I was mixing a youth night once, and the drummer had a snare mic that was picking up everything—cymbals, toms, even the bass player’s amp bleeding in. The snare itself sounded okay, but the bleed made the whole mix messy. So I dropped a gate on the snare. Problem solved… or so I thought. During the service, the drummer hit a couple of softer ghost notes, and the gate completely chopped them off. The snare went from alive and natural to robotic and awkward. People in the band even looked back like, “What just happened?” That’s when I realized something important: a gate is powerful, but it has to be set carefully. What a Gate Actually Does A gate is basically an automatic mute. - When the signal is above the threshold → it opens. - When the signal is below the threshold → it closes (or reduces volume). In live sound, gates are mostly used to clean up drums or noisy stage mics. How to Use a Gate in Church Sound 1️⃣ Kick Drum - Gates keep the mic from picking up bass, stage rumble, and monitor bleed. - Tip: Set threshold so it opens on every kick, but not on the bass guitar. 2️⃣ Snare Drum - Cleans up hi-hat bleed (the biggest offender). - But don’t set it so tight that ghost notes get chopped. 3️⃣ Toms - This is where gates shine. Instead of open mics picking up cymbals all service long, gates only open when toms are hit. Cleaner mix instantly. 4️⃣ Speech Mics (Sometimes) - Gates can reduce background noise, but be careful—if set wrong, they make the pastor’s first word of every sentence disappear. ⚡ Pro tip: Start with a slower release time so the gate doesn’t “slam shut” and sound unnatural. The goal is transparency, not obvious chopping. Have you ever had a gate save your Sunday… or completely ruin it? Drop your story—I know I’m not the only one who’s had a snare vanish mid-service 😅. — Nate

I’ll never forget the first time I mixed in a church where the kick drum sounded like someone bouncing a basketball on the stage. Every time the drummer hit, instead of a punch that anchored the band, it was just this hollow “thud-thud-thud.” And the worst part? No matter how much EQ or compression I threw at it, it still sounded terrible. 👉 That’s when I realized something that changed the way I approach drums: the problem wasn’t the console—it was the mic placement. Why Mic Placement Matters More Than EQ Here’s the thing most people don’t realize: - If the mic isn’t in the right spot, you’re EQ’ing garbage. - Move the mic just 2 inches, and the whole tone changes. - Placement can give you body, attack, or mud—before you even touch the board. Let me break it down: - Mic too far inside the kick → You’ll get lots of attack (clicky sound), but almost no low-end body. It can cut through the mix but sound thin. - Mic too far outside the kick → You’ll get all the boom and rumble, but no definition. Great for reggae, not so much for worship. - Mic halfway in, pointed at the beater → This is usually the sweet spot. You’ll capture both the “thump” of the low end and the “snap” of the beater. The EQ Problem Now, if the mic is in the wrong place, you’ll start boosting lows or highs to compensate. But here’s the issue: - Boosting lows just makes the basketball sound louder. - Boosting highs just makes the click harsh. - And no matter what you do, the mix won’t feel solid. The Fix 1️⃣ Start at the SourceBefore touching EQ, move the mic. If possible, experiment with depth and angle. Just a few inches can make a massive difference. 2️⃣ Dial in EQ After PlacementOnce the mic is in a good spot: - Roll off the sub-rumble under 40Hz. - Boost a touch around 60–80Hz for thump. - Cut around 250–400Hz to remove boxiness. - Add a little 2–4kHz for definition (if needed). 3️⃣ Check PhaseIf you’re using multiple mics (kick in + kick out), make sure they’re in phase. Otherwise, you’ll cancel out low end instead of building it.

I was mixing a service a while back, and everything felt muddy. Vocals weren’t clear, guitars were fighting the keys, and the whole mix felt like it had a blanket over it. I started EQ’ing and tweaking faders… but nothing worked. Then I realized I had skipped the simplest step: engaging high-pass filters. Here’s the truth: Almost every channel on your board is carrying low frequencies it doesn’t actually need. Those lows pile up, and suddenly your mix turns to MUD. Think about it: - Vocals don’t need anything below ~100Hz. - Acoustic guitars don’t need the rumble. - Keys usually sound cleaner with the low junk rolled off (in a band situation) - Even electric guitars carry low-end garbage you don’t want (if guitar player doesn't have EQ) When you cut that stuff out, guess what happens? 🎯 The kick and bass finally have room to breathe. 🎯 Vocals jump forward with clarity. 🎯 The whole mix feels lighter and cleaner. ⚡ Pro tip: Don’t be afraid of the high-pass. Use it aggressively on everything that isn’t designed to live in the low end. Question for you: Do you actually high-pass almost every channel, or do you leave most things wide open? Curious to see how you approach it. — Nate

Why Your Pastor’s Mic Keeps Feeding Back (and It’s Not the Volume) Every sound tech has been there—service is flowing, the pastor starts preaching, and suddenly the mic starts squealing. Feedback. Most people think, “Just turn it down.” But the issue usually isn’t the fader—it’s mic placement and mic choice. 👉 Lavalier clipped too low = picks up more room than voice. 👉 Handheld held down by the stomach = muddy + low gain. 👉 Headset too far off the mouth = thin and weak. The result? You crank the gain to compensate, and boom—feedback city. Here’s the fix: 1️⃣ Choose the right mic for the situation (handheld > lav for most pastors). 2️⃣ Train speakers on basic mic technique. A handheld should live 1–2 inches from the mouth, not by the chest. 3️⃣ Use proper EQ—cut the low-mids (200–400 Hz) for clarity, and notch problem frequencies instead of killing the highs. ⚡ Pro tip: A pastor’s mic is the most important channel in the whole mix. If the Word isn’t clear, nothing else matters. 💬 Question for you: What mic type does your church use for preaching—handheld, lav, or headset? And does it actually work for you? — Nate

Let’s talk soundcheck. Most churches think soundcheck is just “set the levels and go.” But that’s where mixes start falling apart. A proper soundcheck isn’t just volume—it’s where you build the foundation for the entire service. Here’s the 3-step framework I use every time: 1️⃣ Gain Before Fader: Set your input gain correctly. If the gain is wrong, nothing else matters. Get a solid signal without clipping. 2️⃣ Clear the Mud: Before you worry about EQ “sweet spots,” use high-pass filters. Roll off lows on vocals, guitars, and keys—leave the low end for kick and bass only. This clears instant space in your mix. 3️⃣ Build the Band, Don’t Just BalanceStart with rhythm (drums + bass), then layer in instruments, then vocals. Listen to how each part fits with the others. The goal isn’t “everyone loud enough,” it’s a band that sounds like one unit. ⚡ Pro tip: Write this process down and train your volunteers on it. Consistency > perfection. 💬 What about you—how long does your team’s soundcheck usually take? 15 minutes? 45? Drop your number below 👇 — Nate