Prince of Peace Lutheran Church

AV Project 2023

This article documents the phased rollout of a church AV project that will include multiple camera positions, stage lighting, audio for both streaming as well as amplified for the church congregation.

 

Phase 1

Video Camera Control

Video is built around Fotomak PTZ camera setup. 3 cameras at the sides of the church and the back wall. Connected to a PTZ conteoller via network cables.

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https://amzn.to/3uppP4F - Fomako 2 camera and PTZ controller bundle.

https://amzn.to/3uovqrQ - Fomako PTZ camera

https://amzn.to/3SNgbmg - PoE Switch for the controller network

https://amzn.to/3SOsKhm - Router to assign IP addresses to PoE switch

https://amzn.to/47jRqT3 - (3) network cables. One for each camera. Length may vary for your own particular church setup. Measure carefully before buying.

https://amzn.to/3MNHyZG - 6 pack of short network cables. One for PTZ controller to switch. Switch to router and later, for the production switch to the router.

 

Video Feed and Streaming

Now that we have the camera control established, we now need to get the video feeds from each camera and control which camera feed we're going to use for our live stream The ATEM Mini Pro ISO from Blackmagic Design is an affordable and simple way to do this.

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https://amzn.to/3sGaewY - Blackmagic ATEM Mini Pro ISO

https://amzn.to/3G5FecM - 24 inch monitor to view the live feeds and the streaming output, monitor audio levels and storage space etc.. Lots of options to choose from and different sizes. Just need a single HDMI input. Larger monitor lets you ciew your feeds easily without leaning in.

https://amzn.to/3MQXmLa - 1TB SSD external USBc hard drive to record live feeds and production output stream so you can later re-edit if needed.

https://amzn.to/3R6dWcr - (3) 50 foot fiber optic HDMI cables to connect each of the 3 cameras to the ATEM Mini Pro. Your cable length may vary based on your church, but the fiber optic cables allow longer runs without any signal degredation.

 

Phase 2

Stage Lighting

Our church required the back wall to be brightened due to a large stained glass window that tends to make the camera underexpose and make the images dark. We also needed additional lighting forward of the altar to maintain lighting when the pastor moves forward to speak.

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https://amzn.to/49N3yO7 - These lights provide brightness and color control. They are "wash" lights which provide a wide spreading, soft beam. Just meant to bring more light into the scene without creating noticeable shadows. Barn doors allow the lights to be feathered away from things that don't need extra light. We purchased 4 lights which suited our needs. The system is controlled by DMX cables, so we can add more light if needed, or accent individual parts of the church.

https://amzn.to/3R6gRC5 - DMX 512 lighting controller.

https://amzn.to/3G5HpNu - Wireless DMX - our church had logistical issues running DMX XLR cables, so we opted for a wireless solution. The transmitter plugs into the rear of the controller and the receivers plug into the lights directly. You can then daisy chain short DMX cables to all the other lights on the chain.

https://amzn.to/3sH9pUB - short DMX XLR cables to daisy chain lights that are near each other. Your lengths and needs may vary so make sure you purchase the length that's right for you.

https://amzn.to/3ulKwOK - Powercon connectors. We decided to wire our own power connectors for the cost savings.

https://amzn.to/3uswXxa - Extension cord to connect to the light location. This cable has a 90 degree plug which helps prevent it being pulled out of the wall easily. We ran this cable up to the lights through conduit and then cut off the female end and replaced with a powercon connector. Then using the spare we created the daisy chains with the powercon connectors and the final one, we re-used the female connector with a powercon fitting to power the wireless DMX receiver.

 

Phase 3

Streaming Audio

This is still in progress but will consist of wireless lapel mics and wirelss regular mics that connect through a mixer and into the ATEM Mini Pro for use during the live stream

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Phase 4

Amplified Audio for the Church Congregation

Building upon the audio stream, we will take an output from the audio mixer and feed this into an amplifer system that will allow us to mount speakers on the walls of the church to help those towards the rear, hear the service better.

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