Introduction
This guide is aimed to help you with the setting up and operation of the PA Equipment owned by The Rock Church Stratford. If you have any questions please see the Production Team Leader
The equipment is stored in two locations within the community center and consists of:
Tech cupboard in Main Room:
2 x H|H TNX-1201 Mid Top Speakers
2 x H|H TRS-15A Subwoofers (on a wheel board)
1 x Flight Case Rack (contains desk)
1 x Projector Screen Flight Case
1 x Large Tool Chest style case with retractable handle & wheels (mic leads & power)
1 x Smaller tool case (attached to top of large tool case)
Loft:
1 x Mic Stand Bag - long black & yellow with mic stands & speaker poles
3 x Music Stands - currently not needed
1 x square small padded black bag - contains 4 x LED square up-lighters
2 x rectangular padded black bags - contains 4 x long LED up-lighters
1 x Projector
1 x Projector stand
2 x Cable covers -black & yellow
Laptop bag:
Visuals laptop
Zoom laptop
Sound iPad
Batteries for microphone
iPhone (x2)
Other church items including kids toys, communion supplies and banners are also stored in the attic.
No additional equipment or church supplies are to be stored in the tech cupboard, we have specific permissions regarding space occupied and equipment stored in the cupboard.
[storage space cupboards]
Setup - Desk
Move the chairs from the wall and set up a table to the right of the plug sockets, with the short end against the wall. Tables can be found in the right hand cupboard on the opposite side of the room.
[chair/wall/table]
Place the rack on the table. Take the front and rear sections off and place out of the way.
Detach the small tool case from the large one and place the small case on top of the desk.
Run a 6 plug extension lead from the plug socket to underneath the table. Plug the desk into the extension lead - you should find the plug tucked into the back of the rack. Turn the plug on, the desk should turn on automatically.
From the large tool case, place the scarlett box (black fabric case) and headset mic (black plastic case) on the table.
Setup - Speakers
Place the subwoofers on the floor in the positions shown.
[sub placement]
Screw the speaker poles into the top of the subs.
[speaker poles -or have an item guide with photos section]
Place the top speakers onto the poles. Orientate the speakers so they are facing forwards.
[photo]
Ensure all of the chairs have been moved away from the wall and out of the stage area before continuing. (With the exception of the chairs on the left side of the desk).
Speaker Cables
Note when we refer to left and right speaker this is left and right hand side as you are facing the stage/front.
Place a cable cover behind each speaker.
Run power to the speakers (red extension reels).
Plug the subwoofers and top speakers into the extension leads using the kettle leads (IEC cables) in the tool chest style case. Do not turn the speakers on yet.
Use the 2 longest XLR cables with purple caps to patch from rack to subwoofers.
‘Main L’ on the desk connects to input ‘Left’ on the left Subwoofer - shorter cable.
‘Main R’ on the desk connects to input ‘Left’ on the right Subwoofer (yes input Left) - longest cable.
Use the 2 short link XLR cables with purple caps to connect from the Sub to the Top Speaker:
High Pass Output Left on the Sub connects to input 1 on the Top Speaker.
Check the desk is turned on.
Turn on the extension leads to the speakers at the wall. Turn on the subwoofer, then turn on the top speaker (Do not turn the top speaker on until the sub is on).
You should not need to adjust the settings on the back of the speakers but see the previous photos for their usual positions.
Setup - Projector & Screen
Place the projector stand against the wall, to the left of the central pillar.
Place the projector on the stand and plug in using an extension lead with the kettle lead in the projector case.
Run the HDMI cable from the projector to the table, plugging into the HDMI 2 port in the projector.
[projector stand and HDMI 2 port]
Screen
In the flight case:
1 x tripod
1 x tablet stand
2 x screen (though ignore the one attached to the lid)
1 x screen frame
2 x screen legs
1 x bag of bolts
In the center of the stage area:
Ensure there is plenty of space.
Lay the screen frame out on the floor and extend all four sides until snapped/locked straight.
Snap the clips in each corner into place (see photos)
Use 2 bolts on each leg to attach the legs to the frame [specify height]. [specify correct side of frame]
With 2 people, flip the frame over.
Remove the rear projection screen from it’s pouch and lay out in/over the frame, with the ‘celestron’ logo at the bottom. [description of front/rear] (Use the one that was on top of the frame, not the one attached to the lid of the flight case, which is for front projection).
Attach the screen to the frame using the press studs. Note that this can get quite arduous as you continue.
With 2 people, stand the screen frame up, extending the legs and locking into place.
