Audio System Line out has distortion/clipping

[EarloftheWest]

I am thinking this:
https://www.amazon.com/AAOTOKK-Adaptado ... B07V4XFLMM
or this:
https://www.amazon.com/Kingtop-adaptado ... B01I3A47I4
or anything similar to these.

Yeah, based on what you've said in your other post, the above looks right.
Are you just going to use a standard web cam?

[drepouille]

I just use a Logitech C922. The microphones seem to pick up the person speaking at the podium just fine, with a little room noise (such as babies crying). I am trying to decide whether to stick with that, or to switch to wired audio from the chapel sound system.

[russellhltn]

The microphones seem to pick up the person speaking at the podium just fine, with a little room noise (such as babies crying). I am trying to decide whether to stick with that, or to switch to wired audio from the chapel sound system.

The biggest thing I'd look for is what it's like at the receiving end. Can you hear the speaker clearly, or are they too echoey or "distant" sounding? Does it sound like general conference, or does it sound like the mic was in the back of the room?

If it sounds fine, I'd leave it. The room mic is probably doing a better job of picking up the organ. Having some audience reaction is a good thing.

[EarloftheWest]

I just use a Logitech C922. The microphones seem to pick up the person speaking at the podium just fine, with a little room noise (such as babies crying). I am trying to decide whether to stick with that, or to switch to wired audio from the chapel sound system.

I've read a few posts online which say the audio quality is more important than the video quality for some psychological reason, etc.

[drepouille]

The room mic is probably doing a better job of picking up the organ. Having some audience reaction is a good thing.

That is one of my concerns -- that the podium mic will not pick up the organ or the piano. I have to remind everyone to speak directly into the mic, after all.

[drepouille]

First, you need to make sure the transmitter is reliable. I've had some become intermittent. The next issue is you have to make sure the receiver will turn on and stay on. I think most do not have a switch, but rely on the presence of the earphone to turn on. I'm not sure about the details. It may not be the presence of a plug, but the low impedance of the earphone that turns it on. You'd have to play with it to make sure it works and will stay on.

Older Comtek units can be noisy.

While it can be done, it seems like more opportunity for things to go wrong. I'm not sure if it overcomes the advantage of not having to run a wire.

I did a test broadcast this morning, using a Comtek receiver with new batteries to feed the microphone input of my laptop, but I was not happy with the sound quality. The sound was constantly cutting out, but that could have been for any number of reasons.
- I was playing music and vocals, not spoken words. 
- I may have had the volume too high on either the media player or on the Comtek receiver.
- I was using the meeetinghouse wireless, instead of the wired network connection.

I will try it again during Sacrament meeting tomorrow, and ask those who dial in to provide feedback. Maybe we can find a setting that works.

[lajackson]

I may have had the volume too high on either the media player or on the Comtek receiver.

Doesn't the Comtek system include a lot of audio processing, including automatic gain control? That would account for much of the noise.

[russellhltn]

The sound was constantly cutting out, but that could have been for any number of reasons.
- I was playing music and vocals, not spoken words. 
- I may have had the volume too high on either the media player or on the Comtek receiver.
- I was using the meeetinghouse wireless, instead of the wired network connection

1 - I wouldn't think that changes anything.
2 - Seems unlikely
3 - Are you sending video, or just audio? I'd think that would cut out the entire signal, not just audio
4 - I think the receiver needs to see "earphone" type electrical load to stay on.
5 - That's the way I've seen those transmitters fail. (We have a leader that's hard of hearing that tells me about it.) I'd wear one like how it's normally done just to make sure the transmitter isn't cutting out.

[EarloftheWest]

All,

Yesterday, I received the attenuator I purchased. I packed up all my gear and when to the church for a test session. I was hopeful.

I had my wife and son watching a zoom meeting from home.

I ran the REC OUT to a mono --> stereo adapter --> attenuation cable --> capture card.

The feedback I received was that the sound was either too loud or too soft and in general didn't sound good.

I switched to my Takstar shotgun microphone which I had taped to the podium and both my wife and son said the sound was much better.

So we'll be using the Takstar in our meeting today.

Best option...
We need the sound engineers who know about the church's sound system to install a "mic out" connection so we can just plug it into our capture cards, computers etc.

As another option...
I would probably want to get some type of sound mixer where I can plug the church's XLR microphones directly into it and then come from the sound mixer to a "mic in" on my capture card. Then I could use the XLR mic from the podium and also use one of the other microphones for the piano.

[russellhltn]

I've been having fun building my custom audio cable. First lesson: the phone has to see a DC resistance of 1000 ohms or higher, otherwise it won't recognize the mic input. I started with 25dB attenuation as was suggested, but based on my tests at home with my cable box, that seems way too low. I've found a new value, but have to see how that works at church. I tried using my phone's internal mic, but the amount of echo rendered that option down near "better than no sound at all". I'm suspecting some kind of noise cancellation technology is in play.