Church AV knowledge base
Expert guides for streaming, audio, display systems, volunteer operations, and device management — written for the people keeping Sunday running.
Streaming
OBS, vMix, encoders, and NDI
Operations
Volunteer teams, runsheets, and planning
Device management
Cameras, displays, switchers, and campus-wide AV health
Knowledge Base Libraries
The original 20 editorial articles are just one layer. The full knowledge base also includes brand-specific camera docs, switchers, encoders, mixers, software guides, troubleshooting, comparisons, workflows, and budget planning.
PTZ Cameras
Setup, integration, troubleshooting, presets, ONVIF, RTSP, and network help across the camera brands congregations actually use.
Switchers
Practical setup and troubleshooting docs for switchers used in livestream, IMAG, and hybrid production workflows.
Encoders
Encoder setup, bitrate planning, cloud configuration, and recovery steps for the devices feeding your stream.
Mixers
X32, Yamaha, Allen & Heath, PreSonus, Mackie, and more — with routing, streaming, and volunteer-friendly workflows.
Software
Software-specific guides for church production tools, from setup and performance to integration and troubleshooting.
Troubleshooting
Issue-based troubleshooting for stream failures, camera problems, audio glitches, network issues, and display problems.
Compare
Direct comparisons to help teams choose between PTZ cameras, encoders, switchers, mixers, and software platforms.
Workflows
Whole-system guides for small congregations, multi-campus environments, Sunday checklists, and volunteer-proof setups.
Budget
Roadmaps and equipment planning guides based on realistic spending tiers, from under $500 to full upgrade strategy.
Featured Articles
The Blackmagic ATEM Mini is easy to start with, and easy to overload one volunteer with. Split it into seats: one person on the switcher's buttons, another on ATEM Software Control for keys, audio, and the stream, and another on PTZ cameras. Here's how, and how Bitfocus Companion and WorshipMetrics fit.
Bitfocus Companion is free software that turns a Stream Deck or a tablet into buttons for OBS, vMix, PTZ cameras, projectors, sound boards, and hundreds of other networked devices. For a church, that means plain-word buttons a volunteer can learn in one Sunday. Here's what it is, what it can do, and how WorshipMetrics builds it in.
The mix that sounds great in the sanctuary almost never sounds right on a phone at home. The room adds drums, voices and reverb the board never sends. A separate stream mix (an aux, a matrix, or a second mixer) is the single biggest audio upgrade most churches can make. Here's why, and how to start.
Browse by Category
Monitor, update, and manage AV hardware across your entire campus — cameras, encoders, mixers, and more.
Live streaming setup, multiplatform delivery, encoders, switchers, and NDI workflows.
Repurpose sermons into social content, build archives, add captions, and manage your video library.
Mixing consoles, gain staging, feedback elimination, and multi-track recording for worship.
ProPresenter, LED walls, projectors, stage displays, and multi-screen setups.
Budgeting, volunteer training, maintenance schedules, runsheets, and team documentation.
Latest Articles
A Stream Deck running Bitfocus Companion turns a Blackmagic ATEM into plain-word buttons with colors that show what's live, and the same panel can run PTZ cameras, projectors, and more. Here's how to connect Companion to an ATEM and build a volunteer page.
To put song lyrics over the camera shot on a Blackmagic ATEM Mini, feed the slides computer into an ATEM input and key it over the camera. Here's how luma and chroma keys work for lyrics, how to design slides that key cleanly, and who should run it.
Many churches use an ATEM Mini as a camera switcher and send its output into OBS over USB as a webcam. The ATEM gives volunteers real buttons; OBS adds lyrics, graphics, recording, and streaming. Here's how to set it up, split the jobs, and avoid the common sync and quality problems.
The ATEM Mini's buttons handle switching, but keys, audio, media, and streaming live in ATEM Software Control. Put it on a second computer over the church network and hand it to its own volunteer. Here's how to connect it, what that seat does, and how the two people work together.
The Blackmagic ATEM Mini is easy to start with, and easy to overload one volunteer with. Split it into seats: one person on the switcher's buttons, another on ATEM Software Control for keys, audio, and the stream, and another on PTZ cameras. Here's how, and how Bitfocus Companion and WorshipMetrics fit.
WorshipMetrics works with Blackmagic ATEM switchers in the booth: Tech Manager controls cut, preview, and program; Present slides can cut the ATEM; Camera Control runs PTZ cameras; and the team shares chat, alerts, and wiring diagrams. Here's what's included, and what stays on the ATEM itself.
Bitfocus Companion is free software that turns a Stream Deck or a tablet into buttons for OBS, vMix, PTZ cameras, projectors, sound boards, and hundreds of other networked devices. For a church, that means plain-word buttons a volunteer can learn in one Sunday. Here's what it is, what it can do, and how WorshipMetrics builds it in.
Church audio gets easier when the hard work is saved once and recalled with a button. Board scenes, Bitfocus Companion on a Stream Deck or tablet, and WorshipMetrics slide actions and monitoring turn complicated console moves into plain-word buttons a volunteer can trust.
Many church AV systems aren't too old or too small. They're too complicated for a volunteer. A simple button panel built with Bitfocus Companion can hide that complexity behind plain-word buttons, and a church can often build it themselves. Here's when that works, when to call a professional, and how to start.