Position the center of the screen in line with the projector lens.
Turn on the projector, it may take a minute to warm up. If the projector is turned off again you must wait for the bulb to cool down before turning the projector on again.
Aligning the screen
First, complete the Projector and the Laptop setup sections.
Left-Right alignment: make sure the center of the screen is in line with the lens of the projector.
Adjust the tilt of the projector stand until the blend grid is vertically centered in the projection area.
If the test pattern is smaller than the projection area [details], move the screen further away from the projector.
If the horizontal width of the test pattern is larger than the projection area, move the screen closer to the projector.
Aim to fill the width of the projection area, it is acceptable for the center of the top and bottom of the blend grid to be slightly outside the projection area as long as this is symmetrical/vertically centered.
You may need to re-adjust the projector.
If the left and right sides of the blend grid are both angled inwards (ie. The horizontal width of the blend grid is smaller at the top or bottom), adjust the keystone using the center top and bottom buttons on the projector until the sides are straight. The keystone may need adjusting again if the projectors tilt is changed.
Keep the projector stand next to the pillar but the projector may be shifted slightly on the stand if necessary.
Revisit steps 2-6 until all 4 corners of the blend grid are positioned symmetrically within the projection area and the grid lines appear straight.
On the visuals laptop, in ProPresenter, exit the blend grid.
10.1.Find a lyric slide with a reasonably long line of text and select to display on the screen.
10.2.View the screen from the center aisle or back of the room and verify that the text appears straight and in focus.
10.3.If necessary, adjust the focus using the focus dial on the projector - beware this dial is very sensitive and normally only slight movement is needed, if any. Recommend 2 people - one to adjust and one to observe and direct.
Setup - Camera for Live Stream
Set up camera tripod.
Place the tripod in front of the left hand side speaker and banner.
Place camera on mount. The camera is stored in the small tool case and screws onto the top of the tripod.
Take everything out of the Lindy cardboard box.
Plug the power cable into the extension lead under the desk, and into the Lindy box (usb b to cat 5e extender).
Connect the Lindy box to the zoom laptop with the usb b to usb c cable.
Hook the other Lindy box (cat 5e extender to usb) on the tripod and connect it to the camera using the usb to usb c cable.
Connect the two Lindy boxes using the network (ethernet) cable.
Open camera shutter using the slider on top of the camera.
Setup - Laptops
Place the media and zoom laptops on the table with the desk.
Plug the laptops into the extension lead under the table - Get the white laptop plugs from the large tool case and the white usb c cables from the small tool case.
Plug one usb c cable straight into the zoom laptop.
For the media laptop, connect the the other usb c power cable into the white usb c and HDMI dongle from the small case.
Locate the grey usb C cable in the back of the desk and plug into the zoom laptop.
Scarlett USB Audio Interface
Get out the scarlett usb audio interface and usb c cable from the small black case.
Use the usb C cable to connect the scarlett box to the media laptop.
Get the red and black jack cables from the back of the desk and plug into the scarlett box - red into the ‘right’ port and black into the ‘left’ port.
Visuals/Media Laptop
To log in select the user TRC Media and use password ‘media’.
Turn on the projector if not on already. It may take a minute to warm up. If the projector is turned off again you must wait for the bulb to cool down before turning the projector on again.
Plug the HDMI cable into the HDMI/USB C dongle and plug into one of the USB C ports on the laptop.
The projector should be detected automatically and the desktop background should appear on screen. If not, check HDMI cable is fully inserted into the HDMI 2 port on the projector and unplug and replug in the HDMI cable to the laptop.
Launch ProPresenter.
Enable the output by clicking on ‘Audience’ near the top right of the window. This should have a green dot by it when active and projector screen blank (black).
Go to the ‘View’ Menu and select ‘Test Patterns’.
[how to display test pattern]
Zoom Laptop
To log in use ‘zoom’.
Open AnkerWork - this app shows the feed from the camera.
Line the camera up so a person behind the lectern will be in the center of the image and the screen can be seen.
Open Audacity - this app records audio from the service.
Set the input and output sources to “Scarlett 18i20 USB”. Audio settings-recording device- Scarlett.
Set to record in ‘2 (Stereo)’.
Enable monitoring - if you don’t see a moving green bar whilst sound is playing through the speakers, check cables have been connected correctly.
Before the service starts, start recording.
Open Zoom - this app broadcasts live video of the service.
Start zoom after starting AnkerWorks or zoom won’t pick up the camera feed.
