Avoid These Mistakes When Upgrading Worship Tech

As Churchfront has grown over the years, Jake and the team have gained priceless insight about mistakes worship leaders make when they upgrade their technology. 

So save yourself the trouble of learning these mistakes from experience and learn from us instead! Here are six mistakes we see churches make when upgrading their technology. 

Mistake #1: Missing the Forest for the Trees

Remember when COVID threw most churches into a live stream frenzy, and every church started to upgrade their live stream system? Many churches dove headfirst into all things live streaming, pouring all their resources into it. But achieving quality doesn’t just mean dumping all attention on the little details. Many churches learned this the hard way as many weaknesses in their tech systems were exposed. 

Don’t begin by focusing on all the details, or the trees. Take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Look at the forest. Don’t just jump into making a broadcast mix. Instead, work on your audio quality first. Realize that lighting may need to be a priority first, or maybe upgrade your church’s presentation software. 

Any plan to accomplish anything will not go well if there is not an objective understanding of how all the pieces fit together to make the system work. So don’t get caught up in one niche of your tech ministry. Don’t miss the forest and only see the trees.

Mistake #2: Having Poor Knowledge of Inventory

Here’s something we’ve learned as we’ve worked with worship leaders: churches are scared to get rid of things. Because of this, oftentimes a church’s tech inventory builds up over time, and with staff and volunteer changes, having an accurate inventory of everything can be a nightmare. 

Having a robust inventory list exemplifies good stewardship of what God has given your church, and it allows you to know exactly what should be upgraded and what should not. Our coaching calls start with asking about the vision of a church, but the next question is often, “What gear do you have to accomplish that vision?” It’s only after answering this question that the task of upgrading tech can be addressed.

Mistake #3: Not Having Financial Buffer Room 

Trying to upgrade tech on a shoestring leads to trouble. This is because problems often come up that take more money, time, or both, than originally thought. The larger the project, the more buffer a church should give itself. It’s not unlike building a house or large building, or having an emergency fund put aside for your family. The more variables that exist, the more room for unplanned needs should also exist. 

Mistake #4: Spending Too Much or Spending Too Little

Here’s a secret: There’s a zone churches can hit with their gear that produces really efficient results while keeping costs very reasonable. But here is the reality: many churches buy gear far beyond the top for their needs (or ability to operate), or they hold back financially when they could pay just a little more and greatly improve their tech setup. 

In other words, don’t spend too much on tech gear that people won’t notice a difference, and be sure to prioritize buying the right gear.

Here’s an example. Does your church need a camera that is $10,000 or more? Unless you have more than 500 people at your church or something like that, the answer is no. Most people cannot notice any difference between a camera of that caliber and a nice $3k-5k camera setup. But if your church is still using your pastor’s ipad to stream on Facebook, it may benefit your church to consider spending more and providing your church body with a more robust camera solution. 

Mistake #5: Future-proofing Your Church Too Much or Future-proofing Your Church Too Little

This is similar to the fourth mistake above. Like money, time is another factor that affects decisions. Obviously, it’s wise to plan for the future. However, it may not be the best option to plan too many years in advance. We are, after all, talking about technology upgrades. 

Here’s an example of future-proofing a tech setup too much. It’s possible to upgrade to a 4k video switcher. At face value, it may seem like this is a good idea, as many devices and tech is moving the direction of 4k. However, churches like Life Church or Bethel aren’t even streaming in 4k. So why would your church need 4k streaming? 

Technology value deflates. Buy an iPhone tomorrow, and next year it will be worth a fraction of its cost. So, consider all that money that will go down the drain while you wait for the future to catch up with your upgraded tech. Don’t jump too early. 

But not considering the future at all is obviously dangerous as well. Keep up to date with worship tech companies like Churchfront. Listen to experts, prepare your church’s finance or budget teams, and plan ahead. Not future-proofing your church will leave you in the dust just as much as future-proofing too much. 

