New Hope Calgary Tech Blog

Fall 2011 Update

2011-08-30T13:25:00.002-06:00

Hope everyone had a great summer!
We have some exciting news for this fall and a few changes too.
First please check the schedule and let me know if there are any problems with your dates. http://www.newhopechurch.ca/docs/schedule.php
Grant and camera
NHC has received a 30k grant to produce a 5 part series on faith and science. A portion of this $$ will go towards a second camera for use in service. My initial thoughts on how this will work is to have the existing recording person run one of the cameras doing the wide and medium shots from a fixed angle. This works well because the Canon can be zoomed from a remote control allowing the recording mixer to remain sitting. This camera would also feed the children's nursery and upstairs areas. The new second camera would be operated in a tight mode, doing head shots and shots with backgrounds from an angle. We will also be doing a number of on site interviews for the science series.
Why do this? Our videos have received 330k views so far this year (415k last year). So far we have received 145 comments (real ones) that ask some good questions. The web site sees over 15,000 visits per month. Data transfer averages just over 50gb per day. I believe we are reaching people and should continue to do so. The second camera will help to up the quality a bit.
Any ideas on what our new camera should be like? Please let me know.

Storage
We have vacated the old storage room and are in the new, same keys as before. We are trying to work out how to load that room but for now just get things in there as tight as possible. We are also working on new storage on stage that would replace the existing understage storage. If you time to help with this please let me know.

Nursery LCD
A new LCD for the nursery is going to be wall mounted. It will be wired in but need to be powered up each Sunday. The old cart will contain the keypad still and nursery sign in materials.

Small Service System
We used the small service system 5 times this summer and have all the kinks worked out. It works best for times when crowds as small and the band is a max of 2 people. The powered speakers have a very different pattern then the EV's. Please take extra time to walk around and make sure you have full coverage.

Sound and bands
The bands have all been reshuffled and new people added, the new list is on the http://www.newhopechurch.ca/docs/schedule.php page.
This fall I would like to standardize our stage monitor layout for a couple of reasons. One is to have consistency from band to band, to make setup faster and to keep the same type of speaker on the same EQ.
Basically this would mean the 3 powered speakers across the front (mix 4,5,6) and 3 EV's across the back. Across the back would be mix 7&8, with on the six person teams mix 8 would be looped for the drums and bass. Please see http://www.newhopechurch.ca/docs/bandlayout.pdf for details, and give me your feedback.

Thanks for all the time you have each put into this it does make a difference.
Keith

Spring Update 2011

2011-04-30T13:03:00.001-06:00

Hi,
Lots of upcoming tech stuff this spring and then we can coast through the summer!
Special events - Cara Luft at Riverpark Church tonight 8 pm
The King's Speech movie night - May 13 at NHC
Volunteer Appreciation BarBQue - June 11 at Keith's House

1. Tech schedule is now updated till the end of summer, please check that the dates work for you. Let me know (as some of you have), when you have holidays.
http://www.newhopechurch.ca/docs/schedule.php
2. Light maintenance will be happening in May, I don't have a date yet from the community center but will send it out as soon as I know.

3. "B" system build
We almost have all the parts for the new "B" audio system. This will place the Mackie recording mixer into it's own cart, complete with snake and processing. We will be using this for special events and small services where we need fewer inputs (ie summer). The idea is that one person can set this up.
Some of the help needed is, building the new box, painting, removing snake from ceiling upstairs, installing new systems and resetting processors. If you are interested in helping with this project, please let me know.

4. Bingo has ended...
We will be getting more storage space from the community center which will mean some reorganization of the storage room. On stage the bingo cage will be going so we will be using the entire stage. Help will be needed for basic construction, demolition. TDA

5. Recording techs
Changes to audio recordings. Due to a lack of interest in audio "CD's" we are going to discontinue the making audio CD's each service. From now on we will be recording the entire service and then burning it to disk as a .wav file and a 128kbps mp3. Audio CD's will be made on request only.

6. Video techs
As part of the purchases for the "B" system we are adding another wireless microphone. This new wireless can be camera mounted also, allowing audio to be sent to the camera from the mixer wirelessly. So for the adventurous the whole service could be shot hand held...
See me for details!

7. Sound techs
A part of the "B" system upgrades we will be going to 3 wireless systems, we will be able to configure these as 3 headsets, 2 headsets and 1 handheld or 1 headset and 2 handhelds.

8. Multimedia
We will be going to Powerpoint 2010 soon, provides advanced video support including words over video.

Thanks so much for serving in tech at NHC, God bless you all for your time and effort.
Keith

Background Lighting Changes

2011-01-12T13:40:00.005-07:00

So with the New Year comes a new LED light setup. For background lighting we are changing from the 8 Par 38 100watt to 4 Par 64 30 watt LED. The main advantages are; smaller footprint on stage, ability to change colors on the fly, 700w drop in power supply required.
Each LED requires 4 channels to mix colors;
CH1 Level - 50% is full 51-100% strobe
CH2 Red
CH3 Green
CH4 Blue

For one color setup, we are using channels 17 thru 20, so if the LED fixture is set to 17, it will use channels 17,18,19,20. We are going to assign these to scene 6-Red 7-Green 8-Blue, for easier mixing.

For two color setup, we are using channels 21 thru 24, so a LED fixture set to 21 will use 21,22,23,24.
These will be assigned to scene 9-Red 10-Green 11-Blue.

Each fixture is individually assigned so that different colors can be added to the outsides, insides or alternated.

By using the scene menu you can bring up the band, the desired background lighting, hit record and then it will be saved into the cue list.

