I recently had the privilege of participating in the NAMM Show (National Association of Music Merchants) in Anaheim, CA, as a representative of QSC. During the event, I had the opportunity to lead a TEC Track session and contribute to two House of Worship panels.
A prominent topic of discussion among worship leaders, worship teams, and church sound technicians at NAMM was the use of multitracks in worship services. On one side, purists and proponents of a more organic worship style argue that relying on multitracks limits the ability to allow the Spirit to lead during worship. On the other hand, advocates for multitracks emphasize that the use of clicks, cues, and pre-recorded elements has alleviated a musical technical burden, enabling them to focus more on worship and connecting with God.
In this article, I aim to explore this subject from multiple perspectives—as a musician, worship leader, and audio engineer.
Is Using Multitracks, Click and Cues Right or Wrong?
The answer is that it is neither inherently right nor wrong. Multitracks are simply a musical tool that, when used appropriately, can greatly enhance the worship experience. However, they may not be suitable for every worship team, musical style, or cultural setting. The decision to incorporate multitracks should be based on the unique needs of each church community and the stylistic flow of its worship service.
Before moving forward, it’s important to dispel a common misconception—that using multitracks prevents the Holy Spirit from leading. Allowing the Spirit to lead is ultimately a matter of the heart. It is an attitude of humility, a willingness to be shaped by God, and a commitment to cultivating a personal relationship with Him.
With this in mind, let’s explore this subject of using multitracks during worship.
Benefits of Using Multitracks
Using multi-tracks, click tracks, and cues in worship can significantly enhance the overall experience for both the worship team and the congregation. Here are some key benefits:
Improved Timing and Tightness: Playing to a click track helps the worship team stay in sync, ensuring that everyone is on the same beat. This can lead to a more polished and professional sound.
Enhanced Sound Quality: Multi-tracks can fill out the sound of the worship band by adding layers of instruments and vocals that might not be available live. This can create a richer and more immersive worship experience.
Consistency and Flexibility: Cues provide real-time guidance to the worship team, helping them navigate song sections and transitions smoothly. This can be especially helpful for complex arrangements or when introducing new songs.
Reduced Stress for Musicians: With clear cues and a steady click track, musicians can focus more on their performance and worship rather than worrying about staying in time or remembering every transition.
Adaptability: Multi-tracks allow for easy adjustments to the arrangement of songs, such as changing the key or tempo, which can be tailored to the needs of the congregation or the capabilities of the worship team.
Drawbacks of Using Multitracks
While using multi-tracks, click tracks, and cues in worship can offer many benefits, there are also some potential drawbacks to consider:
Reduced Spontaneity: Click tracks and cues can limit the ability to be spontaneous during worship. This can be particularly challenging for worship services that do not follow a structured format and rely heavily on spontaneity.
Technical Challenges: Setting up and managing multi-tracks and click tracks requires technical knowledge and equipment. This can be a barrier for smaller churches or teams without dedicated tech support.
Dependency: Over-reliance on tracks can lead to a lack of flexibility. If something goes wrong with the technology, it can disrupt the entire worship service.
In-Ear Monitors Required: In order to effectively use multitracks, click and cues, the worship team has to have made the transition from using floor monitors to in-ear monitors. For those who haven’t taken this step, this is yet another technical consideration. Here is a video presentation on how to transition your worship team from floor monitors to in-ear monitors.
Stylistically Unsuitable: A church may primarily play a style that doesn’t really benefit from the tight grid of using click, cues and tracks. If your style is more folksy, or you have a traditional choir with a piano accompaniment, you’ll likely want to avoid the click. In these cases, the best creative choice for the music is to let the tempo ebb and flow with the dynamics of the song.
My Personal Experience as a Musician Using Multitracks
Playing with multitracks requires following a click track. The first time I used multitracks, I quickly realized that my sense of timing was not as precise as I had believed. The click track, being an objective measure, exposed areas where I needed improvement. The click track doesn’t lie. This motivated me to practice diligently with the click, allowing it to highlight my weaknesses in timing. Through consistent practice, I developed into a solid timekeeper. Now, even when I am not using a click track, my internal sense of timing remains strong.
