Over the last several years, there’s been a noticeable shift in the role of acoustic guitars in modern worship music. In many churches, the acoustic guitar has been sidelined or even muted entirely in the mix. This trend has even become the subject of jokes among some...
Ron Cochran
A Staffer, a Contractor, and a Volunteer Walk Into a Bar
Church audio engineering is both an art and a science, requiring a blend of technical skill, musical intuition, and a deep understanding of the worship experience. However, the approach to managing this critical aspect of worship varies widely among churches. Some...
So You Had a Bad Day
Whether you're a church audio engineer—Broadcast, Front of House, professional, or volunteer—this article is for you. I know my content occasionally stirs up controversy; after all, I’m just one voice sharing my experience. Disagreement is fine, but here’s one thing...
Church Audio: Are We Overcomplicating Our Audio Mixes?
Over the years, I’ve worked with countless churches, and one trend that keeps catching my eye is the tendency to overcomplicate the audio mixing process. It’s all too easy to get swept up in the latest gear, shiny new plugins, and rigid methodologies promoted by...
What Audio Engineers Need Singers to Understand
As a follow-up to my previous feature, What Audio Engineers Need Drummers to Understand, I would be remiss if I didn’t address an even more important topic: vocals. As audio engineers, we obsess over creating great sounds – the perfect snare, full, wide mixes, just...
Does Your Broadcast Mix Pass the iPhone Test?
In my early days in the recording industry, we used a practice called the car-test. Simply put, to hear how your mix translated to the most likely listening environment, you’d make a copy of your mix (typically on cassette back then), pile into the Chevy Nova with the...
The Dangers of “Design by Facebook”
In the world of church AVL, it’s easy to turn to social media for quick answers and advice. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are full of enthusiastic tech directors and well-intentioned volunteers, eager to share their latest gear recommendations and DIY...
My Love-Hate Relationship with Lobby Audio
Most modern churches invest substantially in creating welcoming lobby or foyer environments. Spacious layouts, lots of seating options, coffee bars, or cafes are all designed to make guests and regular attenders feel at home. This has almost become the standard over...
Do Musicians Make Better Audio Engineers?
“Old drummers never die, they just become audio engineers,that mix really loud.”-Anonymous. I grew up in an environment almost predestined to produce a musician with a passion for audio engineering and production. My mother was a self-taught musician with a beautiful...
What Audio Engineers Need Drummers to Understand
For good or bad, audio engineers typically judge each other based on their drum sounds. It just comes with the territory. When I'm at an event I rarely think to myself, “Wow, that guy is really bringing the thunder with that mandolin tone.” If I find myself having to...
Does Your PA Need a Tune-Up?
Not long ago, I had a conversation with a young church Tech Director. He said their auditorium had some audio issues, mostly dead spots in the coverage, so they scheduled a contractor to re-tune the PA and remedy the issue. This brief discussion reminded me that there...
When Church Audio Engineers Make a Scene
Recently I polled a number of church production forums with the question: Who uses the scene function on your digital audio consoles, versus those who mix their entire service manually? For the uninitiated, scenes, (also called snapshots by some manufacturers) are...
Why Older Audio Engineers Don’t Age Out and Why I Stopped Worrying About It
Everyone knows as we age it's natural to lose some hearing. Those of us who rely on our ears for a living, or for our service to the church, think about this a lot once the mirror starts reflecting more salt than pepper. Like most audio engineers and musicians, I am...
Four Church PA Controversies
When it comes to church PA systems there are several commonly used designs and multiple variations within those designs. Engineers and audio experts all have their individual preferences. As with so many issues we discuss here, there are always proponents of one side...
Broadcast Audio: Are We Hearing What We’re Seeing?
We've all experienced attending a group event when someone is taking photos. After the event when you see the pictures, what's the first thing you look for? Yourself, of course. We all want to feel good about our presence in photographs. Some want to blend in, others...
How to Keep Fresh Ears, Fresh Eyes, and Fresh Hearts, Week After Week
One of the first pastors I worked with used to say, “serving in church is a grind, and it's not for everybody”. As we recover from the post-Easter-hangover, I thought it would be a good idea to reflect on the grind and discuss how we can protect ourselves from two of...
Broadcast Audio vs Auditorium Audio: Allocating Resources Wisely
Recently Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, announced that going forward they were only going to stream the teaching portion of their services. I respect their decision. I believe every church should be intentional with their use of technology as a reflection of...
The Lonely Life of Worship Musicians
If you've spent any time on social media lately, I'm sure you've seen lots of content created by worship musicians. Typically these are short clips with a POV camera showing the musicians doing their job. Sometimes we get a glimpse of their equipment, but for the most...
Church Audio… Any complaints?
It's quite possible that the majority of complaints received by the modern church, that aren't directed specifically to the pastor, are about the audio presentation. They come in various forms, from the carefully crafted email, to the brief hand-written...
Hey Pastors, Can You Help Us to Help You?
Considering all the things pastors and staff do regarding sermon preparation, I'm constantly surprised how little effort goes into making sure spoken-word content is presented well from the platform. While some churches meticulously manage every technical detail of...
How to Improve Your Church’s Audio Presentation in 30 Minutes
In the course of working with church audio engineers for many years, I like to ask, “What's the one thing, aside from equipment upgrades, you want from leadership that you're not currently getting? The answer is almost always, "more time". Since the implementation of...