Black Box Podcast

Stop Mixing to Target Curves

BlackPod is a no-fluff podcast for church production leaders, live audio engineers, and creatives who care about doing it right.
Hosted by Lee Fields, Shep, Tyler Kerpsack, and Brad Bramer, BlackPod dives into real-world conversations around church audio mixing, troubleshooting AVL systems, leadership accountability, and building drum sounds that actually translate in the room.
In this episode, we talk Valentine’s Day and life outside the booth, but we also get into practical production topics like:
How to troubleshoot live sound systems under pressure
Why personal accountability and self-awareness matter more than gear
The truth about target curves — and why you shouldn’t mix toward them
How to shape drum sounds for impact, clarity, and consistency
If you’re a church sound engineer, production director, or volunteer trying to level up your mix and leadership, this podcast is for you.
Real conversations. Real rooms. Real leadership.This is BlackPod.

DAW vs Consoles, Leaders Who Do vs. Leaders Who Don’t, and New BlackBox Offerings

Hosted by Lee Fields, Stephen “Shep” Shepherd, Tyler Kerpsack, and Brad Bramer, the BlackBox Podcast is unfiltered conversation for church production teams, worship leaders, AVL directors, and creative pastors who actually carry the weight of Sunday.
This isn’t theory. It’s field-tested leadership, live audio philosophy, system design, and the stuff nobody talks about but everyone feels.
In this episode we dig into:
• DAW vs. Console Mixing — What actually matters? Where plugins help, where they hurt, and why great gain structure still beats everything.• Leaders Who Do vs. Leaders Who Don’t — When to get your hands dirty, when to step back, and how ego quietly wrecks teams.• Weight Loss, Health & Production Life — What long Sundays, stress, and tech ministry do to your body — and how to lead sustainably.• Nervousness in Production — Why anxiety shows up in high-stakes services and how to handle pressure without spiraling.• Target Curves & Why You Shouldn’t Worship Them — The truth about measurement mics, system tuning, and why your room isn’t a spreadsheet.• New BlackBox Offerings for Churches — On-sites, audits, coaching, long-term partnerships, and how we help churches solve production problems before they cost them money.
If you’re a church audio engineer, production director, worship leader, or executive pastor trying to build healthy systems, stronger teams, and better Sundays — this podcast is built for you.
BlackBox exists to help churches design better systems, build stronger teams, and solve problems before they ruin momentum.
Subscribe, share with your team, and let’s build something that actually lasts.

Merry Christmas, Contractors, Services, Reflections and more

In this episode, Lee Fields, Tyler Kerpsack, Shep, and Brad Bramer are back together talking through the realities of church production during the Christmas season.
The conversation covers what it really looks like to lead production teams at scale during the busiest time of the year — from church staffing models and production budgets, to caring for volunteers, working with contractors, and making smart decisions around gear and resources. The group also reflects on Christmas gifts for church production teams, how to show appreciation without blowing budgets, and where leaders often feel the most pressure during holiday weekends.
If you serve in church production, audio, lighting, video, broadcast, or technical leadership, this episode offers honest perspective, practical insight, and shared experience from leaders navigating Christmas in real time.
Follow along, share with your team, and subscribe for more conversations around church production leadership, staffing, budgets, volunteers, and worship technology.

Production Content, Launching Podcasts, and Designing Worship Centers

In this episode, Lee Fields, Tyler Kerpsack, Shep, and Brad Bramer are back together talking all things church production, worship technology, and creative leadership.
The conversation dives into creating production content that actually serves the local church, the platforms and channels currently inspiring us, and what it looks like to build meaningful voice and credibility in the church production space. Lee shares more about the launch of his new audio-focused podcast, and the group unpacks practical thoughts around designing and building worship centers, production systems, and the realities of leading technical teams in churches of all sizes.
Whether you serve in audio, lighting, video, broadcast, systems design, or production leadership, this episode offers honest conversation, real experience, and perspective from leaders actively shaping the future of church tech and worship production.
Follow along, share with your team, and subscribe for more conversations around church production, AVL systems, worship environments, and leadership behind the scenes.

