The Front of House (FOH) Engineer is responsible for the sound that everyone hears in the room. They become the link between what the team onstage (musicians, singers and speakers), and every person that makes up the audience.

The role of the FOH Engineer is to convey whatever is happening on the platform in a way that best represents the heart and sound of the house.

To achieve this, a FOH Engineer needs to have a strong sense of musicality, a solid workflow that takes into account the service as a whole and not just 20 minutes of worship, and an ability to work as a team with other senior engineers and team to achieve the end result.

The 8 skills a FOH Engineer needs to develop are:

• Excellent musical & listening skills and constantly evolving musical knowledge.
• Excellent mixing/musical skills and ability to adapt them to the “house sound”.
• The ability to “read” the platform team, and see/hear things from their perspective.
• A great working relationship with the platform team, bringing an attitude to help the team feel supported. An understanding of stage and technical terminology and how it applies to our weekend
• The ability to be personable in the way they build relationship with the platform team.
• An in depth understanding of the equipment and space you have to accomplish the task (console, PA, acoustics/feel).
• An in depth understanding of gain structure & gain before feedback as it relates to FOH
• Their workflow in order to smoothly transition between all the elements of a service.

This content is taken from the Hillsong ‘Creative Technology Roles’ guide that covers 10 key creative technology roles in our church, the cultural responsibilities of our team and even practical soundcheck tips.

If you would like to download the full 26-page guide, plus access over 600 online resources and event invitations from the Hillsong Leadership Network, join as a complimentary ‘Associate’ by clicking below.