Upgrading Our Church’s Audio and Video Setup

Our AV setup has been due for an upgrade for a while now. Some of it was breaking down, some of it we’d simply outgrown, and a few pieces just needed a better mounting solution than what we’d rigged up originally. Here’s what we’re bringing in and why.

A quick note before this one: WoodScraps is mostly about wood and metal, but I’ll sometimes post about gear that doesn’t fit neatly into that category, things I’m using in the shop, and audio/video setups I’m working on outside of it. I volunteer with the tech team at my church, so from time to time you’ll see posts like this one about cameras, switchers, mics, and the rest of that world. Same standard applies either way: I only write about gear I’ve actually used and would recommend.

Blackmagic Design ATEM 1 M/E Constellation UHD 4K Live Production SDI Switcher

This is the heart of the new setup, the switcher that takes in our camera and other video sources and routes them wherever they need to go. We picked this to replace our six year old version of the same box that’s was on its way out, and it gives us real production-quality switching without needing a full broadcast budget to get there. One of the key benefits is the signal scaling, the old box only allowed one, so if we started with 1080 @60 that was all we could bring in.

Blackmagic Design Micro Converter SDI to HDMI 12G

Once the switcher decides what’s showing, this little converter is what actually gets that signal to our entry TV. The switcher outputs SDI, our lobby display wants HDMI, and this converter bridges the two cleanly without any signal loss.

SAMSUNG 40-Inch Class Full HD F6000

This is the display itself, mounted at the entrance so people can see what’s happening in the service and announcements before they even walk in. A budget-conscious pick since a lobby display doesn’t need to be top of the line, it just needs to be reliable and easy to read.

Elgato Stream Deck XL

This is how our team actually runs the show. Instead of digging through menus mid-service, the Stream Deck XL gives us one-touch control over scenes, sources, and cues, which matters a lot when you’ve got volunteers running the booth and need things to be simple under pressure. This is an upgrade from our current older model XL without the lower dials, which I am really looking forward to setting up.

Mic stand wall bracket

We needed a real mounting solution for our audience mics instead of the workaround we’d been using, rockstar mic stands that are always in the way. Wall-mounting them gets the mics exactly where they need to be without stands taking up floor space or getting bumped.

19-Inch Heavy Duty Microphone Flexible Gooseneck

Paired with the wall brackets, this gooseneck lets us fine-tune each mic’s exact position and angle once it’s mounted, so we’re not stuck with a fixed, awkward reach.

I will make sure to post some pictures one the new equipment is in and walk through things, like our programming and usage of the Stream Deck.

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