Serve everyone well when you learn how to mix sound for both in-person and live-stream services.

Volunteer sound techs are blessed with a calling to deliver great sound for their congregations week after week. It’s a big responsibility. And now that churches of all sizes are regularly live streaming, there are even more demands placed on the average technical ministry team. Not least among these demands is the need to produce a quality mix for both the in-person congregation and those viewing the live stream feed.

While some churches have the technical capacity, space, and staff to produce two separate mixes (one for in-house, one for the live stream), many small and medium-sized churches simply need to produce a great-sounding mix with one mixing console and one sound tech at the controls. Fortunately, there are some simple steps any church can follow to produce a quality sound mix for in-person and online listeners.

How to Mix Sound for Both In-Person and Live Stream Services

Step 1 – START WITH SIGNAL LEVELS

Every mix starts with setting the gain on each input of the console for the ideal signal level. Each audio source should be loud and clear, with “headroom” that allows the signal to go up in volume without clipping or distorting.

Tech Tip: To set the gain, put the channel in “Solo” or “PFL” mode and turn the gain up until the average signal level registers near the middle to the upper-third range of meters. This is about -6 to 0 dB or VU on analog consoles and -16 to -20 dB on digital consoles, or where the green lights meet the yellow lights.

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Step 2 – MIX FOR THE ROOM FIRST

Start crafting the worship mix for the room first. Build the mix so each instrument and vocal has space in the mix while placing the worship leader or lead vocal on top of the mix. Use EQ to fine-tune the frequency balance of instruments and vocals as needed.

Tech Tip: Use a high pass filter (HPF) to eliminate low-frequency noise from most of the input sources. Vocals can use a 100–125 hertz (Hz) HPF setting. Guitars may use a setting of 80–150 Hz, and low-frequency instruments like the bass guitar can benefit from reducing low-end rumble below 40 Hz.

CLICK TO TWEET:

Now that churches are regularly live streaming, make it a priority to produce a quality mix for both the in-person congregation and the live stream feed. Check out Church Tech Today for sound mixing tips.

Step 3 – SET UP AN AUX MIX IF POSSIBLE

Most analog consoles offer an auxiliary (aux) or matrix mix option, and almost every digital console has the option for multiple mix outputs. Use the main mix for the room and the aux mix for the live stream. Using the aux mix allows for more control of the live stream mix separate from what is heard in the room.

Tech Tip: Use headphones to monitor the aux mix output to ensure it sounds good for the live-streaming audience.

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Step 4 – USE A LIMITER OR COMPRESSOR FOR THE LIVE STREAM MIX

Using a simple compressor or limiter for the live-stream audio mix can make a big difference in sound quality. A compressor/limiter will reduce the dynamic range and allow the online listener to experience a more even volume level. Most digital consoles will have the ability to add compression to the mix output and several streaming software providers offer audio effects that include compression. Alternatively, use a basic analog compressor between the mixer output and the computer or streaming encoder input.

Tech Tip: A compression setting of 4:1 to 10:1 should work to control the dynamic range. Adjust a slower release time to squash the signal more. An alternate method is to boost the streaming mix level to just below the peak and use the limiter threshold to offer a gain reduction of about -3 dB.

Step 5 – TEST, TEST, TEST

Every quality mix requires critical listening and adjusting. Spend the time to test the live stream mix in advance by using headphones and by doing several test live streams. Be sure to regularly check the live stream audio feed once you go live, both before it enters the streaming interface and on the live stream itself.

There you have it! These 5 steps should help your AVL team produce a quality sound mix for in-person and online listeners..one that eliminates distraction and facilitates meaningful, powerful worship.

Learn how to nail live streaming when you check out Church Tech Tip #23: Live Streaming Secrets Revealed.

This article has been adapted from an article originally featured in Ministry Team Magazine.