Please ask for help if this is confusing and I will walk you through it.
More info can be found in this pdf
http://www.newhopechurch.ca/docs/lighting.pdf
Keith

2010-12-06T11:14:00.003-07:00

As the Christmas rush begins there are a few things to keep you all in
the loop.
1. New People
Please welcome Mark and Josh. Mark is helping out with audio and Josh with video. Great to have you guys!
2. Multimedia Audio
After a number of repairs to the cable between the main mixer and the multimedia box I have decided to replace the whole setup. The multipin connector we were using was not very high quality and has allowed connections to break off repeatedly. Since a high grade multi pin connector and a small mixer were close to the same price I went with a small mixer. There are several benefits to this, the first it
simplifies wiring between the boxes, and allows for an easy to access headphone setup for the multimedia operators. It also frees up several channels on the main mixer.
(More info on the "Art" mini mixer)
I also added a second line for an ipod, mostly we use this on communion days.
3. Christmas Decor
I am trying a new setup for Christmas, instead of the floor lights we will be using lights attached to the back curtains. These "rope" lights plug right into the wall and are not on a dimmer. There will be a banner hanging on the left side and a curtain on the right, these will be lit with the 2 LED's. In addition 2 purple curtains will hang on an angle on stage with a couple of candle lit windows in front of them. Please be very careful when moving the curtain as the lights are attached to the curtain sliders.
4. Gym Heat
There is now a key on the key stick in the drawer to turn up the heat in the gym if the West Hillhurst guys forget to do it. The kitchen controls we used to use are disconnected and the heat is controlled from the thermostats only.
5. Christmas Coffee House
Friday Dec 17 - 7:30 pm it is a great time to relax and meet people so please consider coming out.
6. Christmas Eve/Dec 26
Setup 4 pm, no take down on Christmas Eve, no setup on Dec 26. Yaa!

I want to wish you all a good Christmas and thankyou for supporting NHC through the technical arts.
Keith

Sound Levels

2010-10-30T10:56:00.000-06:00

Hi,
In the last week we have had a number of complaints of the sound levels being too high in the worship part of the service, making it hard for people to hear themselves singing.
I have asked Gary to see if we can get the drum levels down which would allow us to bring down the levels of the entire band.

After thinking about it for a bit I've come up with a few guidelines.
- Use the sound level meter, keep the peak level to 86db A weighted slow or 90db C weighted slow. (for more info on how to use the meter, talk to me when your on on Sunday).

The following does not apply to all songs, use it where you can.
- Try not to drown out the singing, in other words aim to make your mix at the level where you can hear the band and the people singing. This is very important on hymms, but may also work on other songs.
-Blend voices on choruses, use reverb (or more reverb) just on the chorus.
-Vary the amount of bottom end energy (amount in subs), adding more to louder songs
-Turn off all mics on the drums other than the kick on louder songs and turn off any unused mics.
-Cut (gently) the 2-4k frequency on louder vocals, electric guitar, snare, brass on a loud song as this is the ears most sensitive range, you can do this easily by changing the EQ on the sub group.

However when the band does a "special", in other words the worship leader asks the audience to sit down, you can give a little more level as people are not trying to sing with that song.

If you have other thoughts about this please comment,
Thanks,
Keith

Tech's Needed

2010-10-19T11:25:00.006-06:00

We are currently short a few key people in sound and multimedia, please email me keith@newhopechurch.ca if your interested in helping out. All training is provided, commitment is once every 4 weeks.
Thanks,
Keith

LED

2010-10-19T11:00:00.003-06:00

After a few years of watching, LED lighting has come to the point where brightness, features and cost are affordable for us and probably most small churches.

Why LED?
For us as we live in older rented facilities where we cannot do upgrades to the AC feeds, LED provides more lighting options per watt. We recently have been trying Microh's LED KDII Par64 RBG.

These lights are comparable to a 300w Par56 in brightness, but draw only 30watts. A side benefit is that they can be used in locations where kids are running around without having to worry about small burnt hands (we have a lot of the under 5 crowd!)

So far we have found these lights to offer very saturated red, green and blue colors, but due to their RGB design, yellows and oranges are harder to mix.
Since LED lights can only be dimmed by turning them off and on a flicker free design is essential for video, and these seem to work well.

The LEDP64KDII can be operated in several stand alone modes, including a music chase mode or by using 4 DMX channels (dim,R,G,B).

They donot produce an acceptable white light and I wouldn't consider using them for a front or side fill on any person, but for accent lighting, superb! (YMMV, try before buying)

Considerations when buying LED's
Brightness - equal to XXX incandescent watts
Flicker Free - for less video interference
Number and Brightness of LEDs
Color of LEDs
Ability to produce white
Stand alone or DMX operation
Number of DMX channels required.

Sound System Changes

2010-04-03T11:12:00.006-06:00

Earlier this year we upgraded our stage monitor system with 2 powered NX55P speakers. This allows us to have 5 monitors on stage without the band having to haul in extra equipment. After using the system for the past 2 months in various ways we have decided to make the following changes.
We are moving from 4 monitor mixes to 5, the mid/high speakers will become stereo.

The changes are marked on the mixer, snake and amp rack.

