Streaming SQ6

[raycarroll03Participant]

Hello.
I want to get some feedback on our video and sound quality for our streaming. We currently using a matrix that copies the main speaker to run the steam. On some of the vocals and pastor’s mic I have added them to an aux to try to increase the volume. My associate pastor says the music needs to be more forward and little more clarity. If you could listen to this Sunday’s video give honest feedback and I want to improve this.
Ray Carroll

[BrianParticipant]

Full disclosure – I listened to the stream using a cheap pair of aux computer speakers without a sub. It is definitely incapable of producing the full frequency spectrum. So things like the kick drum and bass are totally non-existent in my listening setup. I also wrote this post as I was listening to the stream, so the comments are basically in chronological order….

Now to my thoughts. First impression is that it is pretty good. Especially for not being actively mixed by someone.

The singers might be a little too loud at times (the main female singer can get a little loud at times in the first song for example), but I also would agree that the vocals should be out in “front”. The other thing to watch for is that as you add more vocals, the overall vocal level might need to be reduced a little to prevent the vocals from getting too loud. I feel this was an issue on the second song once the male singer was added into the mix.

As far as the “clarity” – again take my comments with a grain of salt because of the speakers I was using. But having two acoustic guitars is going to reduce the overall clarity. I’m not suggesting that you get rid of one, but it is the nature of the beast. They are very much like “pads” on a keyboard – adding a layer of texture to the mix, but are certainly not adding to the clarity. That being said, I can hear the piano even with the guitars, so it’s not a bad balance.

Third song – I feel the other female singers started out singing much stronger than in previous songs and that pushed the overall vocal level a little too far in front of the instruments. Especially in the beginning when it is just piano. The piano really needed to be turned up during that part where they were the only instrument (and the vocals probably turned down a little). Being an acoustic piano, that level difference might not be as apparent in the room however because you have the added acoustic volume of the piano that isn’t in the stream.

I will say that the pastor’s mic really needs to be even louder in the mix. You don’t want such a drastic difference in level between the pastor’s mic and the whole band. Again, this difference may not be as apparent in the room, but the difference in average volume between the music and the message is too great. Of course this is expected – you can’t expect a single mic to compete with the sum of the entire band and singers unless the single mic is gained up dramatically for the stream. The end result is that listeners are likely having to adjust their volume to hear the message on the stream and then reduce it for the music. The goal should be to have a much more consistent average volume level during the entire stream.

So long story short, I think any “issues” are basically related to the concept of audio summing in the stream. When your singers are all summed together it gets a little too loud. The summed band/singers is certainly much louder than the single pastors mic.

You definitely need to duplicate the pastors mic to create a unique channel that you can send to the stream. This needs to be gained up much higher than the normal mic channel (either with trim, or using other functions such as make up gain in a compressor, etc). I also think you could use compression to help level out the singers for the stream as well.

That’s my take as I listened through the stream and wrote this post in real time…..

[raycarroll03Participant]

Brian thanks for your feedback it is very helpful and will try to make some changes.

Ray Carroll

[AsherNParticipant]

I didn’t listen but I have a few general observations.

I mix in a Synagogue, so we are a bit different. No band. Usually, it’s only a keyboard. There are 3 voices. The entire worship service is a combination of signing, chanting and spoken word. The Rabbi does the spoken word. The Cantor leads everything else. For most it’s the Cantor forward, Rabbi and keyboard player are harmony. I have to play with the Rabbi’s volume throughout, when speaking I will raise him about 5-10 Db from his singing volume. That’s just the reality of the spoken word.

As for the music, it’s really a preference. In my case, and my view in general, music should be a background to singing. I’m not a fan of performances where music drowns lyrics, but as I said, it’s a personal preference.

[HughParticipant]

There are several issues that Brian has identified and to that end since we are dealing with the ancillary stream, and not the FOH, there are some major gain staging issues along with major audio capture problems with the piano. My speculation is the following;

1) In the event session ready musicians are not available, initially utilize PFL LEDs to obtain a useable level from each instrumentalist, then establish aggressive compression and possibly brick wall limiting on all performers including singers. The end goal is to establish a balanced collective output level of the ensemble utilizing console tools including EQ as well as Compression.It is very important to maintain a useable dynamic range when possible, however in order to reach that level of professional performance a large commitment by the performers will be necessary.
2) The pastor must be able to maintain a useable dynamic range for effective delivery of the sermon.
3) There are many reasons electronic digital pianos, like the yamaha Motif, have replaced the historically ubiquitous grand pianos of yesterday. Acoustic pianos and percussion kits are extremely difficult to effectively mic and mix into a useable ensemble blend. This particular piano capture is an egregious example of poor mic placement and poor dynamic control, particularly with background back up for the spoken word.

I did not mean to hurt anyones feelings, however big improvements are to be had with a secondary ancillary mix for the subject streaming utilizing some of my suggestions. You may or may not have adequate gear to isolate a secondary mix however the recommendations I have made will probably improve the existing FOH mix.
Hugh

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