The issue of what is important.....

Back in the late 1970’s as an engineering student and young disciple in Gainesville Florida I was privileged to serve with the Crossroads Singers as their sound man.   This group had a powerful ministry of song that helped build unity across many churches.    Over the years they sang for governors, recorded many albums, and even performed for an audience of about 4000 at the Grand Ole Opry.  

During that time I had opportunity to setup and run the sound equipment during numerous local concerts and also during two tours that traveled all over the southeastern states and as far north as Ohio.   Later, after moving to Boston in 1979 I had opportunity for the next three or four years to work as the first sound man for that young ministry.   Those times were periods of learning and of coming to strong convictions in my faith.   Those times also happened to coincide with some of the strongest and most spiritual times in those early ministries.   A very strong focus on loving and honoring God was at the very core of the disciples hearts at the time.   Out of that came an attitude of doing everything for the glory of God and that we should strive for perfection in everything that we did.   (Col 3:17,23)

Over the past few years we as a movement and as a ministry have gone through times of testing - and now, times of healing, refreshing, and rediscovery.   We are learning many new things, but we are also relearning many good things from the past.   (The past can teach us:   Rom 15:4; Jer 6:16)

One of the convictions I learned from the Crossroads Singers is one that I believe needs to be restored once again within our musical performances.   Although it applies primarily to those who control the sound during a performance, it also needs to be a conviction of the vocalist and instrumentalists, because only together can they bring a performance to the level that it can change people’s hearts.  

With such an introduction you might think that what I speak of is something very profound.   In fact it is something so simple that it should not need to be profound.   My conviction is simply this:  

As disciples, the songs we perform are a ministry but the message of that ministy is lost if the words are not understood!

If the audience can not understand the lyrics then I submit that the net result is no more effective than the misuse of speaking in tongues was in the first century.

To support this I point you to I Cor 14:6-17.   Here the issue of improper use of tongues is being addressed, but there is a principle set forth that has a broader application:

   6 ¶   Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7   Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8   Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9   So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10   Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11   If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. 12   So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. 13   For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. 14   For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.  

  15 ¶   So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind ; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 16   If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand {Or among the enquirers} say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? 17   You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified.   [NIV]

In verse 6, would it not be just as applicable if it said “sang” instead of “speak in tongues”?   Verse 9 could just as well be referring to “singing intelligible words”.   Finally, verses 15-17 need no creativity at all in order to apply them to singing!

It would be real easy to read this so far and to think of your own situation and to say this does not apply to me or my singing group or to my audio mixing.   Let me say that the motivation for my writing this article is that during our 2005 N.E. Christianity Conference, in Worcester MA , I took a casual survey of those sitting around me.   I was sitting in the back of the front section of seats – a prime location.   Of those sitting around me, no one felt like they could adequately understand the words of the songs being sung!   They indicated either the voices were simply indistinct or the instruments were too loud, or both.   I even heard from one of the stage hands that he could not even understand the words from one of the performing groups during rehearsal while he was on stage with them !

The other temptation might be to think that this is just not that big of an issue.   In that case I would say that you have fallen into worldly thinking.   Reread I Cor 14.

Let us examine how each element of a performance fits into this issue.

Mixing

The sad fact is that much of the contemporary music in the recording industry suffers from bad mixing in which the vocals are hardly discernable from the instruments, let alone intelligible.   In the world’s music this hardly matters because the words are mostly of little consequence.   The fact is that this mixing style has crept into our Spiritual singing groups.   Even worse is that I have heard that we have non-disciples mixing the audio for major events!   Why do we allow this?   Why allow someone who doe not share our values and concerns to be the final authority on how our music sounds?   Is it any wonder that instruments overpower the vocals?   Is it possible that we are not capable of training our own sound mixers?

Vocals:   More Important than Instruments

Ok, this is not likely to get me any brownie points with the instrumentalists among you.   But, as I said earlier, the spiritual message of the performance is in the words – end of argument.   The sound mixer needs to have this conviction deeply ingrained.   This means that you need to have a setup that allows you to properly balance between the two.   I used to patch my channels such that I could have independent masters for the soloist, the other vocalist, and the instruments.   If this meant giving up the ability to provide a stereo feed, then that is what I did.   I doubt many people in a live concert can really tell the difference between a stereo or monaural performance.   This gave me the ability to balance those three main signals separately and distinctly from the balance within each of those groups.   With some boards such a compromise might not be needed, but with others it might very well require it.

With respect to miking the instruments I have often observed a tendency to mic each one individually.   This is unnecessary overkill in a live performance, especially if only a couple of mics are used on a chorus.   (Why spend more mental effort balancing the instruments than the vocals?)   The final decision does indeed depend upon the overall setup, but in general one microphone can cover several instruments, and some instruments may not need any microphone at all.   This is especially true for drums.   In most cases nearby mics will pick up all the drum sound you will possibly need.   In some cases I have even setup baffles around drums in order to prevent the raw acoustic power from overwhelming the rest of the performance.