YAMAHA MIXER
1 Group mix - drums
2 Group mix - instruments
3 Group mix - vocals
4 Monitor mix 4
5 Monitor mix 5
6 Monitor mix 6
7 Monitor mix 7
8 Monitor mix 8
9 Effects mix
10 Subwoofer mix
Stereo - mid/high left and right
Stereo2 - recording (when recording mixer not used)
Matrix 1 - recording house mix
Matrix 2 - camera (when recording mixer not used)

SNAKE HEAD
Subs - blue (2 subs or sub left)
Mid/Hi Left - white
Mid/Hi Right - black
Monitor Mix 4 - red (EV speaker or sub right)
Monitor Mix 5 - yellow (EV speaker)
Monitor Mix 6 - green (EV speaker)
Monitor Mix 7 -powered speaker
Monitor Mix 8 - powered speaker

AMP RACK
QSC LEFT - mono subs or sub mix left (blue)
QSC RIGHT - monitor 4 or sub mix right (red)
Yamaha P2100
A - monitor mix 5 (yellow)
B - monitor mix 6 (green)
Yamaha P2200
A - mid/hi left (white)
B - mid/hi right (black)

NOTES
Example setups
5 monitors (4EV,5EV,6EV,7powered,8powered)
Subs both on QSC Left
Stereo mid/hi

4 monitors (5EV,6EV,7 powered,8 powered)
Subs one each on QSC connected with Y-cable
Stereo mid/hi

Please note that mix 4 should be used last as it does not have a dedicated equalizer and may be prone to feedback problems.

Using the stereo mix feature requires several things, one that a channel be set to stereo not to group (the pan control comes after the stereo switch not before).
Example would be when using sax on far right of stage, you could pan it to the left to balance the sound.
However groups can be panned left or right.

On April 17 I will hold a Saturday morning practice for those who wish to learn more and try things out in a more relaxed setting.
Keith

Easter and babies!

2010-04-03T11:08:00.000-06:00

Hi, just wanted to wish you all a blessed Easter and to let you know that Brandon and Marcia had a baby boy last week, congrats to them!
Hope you all enjoy the Easter holiday and thanks for being on the tech team.
Keith

2010-01-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Hope you all have recovered from the holidays.
Coming into this year Ashley and Frank have moved on to other churches, this leaves us with a few holes on the sound side of things.
I have updated the schedule till June of this year, please take a look at it and let me know if it works for you. There are a few changes!
http://www.newhopechurch.ca/docs/schedule.php
If you know anyone who would be interested in joining our team, please talk to them or introduce them to me.
Also I have to be away on March 7th, if anyone could take an extra shift to help Jason out please let me know.

Sound people, please scroll down the schedule and review the band you will be working with for the coming months, there have been some changes to the teams.

Video guys, I have put your names on the schedule, but continue to work with each other to cover the dates we need. I will try to post when we don't need video coverage.

Multimedia, I'm looking for a volunteer to help me review some different software for presentation, this is part of a grant that we can apply for in April, but before that happens we need to decide if it would be better to move in a computer based presentation solution or continue to upgrade hardware (example new DVD player, new switcher). Let me know if your interested.

Everyone, if you have any thoughts on what might need to be upgraded or fixed please let me know. This includes the way we setup and organize things, I would love to hear any of your ideas.

Thankyou all for your efforts in tech at NHC,
Keith

Gym heat, winters here...

2009-10-15T20:03:00.000-06:00

Since we are in to the cold weather already I thought I would share a little info on the gym heat.
The gym has 2 furnaces, the on/off controls are in the kitchen, thermostats on the walls.
The kitchen controls are labeled front and back, each control has 2 switches.
Please make sure the controls are always switched to "winter", then to turn the blowers on switch to "on".
If the controls are set to summer, the system reverts to AC and also pulls in air directly from outside, for winter this is bad...
To get heat, turn the wall thermostats up until the red light comes on.
Please turn both units on first thing in the morning, when it gets too hot on stage, turn the front unit off, but leave the back unit on all the time.
As people start to come in alot of cold air comes in with them and having the back unit on all the time helps to make it more comfortable.

Thanks,
Keith

Multimedia connections

2009-10-07T12:55:00.002-06:00

As most of you have experienced we use a 2 screen, 2 projector setup for most of our services. For the most part I have been less than happy with the quality of images we get with our current wiring. Ghosting of the image is the most common issue, and a general lack of sharpness on the second projector in line.
The wiring will now be as follows;
Multimedia station - Cat5 - Cat5 converter - VGA - Splitter
< VGA to projector1
VGA 25' to projector 2

I have shortened up the 2nd VGA and it will have to run across the front of the stage to reach.
We tried it this past week and I thought the images looked crisper with no ghosting.
Let me know what you think as we give this a try.
Thanks,
Keith

Fall '09 Update

2009-08-26T20:38:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again! Please check out the proposed fall schedule to see if you are able to make the dates listed.
http://www.newhopechurch.ca/docs/schedule.php
Let me know if you need to change your level of commitment, try a new area or just want to move on.
We are short a few people, especially for sound, so if you know anyone who would want to get involved please introduce them to me.
The time commitment is as follows;
One time every 4 weeks (minimum)
Sound 8 am to end of cleanup.
Multimedia 8:45 until multimedia is cleaned up.
Video 9:30, usually done by the end of the service.

Thanks to everyone who covered the summer shifts, and I hope you all had a great summer!

Congrats to Kenton and Karyn, on the birth of a new baby girl, Julia Winslow Buit! She was delivered at 2:02 a.m. on July 29th.(only 6 days overdue!) She weighed in at 9lbs 1.5oz. Everything went well and baby and mom are happy and healthy.

Training
If you would like to learn more about the area you are serving please talk to me. We can setup some individual training times or work out some specialized training from an outside provider, it really is up to you!