Under camera options, select Anker.
Check audio is set to Scarlett.
Turn on ‘original sound for musicians’ (top left of screen, click on the work off).
Check participant settings:
Click on ‘Participants’, then ‘more’.
Ensure the ‘Unmute Themselves’ & ‘Start Video’ options are un-ticked.
After pre-prayer:
Unmute the microphone.
Disable the waiting room. This will allow people to join the meeting. If anyone is already in the waiting room, you will need to manually allow them to join the meeting.
Setup - Microphones
The handheld microphone is stored in the small tool case.
Insert batteries. Batteries are kept in a case in the laptop bag.
Battery levels are shown on the display of the receiver.
[handheld mic, batteries, receiver]
If not attached yet, find the microphone holder clamp in the small tool case and attach to the leg of the lectern. If unfamiliar, test placing in and picking up the mic from the holder to verify it is in a position that is easy and comfortable to use.
Setup - Lights
Place one square LED up-lighter in front of the banners on the outside of the speakers. [photo]
The long LED up-lighters are placed against the back wall, in between the speaker and the screen (not behind the screen). Each bag contains one purple and one blue light (see stickers). Place the purple lights on the outside and blue on the inside.
Setup - Lectern
The lectern is stored in the large rectangular black bag. [bag photo]
Lectern Components:
1. Take the components out of the bag.
Slide the end of the tower with the slots onto the base (flat square section). The slots go over the bolts on the base, though you may need to loosen the bolts or manipulate the black discs to get the tower on. Once on, tighten the bolts.
Slide the top (slanted square section) onto the tower, with the lower end on the bolts side of the lectern. Secure as previously.
Use the middle bolts to adjust the height of the lectern.
Take the plastic shelf out of the bubble wrap. Secure to the RHS (as facing the congregation) of the lectern, leaving enough space to comfortably pick up a glass of water whilst standing.
Take the poster out of the cardboard sleeve and attach (velcro) to the front of the lectern.
Find the microphone holder clamp in the small tool case and attach to the left leg of the lectern. If unfamiliar, test placing in and picking up the mic from the holder to verify it is in a position that is easy and comfortable to use.
Running The Service - Sound
Running The Service - Visuals
Running The Service - Live Stream
Pack Down
If ministry is ongoing, people are praying, or chatting with the prayer team at the front/sides, be sure to give them plenty of space, including delaying packing down nearby equipment.
Do not allow chairs to be moved back into the stage area until the area is clear of cables and equipment, except for the speakers.
Service Close
If ministry is ongoing after service close, keep the [Ministry] pads running unless otherwise instructed. (Otherwise most commonly consists of keeping a specific worship track running instead.)
If there is no ministry, or ministry has come to a close, put the [track] pads on for background music whilst the congregation has refreshments. This can be skipped if there is a need to rush pack down.
Move any equipment that was with the team at the back to the tech desk. Usually, this is both iPads, iPad stand and the media iPhone.
End the Zoom meeting if still running.
[Save the sermon]
Retrieve the headset from the preacher (when convenient for them).
Pack Down
Turn off the projector. Allow the projector time to cool down before it is packed away.
Unscrew the Zoom camera from the tripod and put in the compartment in the small tool case. Pack down the tripod into its bag. Coil up the ethernet cable and place in the large tool case.
Pack away the Lindy components into their box.
Put the LED up-lighters away as they were, being careful not to touch power to the speakers.
Take down the stage banners.
Pack away the lectern (reverse the set up instructions).
Fade out the music using either the iPad or the desk.
Turn off the desk [instructions]. Once shutdown, turn off at the wall and unplug.
With the desk shut down, on the speakers themselves, turn off the top speakers first, then turn off the subs. Desk off, top speakers off, subs off, in that order.
Once the speakers are off, the extension leads can be turned off and unplugged from the wall.
Coil up cables and return to the containers they originated from.
Put the projector and it’s power lead in the projector bag. Coil up the HDMI cable and place in the large tool case.
[table]
Pack up the screen, use 2 people.
Ensure there is plenty of space
Whilst holding onto the frame, unlock the feet and set the screen down on it’s back.
Remove the screen material from the frame, fold along existing lines and place in its black fabric pouch.
Turn the screen frame over.
Unscrew the leg bolts and fold the legs whilst holding the button [photo].
Unlock the corner supports of the frame.
Fold the frame by using the buttons. [photos]
Take the top speakers off the poles. Unscrew the poles and put away in the long black and yellow bag. Stack the subwoofers onto the trolleyboard.