As both a solo musician and a band leader, I create my own click, cues, and multitracks. My cue tracks include not only song section indicators but also lyric prompts—typically the first few words of a line. This approach helps me maintain focus without constantly referring to my music.
Diligently practicing with a click, tracks, and cues is essential. It requires sufficient rehearsal so that these elements eventually fade into the background, allowing me to concentrate on playing and singing with emotion and dynamics.
It’s important to recognize that you don’t necessarily have to use every element in the multitracks. For example, if you’re a 3-piece worship band, you may only want to use ambient pads and percussion. Think about what recorded instruments may be appropriate for the setting and use only those elements.
I do not rely on multitracks for every song. There are moments, such as when a pastor’s message inspires an impromptu song selection, where flexibility is required. Additionally, during certain worship segments, the pastor may share a reflection in the middle of a song before the congregation resumes singing. In such spontaneous situations, multitracks are not always suitable.
My Personal Experience as an Audio Engineer Receiving Multitracks
My mixing experience extends well beyond church services. In addition to my freelance mixing work, I also mix regularly at a concert venue that hosts a wide variety of genres, including Rock, R&B, Jazz, Big Bands, Americana, Top 40s, and Tribute bands. Many of these artists utilize multitracks, and the most common method they use to send tracks is via an iPad or tablet. Typically, they provide a stereo signal with the click and cues panned to the left and the musical content panned to the right. This setup allows me to separate the two at my front-of-house console. Click and cues are sent to the bands in-ear monitor mixes and the musical content is sent to the house PA. I’ve also found this configuration to be a popular method among many churches.
While this approach is simple and efficient, it presents challenges from a mix engineer’s perspective. Sending a single channel containing multiple instruments limits my ability to properly place each element in the mix—both in terms of volume balance and spatial positioning within the stereo field.
A more refined and professional approach to integrating multitracks into a live setting is to route them through a multi-output audio interface or a digital mixer, granting the front-of-house (FOH) engineer full control over individual tracks. This method ensures that each instrument and vocal element is properly balanced and blended with the live musicians, resulting in a more cohesive and polished mix. Here’s how the signal flow generally works:
1. Playback System
- The tracks are played from a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) like Ableton Live or from Playback, Multitracks.com’s own iOS app.
- The software allows individual control over each stem (instrument, vocal, effects, etc.).
2. Audio Routing
- A multi-output audio interface (e.g., Focusrite, MOTU, iConnectivity) is used to separate different audio elements into individual channels.
- The tracks (backing instruments, synths, etc.) are sent as stereo or individual stems to the FOH mixer.
- The click track and cues (spoken vocal prompts like “Verse 1, Chorus”) are routed separately to the musicians’ in-ear monitors (IEMs), so they are not heard by the congregation.
3. Front-of-House (FOH) Setup
- At the FOH console, the engineer receives the tracks as separate channels, allowing for live mixing, EQ, compression, and effects.
- The click and cues are not sent to the main speakers but instead go to the monitor console or personal in-ear monitor (IEM) systems used by the band.
What’s Best for Your Worship Team?
All in all, whether or not your worship team should use a multitracks, click and cues really depends on your specific situation and preferences. If you are looking for more consistency and precision from your team then this could be something worth exploring further. If you pursue this direction, I highly suggest you explore Multitracks.com. But if you prefer an organic approach then this might not be something that works best for your team dynamic. Ultimately only you can decide which direction is best for you and your team!
One final thought; whether it’s a worship team in a developing country with no sound system and makeshift percussion instruments or a team in a state-of-the-art church facility equipped with professional audio, multitracks, lighting, and LED screens, one truth remains constant—God will be glorified and exalted above all else.
Golden Preciado is a Training Specialist and House of Worship Specialist for QSC, the Lead Audio Engineer at Grace Fellowship Church in Costa Mesa, CA, as well freelance engineer/consultant with her firm Golden Audio Mix. Golden grew up in the music industry and followed in her dad’s footsteps as an audio engineer, musician and worship leader. Golden is an accomplished front of house and broadcast engineer not only in the church world but in the secular music industry as well. She enjoys teaching her skill set to others, including online and on site where training is needed.