White Balance, Political Disagreement, and Line Checks

In this episode, Lee Fields, Shep, Brad Bramer, and Tyler Kerpsack break down the real-world challenges production leaders face today.
We hit highlights from the ChurchFront Conference — smarter front light, LED strategy that actually serves the room, and the camera white-balance decisions that separate amateur from pro.
Shep unpacks his experience running the Charlie Kirk memorial, offering a masterclass in pressure, pacing, and leading teams through high-stakes moments.
We also dig into team dynamics, navigating ideological differences, and how strong production teams stay aligned when the room gets complicated.
And we close with a tactical deep dive on running a flawless line check — stage flow, communication order, FOH/MON/Broadcast confirmation, and the systems that remove 90% of rehearsal-day chaos.
Short, sharp, and built for people leading production at a high level.

Kick Mics, Summer Projects and Lee’s Wedding — Season 2 Kicks Off

Season 2 of the BlackBox Podcast kicks off with Brad Bramer, Tyler Kerpsack, Shep, and Lee Fields back at the table — equal parts hilarious, honest, and technically nerdy. From Lee’s wedding weekend to Shep’s restaurant reviews, this one covers everything from life updates to leadership lessons learned the hard way.
They dive into summer projects, monitor mixes, Lauten’s new kick mic, time management in the chaos of production season, and how to balance creative drive with actual rest. If you live anywhere between the world of church production and live events, you’ll feel right at home here.
Topics include:
The truth about Lee’s wedding (and who cried first)
Why the Lauten kick mic might be a game-changer
How to keep your head above water during project season
Tyler’s new dad stories and Shep’s brutally honest food reviews
Practical talk on managing time, teams, and creative energy

Pet Peeves, Get Gigs, and Be Better

In Episode 6, the BlackBox crew dives deep into what it really takes to thrive in church production and creative ministry. We kick things off with a sneak peek at Service Reviews, launching this July—your chance to get honest, high-level feedback from the best in the game (sign-ups open soon!). Then Shep breaks down his time at the Army 250 event and what it teaches us about leadership, pressure, and team dynamics under real weight.
We also hit the practical stuff:– How do you land the kind of gigs people dream about?– What makes someone a great team member in tech and worship environments?– Why excellence isn’t just about perfection—and what pet peeves might be holding you back.
This one’s for church tech directors, FOH engineers, creatives, worship leaders, and AVL volunteers who are chasing high standards without burning out. Whether you're mixing, designing, producing, or leading—Episode 6 is packed with raw takes, real stories, and reminders that we’re all growing.
Subscribe now and share with your team. Let’s raise the bar together.

AI Is Coming, But Do We Really Care?

On this episode of the BlackBox Podcast, we cover everything from AI in audio to fundamentals—and whether any of us will still have jobs in five years. Shep’s going beast mode on racks, Lee’s mixing Maren Morris, Tyler is learning about the future and Brad is chilling. Also - we’re stepping in to help churches who’ve been left hanging... so there's that.
We also talk through current and future BlackBox projects—including our Worship Overhaul and Production Overhaul packages, designed to help churches rethink systems, streamline setups, and reignite their team culture from the stage to the booth.
If you're in church production, mixing front of house, building AVL systems, or leading creative ministry—this is for you.

Kick Mics, Trust, and Mr. Beast

This week on BlackBox, we’re covering a lot of ground:
How to build real leadership — and what to do when you have to rebuild trust and culture from scratch.
Do you actually need two kick drum mics? Or are we all just flexing?
What the MrBeast live stream teaches us about innovation, attention, and pulling off high-pressure moments.
Plus, some Severance spoilers (you’ve been warned) and why the best leaders notice when things start to slip.
If you care about church production, creative leadership, and running live events at a high level, you’re in the right spot.
BlackBox is the #1 podcast for church production leaders, audio engineers, and worship tech teams who want real talk, real strategy, and practical ideas to lead with confidence behind the scenes.

NAB, Coachella, & Easter

We go full throttle through some of the biggest production moments of the season—NAB, Coachella, and Easter. From cinematic broadcast trends in church to the sheer scale and precision of Coachella, we’re breaking down what’s worth paying attention to—and what’s just noise. We talk shop on the latest gear, what inspired us, and talk about the future of church content. If you’re leading in church production, creative direction, or broadcast, this one’s a must. Don’t fall behind.