I started this community because I saw how many churches (big and small) struggle with the same audio challenges: - Volunteers feeling overwhelmed at the soundboard - Inconsistent livestream mixes - Soundcheck chaos on Sundays - And just wanting worship to sound clear without distractions This group is for us—church audio techs, FOH engineers, livestream mixers, and volunteers—who want to learn, share, and grow together. Here’s what you can do to jump in: ✅ Introduce yourself & share a pic of your Sunday office 😎 (Church name and where from?) ✅ Share your biggest challenge right now with audio or livestreams ✅ Feel free to post questions, tips, or gear setups—you never know who it might help! I’ll be sharing weekly tips, training resources, and behind-the-scenes lessons from the installs and livestream mixes I do with churches all over Florida. Excited to grow this with you all. Let’s make Sunday sound stress-free and worship-focused 🙌 — Nate Licioni (NATE Audio)

Reverb can make a vocal sound full and powerful…or like someone’s singing in a cave. In church sound, we tend to love reverb a little too much. So let’s talk about what it’s really for — and how to use it musically, not emotionally. 🎚️ What Reverb Actually Does Reverb creates space. It makes a sound feel like it’s in a real room — not a dry, close-mic’d recording.The problem is, most church mixes already happen in a real room… with natural reflections bouncing off every wall. So adding reverb on top of that? That’s double-room. Instant mud. 💡 The Golden Rule If you can hear the reverb clearly during a song, it’s already too much. Reverb should be felt, not heard. It glues the mix together quietly in the background, not up front like a fog machine. How to Dial It In Right 1️⃣ Start Small Add reverb until you can barely hear it… then back it off a touch. 2️⃣ Medium Decay for Vocals1.5–2.5 seconds is plenty for most worship vocals.Enough space to sound natural, not enough to drown the lyrics. 3️⃣ EQ Your Reverb Return Cut lows below 200 Hz (they just create mud).Sometimes roll off highs above 8 kHz to keep it soft and warm. ⚡ Pro tip: Reverb isn’t a fix for a bad vocal sound — it’s the icing after the vocal already sounds good. 💬 What’s your go-to reverb setting for worship vocals — long and lush, or short and tight? — Nate

If your mix ever feels like it’s fighting itself — vocals vs. pads, kick vs. bass, or keys vs. tracks — sidechain compression might be the missing piece. It’s one of those tools most sound techs hear about but rarely use right. Let’s fix that 👇 What Sidechain Compression Actually Does: A regular compressor reacts to its own channel.A sidechain compressor reacts to another channel. So when one signal gets loud, it gently pushes another out of the way.It’s basically your “make room” button for the mix. Real Church Uses for Sidechain Compression: 1️⃣ Vocals vs. Pads/KeysPads are beautiful… until they bury the vocal. 👉 Use a compressor on your pad bus and key it to the lead vocal.Every time the singer comes in, the pads dip slightly, giving space for the voice.When they stop singing, the pads rise back up. Smooth, invisible clarity. 2️⃣ Kick vs. BassClassic problem: the kick and bass live in the same frequency zone. 👉 Put a compressor on the bass channel and key it to the kick.Each time the kick hits, the bass ducks just a little.The low end stays tight and punchy instead of muddy and overlapping. 3️⃣ Speech vs. Background MusicPerfect for pre-service playlists, transitions, or altar calls. 👉 Place a compressor on the music channel and key it to the pastor’s mic.When they speak, the music automatically ducks under them.When they stop, it comes back up. No more chasing faders. 💡 Tips to Get It Right - Keep the ratio gentle (2:1 or 3:1). - Fast attack, medium release — it should move naturally. - Aim for 2–4dB of gain reduction, not massive drops. ⚡ Sidechain compression isn’t about volume control — it’s about space control.You’re not lowering levels; you’re creating breathing room.

Let’s talk EQ for a minute. One of the fastest ways to improve your church mix isn’t buying new gear—it’s understanding frequency ranges. If you know where problems live, you can fix them faster and make your mix cleaner without endless guessing. Here are 3 key ranges that make or break a Sunday mix: 1️⃣ Low End (20Hz–120Hz) - Kick drum, bass guitar, and stage rumble live here. - Too much = muddy, boomy mix. - Too little = thin and lifeless.👉 Pro Tip: High-pass filter everything that doesn’t belong here (vocals, guitars, keys). It’s like clearing out the junk drawer—suddenly there’s space for the important stuff. 2️⃣ Low-Mids (200Hz–500Hz) - This is the “mud zone.” Guitars, keys, and vocals can all pile up here. - Too much = boxy, muffled sound where nothing stands out. - Cutting gently in this range can instantly add clarity to your vocals and instruments. 3️⃣ Presence & Air (3kHz–10kHz) - This is where vocals shine and cymbals shimmer. - Too much = harsh, piercing mix. - Too little = vocals get buried and everything sounds dull. 👉 Pro Tip: Instead of boosting highs on vocals, try cutting competing instruments in this range first. Often the problem isn’t the vocal—it’s the clutter around it. 🎯 Bottom line: EQ is less about boosting what you like and more about carving space so every instrument and voice has its place. Which frequency range do you struggle with the most in your mixes—low end, low-mids, or presence? Drop it below and let’s work through it together. — Nate

This happened to me not long ago: I’m at FOH, service is about to start, and during soundcheck the worship leader is telling me, “Push the mix—make it big, make it feel alive. We want energy in the room.” Five minutes later, the pastor walks up and says, “Hey, let’s keep it lower today. People have been saying it’s too loud.” So there I am. One side says LOUD, the other says QUIET. And guess who’s in the middle? Me. And in that moment, I had to remind myself something: - The band hears stage energy—they want to feel it. - The pastor hears the congregation’s concerns—they want to protect them. - The sound tech has to take both, filter it, and decide what serves the room and the mission of the church. Here's the hard truth... you can't make everybody happy :') If you try, you’ll end up with a flat, lifeless mix that pleases no one. What I did that Sunday was this: I leaned toward the pastor’s request, because at the end of the day, the pastor is responsible for shepherding the flock. But I also gave the band more of what they wanted in their monitors, so they still had the energy they needed on stage. Was it perfect? No. Did everybody get what they wanted? Definitely not. Did it serve the church? Yeah, I think it did. And that’s the tension we live in as church sound guys. We’re not just “mixing audio,” we’re managing expectations, emotions, and authority all at once. 💬 So I want to hear your take:When the band is begging for more and the pastor is telling you to pull it back… who do YOU listen to? — Nate