Thanks for giving of your time and talents!
Keith

Spring Update '09

2009-06-03T08:44:00.002-06:00

BarBQue Saturday June 20
Hey it is that time of year, the annual tech and worship BarBQue is Saturday June 20 starting at 4 pm (food at 5 pm). The best food by the best cooks (Keith and Gary) for the best volunteers at NHC.
This is a great time to connect with others as we give thanks for another year. We will be at Keith's house 2719 - 49 St SW, bring your favorite beverage and a chair and we do the rest. If you need transport or directions please call me at 403.247.3195, letting us know your coming would be good too! Families and good friends welcome!

Summer Schedule http://www.newhopechurch.ca/docs/schedule.php
Please check the online schedule for when you are up, we are running short handed this summer, so every time you are up is important. There are a number of special services this summer you need to know about! Anyone who is available on June 21, July 19,Aug 2, Aug 23 to help with setup (8am start) and cleanup, please let me know. You don't have to know how to operate anything but the extra help would be great.

Other tech news

Congrats to Jason ans Jessica who were married May 31.

Tim and Mark are headed off to new challenges, thanks for all the effort you have put into tech at NHC, you will be missed.

We welcome Scott and Zaak to the team, please get to know them and help them out with how we do things.

System Upgrades

Thanks to a grant for technology we were able to upgrade our lighting controller, the new unit is a Lightronics TL-5024. It has a greater range of programming, music follow, DMX operation plus other features. Read up on it at http://www.lightronics.com/pdfs/tl5024m.pdf

In April we were asked by the kids ministry to expand the paging system to the upstairs area, at the same time we are going to expand the video coverage to the same area. As we needed to shuffle some of our monitors about we ended up revising the multimedia setup. ( more info can be found http://www.newhopechurch.ca/docs/multimedia2009.pdf )

This summer one of the goals is to revise the recording system storage box, hopefully making it easier and quicker to setup. A secondary goal is to make it the primary mixer for smaller setups, those would be one person services, small bands. If you are interested in helping with this project please let me know.

Thanks again for serving at NHC,
Keith

Lighting Upgrade and training April 4

2009-03-25T11:14:00.002-06:00

Hi,
The year is flying by and this is my first update of '09.
New Hope has been granted a tech upgrade grant for 2009, this $1000 grant is to purchase new tech equipment for use in Sunday services and programs (not for computers or parts).
Since we had to stay within the $1000 limit we decided to replace our aging lighting board (circa '98), which has a few bad faders and has had 1 major over hall already.
The old board will become available to the community center as they have asked to use our lighting for various events.
The new board is from the same manufacturer, Lightronics. This model TL-5024 ( http://www.lightronics.com/consoles_tl.html ) is very similar to the existing unit except it has a more flexible programming section.
The board can be setup to run a service without using the faders, moving between one "scene" to another with the touch of a button.
It also can be programmed and run the same as the existing board.
I have attached the manual to this email for those who want to get familiar with it.
On Saturday April 4 from 9 to 11am, I will be in the gym running tests with this board, if you can please come down to learn how it operates.
I will have coffee and treats on hand for those who let me know they are coming!

Thanks for all of the hard work you do at NHC in tech,
Keith

November Update

2008-11-26T11:54:00.001-07:00

Hi,
In and Out
Chris Groot is starting a new job in the U.S. in Jan. and will be moving on from the tech team. Chris started out in multimedia back in 2005, moving on to help with sound in 2007. We will miss you Chris!
Welcome to James Bootsma, James will be starting in Jan. on recording. He is currently an engineering student at U. of C.

Training
The next Sat. morning training time is Dec. 13. Please let me know if there is something you want to work on, otherwise we will be doing equipment maintenance from 9 to 11. This time is also open as an orientation to new people interested in the tech team.

Nursery
We have switched from the old individual pagers to a wall mounted display, we are responsible to make sure it is setup each Sunday and working. You may have to show the nursery caregivers how to use the system. If you don't know how please ask me. It is no longer necessary to plugin the cart in the storage room for charging.

Nursery Video
A TV now sits on the recording rack, it is there to help us setup the nursery video feed, for now the nursery video feed is coming from the pinhole camera. Connect the video cable from the back of the recording rack to the wall, check the aim of the camera with the small TV, then check it in the nursery area. Whoever is on recording should check this. We eventually hope to have a better camera at this location. The main camera is only connected to the system if we want live video feed to the screens (IMAG), this is still done through the VCR.
Multimedia
A second DVD player has been added to the system to help us during crunch times, the computer monitor must be put down on the bottom shelf as it will not clear the lid.

Mixer layout
For next month or two we will be trying a new mixer layout. All of the lower stage and multimedia sources will be located to the left of the center output section, all of the band will be located to the right. In addition to help with recording the submixes will be changed as follows. Submix 1 for multimedia,lower stage Submix 2 Drums\Bass Submix 3 Instruments Submix 4 Vocals.
In January we will see if this is a good arrangement and what other changes would be helpful.

Budget
We have applied again for the tech grant (last we bought the white projector with this money). If we receive the funds again we will be looking at a new lighting controller. Any feedback on this would be helpful.

Thanks for all of your hard work on tech at NHC,
God Bless
Keith

Free Tim's Coffee

2008-09-23T21:31:00.001-06:00

One Saturday morning per month I will be going in to do maintenance on equipment (only time we have access outside of Sunday). If anyone has time to help or wants to learn more about how the gear works we can setup equipment and do training based on who shows up. An example would be learning how to use the audio multitrack system, practice recording and editing. Or learning more about how the lighting system is wired and trouble shooting problems. Video camera operation. Multimedia system wiring and troubleshooting. Sound system control (EQ, crossovers,compression).
Dates are
Sat. Oct 11 - 9 to 11 am (Long weekend, but it is a busy month!)
Sat. Nov. 8 - 9 to 11 am
Sat. Dec. 13 - 9 to 11 am

If you let me know you are coming I will have Tim's on hand!
Keith

Tech Update for September

2008-09-04T22:02:00.001-06:00

Hi, hope everyone had a great summer!