Now, before someone puts me on their list of malcontents, let me say that few things irk me more than some instrumentalist playing their soul out on stage only to have it inaudible to the audience.   But I believe that if the proper work is put in before the performance it is possible to properly balance all the instruments so that each contributes as desired.   I just don’t believe that the message within the vocals should be rendered mute by unrestrained instruments.   Furthermore, I don’t believe that music balanced for the vocal sounds bad or strange.   If done right the result is very pleasing – it just may be a bit different than what the world’s music sounds like.   But who said we are to imitate the world?

Equalization

Before the advent of microphones and amplifiers, opera singers developed a style of singing which boosts the overtones of their voices in the frequency range between 2000 and 3000 hertz.   This has the effect of allowing the opera singer to be heard above the orchestra! (Click here for supporting information.)

The sound engineer who is mixing a choir can make use of this principle to boost the projection of the singers by simply pushing this band on the equalizer.   The net result is an improvement in the perceived presence and diction of the voices.   There is a limit to how much this can be done, but, with care it can make a difference.

Microphone Placement

A typical mistake in placing microphones for a chorus is to use only two or three mics placed about four to six feet in front of the group.   This is bad for at least three reasons.   First, to maximize pickup of the sound that is associated with diction requires the microphone to be no more than arm distance from the singer.   Secondly, bass singers are at a double disadvantage because microphone sensitivity drops off faster for basses than for anyone else and also because they tend to often be placed in the rear of the choral group. Lastly, the further the microphones are from the singers the more amplification is required which often leads to problems with feedback.

A more effective use of microphones would be to use a minimum of four placed at arms distance over the front of a tightly grouped chorus.   By having the microphones somewhat over the front of the group it will somewhat equalize the distance between those in front and those in the rear.   A good article on the subject can be found at http://www.prosoundweb.com/install/spotlight/choir/choir.shtml - I agree with most everything in this article except I think they recommend too few mics in covering a choir.

Instrumentalists

Hopefully, those of you who play instruments are still with me here and have not decided that I am against instruments in performances.   Trust me, I wish I had the talent to play an instrument!   What I want to encourage you with is that you have the God given talent to add beauty, power, and emotion to a song.   Sometimes you even contribute a solo to the performance.   But you also have the power to steal the message of the song if you let yourself get in the way.  

Aside from your talent, the best thing you can bring to a performance is your humility.   Come with an attitude to work and cooperate with the singers and the sound engineer.   Don’t let your pride get in the way if you don’t have your own microphone.   Don’t feel slighted if your drums need to be baffled.   If you are not sure about how someone else might baffle your drums, then design your own that allows you to control both the volume and the quality.   Put in the effort to learn how to play comfortably at various volume levels and not just at full blast.

In this way I believe you will enhance the spiritual message of the music and bring glory to God by striving for unity and perfection in your art.

Vocalists:   Diction – the Forgotten Detail

Let me say right up front - I am not a trained vocalist.  So what right do I have to discuss this?  Because I have witnessed good training and I have heard the result.  I have also heard the difference from lack of training.  I have vivid memories of Sherwin Mackintosh working with the Crossroads Singers and his exhaustive stressing and practice of diction.  I recall him emphasizing that it sounds over-exaggerated to the singer, but sounds wonderful to the audience.  I could not agree more.  A choir singing with lazy syllables just slurs the words together.   There was never an issue of understanding the words in one of their concerts.

Style – Entertainment is Fine, but Can YouEvoke Tears

Be forewarned - this is an unabashed plug for the old hymns.   I remember Crossroads Singers concerts that were powerful because they took the audience on a spiritual journey.   They were crafted to affect the mood of the crowd and to draw an emotional response.   They did not sing only hymns, but hymns were the mainstay of the concert – along with some very well chosen contemporary music.   And there was a purpose to the order of the songs.   The narration was not just an announcement of the next song to be performed, but prepared the audience for the song with thoughtful words.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy most of the contemporary Christian music we have produced over the years in the ICC.   However, with few exceptions, most of it simply does not produce a deep emotional response in me.   I don’t think I can ever recall having a Christian rock song bring a tear to my eye.   Such songs may have been entertaining, but did not make my spirit soar.   Christian R&B comes closer, but still often misses the mark.  

These song styles each have their place, but I believe a renewed emphasis on hymns is needed in our Churches!   This is one of the underlying motivations for the existence of this web site.   If we develop more hymn-singers and hymn-lovers then maybe we will also inspire more hymn-concerts, taking our spirits to places we have never quite been before.

In Christ,

Ed Cox
Lowell, MA