Quick Reference

Common mistakes

The greatest hits — the errors everyone makes once, and how to skip them.

HPF set too high on kick and bass.

The #1 rookie error. These instruments live in the low end — a 100 Hz filter guts them. Keep it at 20–40 Hz or off. Low-cut →

Over-gating.

A gate that chops off tails or chatters open/shut is more distracting than the bleed it's removing. Softer range, longer release. On monitors, gate even less. Gate →

Over-compressing.

Slamming 10+ dB of GR on everything squashes the life out of a mix and makes it tiring to listen to. 3–6 dB is plenty for most things. Compressor reference →

Boosting to fix what a cut would solve.

Reaching for a boost when the real problem is an ugly resonance you should be cutting. Subtractive first.

Setting gain at soundcheck volume.

They'll play louder at the show. Set for the loudest realistic passage and leave headroom. Gain-staging targets →

Flipping phantom power with the fader up.

Mute the channel first — the pop is nasty and can hurt ribbon mics. Phantom & polarity →

Not labeling channels.

A wall of gray "Ch 07" strips is how you turn up the wrong thing at the worst moment. Name and color everything. Name & color →

Fixing in EQ what mic placement should fix.

If a source sounds wrong, moving the mic six inches often beats any amount of EQ.

Sending click or guide vocal to the house.

The #1 worship-specific facepalm: keep them in the in-ears only, un-assigned from the mains, and verify it every week.

Leaving vocal mics open when nobody's on them.

Every open mic is another path to feedback and another slice of stage noise washing into a small room. Ride or mute the mics that aren't in use — this is what mute groups are for.

Letting stage volume win.

In a small or medium room, loud amps, wedges, and an acoustic kit can out-shout the PA, and then you're fighting the room instead of mixing it. Push for in-ears, electronic drums or a shield, and lower stage levels — a quiet stage is the single biggest gift to a clean house mix.