As of March 1st 2024, it is now the responsibility of the worship team to both “setup” and “pack down” their own instruments and gear. As you can see the verbs used are in quotation marks, this is because there is still very much an understanding that this a joint effort between worship and tech team as we seek to help and serve one another on Sunday mornings. We envision to create a process that is in many ways as efficient as the church hall turnaround for fellowship meals, where a lot of hands make light work of a potentially bigger task.
What does this mean for me?
There is still no change to the worship personnel arrival time, or the expectation of unpacking the outside cupboard, unless your instrument is stored there (in which case you might want to get it out whilst the tech team unpack the rest of the necessary equipment).
How can I help my brothers/sisters on the tech team with setup?
Once you arrive on time for sound check, the tech team (dependent on the condition of the hall on arrival and the relevant doors being unlocked) should have power to the desk and the snake setup to the back of the stage area. This should mean that using the relevant information from the drop down menus below and the colour coded draws under the mixing desk, the worship team should be able to retrieve everything they need as individuals to help the tech guys prepare the speakers before an initial soundcheck. Microphones are located in the top drawer of the laptop unit if you are singing and mic stands are kept in the long Gear4music bags.
Inputs (Male end of Cable – Female port on snake)
Channel 1 – Drums
Equipment Needed
DI Box, Jack to Jack Cable, Dark Green short Cable.
Added Notes
DI Config = Ground Lift on, Low cut off, Polarity 0, Merge Off, Pad 0
Channel 2 – Bass
Equipment Needed
DI Box, Jack to Jack Cable, Dark Green short Cable.
Added Notes
DI Config = Ground lift on, Low cut off, Polarity 0, Merge Off, Pad 0
Channel 3 – Keys
Equipment Needed
Stereo Jack to Jack, DI Box, Blue Cable.
Added Notes
DI Config =Ground lift on, Low cut off, Polarity 180, Merge On, Pad 0.
Channel 4 – Guitar (Woody)
Equipment Needed
DI Box, Dark Green short Cable/ Blue Cable.
Added Notes
DI Config = Ground lift on, low cut off, polarity 0, merge off, pad 0
Channel 5 – Lead Vocal
Equipment Needed
Blue Cable.
Added Notes
N/A
Channel 6 – Vocals
Equipment Needed
Blue Cable.
Added Notes
N/A
Channel 7 – Joe C Vocals
Equipment Needed
Blue Cable.
Added Notes
N/A
Channel 8 – Joe D Guitar
Equipment Needed
DI Box, Dark Green short Cable/ Blue Cable.
Added Notes
DI Config = Ground lift on, low cut off, polarity 0, merge off, pad -20.
What about our IEM’s (In Ear Monitors)?
The dark green cables for your IEM’s will also need to be plugged in and the tech team leader on hand will also hand you a pack with a working battery. As the band can change dramatically from week to week, here is the rough outline as to the order of priority for a Sunday morning service. The order should be as follows: Channel 1 and 2 are for the worship leader and their instrument should they have one. Then this part is important , it will work its way across the stage area from the projector screen. So as an example if it was Jenni leading, Joe C on Keys, Matt on Vocals and Andy on Bass, Channel 1 would be Jenni Vocals, Channel 2 would be Joe C as he is the closest to the projector screen next, followed by Matt usually as he sets up next to Jenni, followed by Andy on Bass as he is the far side of the “stage” area.
Inputs (Female end of Cable – Male port on snake)
| IEM Channel Number | Instrument |
| 1 | Worship Leader |
| 2 | 1st Closest to Projector Screen |
| 3 | – |
| 4 | – |
| 5 | – |
| 6 | – |
| 7 | – |
| 8 | Furthest from Projector Screen |
What about after service?
After service, I cannot stress this enough, please pack away your instrument before getting your tea/coffee. I am fully aware that people may come flooding up to the front of the church thanking you for the way you led an amazing worship set (as they should, we have a lot of gifted singers and musicians using their talents for the glory of God each week), I have no problems with that. However, with the time saved and created from the worship team doing this, it means that the tech team also gets an opportunity after church to fellowship with others outside of their group. So, all cables used by your instrument and IEM’s should be wound up into a reel, ideally the same size as a small dinner plate and left on the projector screen table. Mic stands can be dismantled, if you would like an example of how to do that properly feel free to ask the tech on hand that day, I can assure you it is an easy task once learnt. IEM’s will also go onto the projector screen table. And I believe that iPad screen holders currently go back with Joe C.
Why go to these lengths to write all of this out?
We are two serving teams at church that I would say arguably has the biggest crossover. This is both rewarding and challenging, as it means that we are both a bigger community, but also each others “thorn in the flesh” when there are problems on a Sunday morning. I feel like this is an area that can really be exploited by the enemy to drive division, where there is a chance for great encouragement and discipleship. When we turn up respecting and appreciating one another’s time and service, we reflect the servant-hearted side of Jesus the most by putting aside our own priorities to focus on those that can encourage our fellow believers. I believe this is something that everyone in both the worship and tech team has a heart for, it’s just streamlining processes like this that enable us to put into action what we hear each week. Thank You for your understanding and we look forward to helping you guys to get up and running as soon as possible each Sunday Morning and if you have any questions feel free to ask.
-Zac