Mistake #6: Investing In Gear Before Investing In Knowledge

We spend a lot of time with Worship Leaders and Tech Leaders within our Worship Ministry School, and here is what we see a lot of: churches buying a ton of equipment before they understand the best practices of how to use the equipment and implement them. 

If you don’t have good knowledge of what a system offers, you won’t be able to improve or diagnose issues. 

Think of it this way. Jack wants to build a house. He has helped with a few small building projects, but he has never built a house before. So he buys all the equipment and tools, spends thousands upon thousands, and he just starts trying to figure out how to build the house as he goes with maybe a few YouTube videos for help. 

This is obviously a disaster waiting to happen. 

Jack is like a lot of worship leaders out there who are trying to build a robust worship system without tried and tested training and guidance. But here’s the good news (shameless plug): this is exactly what we provide to churches through Worship Ministry School. In Worship Ministry School, we help churches miss all the pitfalls listed above. Not only that, we help churches’ worship ministries grow. 

We also offer a course called The Worship Tech Blueprint, in which we help churches think big-picture, helping them to not miss the forest for the trees. In other words, check out this course if you read the mistakes above and see that your church has either made these or is on the verge of doing so. 

Regardless, heed these warnings, and steward your church’s tech resources with wisdom for the glory of God!

How to Setup Live Streaming for Churches in 2021

In this article, you will be equipped to build a simple, yet professional, live streaming setup for your church. 

 Here’s what will be covered:

• The Big Picture

•  Video Capture | How to utilize up to four live action cameras 

• Audio Capture | How to capture a high-quality mix from a church’s sound console

• ProPresenter | How to overlay lyrics and graphics

• Multi-Streaming Services | How to send streams to Facebook, YouTube, Church Online, and a church’s website

• What to Budget

Before We Begin

A key counterpart to this post is the Worship Ministry Toolkit. Drop everything and download it now! Everything covered in this video is even devoted to a separate page, so the equipment recommended here is easily accessible. 

Need an in-depth and thorough guide to set up this entire live streaming system at your church? Enroll in our Beginner's Guide to Live Streaming for Churches online course. This course has already helped hundreds of churches build a cost effective yet professional live streaming setup. This course provides detailed guides for live streaming, copyright law, improving video setup, understanding ProPresenter to its fullest potential, and creating an amazing audio mix. All of this and more is covered, so enroll today! 

 The Big Picture

Here's the big picture of the system this article will cover. The Churchfront team has consulted with hundreds of churches over the past year, helping them build custom live streaming solutions for worship ministry. For the vast majority of churches, here are the essential elements needed to create a high-quality stream. 

First, acquire two to four live-action video cameras. 

Second, know how to capture a high-quality audio mix. 

Third, enable lower third lyrics and other graphics or media playback capability. 

And fourth, distribute the live stream to multiple social media platforms and the church's website simultaneously. 

If a church’s system meets these four criteria, that church will be on their way to creating a great experience for its congregation online.

Something to Consider

There are countless ways to accomplish the four steps listed here, but not all lead to a healthy live stream setup. There are so many options for cameras, video switchers, presentation software, streaming software, encoding and multi-streaming platform. It doesn’t take long to seem really overwhelming. Because of this, I've seen so many churches waste a ton of money on the wrong tools. They build a streaming solution that doesn't actually integrate well specifically for a worship ministry environment. Despite all the money they spend on gear or software, their live stream still sounds and looks like garbage. So the recommendations here will save you a ton of time and headache. There’s no need to make your own road. Follow this system. It works! 

Video Capture

The first key to a great livestream setup is to capture two to four angles of live-action video. A minimum of two angles provides a close follow shot for pastors or worship leaders while providing a wide shot to capture the entire stage or room. The second camera also provides a safe shot to switch to, if needed. A third or fourth camera could capture different perspectives from the stage, like a close up on a pianist or drummer. 

