ProAudio Review - July 2008 - (Page 58)

CONTRACTING | Worship Audio by Dan Wothke Taming The Driving Factor — Drums he driving factor for all Contemporary Worship is drums. Tempo, feel and dynamics are all established and maintained through the drummer. As the band weaves their musical masterpiece, drums lay the solid foundation for the mix to be built upon. As engineers, drums dictate our noise floor and minimal SPL levels from which we build our mixes. Incorporating even the simplest kit is a major challenge for SPL and, especially, sonic bleed. This issue evaporates directly in proportion to the distance between the first row of seats and the position of the drums on stage; large houses-of-worship (HOW) setups have less of a challenge as a result. For the rest of the HOW — ranging from small to mid-size facilities — drums and their SPL levels are at the forefront of what we hear. THE ELECTRONIC WAY With the development of samples and the myriad of layouts, electronic drums would appear to be the natural choice for combating the high SPLs associated with acoustic drums. The price for a top-notch electronic kit immediately puts it out of the budget for most HOW. However, the primary factor that immediately detours the electronic drumming option is the drummer. I have yet to meet a drummer who loves — or really even likes — to play a set of electronic drums. Generally, the art of drumming is lost with electronics, as a good drummer will use discrete parts of the drum for musical applications; hitting heads in different spots with varied attacks can create organic nuances that no electronic drum can accurately recreate. It’s the same thing with dynamics. Next to time, dynamics is probably the number one job of a drummer during a worship set. If the drummer is not at home behind the set, then the entire worship experience suffers: the sound, the performance and ultimately the mix. Plus, one of the joys of mixing is microphone selection and placement to capture the drums; this is also lost when using an electric set. So if your HOW has a drummer that loves the electronic method, can play them with conviction and the result is a good sound and performance by the entire team, consider yourself fortunate … and in the minority. levels (so as to not make some poor kid’s ears hurt). So, the next logical step is HOW (pun intended) to isolate. CUSTOMIZING YOUR ISOLATION If your HOW is in an established building where you are the only tenant and you have good access to a backstage then a custom isolation booth is possibly the way to go. The tenant factor is important because a custom booth is not one that is easily disassembled from week to week. The “backstage factor” is required because, like any multi-function HOW, the stage has to be cleared from time to time to accommodate weddings, funerals, dramas, etc. (For example, see the pictured custom iso built for Belmont Church.) The first step is to scour the congregation for a good carpenter. Once you have the necessary manpower, make a road map for what you need. Casters are great but your iso booth should not easily roll around while the drummer is playing. A six-foot, sand-filled STOP THE BLEEDING An average drummer playing an acoustic kit at full strength can produce anywhere from upper 80 dBs to over 100 dBs of SPL while covering the entire 20 Hz to 20 kHz range. There are varying factors involved including the drummer, room size, shape, absorption co-efficiency and ceiling height, so those are “ballpark” numbers. The specific numbers for your situation can be realized with a simple SPL meter and the drummer laying down a beat while you walk around the room to check levels. The resulting number is your starting point for mixing. Throw in some electric guitars, a bunch of open mics for vocals, and a bass and pretty soon your levels are likely out of control. The key to getting the drums to a manageable level is isolation. Sufficient The Custom iso Built For Belmont Church isolation will significantly lower your predetermined noise floor, floor is optimal to give the drums a solid reduce bleed and allow you, the engineer, to foundation to live on. A hollow floor will get back to mixing and away from fighting have its own inherent resonate frequencies 58 | ProAudio Review | July 2008 www.proaudioreview.com http://www.proaudioreview.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ProAudio Review - July 2008

ProAudio Review - July 2008 Contents Publisher's Page: Inside Broadcast Production Studio News and New Products Steinberg Nuendo 4 Digital Audio Workstation Developments & Trends: Digital Audio Workstation I/O JZ Microphones Black Hole BH-1 Apple Logic Studio Behind The Scenes: JBL Professional – A 60-Year Legacy Broadcast News and New Products WLOY: Real World Facilities For An On-Campus Radio Station Post News and New Products Hot Gear InfoComm 08 Chandler Limited TG1 Abbey Road/EMI Series Limiter/Compressor Live News and New Products Cerwin-Vega! Professional Active Series CVA-28 and CVA-118 Speakers QSC Audio Model GX5 Power Amplifier From The Road: A Week In The Life — Gear Essentials Contracting News and New Products Taming The Driving Factor — Drums UpSampler: sE Instrument Reflection Filter Buyer’s Guide: Live Sound Amplifiers Single Slice: Roger Powell “Fallout Shelter”

ProAudio Review - July 2008

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