soundroom

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Brief history of the C3HUU Soundroom Team
//__NOTE: As of 2015-05-24, the material here is dated, but largely accurate. One of our ToDos is to update and move this forward to the new C3HUU.org web site.__//

Members of the Community Church of Chapel Hill (C3HUU) have been fanatical about the quality of the sound in the meeting space. There are many professional and semi-professional musicians in the C3HUU congregation who have banded together since the early 1990s to create a space which has an excellent acoustic setup for insuring high quality of both music and voice in the meeting space!

One result of these efforts is an archive of Sermon Audio accessible from the Sermons link to the left (or by clicking here).

Our team is coordinated through a Google Group and an on-line Google Docs volunteer signup document. If you are interested in volunteering or joining the group to see if this is for you, then please send a message to Soundroom at c3huu.org

Training sessions for Soundroom operations will be scheduled as our team is able to collect information in printed form and get commitments from church members who seek to use the Soundroom equipment. We have collected details on operating the equipment in the Soundroom here in the C3HUU Soundroom Operations Manual.

Soundroom Signup
There is an online volunteer signup document setup to assist in scheduling events and tasks required to maintain the church's Soundroom. Though we have experimented with online calendars to do the same, we haven't figured out how to get signups as easily as on the volunteer signup document.

Soundroom Equipment
An overview diagram of our current Soundroom equipment used to record services:

The Soundroom equipment includes
 * Soundcraft GB8 Soundboard
 * 48 inputs, 8 outputs, 4 separate amplifiers with individual controls
 * twin XLR mount gooseneck soundboard illuminators (so we can turn out the Soundroom overhead lights during services but still see the controls)
 * Wireless microphones & wired microphones (several different brands)
 * Wireless receivers in a custom rack with Marantz DBX noise reduction amplifier and Marantz CD-R/CD recorder/player
 * Twin outdoor capable 3' high 50+ watt JBL speakers with XLR input, individual AC power kept backstage
 * Two 2 1/2' high guitar amplifiers + cables kept backstage
 * Planar Digital Projector (PR5022) for laptops or other video and audio source capable of illuminating a 36' screen from 50' away. This projector is kept in a locked closet in the Straley Room since 2011. Signout for use on the C3HUU site only by contacting office at c3huu.org
 * Digital Recorders: Tascam DR-05 for the whole service or event and a Tascam DR-40 for the sermon podcast, the older Tascam DR-03 recorder is still available as a backup
 * Phonic Ear Easy Listener FM audio transmitter interfaced to the Soundboard with soapbox size receivers for the hearing impaired. There are 4 remaining functional receivers of the 8 purchased circa 1985 which are stored in the commons area accessible to anyone who needs them during services.
 * [|TOA Background Music (BG-10) amplifier]- purchased circa 2004, connected to a volume control and speakers in the Commons area and Straley Room that are adjacent to the Sanctuary. In Nov 2011, noise started showing up on occasions and reached a point where static was unacceptable. The problem was resolved when the amplifier line from the Soundboard to the BG-10 amp was found to be faulty. A replacement [|TOA BG-115 amplifier] showed the same problem, so the audio output was moved to a new line on the Soundboard.

Current C3HUU Soundroom Practice & References

 * Volunteer schedule of Soundroom Operators if you are interested in volunteering, please contact us.
 * Operating the Soundroom Recorder
 * Soundroom Operations Manual
 * Proposals for standards and evolving the Soundroom team into a Multimedia AV team
 * C3H Soundroom Google Group
 * When there are two services recorded, the leader of the Service or Minister gives the Soundroom group her/his preference for which of the Sermon audio recordings to post on the website. Whoever is operating the Soundboard at second service should ask the person leading the service. At any time afterward, the minister or leader of the sermon may send e-mail to soundroom_at_c3huu.org.

Requests for the Soundroom staff

 * Post directions for use of the Easy Listening device in the box with the receivers and headsets (received in Easy Listening box as written request from a member on 10 October 2010
 * Find a way to record the audio and not require post-processing, or require minimal post-processing, see this page on Digital Audio Futures
 * FOUND: installed a second Digital Recorder which is dedicated to recording the Sermon or presentation only. By dedicating a recorder, and attaching to a Seagate Dockstar, the sermon audio is online within minutes of the end of the service.

Best Practices from Soundroom Operators

 * Collection of sound room operations practices from JdB Sound AcousticsVery nice collection of articles and summary of original work from this consulting company.
 * Highly Intellible Sound as a goal
 * Guide to Sound Systems for Worship
 * Referenced on several other web sites, this guide seems to be well researched and includes a DVD for those who are better learners from multimedia references instead of books.
 * The Ultimate Church Sound Operators Handbook (Amazon)
 * Voluminous, but sometimes erroneous volume with audio and video tracks included. Much of this is useful, but the lack of research and factual errors pointed out in online reviews that I verified in the online previews, lead me to suggest we avoid this one! [MS]
 * Dealing with Noise in Soundsystems (different key references)
 * [|Grounding in your studio, ALWAYS]- this particular rule is VERY difficult to implement with discrete devices such as separate digital recorders

Work in Progress
>
 * @Repairs and upgrades tracking
 * Soundroom and Sanctuary Technology Planning, a large project with many C3H members and staff involved (also linked below)

Meeting Minutes
See this Google Drive folder for minutes and documents. (As you can see we don't meet very often outside of running the Soundroom!)
 * ====Sunday 2010-11-07 1030EST====
 * Sunday 2014-08-10 1130EDT

Main References

 * C3H Sermon Audio - the wikipace page which has an embedded table of all online sermon audio
 * Google Drive folder with Soundroom signup, Soundroom Manual, and more!
 * C3HUU Soundroom Manual - online Google Docs version of printed manual

Soundroom Background

 * Soundroom Audio Recorder and a shorter summary printed and posted in Soundroom)
 * Sanctuary Audio Recording - wikispace page with background and notes
 * Soundroom and Technologies Planning - Begun in May of 2012 as a project to understand and revitalize audio experience from the Sanctuary
 * Soundroom Repairs Tracking