There are so many fantastic cameras available today. But in order to build a system at the cost of around $1,000 per camera and lens package, then the Sony A6400 and the Sony E-mount lenses are the cameras to purchase. In order to achieve high quality video, consider looking for a larger camera sensor and better lens optics than what can be found with most camcorders or PTZ cameras.

When it comes to camera sensors, it is best to look for cameras with sensors that have a micro four thirds sensor or an APS-C sensor. A camera with a 35-millimeter sensor or a full frame video camera produces the best results in low light. Since most churches operate in lower light settings, these options can be helpful. The Sony cameras have an APS-C sensor. They’re small, and they’re budget friendly.

For test footage of the Sony A6400 in action, check out the YouTube video above. Notice the lack of noise in the image. Sony cameras provide amazing auto focus tracking so the subject will always be sharp in the picture. They also perform great in wide-angle shots. And, important for live streaming, these cameras have a micro-HDMI port that sends a clean video signal to a video switcher, which is the next piece of recommended hardware.

The ATEM Mini Pro is the next recommended piece of video gear. The ATEM Mini has four HDMI inputs, so it can utilize up to four live-action cameras with this switcher. Plug the ATEM into a computer, and it will show up as a single camera source. Instead of managing four different video feeds in a computer, live-action video will be cut by the ATEM switcher down into one single video feed that will feed directly into the streaming software. This reduces the video processing load on the computer. The ATEM Mini Pro also has an HDMI multi-view output, allowing a preview all of the camera angles before switching cameras in a live stream.

To save a few bucks on a video switcher, it’s possible to use the base model ATEM Mini, but keep in mind that it does not have a multi-view output. This could pose a problem for churches with multiple cameras. If it’s not possible to preview the various cameras in the room, the quality of the live stream could suffer. 

Audio Capture

One of the most difficult hurdles for church live streaming is mixing down the worship band. The efficient way to capture and mix clear audio for a stream is to create a post-fader mix bus that will mimic the master mix that for the in-person congregation.

Here is what happens if a post-fader mix bus is created. If a channel is muted in the house mix, it'll be muted in a live stream. Likewise, if a fader is adjusted for the house mix, it's going to be adjusted for the live stream. If the mixer is in the same tech booth as the streaming computer, simply plug the mixer into the computer via a USB cable and it becomes an audio device for the computer. That live stream mix bus will then be routed to the desired USB output channel, where the audio can be captured in the live streaming software. 

For those who use an analog mixing console

Here is the best advice for churches still running an analog sound console: upgrade to digital as soon as possible. That should be the top priority for any tech upgrades a church makes. It's going to be the best bang for any church’s buck for both in-person and online audio. 

For a short-term solution, churches with analog consoles need to get an audio interface to convert the analog sound to digital for the live streaming software. To do this, pull an auxiliary stereo audio feed out of the back of the console and plug the quarter inch or XLR cables into a two-channel audio interface. This will plug into the streaming computer via USB.

Here are some tips to improve an audio mix for live stream.

1. Have a solid in-person mix built on proper gain staging and channel processing. 

   • Ninety-nine percent of the issues heard on live streams can usually be solved with proper sound reinforcement in getting a good source tone.

2. Boost or cut the levels of individual channels

   • Even though the live stream comes from a post-fader mix on the console, it’s still possible to boost or cut the levels of individual channels in the live stream independent of what's being sent to the house PA. Depending on the mixer design, find the sends page for the desired channel and adjust the levels accordingly. This provides the ability to boost or cut that channel's send to the live stream mix bus.

3. Add more reverb to the live stream mix than what is in the room.

   • People online will need to hear that additional sense of space since they're not hearing the natural reverb of the sanctuary or worship center. It's going to sound really dry and almost dead to viewers when they hear vocals or instruments when there is no sense of space along with them.

4. Apply a compressor to the live stream mix bus.

   • A compressor in this way helps the stream sound loud and consistent. 

5. If possible, consider sending multi-track audio from the digital mixer into a digital audio workstation or DAW like Ableton Live Pro Tools or Logic Pro.

