Very often in Shure Notes, we start out with one article concept and end up with something entirely different.  Such was the case with this article.  We planned to profile a small church’s solution to audio budget crises and ended up being struck by Lightning.

In this case, the strike was helpful rather than harmful and came in the form of Lightning Atkinson.  An all-around audio tech, and in recent years, technical director at two Chicago-area churches, it was apparent from the first that Lightning had some shocking ideas. We thought you’d appreciate his mind-expanding thoughts on ways to do more with less.

I make my living doing professional live sound for high level corporate meetings and concerts both in the Chicago area and nationally. I also consult with many churches about their sound and media systems. My corporate and concert work are often in stark contrast to the church consulting I do. Corporations and festivals are usually well funded and all of my equipment needs are provided. Even when I ask for unexpected things, like podium mics on a festival gig (at which there will be no podium), I can usually get what I want.

“I have learned to view the lack of budget not as a hindrance, but as an invitation to creativity and innovation.”

When I work with churches that have little or no budget for audio, I have to shift my thinking. I have learned to view the lack of budget not as a hindrance, but as an invitation to creativity and innovation. How can I get the best results with what I've got? Not having the money to buy the perfect microphone that I 'should' use for an electric guitar amp has forced me to improvise. This required me to shift my thinking from being a victim of the budget to being an innovator and a pioneer. Once I made this shift in how I looked at the situation, I began to have a lot of fun.

“This required me to shift my thinking from being a victim of the budget to being an innovator and a pioneer.”

I remember my first experiment. I was working for a mega-church as a 17 year old. We were fortunate enough to have all kinds of expensive mics for every purpose. One afternoon I had to mic a pair of congas at the last minute for our evening contemporary service. I did not want to go all the way back upstairs to where our standard conga mics were kept. So, I took the podium mics off of a lectern that was sitting backstage. As I put them on the pair of congas I heard several people say, “that's not the way we usually do it,” or “I've never seen Brian use those mics for that.”

It seemed that some folks were afraid to try new things. I walked back up to the house console where Brian was mixing and told him into which channels I had patched the conga mics. I didn't tell him that I hadn't used our usual conga mics. Do you remember the Folgers commercial? We've secretly switch Brian's conga microphones...let's see if he notices.

He did. After the service Brian mentioned to me how great the congas sounded and wanted to know what I had done differently. Beginning that day, I became hooked on experimenting and innovating.

“When it comes to microphone selection and placement, I live by the motto that I'll try anything once.”

When it comes to microphone selection and placement, I live by the motto that I'll try anything once. I've given drum microphones on vocalists, miked pianos from underneath, put guitar amps in the bathroom because I liked the slap-echo, miked choirs from above, miked choirs from below, miked choirs from the side, used a harmonica mic for acoustic guitar, and done just about everything else that 'shouldn't' be done. I've put microphones in paper towel rolls, taped them to almost everything, put them under cardboard boxes, and even inside empty water cooler jugs.

The conga experiment was 13 years ago and not every experiment has yielded desirable results. The process of trial and error has definitely contained both elements. But after so many years I have developed an arsenal of my own tricks and techniques. When I use these techniques in the church everyone looks at me reverently because I am the professional consultant. When I use some of my unexpected techniques at a festival, the other audio engineers shake their heads at me doubtfully as though to say, “he's been doing this long enough to know how to mic a drum kit,” or, “doesn't he know French Horns get miked from behind?”

“…why not appoint yourself chief innovator at your church …”

I still get strange looks but it doesn't bother me because I am having fun and I know from experience that it will work. I usually request podium mics for festivals, even though there is no podium. The project manager never understands, but he adds them to the mic kit. I don't think anyone has caught on to that trick yet.

So, why not appoint yourself chief innovator at your church and put to work every mic you've got--even if it is not the 'right' mic for the job. Cast off the bonds of the way we've always done it and begin to develop your own tricks and techniques. That's how great audio engineers become great audio engineers.

Here comes the percussionist, would you hand me that podium mic?

 

We thank Lightning Atkinson for his fresh perspective on a subject bound to remain on everyone’s radar in the near future. Lightning can be reached at lightning@pacificwest.com.