The A/V system installed in the Church is intended for providing audio and video support to acts of Worship or other events in the Church. It has been principally set up for this purpose, but can also be used effectively for
The two cameras in the Church can supply a video feed to the 3 display screens. In addition, composite video/audio feeds can be routed from a PC/laptop (or other device with an HDMI output) at either the Control Desk or at the Chancel. A third camera position is available (fulfilled at present by a fixed Camcorder), and an HDMI input on the Chancel can provide for either a camera or a laptop feed.
Audio inputs from a number of fixed and radio microphones and other sources (e.g. Clavinova) are routed to the sound mixing desk at the Control Desk, and routed from there to the Sanctuary loudspeakers, the Induction Loop system, and to the Choir Room. Master audio outputs from the mixing desk go to the Video Mixer (Black Magic Design ATEM Mini Extreme) and may also go to an audio recording laptop running “Audacity” software (for simple stereo recordings) or “Reaper” software for multitrack recordings.
The composite video output from the Video Mixer is recorded and/or streamed directly from the ATEM, with recordings to USB portable storage, and streaming to the Church YouTube channel via the Church Router.
Failure to complete any of these tasks could be slightly catastrophic!
A pianist or organist will be available to play opening and closing music for the service, and to play the Hymns to accompany congregational singing. The inclusion of Choir Introit and Anthem singing is also common, as is the occasional musical interlude with a soloist musician. At various times during the year the organ/clavinova may be accompanied by members of the Praise Band and/or other musicians (this will require additional microphones).
It is the norm that music is “live” with singing by both Choir and Congregation. The accompaniment to a Service will consist of:-
This is a PowerPoint presentation that has been built up by relevant members of the team during a week, usually based from the Order of Service distributed by the Minister each week. We have copies of about 90% of the hymns now used in our Church as PowerPoint presentations, so these can be copied over as/when required. At present, the PowerPoint presentation consists of:
All of the above can be found in the "Weekly clips" folder at IT Committee\Audio Visual\Weekly Clips. Previous weeks can be found at IT Committee\Audio Visual\Store\Services Store.
The folder will contain:
These presentations (supplemented by the outlines from them) is ESSENTIAL for both operators (video clips on the laptop and live video control on the Video Mixer), as personal communication between the operators is difficult.
On the Sunday, allow 30 minutes before the scheduled start to get set up. This involves:-
Users should request access to the Google Drive folder before the day of the service, or alternatiely they will be sent an email copy.
At this point, check that the volume level going out from the PC into the Sound Desk is set to the Internal speakers and NOT the BMD HDMI source.
IT Committee\Audio Visual\Weekly Clips or whatever appropriate and open the Weekly Clips files.DDMMYYY_Service) and load up "Presenter View".Presenter View can be accessed by pressing "Slide Show" in the top bar, and then "From First slide" or alternatively "From Current slide".
The PowerPoint presenter view will now appear on the monitor, and the main presentation on the BMD switcher/screens. Move through the slides using PgDn/PgUp or up/down keys, or use the mouse on the slide markers. For an embedded video, click on the slide within Presenter View to start the video.
Users should request access to the Church YouTube channel before the day of the service, or alternatiely the stream can be started by an already signed-on user.
If the livestream hasn't been scheduled in advance, hit "Schedule stream" and hit "Reuse settings". Follow the prompts as neccesary after this by changing the title, date etc.
Stream not working? It's likely you've used the wrong stream key, or not hit the YouTube server selection. DO NOT USE CONNECT TO ACCOUNT - USE STREAM KEY (ADVANCED)!
The ATEM displays should show the PC input on Channel 1 and (if selected) on either the Preview or Programme screen.
The PC display (RH Monitor) can be set up as desired to show on various tabs and/or split screen to show:-
Tabs can be selected by using the “Alt-Tab” combination quick-key.
Although you can do all this - it's recommended for ease-of-access/visibility to just keep the Presenter view on the screen as none of the other applications require to be visible on the screen to function - they can operate in the background.
Firstly, check out the sound to the Sanctuary (controls on AUX1).
The Master control should be at about 12 o’clock, with ONLY the two radio mics, the (working) lectern mic, the Piano, and PC channel set to provide an input (about midway). All other feeds should be at minimum.
Un-mute RADIO1/RODE1 and/or RADIO2/RODE2 (as necessary), the Lectern Mic (check which channel this is on), the ORGAN channel, the PIANO channel, and the CONGREGATION channel. If an audio feed from the PC is required, ensure that the appropriate mixer channel has been opened, and that the PC is set to “Speakers” audio output (NOT BMD). It should be set to send to Master bus, and should be un-muted. The fader on the PC should be at about maximum and the user can determine how high they want the sound on the mixer.
