Mixing & Audio Mastery
A mix the room doesn't notice.
Lessons · 24
Module 1 — Introduction
01Introduction
What this course is, how it's structured, and how to actually learn audio — by getting your hands dirty with the same files we mix on camera.
Why Great Audio Matters
The mix is as vital as any musician on the stage. Why balance, taste, and excellence in audio directly shape the worship experience.
8 Steps to a Great Mix
The eight elements every great mix is built on, in the order you tackle them — the roadmap for the rest of the course.
The Importance of Acoustics
Your room is as important as your PA. What acoustics are, why they come first, and practical strategies for treating your space.
Getting Great Source Sound
Fix it at the source, not at the board. Why a well-tuned, well-chosen instrument beats any amount of EQ — and trumps even a better mic.
Proper Microphone Technique
The right mic in the right place. Dynamic vs. condenser, how to A/B test for a source, and placement tricks that fix tone before you ever touch EQ.
Module 2 — Deep Dive
01Proper Gain Structure
The first thing you set, and the foundation everything downstream rides on. What gain is, the magic −18 dB target, and how to set the whole band fast — by eye.
Understanding EQ
Demystifying equalization: high-pass everything, cut problems before you boost, and the boost-sweep-cut trick for hunting down ugly frequencies. EQ with your ears.
Compression Settings
Taming dynamics so nothing's too loud or too quiet. Every knob explained — threshold, ratio, attack, release, gain, knee — plus go-to starting settings and why good compression is invisible.
Reverb, Delay, and Effects
The final sweetening. Two reverbs (short and long), how to use delay tastefully, what to keep effects off of, and the mute-while-talking rule every sound tech forgets.
Module 3 — Live Mix
01Building a Mix
The before-and-after preview: hear the raw, unmixed audio Brian started with and where the mix ends up — the destination for all of Module 3.
Mixing Drums and Bass
Lay the foundation. Build the mix bass-first, then drums channel by channel — EQ, compression, gates, phase, panning, and a drum-bus compression trick to glue the kit together.
Mixing Instruments
Layer keys, electric, acoustic, pads, and percussion onto the foundation — carving space so nothing clashes, a cautionary 'bad engineer' demo, and why a mix is never static.
Blending Vocals
The most important part of the mix. Beat proximity-effect mud, compress with an LA-2A, tame the voice with dynamic EQ/de-essing, and balance lead over harmony so the room can sing along.
Before and After
Hear the payoff: the raw, unprocessed band A/B'd against the finished mix — proof of what gain, EQ, compression, effects, and balance add up to.
Active Mixing
Set it and forget it is a myth. Keep your hands on the faders, ride the lead vocal, follow whoever's driving the moment, and react to the band's changing energy.
Mixing Broadcast vs. FOH
Same song, two different jobs. How panning, reverb, drums, and feedback change between the livestream broadcast and the front-of-house room — plus mixing for tiny phone speakers.
Module 4 — Advanced Techniques
01Ideal Board Layout
Lay the console out so you never panic. One-to-one patching, logical grouping by section, color coding, custom fader banks, and DCAs — so the channel you need is always at your fingertips.
Utilizing Busses
Route a group of channels through one place so you can process them together. The water-pipe analogy, the drum-bus compression move, group compression on band and vocals, and bus vs. DCA.
Using Effects "Sends"
Share one reverb across many channels instead of inserting it on each. How mix/aux sends work, the fader-flip into 'send mode,' the add-here-control-there balance, and keeping faders near unity.
Monitor Sends
Build a separate mix for the people on stage. Each aux send is a whole new mix per wedge or player, keep only what they need, and let musicians control their own in-ears via the app.
Eliminating Feedback
Every sound tech's nightmare, demystified. What a feedback loop is, how to prevent it, how to ring out and identify the culprit, and how to kill the ringing frequency with a narrow EQ cut.
Module 5 — Conclusion
01Concluding Thoughts
You made it. Don't get overwhelmed — improve one thing a week, train your ear over time, and remember that audio is a vital, church-blessing ministry. Plus: bridge the worship/tech divide.
Bonus
01Uniting Tech & Worship Teams to Work Better Together
Bonus interview with Todd Elliott (founder of FILO) on closing the divide between the worship team and the tech team — relationship, specific encouragement, and what worship leaders do that drives tech directors crazy.