The fall schedule is up so please check it out and let me know if there are dates that don't work for you.
http://www.newhopechurch.ca/docs/schedule.php

This coming Monday Sept. 8, I have booked some time to do some repair to one of our burnt out lights and modify some of the wiring so we don't need to use ladders any more.
If anyone has time to help in the gym at 12:30 to 1:30 or from about 6 to 8 pm, please let me know.

The dual screen project has been underway for a few weeks now, if you have any feedback about how it looks or works (good or bad), we really need to hear about it.

Thanks for giving of your time and talents to the tech team @NHC.

Keith

Sunday morning setup

2008-08-19T11:08:00.004-06:00

We are now into a 4 week trial of a new setup with 2 projectors.

Please setup the multimedia system as follows;
Multimedia Startup

1. Mount projectors on stands
2. Run power to Right projector from wall outlet on top of stage stairs
3. Run VGA cable and power cable from Right projector to Left
4. Run VGA cable from Right projector to multimedia cart
5. Power on all units on multimedia cart
6. Power on projectors Right then Left
7. Send an image and align projectors

Shut down

1. Turn off projectors to cool down
2. Save power-point as jpegs for video
3. Wind up all cables and store in multimedia (please no elbow wrapping)
4. Pack away projectors
5. Pack away multimedia

Wiring Diagram for 2 projector setup.

Audio Recording

2008-06-06T14:30:00.002-06:00

I need a bit of help with getting more consistant audio recordings.
The feed from the recording mixer goes to the computer and the video camera, this recording is what ends up on the internet. Do to compression of files to mp3 some of the sound quality is lost, that is why the better the original copy the better the end result. Does it matter? In the first 4 months of 2008 we had over 15,000 downloads of mp3's and 20,000+ views of online video. We have been transfering over 100gig of files each month.

Like this comment;

Hi Pastor John,
Maybe you’ll remember my family and me – you came to our house to baptize our son last August in West Calgary, with our friends and family gathered around our living room. I only wish we could be at church in person more often – Zach’s napping every Sunday at 10:10, so for now, we listen online. (Thanks for having that feature on your website by the way – kudos to your web designer)

I’ve just listened to the sermon about the Lall tragedy from Sunday. I was so moved and so truly appreciate your message at such a deep level, I felt compelled to email and thank you. Your words give the freedom to grieve, to feel, to question at a time when, though I don't know the Lalls or the Bowermans personally, I'm deeply struck by the situation...

The following would help.
-use the direct send for the pastor, then stereo house send for DVD, announcments
-get a level check on the pastor for recording (so we don;t miss the first few words)
-mute the band and other unused channels when the pastor is speaking, on both the main board (just stereo sends) and on the recording mixer (sub groups will work fine). Don't unmute them until they are done.
-keep the recording peaks around -3db
-make sure reverb and audioence mics are not in with the pastor mic
-save a single copy of the service as a .wav file (in addition to the tracks)

Thanks for your help with this and all of the time and energy you put into this ministry.
Keith

Multimedia Setup Procedure

2008-06-06T14:29:00.001-06:00

We have been having a few problems getting a signal to the new projector, to narrow down weather this is a cable problem or a startup problem please follow these steps.
Also FYI, there is a blue cat5 cable stored on the left side of the rolling storage unit, that cable is 150' long and is used if the plugin system fails. If the convertor fails then you need to connect the VGA out from the switcher to the projector directly.

1. Make sure all units are off, including the projector.
2. Connect all cables (power and data)
3. Start computer, VCR and DVD
4. After computer boots, start Kramer switcher
5. Send an image to the screen for algning the screen
6. Start projector and align (if using 2 projectors start the left unit first (white) then the right (grey).
7. Please make sure the projectors are strapped down after aligning.
7. Shut down, projector first to allow it to cool down.

thanks for your help in sorting this out,
Keith

Tech/Worship Bar B Que

2008-05-13T09:29:00.004-06:00

The best BarBQue of the year!
Yes, we want you to come and share some some food with the people you've been volunteering with all year.
When: Saturday May 31 - 5 pm
Where: Keith's house
What: We supply the food and the tunes, you bring the drinks and chairs
Who: Anyone involved in tech or worship, plus their families or special friends.

Please RVSP to keith@newhopechurch.ca

April Update

2008-04-30T23:08:00.001-06:00

Hey, it's a tech update!

With the completion of the new stage we move on a step in our upgrading program.
Next up;

Lighting refocus and rewire.
The next time we could get in would be Monday May 12, starting at noon and going till 10 pm.
If anyone can help during this time please let me know, even if it is only for an hour or so.
The work involves setting up the scaffolding in the afternoon, running some new cable, relamping several lights, changing gels and refocusing lights on the new stage.
If no one is available to help I will have to set another date, so let me know as soon as you can.

