Tech Overview¶
Owner: Tech Lead
Philosophy¶
Technology is successful when nobody talks about it afterward — except to say they could hear and see clearly enough to sing.
Tech exists to clear friction for the platform and the room (same reason Petra exists): settle the mundane so presence is possible.
Priorities¶
- Safety (power, rigging, hearing, trip hazards)
- Intelligibility (spoken word + lead vocal)
- Stability (show files, backups, spares)
- Beauty (mix, light, visual craft)
- Experimentation (never at the cost of 1–3 on Sunday)
Minimum viable Sunday (plain language, before the expert checklists)¶
| If you are on… | Sunday is OK when |
|---|---|
| FOH | The pastor’s mic works; the lead vocal is clear at the back; nothing hurts; you stopped changing things at freeze |
| Monitors | Everyone hears click (if used), lead vocal, and themselves; no one shouts for a mix mid-song |
| Media | The right words are on the house screens on time; confidence monitors show lyrics + section cues; you know the safe slide |
| Lights | People are visible (and on camera); no strobes; prayer and word are calm; you know blackout and restore |
| Stream | Audio is healthy and the stream is live at the agreed time; you know the fallback |
| Stage | Nothing to trip on; the spare mic, cable, and DI are where the plot says; inputs match the list |
One tech, several hats — boot order¶
Most churches have one person wearing FOH + monitors + media. Do these in order; don’t start the next until the previous is true:
- Power in the documented order (amps / powered speakers last)
- Show file / deck loaded — the golden file, this week’s plan
- Wireless: scan, fresh batteries, packs labeled
- Line check every input; pastor mic first
- House + confidence up and routed correctly (confidence content never on house)
- Spare vocal path live (handheld on a known channel)
- Freeze at doors — stop touching things
Write your room’s actual order in Our Congregation.
Staffing minimums (edit to your reality)¶
| Service type | Minimum tech set |
|---|---|
| Normal weekend | FOH + Media (+ Monitors if not FOH-combined) |
| Full production | FOH, Monitors, Media, Lights, Stream, Stage |
| Simple / stripped | Combined roles OK if cross-trained — use the boot order above |
Hearing & levels¶
Hearing is people-safety, not taste.
- Hearing protection is available at a known place (Our Congregation); offer it to musicians and tech
- If anyone — on the platform or in the room — reports pain, turn down first, then tell the Tech Lead
- FOH targets comfort for the congregation, not playlist loudness wars
- Record the house-level / limiter policy church leadership affirms in Our Congregation
https://theonize.github.io/petra/05-tech/tech-overview/