   • This provides unlimited plugins and mastering tools to help a mix sound professional. This is the same method used by churches like Bethel and Life Church, and it's surprisingly easy to implement in smaller church environments. But keep in mind that it is a great practice for all churches to have a solid live stream mix bus set up on their consoles, even if they are usually mixing in a box. This provides a backup mix in case the DAW or software glitches. 

PROPRESENTER

When ProPresenter 7 came in early 2020, it brought so many amazing upgrades to the software that now ProPresenter 7 is Churchfront’s recommended presentation software for our clients in worship ministry school. 

Before ProPresenter released its streaming feature, streaming applications like Ecamm Live or vMix or OBS were needed tools. Graphics from ProPresenter went to streaming software like Ecamm, vMix or OBS, then those graphics would be laid on top of the live-action video. On top of that, audio feeds still had to be monitored. But now, live-action footage and audio can be sent directly into ProPresenter. Simply overlay lower thirds lyrics, scripture, and any other graphics directly into ProPresenter, and send the final live streaming video feed to social platforms or multi-streaming services directly from ProPresenter. 

To see a basic overview of how ProPresenter does this, check out the YouTube video above and be sure to enroll in our Beginners to Live Streaming for Churches course. 

Multi-Streaming Services

ProPresenter completes the final stages of bringing together video and audio sources, compressing them down into a final product that can be delivered to online audiences. But how should the final product be delivered? 

We recommend using a multi streaming service like Restream or Resi. Restream or Resi allows churches send live streams to multiple destinations at once. This a must-have feature to allow congregations to watch streams on their preferred platform, whether it's Facebook, YouTube or Church Online. 

Restream is the budget friendly, multi-streaming service costing around $40 per month. 

Resi plans start at $69 per month. But most churches will need the starter web plan at $139 per month. Resi is considered the premium route, offering a resilient streaming protocol. In a nutshell, this means that with Resi, a church’s stream will never experience buffering even with a momentary lapse in internet connection. A church using Resi could lose internet for multiple seconds or even up to a minute, yet their online audience won't notice any interruptions or buffering. This happens because Resi delays the stream in their cloud by about two minutes before distributing the video to the various social platforms.

Resi is going to cost more, but direct integration with ProPresenter and a resilient streaming protocol provides a tight, reliable stream. ProPresenter can easily stream to Restream via Restream's RTMP server. Once a Restream account is created, simply copy and paste the RTMP URL and key into ProPresenter, and the stream will be ready to go live. 

Once the live stream is online using one of these methods, consider using the free Church Online platform by Life Church.

Church Online is a free website builder that allows churches to host live streams with a better user experience, chat, and prayer functionality. The Church Online platform can provide a distraction free environment for a church's live stream. Social media platforms are designed to keep users scrolling through content and scrolling through the newsfeed. This can create short retention times from viewers on Facebook or YouTube.

Driving people to a platform like Church Online taps into the space where people are already hanging out while keeping them undistracted. It is a great way for new people to discover a church. That's why Churchfront recommends leveraging the Church Online platform as one more place to host a stream for people who do not have social media accounts yet desire to experience a church’s live stream.

Budget

Let's talk about budget. It's one of the most important determining factors for a church's live streaming setup. The system recommended in this post will cost just under $3,000 for two live-action cameras, a video switcher and all the accessories a church needs for the video capture portion. Most churches already use ProPresenter and a digital mixing console. If a church is using an analog console, an audio interface will cost $100. Finally, the multi-streaming services recommended will cost either $40 a month or a $140 a month, depending on the provider. 

That’s it, the ultimate guide to church live streaming for 2021! 

Remember to download the Worship Ministry Toolkit for a convenient list of all the gear and software mentioned in this article and enroll in the Beginner’s Guide to Live Streaming for Churches for more in-depth guidance. And don’t forget to subscribe to Churchfront’s YouTube channel to be equipped with all the latest content.