A series of live workshops run by MxU during October attracted upwards of 200 attendees to the 3Ci Church in Pretoria, Soth Africa, for a masterclass in live production for worship. The event was led by MxU co-founders Jeff Sandstrom and Lee Fields, who travelled from the US to attend. Stage Audio Works and co-hosts d&b audiotechnik were on hand to provide technical assistance and any additional support required.
‘Lee and I spent a portion of the day challenging each other with best practices, sharing tips and tricks to try and find out how we can improve our process, to make the tracks we mix sound better,’ Sandstrom reports. ‘Our hope is that everyone present had the opportunity to eavesdrop on this conversation and apply some of these tips and tricks to their own context.’
Participants were encouraged to ask questions as well as share their own insights and experience during the workshop, which had plenty of hands-on opportunities as well as panel discussions and demonstrations. There was also time to relax, mingle and chat more informally over refreshments.
‘We really try to focus on how we can all get better, irrespective of the console or the gear in use.’ Sandstrom continues. ‘In fact, we deliberately focus on approaches that are applicable to many consoles.
‘Whether you’re part of a small or large church, our hope is that everyone who attended can improve on their craft, even as soon as this weekend, to enhance the live experience for their congregation. Ultimately, that’s what this is about – making the message clearer.’
Reactions to the seminar were universally positive. For one it was the importance of having a vision when approaching a mix, while for others it was more specifically technical – compressing, gating, high-pass filtering and EQ among other things.
‘What a great couple of days we’ve had together with the MxU and Stage Audio Works team, as well as a bunch of churches from across South Africa and the greater continent,’ reflects d&b audiotechnik’s Asher Dowson. ‘A big thanks to everyone who came, investing their time to help level up their ministry and acquire some great tools to help make Sundays even better.’
‘We’re proud to have played a pivotal role in organising these workshops,’ says Stage Audio Works CTO, Nathan Ihlenfeldt. ‘We received great feedback from all involved and I hope that in the future we can do even more to help improve the production quality for churchgoers across South Africa.’
