My nature is to constantly refine what I do in search of a better mix. I try new mics, new mic placements, a new way to EQ something or maybe even start my mix with a different instrument. One of the reasons that I love mixing is the excitement of pursuing a better mix. I love the excitement of discovering new and better ways of doing things and even the let downs when something doesn’t work. There is however one fail safe way that I have found to improve a mix. Serving.

At the heart of most great mixers that I know is the heart of a servant. There is something powerful about serving those around us. For me personally, this is a characteristic of Jesus that I find myself focusing on often. It seems to bring out the best in people when you serve them. It takes the focus off of you and lets people know that you’re about something bigger than yourself. It creates a sense of team and this is where your mix begins to improve. When a guitarist knows that you’re on the same team, they will not only listen to your input on tone, they might actually ask for it. When you serve a musician by giving them the perfect monitor mix, it allows them to hear how their instrument is interacting with the other instruments. Suddenly musicians stop playing all over each other and the house mix cleans up!

-Dustin

Dustin is speaking of an intangible quality of great mixers that is often over-looked, perhaps by accident. I remember walking onto the Buckhead Church stage as a wet-behind-the-ears audio volunteer in early 2004. As a musician, I empathized with the pressures our musicians were facing being forced to relinquish control of their in-ear monitors to someone they hardly knew. Knowing very little at the time about mixing monitors, I quickly grasped for what strengths I could offer the band members on-stage. I couldn’t yet tweak a great mix, but I could serve them with all I had. I could give every effort ensuring each musician’s requests were met, that their mixes were as close to amazing as possible, and that no need/want went unfulfilled.

I found myself hurrying to fetch cables, fielding “petty” requests for small mix changes (with a gracious smile), passing out bottles of water in-between songs, and bending over backwards not only to meet their needs, but satisfy their wants. My goal as a volunteer was to take every potential distraction away from the band being able to lead people well. I knew that if their mixes were great, and they felt cared for, that would be reflected in how they played and led our church attendees. I saw fruit from that quickly. Even for my own development, I had even more opportunities to mix, because musicians began to request me, specifically, to mix their monitors. And in turn, they returned that grace to me as I (slowly) learned how to mix better.

As audio volunteers and staff, we have an opportunity to lead the bands before they ever lead our church attendees. My level of service may directly correlate to their quality of performance. Are we taking this seriously?

-Chris