is there any possible way to account for all of the people that use equipment in this church? to be quite honest, i don't think so. with the vast amount of people that interact with equipment in this church, it's too much of an endeavor to try to make sure each person is following the preset format of doing things. of course, there's a reason for everything that exists. rules and procedures are preset for a reason, to make sure that certain things are used for that specific purpose, in a safe and proper way, and to protect the quality and health of the product. holding group trainings can only do so much, and can only go so far. just because i explain how things work and should be handled does not guarantee that the multitude of listeners will first of all remember all of it, and secondly actually put it into practice when they next interact with equipment. i wish there was a way for me to shadow each person who touches a piece of equipment to ensure that it's being handled safely and correctly, but of course, that's not possible by any means. i'm not around most of the school year, and even the times that i am here, i have my own things going on that i need to do, or be at, and can't be with other groups all the time.
i think the only way for true growth to happen is if the individual personally cares about what they're doing, and makes an effort to learn more and experience more in that area or craft. a soundperson who truly wants to learn their craft is probably already engaged in what they're doing, and takes steps to learn more about it. i only wish that there would be more people who care that much.
i was offered a soundperson position for a wedding that's happening this saturday, and i accepted simply because of the need, and i also thought it would be fun. it's always fun to do weddings, and you also get to experience the wonderful experience that is the holy matrimony of two people in love. from a soundperson's perspective, it's super fun because there are so many aspects to the wedding, and so many facets to the sound mixing for the wedding band. for this wedding, we had 2 acoustic guitars, 2 electric guitars, 1 bass guitar, piano, drums and 3 vocals. it's always a welcome challenge for me to mix larger teams, and to make it run smoothly. it requires me to carefully think about what equipment is available for the situation, and what channels are open, and then being able to execute it and setup all the cables and gear to fit that model i created in my head. it gives me joy and pride to make things happen like that, knowing that everything is accounted for and is functioning properly and smoothly. it's my hope and desire for the current soundpeople and youth to have the same joy and pride in the work they're doing, and not just be comfortable or complacent.
it has been my lifelong dream (and still is) for there to be an increase in number of people with willing hearts to serve, specifically in sound ministry and presentation ministry. in recent years, that has slowly been coming more and more true. there have been more and more young people stepping up to help out with sound and presentation, for which i'm very thankful and happy to know. whether they were appointed or self-appointed, i do not know (but of course, i hope it is the latter), but at least their hands are there to serve. but it's hard for me to see great desire in learning in any of them yet. "yet" is a hopeful word.
it's hard for QHC to do big events, like retreats, or even weddings, because there is simply just not enough people to run sound at these events. i can't always be the one to run these types of gigs, and there needs to be other people who can handle big events with complex setups like that. Aaron Lim has been steadily improving and showing that he is responsible and caring, and it makes me a little more at ease to know that there is someone i can defer to when i'm not around. i'm very thankful for him, what he does, and what he's willing to do.
if only people understood the full extent of what being a soundperson really is like. there are tons of magazines and nationwide annual conferences dedicated to sound equipment and sound mixing training. take a look at the kinds of setups that live concert venues work with, and how much more elaborate and complex their systems are. the magnitude of that always blows my mind, how traveling sound technicians have to setup their monster rigs every day, and mix together dozens of channels of vocals, instruments, and effects. knowing how to master all of that is real skill. what we do with a 32-channel mixer, two guitars and vocals is small potatoes compared to the stuff that is out there. but because i know the professionalism that exists out there in the industry, i try to take that for myself and incorporate it into the way i mix and the way i setup. because people out there make money off of their work doing stuff like this. i just do it out of love and service, and the small joy that i get knowing that others are able to experience musical worship, a sermon, or just live music that's pleasing to the ears because of what i can contribute.
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