Webcast communicator - how to get the audio in?

In our building all of the speakers are hard-wired into the ceiling (as expected) - is there an audio jack that should exist in the building that serves as the source for the communicator audio? Without such a line out drop do I have to go RF -> 30 year old VCR -> headphone jack from TV -> communicator box or is there a better way?

aclawson wrote:Without such a line out drop do I have to go RF -> 30 year old VCR -> headphone jack from TV -> communicator box or is there a better way?

Check around the podium area. You may have a "Record out" somewhere. I think it's a mini-phone jack, but might be a RCA.

Another route is to use a receiver for the deaf to pick up the 72MHz wireless that's been a standard part of chapel audio system for the past decade or more. As an advantage, I think it's been compressed, or at least limited.

Each week I use the Comtek 72 MHZ assisted listening receiver to record Sacrament meeting talks for homebound members. (I burn it to a cd, tape it to the inside of a program and the priests deliver the package when they bring them the sacrament.)

I do have to attenuate the 'hot' headphone level (mono) down to mic level in order to capture it with the Roxio USB adapter, but it's been reliable and sound quality is fine.

If there isn't a line out available to you, this would be a viable option if you attenuate the signal correctly for your Webcast audio input.

Remember, the Comtek PR-72 is mono. So if you use a 3.5 mm stereo adapter, use the left (white) for output.

When our sound system was installed six years ago there was a connection to the building sound system made by the installers. He put a simple spade DC connectors just in front of the building video channel / sound combinder. Forget the technical name. It is discribed in a file I posted under this forum Building-to-building. I simply made a cable that matched the male/female blade connectors and fed it to a mono to stereo adapter to a 3.5 stereo cable into the video capture card (Osprey) stereo input.

Works fine. Did put a simple preamp in-line to control input levels during webcast.

The latest training videos produced for the webcast equipment describe the various places typically used in buildings to get an audio signal. Basically, check in order, the pulpit, the sacrament table (underneath), or a satellite rack (if you have one). The satellite rack is typically RCA output and tends to have a hum, that can be eliminated with a ground-loop eliminator available at most Radio Shacks. Under the Sacrament table (or old clerk table if you have one) is where audio recordings used to be made with a tape recorder. In my experience, as recording meetings/blessings, etc.. fell out of practice in our church services, these connections were easy for FM to just CUT and figure nobody uses them so when we re-did the sound system 5 years ago, we didn't...blah, blah, blah... (5 of my church buildings are in this situation, no audio comes out the audio out). If you have a newer building you may get this at the pulpit.

In the new proto-type building here in Kansas City, the Tech closet has an Ethernet cable, and video/audio(stereo) out right there. The only cable I need now is (1) for RCA Video, and (1) RCA to Mini converter for Audio. (At least for a functional broadcast without all the bells and whistles.

In addition to all the places mentioned, check next to wherever the satellite feed comes into the chapel. Ours is on the side wall behind the piano on the left side as you face the stand.