Do sound level checks into the Sanctuary (it’s best to have somebody in the Sanctuary do this in case feedback starts).
At the same time as the sound checks are being done, check that the Master Faders for the channels are set up correctly. The master gain controls for each channel have been set up so that most channels will require the Master Bus faders at about maximum to provide a reasonable sound balance – the output level displays should go to yellow but not red (other than for very brief times).
In some cases, YouTube will NOT start the stream and will instead freeze on a screen. Reload the page in this instance which should prompt you to sign back into your Church Google Account. This will fix the problem.
Basic instructions for operation of the video mixer (BMD ATEM Mini Extreme) are contained within the Sanctuary AV Operation & Maintenance Manual.
These instructions relate specifically to running a Sunday Service (including Live Stream).
Audio feed to the ATEM comes from the “Master” fader channel of the sound desk. The Master output level can be monitored on the level meters on the desk and/or the level meters on the ATEM.
Audio feeds to the Internal loudspeakers, the Loop amplifier and the Choir Room are unaffected by the ATEM selection, as these are controlled by (respectively) the “Aux 1”, “Aux 2”, and “Aux 3” channels on the sound desk.
During the Service, the various Master Bus feeds to the ATEM will have to be monitored to ensure that a reasonable volume level is being sent to the Live Stream. In most cases, these are controlled by the Master Bus faders on the sound desk. This includes audio from video clips, which are routed to Channel 21/22.
Normally, there will be three microphones set up for the Choir (Choir Gents, Choir Alto's & Choir Sopranos), a single “dropped” mic on the LHS of the Chancel (Susn L), a single “dropped” mic on the RHS of the Chancel (Susp R) and a single microphone for the main congregation (Congregation). There is also a microphone set on the top of the organ case to capture organ detail (Organ). These may have to be adjusted during the service to ensure an adequate recording volume output. In addition, a direct audio feed is taken from the Clavinova (if in use) as “Piano”.
An audio recording feed can be taken from the desk to a recording device (PC on the desk) from the USB out channel on the desk. However, this is not required as an audio-only output can be taken off the finished MP4 composite video recorded on the ATEM unit.
During the service, an operator will be required to unmute/mute relevant microphones as required. Realistically, this is when a person isn't speaking or in the case of the recording only microphones, when a Hymn/Small Talk is not in progress (or a scenario where audience reaction doesn't need captured).
Adjustments may also need to be made to the main mix bus which is routed into the ATEM to ensure audio balance across hymns (ensuring that the vocals are slightly more prominent in the mix rather than just the Organ - remember the Organ is the accompanying and the "Vocals" are the lead!)
The video mixer is known as the slightly more complex area - mainly as there's more buttons to press for more scenarios than the audio mixing desk!
You should display any appropriate "Chroma Key"/Lower-third signs via the KEY1 function when required (i.e display "Good Morning and Welcome..." when the minister is delivering the welcome).
Hymns should commonly feature an alternate version of Chroma Key - wherein that the internal screens show the White on Blue slides for those with sight difficulties (it can be harder for those with sight difficulties to read a blended display from afar) but on the livestream it shows the blended display with words on top and a camera (by default Cam3) on the bottom. This can be done by pressing "Macro 2" on the ATEM board when transitioning onto the first slide of a hymn (AFTER THE TITLE) and by pressing "Macro 3" on the last slide to allow you to get your shots setup.
The trick with the Video Mixer is to always expect something to happen - be prepared...
It may be worthwhile spending a few minutes post-service reviewing what went well (and what didn’t). It’s the way we learn! This is best done through a Group email or the AV WhatsApp group.
Remember to communicate to the rest of the Team any points learned!
Finally, go onto the Rota at IT Committee\Audio Visual\Team Rota and note any events of significance.
V2.0 May 2021 – substantial re-write to reflect use of Powerpoint file for audio/visual input.
V2.1 June 2021 – updates to control of sound desk to minimise sound feedback through video mixer.
V2.2 July 2021 – updates to routing laptop audio to sound desk and video mixer. Includes Appendix 1.
V3.0 October 2021 – substantial updates to fully include live streaming services.
V3.1 January 2022 – updates to include use of PC instead of laptop, plus other amendments.
V3.2 July 2022 – various minor amendments.
V4.0 December 2022 – replacement of ATEM and removal of Datavideo. Appendix 1 deleted.
V5.0 November 2023 – replacement of Sound Desk and various other changes.
V6.0 July 2024 - Addition of A/V Guide
V6.1 - updated to wiki and made changes of things out of date.....