This post describes our permanent hardware setup. With COVID winding down, we needed a permanent solution that can work for years. We actively sought how to fulfill the handbook's section 29.7:
To meet that further, we wanted the following:Streams and virtual meetings should not distract from the Spirit. Generally, only one device should be used to capture the meeting. Both the device and the person using it should be inconspicuous.
- No taped cords on the floor
- Nothing persistent in the chapel Monday through Saturday
- No hardware near the speaker that the congregation can easily see
- Nothing installed to the walls (our FM was adamant on this point, they said the directive comes from the Presiding Bishopric)
- The ability to move the camera around as needed, such as during hymns or musical numbers, and zoom into a shoulders-to-head profile if desired
- No shaking camera when it moves
- Retain crystal clear pulpit audio with no hum or buzz
- Support a condenser mic for hymns and musical numbers
- A system clean enough that a camera assistant can use on just a few minutes of training
- Allow the assistant for the building's last ward to collapse it down and store it all in under 10 minutes of work
- Fit in an old building with minimal footprint area for a camera and very few wall power outlets
- Priced under $1000 per building
We've been using this setup for months and the result has been excellent. As for the laptop camera controls, audio/video mixing, using OBS with both YouTube and Zoom together, etc. That will be for another post in the future.
This setup still needs some refining. The cords at the bottom of the mic stand are too much of a mess. I'm also trying to attach a USB hub and a power strip to a mic stand, and right now I'm only using gaffers tape. I'm not quite sure the best way to do this cleanly. If anyone has any good insights on how to manage cords and the power strip at the bottom of the mic stand, I'm very interested to hear your ideas.