Making the Jump from House of Worship to a Touring Environment
For countless audio professionals, houses of worship were called home long before the bright lights and large-scale systems became the daily norm of touring gigs. For many, churches have served as a training ground, a place to learn the fundamentals, whether it be technical knowledge such as signal flow, or learning the patience and people skills that all too often can become show critical. Making the leap from churches and smaller venues into touring comes with its own unique challenges — unfamiliar gear, grueling schedules, and high-pressure environments among them. So what does it take to go from mixing sermons to full-on concerts every night?
House of Worship Foundations and Fundamentals
Churches and venues of a smaller scale are frequently places of first introductions. The first time touching a console, first RF coordination, first mid-show panic when something goes wrong. All of these experiences are often shared by many engineers who started their careers mixing in churches and working with musicians serving their community.
The volunteer-based nature of church sound has inherent challenges, being an emotional environment where high expectations frequently create an environment where clarity and intelligibility are prioritized above all else. Issues ranging from aging gear to layers of processing built up over years of use, combined with time constraints and a lack of formal training, create a unique environment. In it, engineers can’t help but develop strong troubleshooting skills, adaptability, and the ability to be team players when needed.
An advantage of learning in these environments is that there is usually a fixed set of gear on a small-enough scale to not be overly intimidating, and there’s a low barrier to entry. Even young professional engineers need to simply get hours and reps mixing and shaping sources over and over again to not only train their ears but also to practice constructing a mix with a clear goal in mind.
Limited stage space and low input counts, combined with familiar rooms and consistent gear, can make a Sunday service the perfect environment for those looking to develop muscle memory for mix-building. As their skills grow, the ability to experiment with different techniques and approaches is invaluable.
Beyond the Gear
Beyond audio itself, leading a team of volunteers in a setting such as this brings to mind the reality that leadership and communication are also key parts of touring. These less technical skills can be more important than your ability to patch a stage or perfect a drum tone. Being able to verbalize and translate the needs of an artist or performer into actionable changes can be the difference between a good engineer and a great one.
Managing interpersonal relationships and being able to communicate technical information to non-technical staff are valuable skills, whether you’re talking to artist management, musicians, or technical directors on staff at a church. All of these people are crucial in putting together the creative vision for any one performance and learning how to communicate can be the difference between getting a gig and keeping it.
Building a Team
Additionally, starting out, many of us are forced to be lone wolves. Learning how to be a part of a team, whether it’s delegating tasks to make load in more efficient, learning how to trust others to make decisions for you (such as having a FOH or Monitor tech help you build every day, and trusting that they’ll have your best interest and needs in mind), and learning how to compromise.
As an audio tech, of course, I want the audio department to win every time. As a crew chief, it’s my job to advocate for my department. But learning to play nice with other departments and compromise is certainly a challenge. Being able to know when to compromise and when to advocate for your show is a whole new world.
For example, whenever I’m in a venue that’s not particularly tall, I constantly play the game of how many boxes of PA can I hang without blocking video walls or sight lines. In a smaller venue, learning how to mix without soundcheck or having to compromise gear placement for floor lights are just some small ways that every department and tech work together to make sure an event is done successfully.
Jumping into Touring
One of the most jarring changes in making the jump from working in any venue to touring is the constant change. In a venue, you have the same room every week, and various standard procedures to turn on your systems and make sure everything is in its usual running order. On tour each day, you are faced with a new room that sounds different, maybe a different board if you aren’t carrying a console, and a whole new pace. The ability to learn how to pace yourself while managing your time throughout what can be a 20-hour workday is a skill in and of itself.
That being said, there are certainly more similarities than differences when it comes to learning transferable skills. Years spent critically listening to music, understanding signal flow, and being a student of your gear always pays off. Many new engineers struggle to manage signal flow cleanly, often misrouting signals or overcomplicating patches.
Beyond that, taking the time to read the manuals for the gear you are using and understanding them is one of the fastest ways to level up. Learn all of the features and ways of accomplishing what you want to do with the gear you’ve spec’d (digital or analog). Having a fundamental understanding of your tools is also one of the fastest ways to be able to troubleshoot your rig efficiently.
Final Thoughts
Transitioning from a house of worship to the touring world isn’t just about leveling up technically — it’s about embracing adaptability, professionalism and growth. The lessons learned mixing sermons — problem-solving on the fly, managing volunteers, working under budget constraints — translate directly to the fast-paced world of touring.
Whether you’re stepping into your first venue with a road case or leading your first fly date, remember: your foundation in service, patience, and persistence is not only valid — it’s invaluable. Keep learning, stay humble, and never stop chasing better sound.
Samantha Boone is a systems engineer and audio tech with experience designing and deploying sound systems for various applications ranging from clubs to large-scale festivals and arenas. Most recently, her work has involved designing and deploying large format, low-variance systems for installs and touring productions.
