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Sanctuary Mix

Free for new volunteers

Before this Sunday

Seven steps for a new sound volunteer to read before their first Sunday at the desk.

Each step says where to read more in both our guides, Sanctuary Mix (the full guide) and Sanctuary Mix Essentials.

  1. Power up in order: the desk and stage boxes first, amplifiers and powered speakers last. Load the right scene, and do a full line check before anyone arrives to play.

    In both guides: the line check, a printable checklist.

  2. Ask the musician to play or sing at the loudest level they'll use on Sunday, not a gentle warm-up. Turn up the gain until the loudest parts reach the target on the meter.

    The target on the meter: on a digital desk, the loudest parts peak around –18 to –12. On an analogue desk, around 0, never red. Some digital desks, Allen & Heath's among them, draw an analogue-style scale: on those, the target reads 0 to +6.

    In both guides: Chapter 4, "Reading your meters" and "Setting gain, step by step".

  3. Almost every channel benefits from a high-pass filter. Kick, bass and low keys are the exceptions: they get only a very low one, around 30–40 Hz, or none. To set it, raise the frequency until the sound starts to thin out, then back off a little.

    In both guides: Chapter 5, "The high-pass filter: your best friend", and the EQ cheat sheet.

  4. When something sounds wrong, look for what to take away before adding anything. Cutting removes a problem. Boosting adds level, raises the risk of feedback and quickly makes a mix harsh and loud.

    In both guides: Chapter 5, "Cut before you boost".

  5. Speech gets little or no reverb and no delay. Bring the effects down between songs, during prayers and whenever someone speaks, so spoken words are dry and clear.

    In both guides: Chapter 6, "Effects in worship".

  6. Most feedback starts just after a fader goes up. Pull down the fader you last moved. If you can't tell which mic it is, bring the main fader down a few dB, fast.

    In both guides: the feedback flowchart.

  7. No sound? Don't guess. Your desk's meters are your best friend here. Signal on the channel meter means the problem is after the channel. No signal means it's before.

    In both guides: the no-sound flowchart.

When things go wrong

Something will go wrong eventually. A battery dies, a cable fails, a mic squeals. It happens to every engineer at every church. What matters is how you respond: stay calm, fix what you can quickly, and don't let your face tell the room there's a problem.

The full steps, with the line check and the flowcharts, are in Sanctuary Mix Essentials and the full guide.