD OF GOD SUFFERING FROM LOUD MUSICIAN SYNDROME...DO EVERYONE A FAVOR!....TURN DOWN!!!....OR AT LEAST DONT TURN UP!!!....

YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS IS THE ORGANIST OR THE DRUMMER STARTS THE MADNESS....THEN THE OTHER MUSICIANS COME IN AND BOOOM!....WHAT CAN WE DO YOU ASK?...THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO!
1.  POSITION THE MUSICIANS IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY ARE NOT RIGHT UP ON A THE LESLIE OR ANY OTHER AMP!....THEY WILL AUTOMATICALLY PLAY LOUD BECUASE THEY CANT HEAR THEMSELVES...IT WILL TAKE SOME MOVING THINGS AROUND BUT TRUST ME IT WILL WORK!...

2. HAVE SOMEONE GO OUT IN THE CONGREGATION FOR YOU TO VARIOUS SPOTS AND REPORT BACK TO YOU WHAT THEY HEAR!!!...YOU WILL BE SHOCKED!...THEN DISCUSS IT AMONGST YOURSELVES AND ADJUST APPROPRIATELY!

3. ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS IS BECAUSE MUSICIANS FEED OFF OF EACH OTHER WE OFTEN ASK EACH OTHER TO COME UP IN VOLUME!....IF YOU ARE NOT SOLOING, THEN TURNING UP IS A MISTAKE!...BALANCE IS NOT ACHIEVED BY EVERYONE TURNING UP IN RESPONSE TO "I CANT HEAR YOU!".....IF YOU HAVE A SOUND PERSON THAT WORKS THE SOUND SYSTEM LET THEM REGULATE THE VOLUME!...
UNTIL BALANCE IS ACHIEVED THE MUSICIANS WILL NEED TO EXERCISE PATIENCE....

4. ...SOME INSTRUMENTS SOUND BETTER CRANKED!....BUT YOU WILL FIND THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO SOUND CRANKED UP...WITH OUT ACTUALLY BLASTING!.... A B3 AND LESLIE IS DISIGNED TO CRANK TO JUST TURN THE VOLUME DOWN FROM THE LESLIE (ONCE YOU HAVE FOUND A VOLUME THAT WONT KILL FOLKS AND LEAVE IT ALONE!)

FOR GUITARS AND BASS REMEMBER...IF YOU TURN THE MASTER UP TO JUST BELOW ITS MAXIMUM..(LIKE 9)  ..AND ADJUST YOUR VOLUME FROM THE CHANNEL VOLUME CONTROL YOU WILL GET A CLEAN PUNCH SOUND THAT RESPONDS TO YOUR EQ ADJUSTMENTS.....

....(IT IS WHEN YOU TURN UP YOU CHANNEL VOLUME AND HAVE NOT TURNED THE MASTER VOLUME UP ALL THE WAY THAT YOU OVERDRIVE THE AMP AND GET A DISTORTED SOUND...WHICH CAN TAKE MORE VOLUME TO HEAR WHEN PLAYED WITH OTHER INSTRUMENTS)

5.  ....AND DRUMMERS....WHATS UP!....NO VOLUME CONTROL?....THEY HAVE THESE LOVELY RINGS THAT ARE SOLD IN EVERY MUSIC STORE THAT WILL REGULATE YOU VOLUME!...THAT AND SOME SELF CONTROL WILL GO A LONG WAY!

6.  AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...THE SPEAKER OF THE DAY!....I KNOW THAT WHEN YOU ARE BEING LED BY THE SPIRIT YOU SHOULDNT NEED TO THINK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY!....BUT I HAVE A FEW THINGS THAT WILL KEEP YOU FROM BREAKING SOMEONES EAR DRUMS....
....IN THE STUDIO WE HAVE WHAT IS CALLED THE 4 FINGER RULE!...TRY IT!...PUT YOU HAND IN FRONT OF YOU MOUTH SO THAT YOU INDEX FINGER TOUCHES YOUR MOUTH AND YOUR PINKY FINGER TOUCHES THE MIKE!!!...SO EASY!...YOU SHOULD NEVER BE CLOSER TO THE MIC THAN THAT!....
....ALSO LETS SAY YOU ARE SPECKING PRETTY CALMLY...THEN SUDDENLY YOU YELL OUT SOMETHING!...(DONT LIE...YOU ALL DO IT AND SCARE THE PANTS OFF OF SOMEONE SLEEPING IN THE CONGREGATION!)
IF YOU ARE GONNA SCREAM BACK OFF OF THE MIKE ABOUT 2 INCHES FURTHER AND IT SHOUL STILL GET YOU THE AGGRESSIVE EFFECT THAT YOU WANT WITHOUT KILLING FOLKS!

....

ALSO THERE IS A HANDY LITTLE DEVICE THAT YOU CAN GET BY MANY COMPANIES CALLED A COMPRESSOR/LIMITER...
THIS DIVICE COMES IN ALL PRICE RANGES AND WILL KEEP YOUR VOLUE UP WHEN YOU ARE TOO LOW AND REDUCE IT WHEN YOU SCREAM...WITHOUT CHANGING THE INTENSITY OF YOU SPECH!...JUST CONNECT IT TO YOU PA SYSTEM AND LET THE SPIRIT LEAD YOU!

IN CLOSING I HOPE THIS WAS USEFUL TO ALL OF YOU...I KNOW IT WAS LONG...BUT THATS HOW I DO THINGS...

GOD BLESS YOU ALL...EVERYONE

[b3maniac]

I agree, but its not always the organist or drummer that starts the madness. In my case, it's the keyboardist and electric guitar! We were playing a congr. song in church today and the keyboardist asked if I would turn my organ up because he could'nt hear me. I told him that if he could not hear me, he needs to turn his keyboard down. Most of the time when you can't hear the other musicians, you're too load! I believe that when the music is too load, it actually takes away from the service and the music.  Peace!

[uriahsmusic]

...THAT WAS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW THIS SITUATION CAN VARY!...I GUESS WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT WE ALL COME TO SOME AGREEMENT THAT WORKS OUT FOR THE CONGREGATION AND THE SERVICE....ONE THING FOR SURE....ITS LIKE A SNOWBALL EFFECT ONCE WE START TURNING UP THE VOLUME!....

[thekeynote]

Amen on the volume issue!  I'm glad I'm the only one other than the drummer.  One time, he got carried away and I stopped playing.  Just stopped.  There he was, left out there banging away on the drums.  You should have seen the look on his face.  

Microphone technique is an art in and of itself.  My mom teaches voice and she teaches in her studio with a microphone and P.A. system---teaching singers how to control the microphone, how to place it.  

But yes---church musicians can be louder than any blues bar on a Saturday night, with "beer ears" turned on!

[trulyblessed]

AMEN :!:  this is an issue that we face in our churches today. Thanks for the helpful tips  and pointing that out to us .

[uriahsmusic]

...I AM ONE OF THE UNFORTUNATES THAT WATCH THE ONGOING BATTLE ....PEOPLE HOLDING ONE EAR...AND DUE TO WHERE I SIT AND PLAY...I CANT HEAR THE CHOIR!...NOT THAT I NEED TO...BUT...IT WOULD BE NICE....WE ARE WORKING ON IT!...IT IS A VERY STICKY SITUATION!