Adding a Studio - The next step in any video system

Late in 2020, we completed a full system video upgrade for Mountain Springs Church (MSC). (You can read about this upgrade HERE) We had barely let the dust settle on that installation the church came back asking for additional work! With the changing church culture going more and more to video and online content, MSC needed a space to be able to record video content midweek for different departments (small groups, children’s ministries, etc.). They wanted a place that they could record live content as they continued to build their online presence. Because of the video upgrade they had just done, designing a space for them became much easier! To really meet their needs, we added and equipped 2 areas: a video studio and a broadcast control suite.

The broadcast suite and video studio are built off the same backbone as the rest of the video system: the Blackmagic Constellation 8k. I know we talk about this beast of a switcher a lot, but that is because it can do so much! This switcher has a couple of really cool features that we were able to capitalize on in this install. Those were the 4 fully configurable multiviews, and 4 separate M/E’s . (What are ME's? Read HERE!) For the studio build, we dedicated a M/E and one of the multiviews just for this space. Because we have 4 of each, we didn’t have to sacrifice any of the useability of the switcher at any other place to make that happen! 

Running from the Constellation we have 2 eight lane fibers, one going to the Broadcast room and one to the video studio. With fiber, there is no need to worry about any issues with the length of your run, as you might have to think about with SDI and HDMI. Fiber is also able to support 4k 60/12G making it a great option for making sure your system is future proof. These lines are run through Blackmagic fiber converters to convert the signal to SDI, giving four inputs and four outputs to and from the switcher in both the broadcast room and studio. One of the greatest features of the Constellation is that all the outputs on the switcher are fully routable Auxs’. That means that outputs from the switcher to the broadcast room and the studio can be used to send multi-view, program, graphics inputs, camera control, or any other content that needs to be fed to the switcher. MSC already had 4 BMD Broadcast cameras so with 4 inputs in the studio all of them can be utilized at the same time if the situation calls for it. 

With the studio, we also built out an entirely separate audio system that also had some integration into the sanctuary. In an effort to make onboarding and training new volunteers simple, MSC had already made the decision that they were going to have all of their audio systems, other than the main auditorium, be by Allen & Heath. In the broadcast suite, we put an A&H SQ5 and paired it with an A&H AR2412 digital stage box in the video studio. This gives them very flexible I/O and even the ability to do a full band in the studio space if necessary. Also, in the studio are 4 Shure BLX mics, both lavalier, and handheld. For the last piece, for monitoring in the broadcast suite, we put a pair of Presonus E44 studio monitors at the audio desk and a pair of Presonus Eris E3.5 for the video desk. 

Between the first install at MSC and the studio build, MSC has a lot more room and capability to create more professional video content for their growing online needs! Not only does their new set up help them successfully produce content now, but offers further options for them to continue to expand in the future.