The Music Exchange

I’ve always appreciated the importance of the P.A. operator’s job, and now that our system is on its last legs, I’m even more convinced that those who work the sound are real unsung heroes and heroines.

P.A. operators (real ones — like those who wear dark clothes and black trainers) are always there. They pick up all the balls that have been dropped by everyone else, and they have the wonderful inability to say ‘no’. They’re like AA men — if there’s a problem, it’s more than their pride’s worth to give up on the job. I was speaking at a jazz event last year, where, with an hour to go, there was no P.A. system, no drum kit and, of course, no musicians, as they don’t ‘do’ setting up. All the shops had closed, so there was no chance of hiring any equipment. Enter Rhodri (yes, the real article — all in black, long hair and beard), who single-handedly rigged up a whole system by banging on the sound shop door till the manager opened up. He then found bits of drum kit from around the place, and with five minutes to spare we were ready to go. Everybody needs a Rhodri.

Sharing responsibility

Church musicians and P.A. operators have lots in common. Both have the huge responsibility of making sure the Word of God is audible, whether spoken or sung. For this they both need to be sensitive to the size and make-up of the congregation as well as to the acoustics of the building. And not only do P.A. operators need to be technically savvy, they also need to have a very good ear, so that they can produce a mix of music that helps the singing of God’s word without drowning it out.

Also, both musicians and sound crew enjoy the same ‘privilege’ of being the centre of attention when things go wrong. The extra awkwardness felt by the P.A. person, however, is that the whole church has to crane their necks 180 degrees like a bunch* of owls when there’s the slightest squawk or honk from the speakers. Also, there is only one person to stare at — no wonder P.A. operators often have the look of the ‘hunted’ about them — at least we musicians have the luxury of being able to look at each other when someone plays a duff note.

Work closely!

Because of the similarity of the roles that musicians and P.A. operators play, it means that they need to work very closely together, and often this closeness can cause friction, especially with one set being so sensitive and the other so under-appreciated and overworked. I’ll let you decide which is which.

As a musician, I’m learning that I need to work much closer with the sound team than I have done in the past, because the quality of the sound I make is more in their hands than mine. For example, the sound of the piano that I play hasn’t changed over the 15 years I’ve been playing it, but judging by the difference as it’s piped through speakers week by week, anyone would think that we hired a chipmunk to play one week and a pregnant moose the next. Of course, musicians should be ultimately responsible for the sound they make (and, admittedly, sometimes I do play like a pregnant moose), so we need to see the sound crew as much a part of the music team as a singer or player. For me, this will take a much more patient humility than I’ve shown in the past before I reach anywhere near the levels of humility that P.A. operators have shown to me.

Bunch of owls

It’s well worth us musicians investing in an understanding relationship with the P.A. team. So, if you’re a musician, and are in a position to be able to help every now and then on the desk, in no way would it be a step down. Admittedly, you would be out of the limelight, at the back rather than at the front, but it would give you a better understanding of the pressures of working on the sound desk, you would be able to lend (presumably) a good ear to the process, and if you can do it without treading on the real experts’ toes, it would be a great lesson in humility when the bunch of owls* turns round and there’s no-one else to look at but you!

* I know that the proper collective noun for owls is a ‘parliament’, but for simplicity’s sake, today it’s a ‘bunch’.

P.A.: everyone needs a Rhodri

Sharing responsibility

Work closely!

Bunch of owls

Richard Simpkin

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