Sound news;

The good people at the info table have noticed that people are not taking tapes, for this reason we are putting an official end to cassette tape making.
This will change our recording procedure some what.
What I propose is the following (and welcome your input)

1. We start one cassette per week as a backup to the computer.
2. We record only to the end of the songs after the message (except for baptisms).
3. We make one audio disk per week that will be displayed at the info table, and try to have it there before the service ends.
4. We make other disks by request.
5. Get everyone up to speed on multitrack recording of the songs only (to allow for a future worship CD)

Volunteers

Thanks to those who helped with the volunteer table on community Sunday. We are still are still short in a few spots on Sunday in lighting, video and sound. If you know someone who might fit the position give them a little nudge in my direction.

Spring Tech/worship barbeque

Coming soon in late May or early June, best barbeque of the season (IMHO)

Thanks for all you guys do,
Keith

March madness

2008-03-20T21:02:00.001-06:00

Hi and Happy Easter!

I realized that I am far behind on my updates, sorry about that life has been very busy.

Some things that are coming up.

New front stage
Saturday March 29 - 8 till noon, is a work time in the gym to change over the old front stage to a new setup. We will be building a new stage on the rolling storage carts. We need help that day to move equipment off the carts and back on again. We will also have to move and setup the old stage upstairs for use with coffee houses, etc.

Other projects coming up.

Dual screen Sundays and Powerpoint upgrades.
John would like to see us rearrange the Sunday morning setup. This would see the front stage moved out from the upper stage about 8 feet, the chairs would then be angled in from both sides to the point where people are almost facing each other. This would put the person on the lower stage more in the middle of the people. the goal being to creat a more intimate setting in a very large space. The angle of the chairs would require two screens to be setup everytime we do this. To this end NHC recieved a grant for technology and a donation that enabled us to purchase a second projector that is similar to the first one. In addition we have the old screen that can be used as a second screen (as long as we don't open it the whole way!) We have test run one Sunday with 2 screens and discovered a few problems. I would like to do another test setup, probally on a Saturday night right after bingo (around 10 pm), just to get the kinks out. In addition to running 2 projectors, there are some changes to the placement of sound speakers and additions to electrical wiring. At this time we should upgrade the powerpoint software also as the new interface makes it easier to see what slides are coming up (the lower screens are harder to see during songs). we may also have to alter our layout of tech gear so the media people have a better view of the stage.

Lighting rewiring and refocus
We would like to do this as soon as we can after the stages are completed and the dual screen setup is finalized. I will let you know of a couple of different dates for this, no experience needed with lights. We need to refocus the lights in order to cover the new stage location, a few color changes and some relamping.

Thankyou for giving your time and talents to the NHC tech team,
Keith

Multimedia in the New Year

2008-01-10T12:04:00.001-07:00

On Sunday Jan 20, I would like to do a demo with Powerpoint 2007. This is an upgrade for this year that will allow us to have better control over what we do. If we could spend about 15 minutes trying it out right after the service that would give me a better idea on weather it is worth the expense.

Another change to keep in mind for this year is we will be doing more formatting of songs before the service on Sunday morning. This is to give a themeatic view to the songs for each Sunday. We are trying to rework the songs into a black and white format that you can then add the background to. Please make sure when reformatting songs that the words remain in the top 2/3's of the screen so they can be seen from the back. We will remain using the font "Veranda 32 pt" for visual clarity, with a shadow or bolded when needed. When adding the images it is better to set them as a background so they don't move on you as an image placement would.

As multimedia techs you are an important part of leading worship, making the songs easy to read, staying one or two words ahead of the people singing gives life to what the band is doing on stage.

Last thing for a little more visual appeal in the messages, please add the medium fade transition to all slides. This is not necessary in the song slides.

Thanks giving your time and talents to this ministry,
Keith

Merry Christmas

2007-12-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Hi and Merry Christmas!
Gary has made some major changes to his teams for 2008, ( for new bands see bottom of schedule )
This also changes our schedule a bit. Please take the time to have a look.
Starting in 2008, each time you are up you should see the same bands, hopefully this will help us to get to know the bands better.
Also one of the goals for 2008 is to have everyone on sound able to run the main board, the recording system on single and multitrack.
If you havn't had much of chance to work in one area please take the time to shadow a person for a couple of Sundays, this will make it easier to get started.
If enough people are interested we can run some Sat. morning setups with the sound system for more practice. Please let me know what Sat. will work for you in '08.

it has been great serving with all of you,
Keith

Upcoming

2007-10-16T10:14:00.000-06:00

Oct 26 - coffee house
The first coffee house of the season is coming up, if you would like to try your hand at mixing audio in a different setting or can help with setting up lighting and audio please let me know.
keith@newhopechurch.ca

Nov. 7 - training night
Anyone interested in learning more about multitrack audio recording, video editing, or using the video camera the next hands on night will be Wednesday, November 7 at the church office at 7 pm. There will be two groups, one for video and one for audio. There will be a worship team practice that we can use for capturing multitrack audio. Video people can work on editing some of the existing footage that we have or capture some new stuff.

Audio & Video Night

2007-09-04T10:03:00.000-06:00

Wednesday - September 5 - 7 pm
I would like to try an audio and video training night once per month this fall. This will be a chance to work with our multitrack audio recording setup with the band. Also to try out some new things in video editing. Sorry for the short notice but I will post the next session sooner.
Keith

It's a new year!

2007-08-11T14:43:00.000-06:00

At NHC the new year begins every September, late in August we have to submit our requests for the upcoming budget year. A bunch of thoughts tumble around in my head as I look at this task. What do we really need? What will make it easier for techs to do the best job they can with the least amount of stress? What would help to engage the people who attend, help them grow in their faith.
To that end I would like to hear from you.
Your comments help me and the leadership team plan a budget for the coming year.
To do this please list the area you serve in.
-Audio (house and band mix)
-Lighting
-Audio Recording
-Video
-Multimedia projection
Then an answer to these questions;
1. What would be one piece of equipment that we could upgrade or purchase the make us more effective?
2. If there is a way in how we setup or house equipment that could be done better?
3. If there is training, labeling or procedures that would help you what would it be?

