Unable to hear additional microphones through Broadcast

Hi all,

I’m fairly new to the role of ward tech specialist but not new to the world of audio/video. With that being said, I wanted to see if others had similar issues with the setup we have. In our building, our main source for getting video and audio out to an external source is our rack in the library to our Zoom broadcast. As you can see from the attached image, there is a BNC patch cable that bridges the output from the PTZ camera in the chapel to the attached monitor on the rack. We get video from this to our capture card and it works fine. We then take an RCA output from the Chapel audio out to the capture card. This captures the main podium mic just fine.

Our main issue though arises when we use additional mics for things like a choir or soloist. These mics will work and allow them to be heard inside the chapel, however the audio never makes out of the Chapel RCA output. I’ve attempted to take audio from a dedicated audio interface as a manner to troubleshoot if it’s the capture card or the system itself. It seems the system may be suppressing the external mics in favor of the just the main podium mic. Oddly enough, music through the main podium mic can be heard through the building speakers but now through the rack.


Main questions to the forum are:

1. Has anyone used a rack similar to this with external mics?
2. If so, what have you done to make them work?
3. What other options might people recommend if your bishopric does not want to use a webcam/dedicated camera in favor of just using the hardwired PTZ camera?

I'd suggest calling the "For assistance" number on the rack. Not hearing music though the main podium mic is a strange one.

A couple of questions:

• Are you sure that when you hear them in the chapel, you aren't just hearing the choir/soloist directly?

• Do the extra microphones you use require phantom power, and if so, is this being supplied by the system?

caillines wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2023 3:39 pm A couple of questions:

• Are you sure that when you hear them in the chapel, you aren't just hearing the choir/soloist directly?

• Do the extra microphones you use require phantom power, and if so, is this being supplied by the system?

I’m 100% on the audio working through the speakers of the chapel. I have validated this further by listening to an external mic from the foyer speakers. The mics have also been both dynamic and condenser mics fed through a mixer. The mixer was providing 48v phantom power to the condensers.

Normally the audio feeding the RF system is a combined , all mics, feed RF to the monitor Jacks in the building. They would have to have a mic splitter or separate amp to feed the podium only to the RF panel. Under the Sacrament Table or close to that location should be an 1/8" Recorder output of the sound system that has a composite of all the mic jacks in the chapel. To feed our Zoom meetings and Stake Conferences, I ran a separate line to a Mackie mixer and fed it with an output from the DA feed in the Satellite Rack. If you open the rack, there should be two Audio DA's , small, separately powered, on one of the shelves, one audio DA feeds English to the English RF Modulator, and a 2nd Audio DA to feed Spanish to the Spanish RF Channel. The audio to the English modulator has all the mics included in that feed. Follow the English channel Audio input leads down to the DA's and you will find the English DA. Run a audio pair from an unused output to the audio jack on the front and you should have combined audio output to feed your zoom meetings on the front panel. Once you have verified that all the mics are on the English channel, just attach the DA feed to the jack on the panel and you will be good to go. Just remember it will be line level so depending what your feeding, you may have to adjust audio levels to have undistorted feeds to the Zoom meeting. If you have an interface box you use, it will likely convert line level to USB for the laptop, you should be good to go. Sorry I'm so long winded. Let me know how it goes, Gary, Marietta Georgia Stake, STS

I recommend that you simply contact your FM group representative and have them install what you need to the system racks or otherwise explain to you how to get what you want and where you want it. For Ward Techs this would probably be better requested from the Stake Tech Specialists.