Experience Church in Tacoma, Washington, has harnessed the power of NDI, Dante, and other AVoIP technologies to elevate its worship production. With a 6,400 sq ft worship center accommodating 1,100 in-person attendees and 800 online viewers every week, the church is also actively creating content for various platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and hosts a podcast called "Truth Is Freedom," recorded in an on-campus studio.
Media Director Dariel Cummins says the church’s modest production crew has crafted a worship experience that is not only authentic and captivating, but also built to stand the test of time without breaking the bank. His advice? "Invest in the right tools and know when to go the do-it-yourself route," Cummins explains.
This guiding principle has been at the heart of Experience Church's journey to address the challenges faced by many places of worship—providing a professional level of production both for in-person attendees and those watching online. For Experience Church, this entailed investing in a modern IP-based infrastructure covering PTZ cameras, video switchers, front-of-house audio, LED walls, and an intercom system. The transformation was designed by systems integrator Key Code Media.
IP-Based Planning for Enhanced Flexibility
With the increasing demand for content programming, the limitations of traditional SDI became evident. Stage boxes placed on stage, at the front of the house and in the control room had reached their maximum capacity. Audio challenges became evident with the increase of locations for recording, along with running out of audio channels on their previous consoles. The church needed a streamlined way to incorporate additional feeds into the production while continuing to use SDI feeds. Cummins recounts, "Key Code Media loaned a VizRT TriCaster, and we quickly realized the benefits of an all-in-one system capable of combining legacy SDI with NDI, Dante, and IP-based signals."
Inspired by this revelation, Cummins initiated a remodeling project. A no longer in use 1,000 sq ft youth center wing was recommissioned into a spacious production control room and studio. The original control room was repurposed for broadcast audio control, and the front of house underwent upgrades to accommodate a Dante-based infrastructure. All these areas were configured to receive both SDI and Cat6 Ethernet, offering hybrid flexibility.
The NewTek Tricaster TC2 Elite was chosen for the Production Control Room due to its flexibility and cost-efficiency, enabling the seamless integration of NDI, Dante, and both IP-based and SDI signals. One main advantage of choosing the TriCaster TC2 was for the ability to broadcast the switcher’s Multiview via NDI. This allows new volunteers to monitor cameras remotely, and get trained quicker.
For instance, ProPresenter, a widely used presentation software, manages slides, lyrics, sermon notes, and a countdown timer. The software can output its various tools as NDI and Dante streams, as well as receive NDI and Dante from the TriCaster switcher, and Avantis console. This helps us with transmitting video and audio bi-directionally. Cummins points out, "Sending ProPresenter feeds via NDI is a significant cost-saving. We used to require computers and PCI-E / Thunderbolt adapters to connect each ProPresenter feed to our SDI infrastructure. Now, it's reduced down to a simple Cat6 cable."
Transitioning to a network-based infrastructure also empowers Experience Church to distribute a program feed anywhere on the network using multicast. This program feed is sent to classrooms, the kids' center, and signage throughout the campus.
Additionally, the TriCaster can smoothly switch between two preset sessions—one tailored for the Sunday Service with its specific inputs and setup, and the other pre-configured for recording in the studio space using the cameras and equipment, substantially reducing preparation time for each production. “We also saved by building our own broadcast furniture- including multiple desks that can comfortably fit 4 people, along with turrets to mount intercom and other production equipment. Each part of the design that we could do ourselves (that didn’t compromise quality) helped us invest more in the equipment we needed.” Cummins explains.
New Camera Systems Simplify Integration with the LED Wall and Lighting
The installation of a 16x9 Chauvet F2 2.9 mm LED Wall in 2021 transformed the atmosphere of the worship center. Supported by DMX-controlled LED fixtures, including 20 Source Four Lekos and a Bluelite X1 Lighting Control, the stage's design features a deliberately understated tone to create a worship-friendly ambiance rather than a concert experience.
However, the introduction of the LED wall brought about moire and aliasing challenges in-camera when used with older Blackmagic URSA cameras. Mark Siegel at Key Code Media suggested replacing them with four Panasonic HDR HC3900 cameras. These new cameras
include anti-moire and anti-aliasing features built into the system. The Camera Control Unit and Panasonic Remote Operation Panel allow for color correction and shading, all controlled from the production control room.
Another compelling reason for adopting the HC3900 cameras was the presence of in-unit intercom systems, which saved Experience Church both costs and logistical headaches.
Additionally, three NDI-ready JVC KY-PZ200NBU PTZ cameras are positioned in the studio.
IP-Based Intercom Systems Enhance Flexibility
Experience Church's Sunday service crew consists of the technical director, two audio operators (front of house and broadcast), shading and PTZ operators, streaming technicians, lyrics and LED operators, four camera operators (two tripod operators, one jib operator, and one mobile operator), a media operator, and a floor director. Each volunteer relies on NDI Studio Monitor for video monitoring but primarily communicates via IP-based intercom systems.
For their intercom solution, Experience Church opted for the RTS Omneo digital intercom, which provides the crew with 16 channels, desktop communication for each control room position, beltpacks at each station, and a key panel for the Technical Director to communicate with the team.
This digital partyline system resulted in significant cost savings, as not every individual required a keypanel, and there were no additional costs for adding more digital inputs. Party lines were established for camera teams, control room personnel, and stage announcements. An auxiliary in-ear monitor mix was sent to the stage box, providing communication to the staff on stage. Cummins notes, "Setting up the intercom system presented challenges for us, but the RTS team was exceptional throughout the process."
Allen & Heath Dante-Ready Console at the Front of House
At the Front of House, the new 64-channel Allen & Heath Avantis console stands out, primarily due to its Dante functionality. Experience Church has three stage boxes in the worship center, control room, and studio, and all audio is routed through Dante from the board to the amplifiers, Aviom monitor mixing, and multi-track computers. Dante Audio is also fed to the NewTek TriCaster, resulting in an improved audio experience for online viewers.
Overall
Experience Church’s implementation of IP-based solutions for PTZ cameras, video switchers, audio systems, LED walls, and intercoms has provided much-needed flexibility. Key Code Media's contribution with the new camera systems, video switcher, audio mixers, LED wall and other production equipment, reduced costs through consulting, and improved the worship experience for all.
