A couple of weeks ago I asked for a bit of advice about recording services. Part one of this post is a "how to" based on the system that Lane End church uses. Part two is some discussion on the future.
Part one.
Lane end, like many congregations has a set of microphones that are connected to a simple mixer and amplifier. The output is sent to the speakers in the sanctuary, with another channel being sent round the T-loop system to work with hearing aids. A third channel was sent out to a tape recorder. After the service, tapes were duplicated in an industrial duplicator, (a donation from a few years back) before being passed round the housebound.
Unfortunately, despite as much love and attention that could be given to the duplicator, it started to break down. Someone donated a PC with the aim that it be used to record the service digitally and to distribute CD's instead of tapes. The first PC was a bit old for the job, but at least proved the concept worked, so the decision was made to purchase a new laptop. The laptop needed software to record the service, and for your recordings I'd recommend Audacity which is free and open source. The laptop came with Cyberlink power2go which was used to burn CD's. To speed things up, a CD duplicator was acquired which meant that after the first CD was burnt, a further four could be burnt at once, three in the duplicator and one in the laptop.
So to recap. You need:
A spare line out from your amplifier.
A PC with a line in. (The microphone socket will often work as a line in)
Audacity software for the recordings.
Cd burning software if it's not already on your laptop
A CD duplicator
Part 2
Burning CD's has a cost attached, so we had some discussion about saving the service as an MP3. Instead of burning CD's, the service could be loaded onto some sort of MP3 player. The problem with MP3 players is, they are either too fiddle for people with restricted dexterity or vision, or just too complicated for people to use.
My first thought was an Ipod shuffle. It's got a big play/pause button in the middle, but the buttons for volume are just a bit wee. Next thought was a Creative Zen Stone as the buttons are a bit bigger. The end user could have the choice of playing back through a set of headphones or a set of docking speakers. The final option was to load the service onto a USB stick and play it through something similar to one of these MP3 players from the RNIB. Whichever option is selected, it's just a case of copying the recording onto the MP3 player. Note that some DAB radios or stereo systems have USB MP3 playback. Your congregation may already have a means of playback, without them even knowing.
One other option is to load the service onto the church website as a download.
As a trial measure, the Lane End will be asking for donations of MP3 players. As many people now use their phones for their music, they may have perfectly good MP3 players sitting in a drawer unused.
The important thing is to find out what the end user would prefer. I know that for some, the CD will remain their preferred option, while there are other people who are already comfortable using Ipods. Just because people are old or housebound does not mean they are afraid of technology.
More important than tapes, CD's, or MP3's (or even wax cylinders) however, is that the housebound are still active members of our congregations. It's important that someone is visiting and ensuring they are still part of the Christian community. The recording of the service is just a bonus.
If you want advice, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.
Boring Legal Bit. Make sure you are licensed to record and distribute services.
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