February 2020 Hot Topics
Gear, Resources, and Tools for your Ministry
This is our first in a monthly series where we will talk about our favorite gear, resources, and tools for audio, video, lighting, and team building. Each month, we will highlight one topic in each of these areas to help you better serve your team and congregation. We encourage you to comment on any of the things we highlight, especially if you have personal experience with them.
Roland V-Drum Acoustic Design Series
At Winter NAMM 2020, Roland introduced an amazing new digital drum set - the V-Drum Acoustic Design Series. It combines the look and feel of an acoustic drum set with the sound library and audio controls of an electric set. For those churches who want to get a drum set into their sanctuary but are concerned about the sound or needing to build a massive cage for the drummer, this new option from Roland gives you the best of both worlds. You don’t have to worry about a drum cage or expensive microphones for this set. Additionally, you don’t have to “tune” the drum heads on a regular basis and in those times where you need to change the sound, it’s very simple. The “brain” for this series is the TD-27, which allows you to connect multiple drums and cymbals to your system. What’s really got us excited about this system, though, is it also contains a 28-channel track recorder built in that you can connect to your computer via USB or use an SD-card for recording. However, it only has a stereo out and 2 direct outs, limiting your ability to send individual drums to your front of house audio for live sound. For many churches, this will be an investment (the starting MSRP is $3,999.99), but when you compare to an acoustic set, drum mics, and cage to contain it all, the cost is not unbearable, especially for the extras that you get from the Roland set.
PROS: Acoustic feel on drums and cymbals, SD Recorder and USB interface, looks like the real thing
CONS: Only 2 Direct Outs (and no XLR outs), higher cost compared to other similar digital drum sets
Check out the Roland V-Drum Acoustic Series model VAD506 and VAD503 at Sweetwater.
Blackmagic design ATEM Mini
Earlier this year, Blackmagic Design released it’s highly anticipated ATEM Mini Video Mixer. Originally designed with the gaming community in mind, it has been picked up by many who stream on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and more. However, one of the more unlikely groups to take advantage of the many broadcast features of the ATEM Mini are small- to medium-sized churches. This amazing little switcher packs a lot of features in for the really surprisingly low price of $295 MSRP! With 4 HDMI Inputs, 2 audio inputs (3.5mm stereo), an HDMI Output, and a USB-C Output to your computer, this switcher will handle just about anything you want to throw at it. If you have a static multi-camera setup with a presentation computer, you can combine all of those (including the ability to Chroma Key) and send it to your projector, computer, or streaming box with ease. Add in the free ATEM Software Control Panel to your Windows or Mac Computer and now you have full control over audio mixing, media library, and so much more.
PROS: Small and compact, very powerful for the price, very easy to use out of the box
CONS: No native multi-viewer/preview output, no SDI connectivity, no 4k support
You can purchase the Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini right now on Amazon!
How To Fix Your Church's Lighting Problems
from a blog post written by Jim Sweeney on www.boxcast.com:
Have you noticed that the lighting on your streams just doesn’t look as good as it does in person?
Some people would suggest to add more lights, but that can quickly become an expensive endeavor. Luckily, making adjustments to the fixtures and equipment that you already have can usually achieve the desired effect.
While your live streaming audience needs more light than your in-person audience does, you don’t want to distract those in attendance by making them sit under hot lights or cluttering your church with light stands.
The goal, of course, is to provide the best experience for both audiences.
Jim goes on to discuss seven common problems (and solutions) that many churches face with lighting:
1) Faces In The Shadow
2) The Image Is Too Dark Or Too Light
3) There Are Dark Spots On The Stage
4) The Lights Are Different Colors
5) The Sunlight Is Overwhelming
6) There's No Separation Between People And The Background
7) Faces Disappear When People Turn Their Heads
We highly recommend reading the full blog post and finding ways to improve your lighting for both your live audience and your streaming audience. While you are at it, if you are interested in streaming your church services, check out what BoxCast can do for you.
The Volunteer Project: Stop Recruiting, Start Retaining
a book by Darren Kizer, Christine Kreisher, and Steph Whitacre
When it comes to volunteers and our team culture, one of the biggest struggles we have is finding new volunteers and keeping the ones that are already there. So often, we as leaders unintentionally look at our volunteers as commodities (people who do things for us) instead of valuable people that we can serve as their leader. This book takes leaders on a journey to recognize their team as God-created individuals with gifts and talents that want to serve the body of believers (not you, the leader). Instead, it teaches us as leaders 4 strategies for improving our relationship with our team and thus creating a culture where those that serve continue to serve and draw others in who want to be part of the culture. Understanding the four strategies (Celebrate their significance, Provide first-class support, Fuel meaningful connections, and Empower their passions) will set you up to be a true servant leader and find that your culture will encourage your team not only when they are serving, but also when they are not. Just imagine what it would be like to have a team like this.
PROS: Simple to read, effective and practical tools and examples, walk away feeling empowered as a leader to help your team succeed
CONS: The Zero Recruitment Model (ZRM) Survey mentioned in the book is no longer available at this time
You can get The Volunteer Project: Stop Recruiting, Start Retaining on Amazon right now!