Thanks,
Keith

June 9 - Tech and Worship Bar B Que

2007-05-27T13:31:00.000-06:00

Hey, it is the annual tech and worship Bar B Que coming up Saturday June 9 at around 5 pm at Keith's house. This is a small way for Gary and I to say thank you for all your efforts throughout the year. So join us for some great food, talk to the people you serve with all year, we would really like to see you out for this!

CBC News Calgary - Tech in Church

2007-04-18T12:26:00.000-06:00

Hey we were in the news,check it out.

Quicktime Link to video

Spring Cleaning

2007-04-16T13:23:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy time at New Hope as we move further into the realm of video. Thanks for your efforts to keep things running during this crazy time. In no particular order here are some stuff that has happened in the last 6 weeks.
Setup
Jason made a suggestion that we setup the recording facing the front of the gym, last week we tried it out and are going to stick with it. This puts everyone in a row facing the front. I think it improves communication, but keep in mind if we talk too much it is easily overheard in the back rows of the seating. Also if you have time lend a hand to get the divider curtain setup, it creates a nice area for us to work in!
Maintenance in May Saturday morning, date TBA
-painting and repairing of the gear cases, repairs to power and audio cables, re-geling\focusing lights
Bar B Que
-annual food fest will be at Keith's house this year, early in June
Lighting
-upgrades to house lighting in the gym, late June
-stage lighting now has connection cables and power cables designated for only the floor lights, get Dan or Keith to show you how to set it up
For Sale, surplus and unused gear!
-8x4 digital multitrack recording system, win98 only
-100'- 16x4 channel audio snake
-Fender 16 channel mixing board
-Stereo 2 way crossover
-2 double sided cassette recording decks
-Linksys 4 port wireless router
-Linksys 4 port switcher
-12 - par56 300watt bulbs (used)
Video
-We are setup and rolling with video on one camera now.
-An edit area has been setup in the offices upstairs, if you want to know more talk to Brandon who is coordinating this effort
New Web Site
-Sheldon and Silas continue to plug along on what will be a beautiful interface for the church to interact with the online world

Recording Mixer Round Two

2007-03-19T09:48:00.000-06:00

Hi!
Well we are on to another round of recording mixer testing, this time with a Mackie Onyx 1640 (detailed info)

Please take some time to review this mixer before it is your turn to use it. We have the optional firewire card that will allow us to multitrack the music portions of the service. This mixer will need to deliver audio to the recording computer and the video camera, so getting a good recording becomes doubly important! One of the reasons for choosing this mixer was it's ability to work with PC or Mac systems, and since we are getting a Mac video editing computer it allows us to have really good recordings for video. We are also planning to use an external harddrive system when we do the recording making it easier to transfer infomation around. It is a small format mixer making it portable enough to use for coffee houses and other events. If we stay with this mixer the plan is to sell the existing setup for the coffee house, if you know anyone who would be interested in the Fender mixer and it's (vintage windows 98) 8 track recording system, please let me know. It is a 16 channel mixer, with all channels working, it is not very portable, weighing close to 100 lbs.

Thanks for all of your efforts!
Keith

Recording Mixer Upgrades

2007-02-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

One of the things on the to do list before we move to full time video is to upgrade the way we capture and record the audio portion of our services. A couple of reasons are behind this. One is having seperate control over what goes to the camera for audio. The other is to have a more flexable mixer for the coffee houses upstairs. Since neither of the existing mixers fit the bill, we decided to sell 2 and get one! So far there are 3 mixers that fit the amount of $$ available and provide us with at least 16 channels, while still remaining semi portable. We hope to rent and test drive each of these in order to make a decision that we can live with.
Some other changes we have made are updating the connections from the main mixer. There are now 15 direct out lines that can be patched to any channel or subgroup. In addition there is a stereo feed from the house mix and a dedicated channel for an audience mic off of snake channel 16.
These are the mixers we are considering, all are analog as the existing digital mixers are a couple of thousand out of our price range. Each of these mixers are basic 20 to 24 input channels, 6 sub groups and 4 sub mixes.
Allen & Heath GL2400
Additional features are 4 segment metering on each channel, direct outs for recording to multitrack, 2 stereo channels, 4 band EQ
Mackie Onyx
Additional features are 4 segment metering on each channel, direct outs for recording to multitrack, there is also a built in compressor, 2 stereo channels, 4 band EQ
Yamaha MG
Additional features are 2 built in effects channels, 4 stereo channels, 2 band EQ.
In Feb. we rented this mixer and have discovered the following. Difficult to get "warm" sound from Pastor John, overall the bass response from this mixer is weak. The sound to the headphones distorts very easily, also the level between the main mix and pfl (solo) will blow your ears off if you are not careful.

Saturday Mornings

2007-01-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

Hi and welcome to 2007!!

In the on going quest to keep things from falling apart, share tech info and upgrade equipment, I am going to be at the church gym 1 Saturday morning per month from Jan. to June, 9 to 11 am.

Saturday is the only day when the gym is not in use and so the easiest to get work done or haul out the equipment to practice. The first Sat. for this is Jan 13, I know it is a little quick, but there is some labeling to do and I want to touch up the paint on some of the boxes.Let me know if you can be there or have something you want to learn about, this month or in the future.

