Audio Overview

All things considered, we run a fairly minimal audio system. It’s all contained in one room—the Auditorium—so there aren’t a lot of dispersed pieces to keep track of. We’re definitely not trying to make it complicated for complexity’s sake—everything serves a specific role.

We’ll start by introducing you to the systems broken down by location.

Stage

Microphones

We have microphones at various places around the stage (and in the ceiling), depending on the needs of each service. Except for a couple backup lines, all of these send signal to the sound booth via the stagebox.

Stagebox

The stagebox  is the centerpiece here, sending signal from the microphones to the booth and receiving signal going to the stage monitors.

Wireless Receiver

The receiver for the wireless mics also sits on the stage so it’s always in close proximity to the wireless mics—most of the time this is the lapel mic on the speaker.

Stage monitors

The stage monitors  are just speakers that sit on the floor, pointing directly at someone to help them hear what is going on across the stage. They receive signal from the stagebox and their levels are adjusted at the mixer in the sound booth. We have two of these set up—one next to the piano and one next to the organ.

Projector

At the moment, we’re sending video to the projector via an Apple TV. This enables us to (usually) effortlessly send video/slides from an iPad or Mac (which is what we do 😉). The Pastor streams the slides from his iPad, but we can also connect with the Mac in the sound booth, sending video to the projector and audio through the sound system.

Stage Network Switch

This switch provides ethernet to the Apple TV.

Sound Booth

Mixer

The mixer  functions as the heart of the audio system—almost everything runs either to or from it. We use a digital console  that allows us to manipulate the audio in some fancy ways that are essential to creating a successful livestream. We have an entire chapter dedicated to this here.a;sdlkfjas;dlkfjas;dlkfjsa;dlkfjas;ldkfj#########**********

Amp

Amp is short for Amplifier, signifying that is amplifies the audio so that it’s loud enough when it gets to the speakers. Without this step in the process, the speakers would sound really wimpy. This piece of equipment is really simple though. It has inputs coming from the mixer and outputs going to the PA Speakers.

Camera

What else would we do with a camera? We video the service with a camera in the sound booth and send the signal via HDMI to the computer. We use the video but ignore the audio.

Computer

Now we have to do something with that audio and video that we’re capturing. We use livestreaming software to combine the audio and video into a high-quality stream and recording.

HDMI-Ethernet Transmitter

We also send our livestream to other locations in the building over Ethernet. This way, viewers at those other locations in the building (like the Mother’s Room) are viewing the service in realtime, as opposed to dealing with the 20 to 30 second delay on the online stream.

And to accomplish this conversion, we have an HDMI-Ethernet Transmitter in the soundbooth and an Ethernet-HDMI Receiver at each of the streaming locations.

Sound Booth Network Switch

The switch in the sound booth connects everything there to the internet over Ethernet so we don’t have worry about spotty Wifi. This also supplies internet to a Wifi Access Point in the cabinet above the sound booth so that there is a good signal across the Auditorium.

Congregation Mics

These mics are key to creating an immersive experience in the livestream. Hanging from the ceiling near the front of the room and pointing toward the pews, they do quite well at picking up the singing and praying of the congregation. We also use them to help amplify in the room congregational prayers as well.

PA Speakers

Without these, the whole system would kind of be for nought. A pair of speakers, a woofer /tweeter  and a subwoofer , sits at each side of the auditorium pointing inward toward the congregation. We use passive speakers , meaning that they rely on a separate amp for signal amplification, but the speakers themselves do not need a dedicated power source.