Thanks,Keith

Multimedia Audio Changes

2006-12-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
I'm looking for some ideas for our multimedia audio connections. The current setup has the DVD player with split audio to the main mixer and to the cue LCD so the multimedia people can hear their clips to cue them. The computer, VCR and laptop run through a small mixer then are split out to the main mixer and cue LCD.
The problem is the small mixer is failing and overloads easily causing really nice clipping of the audio going through it (and there are no adjustments!)

I have so far come up with 2 solutions.

1. Directly connect all of the multimedia to the main mixer,give them a subgroup (take one from the band) then return the signal to the multimedia cue LCD from the subgroup so the multimedia people can hear their cues.
Pro's - direct connections have less hum and noise, cheap ($20 for wiring), groups all media for recording
Con's - loose 2 more channels on the main mixer and one subgroup

2. Replace the mini mixer with another mini mixer that is better.
Pro's - takes up less channels on the main mixer, gives the multimedia people more control
Con's - costs more (300-500), may add noise to the mix because another device is in the signal path

What do you think?
Any input is welcome,

Thanks,
Keith

December update

2006-11-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
Well here we go into the busy Christmas season!

Dec. 22 Coffee House
-this event has over 5 groups performing upstairs (7:30-9:30 pm), if anyone would like to mix this event please let me know. I can get it setup and running but need someone to mix and cleanup!
Lighting
-we are in the process of adding a dimmer for the stage area (for use upstairs also), right now the wiring is kind patchy, ok it is a hack job until we can get up into the ceiling and do it right. There will be a diagram left with the lighting controler and the stage dimmer. Basicly it requires the stage dimmer to be connected to channels 1 and 2 on the snake.
Schedule
-I have begun work on the 2007 schedule right until June 30, as usual please let me know of changes you need! http://www.newhopechurch.ca/docs/sundaysched.htm
Nursery Cart
-the wiring is finished in the nursery area, but in order for the pagers to work we to plug them in at 8 am (first thing to do each Sunday!)
Decorations
-each week will have people helping with Christmas decor, please leave an extra inch of space on the inside of the lip of the stage for garland and lights

Wishing you all a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!

Keith

New People

2006-10-18T10:41:00.000-06:00

Welcome Tim Nauta to the sound team. Tim's a guy you can pick on for computer problems also, but for now we have him chained down to the recording mixer!
Keith

Subs

2006-10-11T20:30:00.000-06:00

Mmmm subs
Ok, we have been messing with the subwoofers for the past few months, some of the issues we were trying to deal with were, low feedback from pastors mic, muddy vocal sounds, lack of thump from bass guitar and drums. I believe we have settled on a solution for now that seems to work well.
Mix
What we have done is place the subs on their own post fader mix, simular to a mix used for reverb. This gives us complete control over what gets into the subs and what doesn't. Leaving the aux set to post fader allows you to control the level of both the mid/high speakers and the sub with the channel fader. What goes in a sub? Kick drum and bass guitar, keyboards for sure, the rest is optional. The accoustics in the gym do not tolerate long sustained bass, since clairity is already poor it is best to limit what goes into the subs.
Setup
For the aux subs we are using a separate crossover and EQ, the DBX digital system controls the upper mid/high speakers. The original setup still exists and can be used if you don't see a need for seperate control over the subs, an example would be if we were showing a movie.
The signal chain is as follows;
Input Channel - Mix 10 - Peavey EQ - Samson crossover - snake send - left side of QSC amp -mono send to subs
Operation
This is my own personal way of setting up mixes.YMMV
Get the stage, monitors and band happy with their mix.
Check through all gains for clipping and low signals, noise from DI's
Adjust mic and monitor placement.
Listen
Get the band to turn down what is too loud....
Add vocals and EQ
Add guitar and keyboards and EQ
Add extras (brass,flute,chello)
Add drums and bass
Get out and walk around the room, adjust speaker placement as necessary.
Learn each song, what needs to be turned up or down.
Enjoy

Keith

Link for detailed info on aux subs

On the fly with powerpoint

2006-10-11T20:19:00.000-06:00

This past weekend John was quizzing the audience about their Thanksgiving thoughts. He wanted a live update as people shouted out their answers. So we froze the slide show and typed in the answers and then re posted it on the screen, it was ok but (as Jason pointed out) seemed a little staged. Turns out there is a better way to do this. While the show is running you can type in (or add images) on the fly. Just leave the presenter view running and return to the slide, start editing and the changes you make will appear on the screen as you make them.
Keith

Video

2006-10-07T20:48:00.000-06:00

On various Sundays, Brandon will be around videoing the services. We are trying out a few different ideas for recording the services and posting to the web site. Right now it is very low profile as no money has been commited to the project. Anyone having an interest in helping run a camera (once we get one) please let me know.
Thanks,
Keith

New People

2006-10-07T20:46:00.000-06:00

Please welcome Kenton to the multi media team. You will also see his wife, Karen playing keyboard with team B on Sundays.

Nursery Video and Paging

2006-10-07T20:36:00.000-06:00

As most of you know we have had a TV setup in the nursery for some time now. The parents using it have asked to update it so that there is a clearer picture and better sound. One of the changes I am trying is different camera positions in the gym. It also looks like we have to abandon the wireless feed as there is too much interferance with the signal (doesn't like going through walls). We have also purchased a wireless paging system for paging parents to the nursery. All of this is going to be installed onto a cart so that there is only one plug to attach each Sunday. To help with this we need to do some high level wireing with the beloved scaffold, if anyone can help on Sat. Oct. 14 from 9 to 11 please let me know.
Keith